The Atlantic City Council is set to hear a report this week from the Community Development Committee, with regard to Tax Abatement recommendations. The report will be featured as part of the Council’s regular meeting Wednesday evening in their chambers at City Hall, beginning at 5:30-p.m. During the Council’s meeting July 2nd, Mayor Dave Jones asked the Development Committee to discuss whether or not tax abatement should be allowed in the Pine Ridge Subdivision, since it is already receiving tax increment financing.

In other business, the Council will act on: Approving a request by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce for the closing of portions of Chestnut, Walnut and Poplar Streets in the downtown area, for the August 9th AtlanticFest celebration; The awarding of a contract to Snyder and Associates Engineers for the purpose of conducting a Nutrient Reduction Study for the Waste Water Treatment Plan, in conformation with DNR Requirements; and, they’ll decide whether or not to approve the awarding of a contract for Asbestos Removal at 611 Linn Street, to AAA Budget Environmental, Inc.

No serious injuries were reported after a tractor-trailer loaded with live turkeys toppled over Sunday in Council Bluffs. According to the police report, a semi driven by 30-year old Bryan Todd, of Ghent, MN, was traveling north on Interstate 29 at around noon, Sunday, when a vehicle tried to merge into his lane. Ghent swerved to avoid a collision but ended up losing control of the semi, which overturned near the 35th Street exit in Council Bluffs.

The wreck caused traffic to be restricted to one-lane for about three-hours.  It’s not clear how many of the turkeys were injured or if any were killed.

An Ohio man faces charges after a drug bust on Interstate 80 in Council Bluffs netted 15 pounds of marijuana. The Daily Non Pareil says according to the Council Bluffs P-D, a little after 8-a.m. Saturday, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that was speeding on eastbound Interstate 80 near mile marker 5. When officers questioned the driver, 44-year old James E. Reeder, of Concord, Ohio, they thought his story of where he was going and coming from didn’t add up.

A k-9 unit was called-in and indicated there were drugs, giving authorities probable cause to search the Hyundai. When officers searched Reeder’s vehicle, they found 15 pounds of marijuana in a suitcase in the cargo area. Police estimated the drugs to be worth $15,000.

The U-S-D-A crop report issued Monday showed drier conditions allowed farmers to get more work done in the fields last week. The report says there were four-point-two (4.2) days suitable for fieldwork — the first time since mid-June that farmers have had over three suitable days across the whole state to work in the field. Some of that field work included replanting drowned out crops, or adding nitrogen to areas that saw it washed out. Parts of northwest Iowa had more than 20 inches of rain in recent weeks. Iowa State University Agronomist, Paul Kassel, says that continues to create water problems.

“The big issue is there’s some corn that has moisture stress from having way too much moisture and our drainage systems are overtaxed,” Kassle says. He says the water doesn’t drain away and that impacts the corn. “We have some corn that just looks terrible, it’s maybe knee-high, it’s very yellow. The question is how do we manage that, what do we do about that,” Kassle says. He says in some cases farmers are trying to rescue some of their nitrogen-starved corn crop.

“Some of that corn we think is probably worth it — maybe it’s only one stage behind the kind of normal corn,” Kassell says “Some people are side-dressing extra nitrogen on that with high-clearance rigs. Some of that is going on with airplanes with aerial application.” Kassel says the worst areas in northwest Iowa are in Buena Vista, Clay, Palo Alto and Pocahontas Counties.

Overall, the crop report says 76-percent of the corn crop was reported in good to excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week. Seventy-three percent of the soybean crop was rated in good to excellent condition, unchanged from last week.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

(Information in the following story is from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com)

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The Rhythm City Casino in Davenport is reopening after being closed for two weeks because of flooding concerns along the Mississippi River. General manager Mo Hyder says the riverboat casino is reopening Tuesday morning because floodwaters have receded. That has allowed “clean and safe access” for employees and customers.

TOLEDO, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the stabbing death of her daughter-in-law. Ginger Jefferson was given the mandatory sentence Monday in Tama County District Court for the September death of Kerry O’Clair-Jefferson. Jurors convicted her of first-degree murder in May.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say a Waterloo man whose life sentence for murder was commuted by the governor has been released from prison. Records show Rasberry Williams was paroled effective Monday. Williams was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1974 shooting death of a man outside a Waterloo pool hall. Over the decades, supporters argued that Williams had been a model inmate.

ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — Officials are monitoring cleanup of a fertilizer spill in northern Iowa that dumped hundreds of gallons of liquid. The state Department of Natural Resources says an employee of the Farmers Cooperative in Allison was pulling a tank of 32 percent liquid nitrogen fertilizer on Thursday when a seam on the tank failed. More than 800 gallons of the fertilizer spilled onto a city street. The liquid was then washed into a storm sewer that reached a nearby stream.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Conservative fundraising group American Crossroads is filling in for Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Joni Ernst while she participates in Iowa National Guard training for two weeks. Group spokesman Paul Lindsay tells The Associated Press they’re spending $415,000 on a 30-second television ad that begins Tuesday.

Crossroads is spending another $3.1 million in Iowa as part of a $20 million blitz in Senate battlegrounds as the GOP tries to take control of the chamber. The ad mentions Democratic candidate and U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley’s critique of Republican Sen. Charles Grassley’s qualifications to be Senate Judiciary Chairman. The ad calls Ernst, a state senator, “a better choice.”

Crossroads is a super PAC that is unaffiliated with Ernst’s campaign and not bound by federal laws limiting contributions. It is required to disclose donors.

An electrical short is being blamed for a large fire in western Iowa on July 4. Jeff Cullen, an inspector with the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s office, says the fire destroyed a building in downtown Audubon. “The most likely cause we’re coming up with right now is there was an electrical issue behind one of the appliances in the kitchen area in the rear of the building,” Cullen said.

The fire was reported around noon on July 4. Audubon firefighters were joined by crews from Atlantic, Brayton, Adair, Exira, Manning, and Templeton. Many of the fire trucks had been participating in a parade in Exira. No one was injured. Audubon’s mayor said the top of the building was vacant and the lower floor was used primarily for storage.

(Radio Iowa)

(Updates to say fire was electrical in nature)

An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined a fire late Monday morning at a business in Griswold was caused by an apparent electrical problem. The call about flames inside the building at 615 Main Street (Southwest Iowa Tiling) came in at around 11:50-a.m. Griswold Fire Captain Dustin Wyman was one of the first firefighters from Griswold to arrive. He describes what the scene looked like.

Evidence of the damage caused by the fire at SW IA Tiling in Griswold.

Photo courtesy Cass Co. Deputy Bill Ayers.

Wyman said there was a large amount of black smoke coming from the east side of the building. One initial attack, there were windows broken out on the south side, with smoke and flames pouring out. All the employees escaped and were not injured.

Inside the building were a number of vehicles, tools and welding tanks. One of the vehicles, a pickup truck converted into a service vehicle, was heavily damaged by the flames. Firefighters from Lewis, Elliott, Red Oak and Atlantic were called to help fight the flames and provide extra water. Red Oak and Atlantic brought their Quint, or ladder trucks to the scene.

The flames were knocked down within about 30-to 45-minutes. The building was a total loss.

Firefighters with Griswold Fire and Rescue, Lewis Fire, and Atlantic Fire and Rescue’s ladder truck, have responded to a report of flames in the building at 615 Main Street in Griswold, the site of Southwest Iowa Tiling. The call was dispatched at 11:49-a.m., Monday. Red Oak fire has also been paged out to help with the blaze.

No other details are currently available.