(Grimes, Iowa) – An official with the Iowa FFA Association says each year, the Southwest district and Iowa FFA officers plan and facilitate Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT) Conferences for FFA members in the Southwest district. Association Executive Director Scott Johnson, says Atlantic welcomed 169 members from 28 FFA chapters attended from all over the Southwest district on June 5th.

While in Atlantic, district and state officers lead four interactive workshops for FFA Chapter leaders, many of which are officers, for the annual COLT Conference. The workshops facilitated were local FFA Chapter program focused in the areas of advocating for the agriculture industry, connecting with stakeholders, recruiting for the local chapter, and working as a cohesive team. FFA leaders also received training relative to their specific officer duties within the local chapter. Atlantic Chapter Vice President Lola Comes said “Every activity in FFA is preparing me for the future; even a few hours at COLT training has been beneficial. Networking in agriculture is important and this opportunity helped me interact with others and grow as a leader.”

Iowa FFA President, Holly Schmitt, said “COLT conference provides a chance for FFA members to learn more about their responsibility as a local leader and is a conference for members to meet and connect with state, district and other chapter officers.”

Back row, Left-to-right: Colton Rudy, Roth DenBeste, Wyatt Simons & Lily Johnson; Front row, L-to-R: Claire Pellett, Charli Goof & Lola Comes. (Photo courtesy Scott Johnson)

COLT conference programming is designed as a two-year rotation of local leaders training. The focus areas of next year’s program include agriculture literacy, time management, professionalism, and self-confidence. The goal is to engage FFA members in learning about the tools that would allow them to be successful in anything they are part of through high school and beyond.

COLT conference is made possible with support from Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa through the Iowa FFA Foundation

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people were arrested late Wednesday night in Creston. At around 10:30-p.m., 36-year-old Melissa Kay Stephenson, of Leon, was arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart for  5th Degree Theft 5th. Stephenson was cited and released from the scene on a Promise to Appear in court. And, at around 11:30-p.m. Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 18-year-old Keaton Michael Ballinger, of Creston.

Authorities say he was arrested at his residence for Possession Purchase of Alcohol by Person under the legal age/1st Offense. Ballinger was cited and released from the scene, on a Promise to Appear.

(Carter Lake, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a house fire that occurred last week, in Carter Lake. Authorities say 84-year-old Elizabeth Clark died after the fire at her residence near 15th and Avenue P on June 5th. Carter Lake firefighters called for mutual aid from Omaha and Crescent for help to knock down the fire. It took crews about 40-minutes to bring the blaze under control.

A cause of the blaze was unknown, and the incident remained under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Board of Regents approved an increase in salary or retention bonuses for the three presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa Wednesday. Board President Michael Richards read the proposed increase for U-I president Barbara Wilson. “Authorize a 50-thousand dollar increase to her annual base salary effective July 1st 2023. Amend the 2021 deferred compensation plan to increase the total principal value by 25 percent,” he says.

The raise moves Wilson’s yearly salary to 700-thousand dollars. For I-S-U president Wendy Wintersteen, there will be a new deferred compensation plan starting July 1st with annual contributions of 415-thousand dollars, and her new employment agreement extends through June 30th of 2026. Her salary stays at 650-thousand dollars. U-N-I president Mark Nook also receive a raise. “Authorize a 15-thousand dollar increase to his annual base salary effective July 1st 2023,” Richards says.

This moves Nook’s salary to 372-thousand-110 dollars a year. The executive director of the Board of Regents, Mark Braun is also getting a change in his deferred compensation. “Establishing a new deferred compensation plan commencing with July 1st, 2023 and terminating on June 30th, 2025, with annual contributions of 155-thousand dollars,” Richards says.

The Regents discussed the salary issues in a closed meeting Tuesday and did not make any comments before voting to approve them Wednesday. After raising the compensation packages for the Board and university leaders, the Regents then approved a three-point-five percent tuition increase for in-state students. Iowa State University student body vice president, Jennifer Holiday spoke before the vote. “We understand the decision to increase tuition is not one taken lightly or made out of apathy, but rather out of necessity. The deficit between state allocations, and unnecessary costs must be supplemented for the sake of student success,” Holiday says.

Holiday says the increase can also inhibit students as they have to choose between eating and paying for textbooks. “As we prepare for the next meeting of the State General Assembly, Iowa State student government is ready to advocate alongside the Board and our other Regent universities to secure increased allocations from the state,” Holiday says. “Increased tuition and fees may be the short-term fix, but it is not a viable long-term solution for our students attending Iowa State University.”

