(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue is scheduled to appear before the City Council during their meeting at 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 4th). Chief Hogue will update the Council on his department’s plans to address junk vehicle violations. In other business, the Council will act on a Resolution “Approving the dedication of [the] Redwood Subdivision to the City of Atlantic.”

During their meeting in April, 2022, the Council approved the preliminary plat for the subdivision, with the final plat having been approved in June of 2022. Both plats created nine new lots for low-density residential, single-family homes, and extended a cul-de-sac (East 20th St.) with utility service and right-of-way (ROW), west of Redwood Drive. A stipulation of the preliminary plat states “The public infrastructure improvements (streets, sewer, storm water & water main) shall be dedicated to the City of Atlantic.” The Resolution will complete the transfer of the ROW and improvements within, to the City.

Other Council action is expected with regard to “Approving the Transfer of Funds for the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023-24,” which City Administrator John Lund says is a routine transfer of money for the City’s 63 separate funds, and is a critical component of making the City’s budget work effectively. It also reconciles accurate cost-accounting with the desire to create transparency on what is being spent in each line item in each fund. The transfers, Lund says, are always in accordance with State Law.

In the past, Lund notes, the City simply followed the budget on the transfers as sufficient documentation of activity, but the auditors are now requiring that a separate resolution be passed as the transfers occur.

The Atlantic City Council meeting takes place in their Chambers at City Hall.

DANBURY, Iowa (KCAU) — A state investigation has led to an arrest warrant being issued in Woodbury County. According to the Iowa State Auditor’s Office, more than $177,000 of improper disbursements were made by former Danbury City Clerk Stacy Rockdaschel, between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2022. Following the release of State Auditor Rob Sand’s investigation, Woodbury County authorities issued an arrest warrant for Rockdaschel on charges of ongoing criminal conduct and first-degree theft.

Rochdaschel resigned from her position as city clerk on May 15, 2022. The auditor’s report outlines hundreds of improper disbursements for clothing and accessories, as well as thousands of dollars in improper charges involving PayPal, social media vendors, Venmo, and Amazon. Sand also identified $26,500 of estimated undeposited collections. The auditorsaid reform is needed in order to deter people from stealing from local governments.

Stacy-Rockdaschel-Booking-photo

Right now, there’s no mandatory minimum for officials who embezzle funds from city or county coffers. Additionally, Sand is recommending the city implement procedures to ensure the city’s internal controls are strengthened.

FORT DODGE, Iowa — Fort Dodge Police have released the name of the man who was shot and killed on Sunday. At around 8:42 p.m. officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 200 block of 3rd Ave. NW. When officers arrived on scene they discovered 44-year-old Jason A. Ruffridge unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite live-saving measures, Ruffridge died from his injuries at the scene.

No suspects or arrests have been made in the case. Fort Dodge Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact them at (515)573-7788 or contact Webster County Crime Stoppers at (515)573-1444 or online.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan says the month that just ended will be one of the warmer Septembers in the state weather book. “So we’re about 67 degrees as the average temperature for the state, and that’s almost four degrees above average,” Glisan says. “So looking at the preliminary record going back 151 years, looks like we’ll be in the top 20 warmest September’s on record.” Glisan says the final week of September really impacted the final number. “The last seven days we averaged almost 10 degrees above average,” he says. Glisan says September’s precipitation total didn’t do a lot to help pull the state out of the drought.

“We’re about one-point-four-two (1.42) inches below average on the precipitation side. Typically we’re about three and a half inches and we were about two inches over the last 30 days,” he says. Glisan says the short-term forecasts are signaling continued dry weather. “And then with that warmer temperature signal, a dry signal as well for the first half of the month. Looking at the overall climate prediction center outlooks, we see above average chances for warmer conditions for the entire month — but equal chances — we’re right in between wetter chances to our west and very dry conditions possible in the eastern part of the Corn Belt, right in the middle. So equal chances of above below or near average,” Glisan says.

