(updated 11:30-a.m.) — The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday) approved more than $3.1 million in funding to support 45 public transit projects included in the fiscal year (FY) 2013 Transit Program. The projects are funded under the state Public Transit Infrastructure Grant Fund, federal Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program, and federal New Freedom program.

The New Freedom federal formula grant program seeks to reduce barriers to transportation services and expand the transportation mobility options available to people with disabilities, beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Transit agencies in larger communities receive a direct allocation of funding from FTA. The Commission is responsible for programming projects in smaller communities. Under the NF grants, in Region 13, the Atlantic Voucher program received $7,027,  and $4,459 for expansion of the Harlan taxi service hours.

And, under the JARC Program for Region 13 (based in Atlantic), the Commission approved a $4,334 request for the Red Oak Taxi service, $5,335 for CDS Global, Incorporated’s vanpool service, and $27,047 for Menard’s commuter service.

A listing of the individual projects and funding amounts is available www.iowadot.gov/transit/archive_files/COFY13_TransitProgramattachmentaugust2012.pdf.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday) approved, and the director of the Iowa Department of Transportation subsequently adopted, an emergency administrative rule that increases the administrative driving privilege sanctions for illegally passing a stopped school bus. The rule takes effect Wednesday, Aug. 15, allowing it to be in effect at the start of the 2012-13 school year.

Earlier this year, Governor Branstad signed into law Senate File 2218, the Keep Aware Driving – Youth Need School Safety Act (commonly known as Kadyn’s Law), that increased the criminal penalties for passing a stopped school bus and directed the Iowa DOT to enact rules that make illegally passing a stopped school bus a serious moving violation that triggers increasing periods of suspension for first, second and subsequent offenses. The new rule provides that a person’s Iowa driving privilege will be suspended 30 days for a first conviction, 90 days for a second conviction, and 180 days for a third or subsequent conviction.

In addition, fines for a first offense range from $250-to $675, and/or 30-days in jail. A second offense comes with fines ranging from $315-to $1,875, along with a possible prison sentence of up to one-year. The same penalties are possible for a third or subsequent offense, in addition to the 180-day license suspension.

Any offense causing serious injury to another person may also cause the person responsible to face a fine of $500. Any offense causing the death of another person while passing a school bus, will result in a $1,000 fine and suspension of your license for up to 180-days. Officials say it’s important to remember, that offenses which cause serious injury or death associated with the passing of a school bus, such as OWI, reckless driving, eluding or attempting to elude a law enforcement vehicle, are Class-B felonies, which can carry fines of up to $10,000, a mandatory restitution of $150,000, and a mandatory prison term of 25-years. Your license will also be suspended for six-years.

Kim Snook, director of the Iowa DOT’s Office of Driver Services, said, “We hope that these increased penalties and sanctions will make driver’s think twice before foolishly choosing to pass a stopped school bus. More than thinking about their own penalty, however, we hope they will remember and recognize that passing a stopped school bus threatens the life of a child.”

TRACY, Mo. (AP) – A man who police say went on a two-state crime spree died along with a woman in another car after a head-on traffic accident in northwest Missouri.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 54-year-old Antwinette E. Holtsclaw of Platte County died Monday when her car was hit by a car driven by 27-year-old Randy L. Hartline of Council Bluffs. Hartline died later at a hospital

The accident on Missouri 92 near Tracy ended a crime spree that began in Council Bluffs, when Hartline stole a vehicle and drove to St. Joseph. The patrol says Hartline stole four more vehicles and committed a burglary before troopers began a chase in Platte County.  The patrol says Hartline was trying to pass another vehicle, over-corrected and slammed into Holtsclaw’s car.

Authorities in western Iowa’s Monona County say on Onawa man was arrested Monday on a sexual exploitation charge. According to Onawa Police, 23-year-old Jesse Wayne Trudeau was taken into custody on a felony charge of suspicion of sexually exploiting a minor, and an aggravated misdemeanor charge of transmitting obscene material to a minor by phone. Trudeau was being held in the Monona County Jail on $7,500.00 bond.

Authorities say the alleged incident is believed to have taken place sometime between December 2010 and February of 2011. The Iowa DCI was assisting Onawa Police in conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. No other details have been released.

The first in a series of programs for elderly persons designed to improve their everyday health through education and early detection of today’s leading chronic diseases, will be held tomorrow (Wed., Aug. 15^th), in Atlantic. The “Agewell” Program takes place from 9-until 11-am at Cass County Home Care, and features feature free blood pressure screenings

The program was created to improving the health of the community through healing, caring and teaching. Cass County Home Care encourages people to get their blood pressure screened so that they know if they are at risk. Registered nurses from Cass County Home Care will be available to evaluate blood pressure readings. The assessments are not done for diagnostic or treatment purposes, but to educate and inform, and individuals are advised to share their test results with their primary care physician.