University of Iowa student body vice president Carly O’Brien also discussed the burden on students. She says 30 percent of undergraduate students report using more than half of their income for housing and struggle with paying for food. “Sixty-seven percent of students in Iowa report eating less because they could not afford food. As a STEM major, I regularly learn about the importance of nutrition for daily functioning, and I’ve seen students struggle with the ultimatum to buy textbooks or food,” O’Brien says.

U-N-I student body president Micaia Krutsinger says he encourages the legislature and the Board of Regents to look at how the school is being funded. “If the core inflation is expected to be around four percent in 2023 and three percent in 2024, why is the state’s 2024 appropriations for general funding staying flat, while tuition is proposed to increase three-point-five percent?,” he says.  Krutsinger says state funding for higher education has not kept up. In fiscal year 2001, 63-point-seven percent of the three universities’ general funding came from the state, and 30-point-six percent from tuition,” Krutsinger says. “Now, for fiscal year 2023’s budget is nearly flipped with 30-point-five percent from the state and 63-point-eight percent from tuition.”

Krutsinger says the three universities combined currently have 57-point-five million dollars less in general funding from the state as compared to 2001. The Board of Regents approved the tuition increase and also an increase in mandatory fees without discussion.

(Radio Iowa)- There’s an open house in Oskaloosa later this month for the unveiling of a replica that will help tell the story of a massive animal that roamed the area 10-thousand years ago. A life-size model of a woolly mammoth is going on permanent display at the Environmental Learning Center in Oskaloosa. Chris Clingan is director of the Mahaska County Conservation Board, which operates the center.

“It gives you a real life idea of how large these creatures were and just how unique they are,” Clingan says. In 2010, after a heavy rain, a man who owned property about six miles east of Oskaloosa found the leg bone of a mammoth sticking out of a ravine. “We actually have that actual bone, that first bone that was found, on display here,” Clingan says. Bones from three different mammoths were eventually discovered in the area.

“That was significant because I think it was the first time that it actually gave scientific evidence that there was a population of mammoths in Iowa,” he says. “There was a saber toothed tiger over in southwest Iowa that was discovered just a few months ago, a skull and everything, and so there’s evidence that these creatures once roamed the lands here and that’s truly amazing.”

Clingan remembers seeing a replica of a giant sloth at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History when he was a kid and he says seeing this full-body replica of a woolly mammoth is equally awe inspiring. “At one point in time here in Iowa anywhere from 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, during end of the last Ice Age, there was a woolly elephant roaming around,” Clingan says. “It was really fascinating to me to realize the world we live in now was so much different not too long ago when you think of how long the Earth’s been around.”

The mammoth themed open house will be on June 27th, from 4 until 8 p.m. The Learning Center in Oskaloosa opened just a couple of years ago and the building was designed around getting a life sized woolly mammoth replica inside.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican candidate Tim Scott is promising to fire the head of the F-B-I if he’s elected president and clean out all the Department of Justice staff appointed by President Biden. “Americans must have a justice system where the lady of justice wears a blindfold,” Scott said. “We cannot target Republicans and protect Democrats.” Scott held a town hall style forum in Pella last (Wednesday) night.

The final question from the crowd came from a man who said the Department of Justice is weaponized against Americans and “it’s not going to stop with Donald Trump.” Scott did not mention the recent indictment of the former president or even refer to Trump by name in his answer, but Scott used the word corrosive to describe the culture inside the Department of Justice.

“We don’t survive when the majority of Americans don’t have confidence in our justice system,” Scott said. “…You cannot be the city on the hill if you cannot trust law and order.” Scott also told the crowd of about 250 he would make changes in the Department of Education. He proposed redirecting some federal funds to provide performance bonuses to teachers whose students advance beyond grade level.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education met Wednesday evening, and heard from Nishna Valley YMCA Director Dan Haynes, with regard to a letter the District sent in May to vacate the Early Learning Center (ELC)/Infant Room at the Wickman Center. The letter said the YMCA should vacate the ELC/Infant Room by December 15, 2023.

Haynes said because the District’s request was outside the previously agreed to 120-day notice time frame established in July, 2013, it fell outside the parameters of the agreement, having been received on April 25th, and therefore in order for the request to be valid and to allow for time to find another suitable location, the time frame to vacate should be reset to  June 1, 2024.  The School Board accepted and acknowledged the letter, but they took no action during their meeting. (View Haynes’ YMCA letter to the Board)

During the Board Report portion of the meeting, Board President Laura McLean reminded citizens the School Board is elected by the people, and the opportunity to do so again will come during the November 7th General Elections. There will be three open seats on the Board.  McLean touched on what she called “The turmoil” circulating in the District, without specifically mentioning the ACLU letter that focused on making sure the District doesn’t step on students’ constitutional Free Speech rights, as it pertains to a protest on school grounds, over social issues being discussed in the Iowa Legislature.

