The City of Atlantic’s Personnel and Finance Committee is beginning a search for a new City Attorney. The Committee met Wednesday evening at City Hall, to review the contract of current City Attorney Dave Wiederstein, and their options for a future City Attorney. Committee Chair Kathy Somers said while Wiederstein has not formally given a 30-day notice of intent to resign, he did mention to her that he “Really does not want to be the City Attorney past December 31st,” but he added that he would be “Willing to make an extension of that for one-month, for reasons he also gave in a letter to Somers.

From left to right: Interim City Administrator John Lund; Mayor Dave Jones: Councilpersons Jimerson, Somers & Halder. (Ric Hanson/photo)

Wiederstein is running for Cass County Attorney in the November General Election. He also serves as attorney for the City of Audubon. Somers said he provided the committee with a list of qualifications in a letter that they should look for in a new City Attorney, including having someone who is local, experienced in municipal law and real estate. Wiederstein said the attorney should be “Responsive,” also. Meaning a higher priority should be given to City matters over the attorney’s other clients.

The Committee, comprised of Somers, Councilmen Dana Halder and Chris Jimerson, along with Mayor Dave Jones, made it clear they want whomever is selected to attend at least 90-percent of the Council meetings.

The Committee decided to send letters of Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) to law firms located within Atlantic, informing them of the opening, and allowing them until November 21st to submit a sealed bid. The Committee will open the bids at a meeting in early December and present them before the Council during their meeting on December 3rd, along with a recommendation.

Police in Red Oak say two juveniles were arrested late Wednesday afternoon on theft and harassment charges. Authorities say a 13-year-old male juvenile was arrested for 2nd degree harassment and 5th degree theft. He was detained at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center. A13-year-old male was also arrested for 5th degree theft.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The governing board for Iowa’s three public universities will discuss a plan that would raise tuition and fees by 1.75 percent next year. The Iowa Board of Regents will meet at the University of Iowa on Thursday for the second of a two-day meeting. Regents are expected to consider the tuition plan, but not vote on it until December.

It would raise the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduates from Iowa to $8,220 at the University of Iowa, $7,851 at Iowa State and $7,933 at the University of Northern Iowa. The proposal comes after the board has frozen tuition rates for the prior two years, for the first time since the 1970s.

The increase would cover the expected cost of inflation and generate $14.5 million in new revenues.

Officials with the Iowa West Foundation, Wednesday, announced changes are being made in the foundation’s grant making policies and procedures, marking only the third time in 20 years the foundation has made major changes in its grant-making policies and procedures. President and CEO Pete Tulipana has announced that beginning in 2015, the foundation will award grants three times a year, a change from the current policy of awarding grants quarterly.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) — A small fire at a middle school in northeast Iowa has led to an early dismissal for students and staff. The Waterloo Community School District says the fire was reported yesterday morning at Bunger Middle School in Evansdale. No injuries were reported.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa telephone cooperative is getting a guaranteed loan from the federal government to increase its fiber optics network and make system improvements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said North Liberty-based South Slope Cooperative Telephone Company is getting a loan of nearly $14.7 million from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program, which makes long-term direct and guaranteed loans. The company’s service area includes Amana, North Liberty, West and South Cedar Rapids, and parts of Coralville.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A statue of a farmer leaning on a spade has been selected among 20 other sculptures as the most popular in Mason City. The work called “The Farmer,” is this year’s winner of the People’s Choice award in the north Iowa city.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a popular Des Moines pharmacy will likely serve up to 37 months in prison for illegally selling tens of thousands of addictive painkillers to drug abusers. The Register reports an attorney representing Mark Graziano said Tuesday that his client plans to plead guilty to two of the 18 federal charges filed against him.

The Atlantic Police Department late this (Wednesday) evening, released the names of the persons involved in a fatal crash earlier in the evening. According to a Press Release, the driver of the car, 82-year-old Kenneth Dean Beymer, of Atlantic died in the crash. His passenger, 55-year-old Connie Beymer, also of Atlantic, was injured in the accident that happened at around 6:18-p.m. at the intersection of southwest 7th and 10th Streets. She was transported by Medivac Ambulance to the Cass County Memorial Hospital. A report on her condition was not available late Wed. night.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green said in an interview earlier with reporters, that Beymer had been trying to cross 7th Street when his 1999 Buick LeSabre was hit nearly broadside by an eastbound semi hauling a load of grain. The driver of the semi, 19-year-old Tucker Harvey Sager of Atlantic, was not injured.

The impact pushed the car an estimated 50-feet before it came to rest in the westbound lane of 7th Street. The semi came to a stop in the same lane. The roadway was blocked for several hours in both directions for a few blocks, while accident investigators with the Iowa State Patrol conducted their analysis of the scene and gathered evidence.

Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Officers with the Atlantic Police Department and personnel with Atlantic Fire and Rescue also on the scene.

Authorities in Adair County say two women, a mother and her daughter from Nebraska enroute to Bridgewater, were injured Wednesday afternoon during an accident that took place on Highway 92 at the Cass-Adair Avenue (the Cass-Adair County line).

Adair County Chief Deputy Sheriff Ron Hrubetz told KJAN News the accident happened at around 4:32-p.m., as the passenger vehicle went to pass a tractor that was towing a grain cart, and about to make a turn. The car went out of control and went down an embankment. About two-thirds of the way down the embankment, the front end of the car dug-in, causing it to flip onto its top.

The 57-year old driver and her 83-year old passenger were injured. Both were from Omaha. The passenger was flown by Mercy One helicopter to an undisclosed hospital. The driver was transported to the Adair County Memorial Hospital in Greenfield with what were described as non-life threatening injuries. The tractor operator, a 34-year old male from Massena, was not hurt.

The accident remains under investigation. No names have been released.

Authorities have confirmed a fatality accident occurred Wednesday evening in Atlantic. Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green said a passenger car left the intersection of southwest 7th Street and 10th Street and trying to cross 7th when it was hit by a semi hauling a load of grain that was traveling east on 7th Street.

The impact pushed the car an estimated 50-feet before it came to rest in the westbound lane of 7th Street. The semi came to a stop in the same lane. The driver of the car died at the scene. A passenger was seriously injured and transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital with unknown injuries.

Both east and westbound lanes remained blocked as of late Wednesday night, while accident investigators with the Iowa State Patrol conducted their analysis of the scene. No names were released, pending notification of family, but it’s believed the accident victim was from Atlantic. The driver of the semi was not injured.

Atlantic Fire and Rescue personnel, ambulance crews and law enforcement are on the scene of a serious, possibly fatal accident on the City’s west side. The accident happened at around 6:15-pm at the intersection of 10th and s.w. 7th streets. A semi collided with a car, pushing the vehicle at least 59-feet eastbound. Both vehicles came to rest  . The west bound lane of s.w. 7th, in front of the Casey’s store. The roadway is currently blocked in both directions.

(See update to this story posted later)