He says that outlook is for the next seven to ten days.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man arrested Monday afternoon in Red Oak faces charges that include Theft in the 5th Degree, 3rd Degree Harassment, Disorderly Conduct and Assault in Violation of [an] Individuals rights. Red Oak Police say 46-year-old Ronald Gordon Bingham, Jr., of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 3:36-p.m. in the 500 block of High Street. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 cash bond.

DES MOINES — U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) has announced his October mobile office hours across Iowa’s Third District to assist constituents who may not be able to travel to one of the Third District Congressional offices in Creston, Des Moines, and Ottumwa. Iowans will be able to attend these mobile office hours to get help from their Congressional office with Social Security, Medicare, passports, visas, veterans’ benefits, military records, tax returns, and other issues with federal government agencies.

“My top priority is providing excellent constituent services to Iowans,” said Rep. Nunn. “Our mobile office hours are an opportunity for Iowans to get help from their representative in their hometowns.”

The (area) schedule for October Mobile Office Hours is as follow:

Union County 
Afton City Hall 
115 East Kansas Street, Afton, IA 50836
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Guthrie County 
Bayard Public Library
315 Main Street, Bayard, IA 50029
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
 
Cass County 
Atlantic Public Library 
507 Poplar St, Atlantic, IA 50022
Thursday, October 12, 2023
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Montgomery County 
Stanton Community Center 
501 Elliot St, Stanton, IA 51573
Friday, October 13, 2023
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

(Radio Iowa) – Dry weather gave farmers almost a full week of field time and the latest corn and soybean harvest numbers show the result. The U-S-D-A report show 16 percent of corn was out of the fields by the end of last week. That is up nine percent from the previous week and the corn harvest is now four days ahead of last year and the five-year average. Corn condition improved slightly to 51 percent good to excellent.

The soybeans harvested more than doubled — hitting 24 percent — up from 11 percent the week before. Beans are right about on schedule, just one day ahead of last year, and equal to the average. Soybean condition improved two percentage points so 49 percent are rated in good to excellent condition.

Combine harvesting corn. (ISU Extension photo)

The federal government is sending Dubuque nearly eight million dollars to revamp a key portion of its flood protection system. Dubuque engineer, Deron (Darren) Muehring (Meer-ing) says the money will help complete a key part of the Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project.

(as he says)”It’s going to help replace a facility that’s, over 50 years old, really update it, expanded its capabilities, really help better protect a large swath of our community from flooding,” he says. The watershed project is designed to take runoff during a rainfall and funnel it to this pumping area.

(as he says)”When of the river, Mississippi is up and we’re in flood conditions, and our floodwall levee system is in operation, then if it rains in the city of Duqubue, then this system helps drain kind of the interior side of the levee,” Muehring says. He says they were fortunate there weren’t any really significant rains this spring during Mississippi River flooding, and they didn’t have to use the system. The city has had six flood events which drew Presidential disaster declarations since 1999, making it important to keep the system working.

(as he says)”The project to construct and then engineering during construction is about a 26 million dollar project,” he says. “So the seven-point-seven million dollars will bring that cost down, so the city’s share will still be about 19 million dollars to see that through to through to completion.”
The grant is grant from the U-S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, and won funding in part because of its economic impact on several large businesses.

(as he says)”This facility will help, you know, prevent flooding of manufacturing facilities, along our Kerper Boulevard , it’s along along the river there. So it’s going to help existing facilities to maintain their businesses and allow them to expand,” he says. It projected the project could lead to more than 16 million dollars in private investment in that area and the creation of 150 jobs.

Des Moines, Iowa  – The State of Iowa has agreed to an interim settlement in a lawsuit brought on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children with serious mental and behavioral health needs, which asserted that Iowa administers an inadequate mental health system that does not provide children and youth with legally required services. To address the decades long issues, the State of Iowa has launched major transformations through the Mental Health and Disability Regional structure to provide core services to children in Iowa and will continue to improve the state’s mental health system specifically for all Iowans. The terms of this agreement will strengthen the work already underway and shift to increase oversight in the behavioral health system to ensure adequate access to services for families and children.