AgeWell is a four-week series of health assessments and education events designed for anyone interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle as they age. Events are held on Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. at Cass County Home Care, 1500 E. 10^th Street in Atlantic. Upcoming events include body mass index (BMI) screening on August 22 ; fall risk assessment on August 29; and the AgeWell workshop on September 5 that offers tips on nutrition, fitness and overall health. The AgeWell series will be held again Sept. 12 to Oct. 3.

Participants are encouraged to attend all four AgeWell sessions so that they can get a more complete picture of their health and well-being. Participants will also have an opportunity to win a wellness package.For more information about Cass County Home Care’s AgeWell series, please call Denise Coder at 712- 243-8006.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will meet this (Tuesday) evening, at the High School. During their 7:30-p.m. session in the Media Room, the Board will hear a progress report from Design Alliance Architect representative Jerry Purdy,  on the Atlantic Middle School renovation, along with construction on the former Clarinda Company Building and the temporary classrooms being put up at Washington Elementary.

Maintenance Director Russell Peck will report on Summer Improvements to the district’s facilities, and the school Principal’s will provide their status reports. In other business, the Board of Education will act on approving: amended contracts and/or Letters of Assignment; Volunteer coaching positions, and, resignations.

They’re also expected to approve a 28-E agreement with the Cass County Memorial Hospital Therapeutic School, hold the second reading of an Overtime Policy, and approve a bid for the repair of the Middle School roof.

The Board will end their meeting with discussion, on a request from the Atlantic Municipal Utilities.

A new federal report finds Americans are walking more and those who walk are healthier. The C-D-C report singles out the I-WALK program in Iowa for helping promote physical fitness. I-WALK stands for Iowans Walking Assessment Logistics Kit. Sarah Taylor-Watts, the physical activity coordinator for the Iowa Department of Public Health, says I-WALK maps safe walking routes to school for children and routes for adults, too.  “Children have to get to school regardless so it’s finding a way to incorporate walking and biking into their day,” Taylor-Watts says. “Instead of kids being driven to school, it’s an opportunity for them to walk to school which adds minutes of physical activity to their day without really taking too much time out of their day.”

The report also found there’s still plenty of work to do, as fewer than half of American adults and only 45-percent of Iowa adults reach the recommended guideline of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Some programs that promote walking involve the use of pedometers, counting one’s steps throughout the day or measuring the distance they’ve walked. “We don’t keep track of anything like that,” Taylor-Watts says. “I-WALK is primarily just about improving the environment so kids can walk or bike to school and providing those non-infrastructure things so maybe helping the school starting a walking school bus or something like that.”

She explains the concept of a walking school bus:  “It’s like a traditional school bus but instead of a group of kids riding a bus, they walk together like on a bus and an adult usually leads the group,” Taylor-Watts says. “Maybe it’s a parent volunteer or a teacher or some schools, like the high school honor class, will lead the group.” The I-WALK program is already being used in the following 16 Iowa communities: Cedar Falls, Dallas Center, Washington, Wellman, DeSoto, West Des Moines, Tabor, Hull, Spencer, Kalona, Riceville, Atlantic, Vinton, Independence, West Union and Fort Madison. Another 12 communities will be added to the list this fall. Learn more at: “www.i-walk.org”

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department reported Monday, numerous individuals were arrested over the weekend. On Sunday, 21-year old Michelle Jackson, of Des Moines, was arrested for Driving While Barred. On Saturday, officers arrested the following persons: 22-year old John Thompson, of Atlantic, for Public Intoxication and, on a Buena Vista County warrant for Failure to Appear on an OWI charge; 27-year old Frazer Werts, of Atlantic, arrested for Public Intoxication; 44-year old Roger Brubaker, of Clarinda, on 4 counts of Harassment in the 3rd degree; and, 37-year old Allen Walker, of Atlantic, was arrested Saturday for Driving While Barred.

And, there were two arrests on Friday, in Atlantic: 21-year old Scott Downer, of Norfolk, VA, who was taken into custody for Criminal Trespass, and, 22-year old Tyler Mills, of Atlantic, for Driving Under Suspension. Each of those individuals were booked into the Cass County Jail and held, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

Two Villisca men were arrested Monday on Assault charges. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year old Jamie Ryan Straw, was taken into custody at around 10:50-p.m., and 38-year old Eric Michael Huffstutlear was arrested at around 8:40-p.m. Both face charges of Domestic Assault. The men were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on full bond.