“We commend Governor Reynolds and her administration for recognizing the unmet needs of children with serious mental health needs in Iowa and their right to essential mental health care services,” said Catherine Johnson, the Executive Director of Disability Rights Iowa, one of the groups representing the Plaintiffs. “Her commitment to take the steps necessary to provide them with the intensive home and community-based services they need, we believe will allow our children to remain at home with the families or caregivers best able to love and care for them.” Plaintiffs are also represented by Children’s Rights, the National Health Law Program and Ropes & Gray.

Over the course of the next several months, the state will develop an implementation plan that will bolster and reinforce the significant actions already taken in recent years to improve the mental health system in Iowa. The plan will include defining clear access points for behavioral health services, including crisis and in-home services. The plan will also describe how the state will oversee adequate access and update case management supports to ensure children and families are more successful in the community and at school.

“Iowa HHS has spent the past several years honing its work to better support children and families. This demonstrated commitment from across our agency is especially true for our populations in need of significant support. The Iowa Medicaid team has led a multi-year effort to transform this system that includes bringing individuals and families to the table in a meaningful way. These changes cement the work already in progress and we are proud to pave the way forward,” said Iowa HHS Director Kelly Garcia.

DES MOINES – Auditor of state Rob Sand today (Monday) held a news conference with Des Moines Independent Community School District Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts to tout the success of Des Moines Public Schools’ food rescue program as participants in the Auditor’s Public Innovations and Efficiencies (PIE) program. Auditor Sand also announced winners across the state of Iowa. (See the list below)

“Food rescue is exactly the kind of innovation we had in mind when we first created the PIE program four years ago,” said Sand in advance of the event. “Where compassion and innovation meet lies efficiency, and I’m proud that we get to present our first 2023 award to the folks at Des Moines Independent Community School District—they’ve gone above and beyond to reduce waste and improve support for the most vulnerable members of the communities they serve.”

Sand created the PIE program in 2019 to encourage public entities across Iowa to think outside the box and spark innovative ideas to save public funds. The PIE program checklist provides local leaders with tools to collaborate and share their concepts, known as PIE recipes, via the Auditor of State’s website.

“While food rescue is just one of the items on our checklist of PIE recipes, it’s one worth sharing far and wide,” said Sand, noting that during a time of higher costs for families, many struggle to make ends meet—even grappling with food insecurity. Sand continued, “PIE provides local leaders with an easy, streamlined sharing process—that’s why each year, we’ve seen more engagement than the last.”

The PIE program has proven so successful that the Mississippi State Auditor, a Republican, copied the program for use in his own state—even using the same name. “The appeal of PIE is that everybody likes good government—Republican, Democratic, or independent. Good government shouldn’t have partisan blinders,” said Sand. Sand will hand-deliver a pie to officials in each community at a later date.
2023 PIE Award Recipients
Counties
Largest County: Polk
Smallest County: Ringgold
Best Performing County, Overall: Fayette
Best Performing Counties, Awarded Within Categories of Size: Johnson, Fayette, Clayton, Montgomery, Pocahontas
Most Improved County: Polk
Cities
Largest City: Cedar Rapids
Smallest City: Beaconsfield
Best Performing City, Overall: Cedar Rapids
Best Performing Cities, Awarded Within Categories of Size: Cedar Rapids, Guttenberg, Alleman & Grand Mount (TIE), Plainfield, Garden Grove
School Districts
Largest School District: Des Moines Public Schools
Smallest School District: Olin Community Schools
Best Performing School District, Overall: Iowa City Community Schools
Best Performing 4A School District: Iowa City Community Schools
Runner-Up Best Performing 4A School District: Des Moines Public Schools
Best Performing 3A School District: Greene County Community Schools
Runner-Up Best Performing 3A School District: Okoboji Community Schools
Best Performing 2A School District: North Cedar Community Schools
Runner-Up Best Performing 2A School District: Bedford Community Schools
Best Performing 1A School District: Hamburg Community Schools
Runner-Up Best Performing 1A School District: Olin Community Schools
Most Improved School District: Norwalk Community Schools.