She said the School Board’s goal has always been to “Give our children the best education possible.” She added, “We have a fundamental responsibility to ensure that all of our policies are in compliance with State and Federal law. Sometimes that can get ‘tricky,’ because State and Federal law aren’t always going to agree with each other. But we have the responsibility to do the best we can in terms of that.” McLean concluded by saying the Board really tries “To make the best decisions they can as a team.”

In other business, the Atlantic School Board received an update from the District’s insurance representative, Kipp Harris, on Liability & Worksman’s Comp Insurance. Harris said the District’s property/liability insurance (for Buildings, grounds and vehicles) and deductibles will be increasing next year, due to the age and valuation of the structures, the weather, and other factors. Harris said Workers Comp premium insurance went down $10,000.

The Board approved each of the items on their consent agenda, including previously mentioned resignations and contracts. Under action items, they passed the Second Reading of 500 Series Board Policies pertaining to Student conduct and related matters. NONE of the polices deal with the rights of students to protest on school property. The Board also approved TLC Contracts for 11 individuals serving as Instructional Coaches, in an Instructional Support Capacity, and as Mentors.

The Board then proceeded to approve a request by Atlantic Activities Director Andy Mitchell, to send Band and Choir students on a field trip to Florida during the Winter/Spring of 2024 (Feb. 29-March 4). As previously mentioned, the costs are not expected to exceed $1,500 per student if they are transported by a charter bus. Flying would cost at least $1,700 per student. The Atlantic School Board approved 2023-24 Fuel bids as presented, along with other action items on their agenda.

Their meeting was the last for Superintendent Steve Barber and Board Secretary/District Business Official Sarah Sheeder. Both tendered their resignations in April, effective at the end of the current school year. Mr. Barber will be succeeded by Interim Superintendent, Dr. Beth Johnson. Sheeder is being replaced by Lisa Jones. Both officially begin their duties on July 1st.

(Villisca, Iowa) — The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Sunday of two teenagers on an assault charge. Deputies responded to a report four juveniles assaulted 60-year-old Laura Cade during an incident that escalated from a verbal to a physical altercation. Cade was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries.

Authorities said the four juveniles were ‘ding dong ditching’ at houses in town. The Ding dong ditch is a children’s prank that involves ringing someone’s doorbell and running away before they answer.

In the 400 block of South 2nd Avenue, the prank resulting in an altercation with Cade when she confronted the teens. Two of the four juveniles allegedly involved in the incident were cited into Juvenile Court for Assault Causing Bodily Injury.

Their names were not released.

(Radio Iowa) – Managers from Mason City, Fort Dodge, and four Kansas airports are asking the U-S Department of Transportation to approve an application for SkyWest Airlines to provide charter jet service under the Essential Air Service program. SkyWest launched the SkyWest Charter subsidiary in April as the charter authority only requires pilots to have 500 hours of flight experience, compared to the 15-hundred hours for a traditional airline pilot or first officer.

The Air Line Pilots Association International union has opposed the plan, saying it jeopardizes aviation safety standards. Skywest Charter’s chief commercial officer Wade Steel says his company’s safety programs far exceed the requirements of the FAA’s Part 135 charter authority rules.  “We plan to launch operations with dual captains on our flight deck and are committed to using pilots with an ATP license, and yes, that means those with 15-hundred hours in both seats. This is a commitment that no other Part 135 carrier has made.”

Speaking at a news conference today (Wednesday) Steel says SkyWest Charter has waited for over a year for the U-S D-O-T to approve their application for commuter authority and says it’s time for the agency to act and not leave smaller commercial airports in limbo for future air service. “There is nothing new in this application, and others are regularly exercising this authority with lesser standards and without opposition,” Steel says. “We are simply seeking fairness in approving a clearly fit operator so S-W-C can provide safe, reliable services as the industry works through the ongoing captain shortage.”

Mason City Municipal Airport manager David Sims says north-central Iowa relies on having commercial air service out of the airport, but that’s getting tougher under the Essential Air Service program. “The number of quality providers for E-A-S service continues to drop just due to the pressures from the pilot shortage. For the last several years, SkyWest has come in and been providing safe and quality airline service to communities.

However they are now being limited due to the pilot shortage,” he says. “We know that a highly qualified operator like SkyWest Charter will be able to provide our community with exceptional air service,” Sims says. Sims says there’s no regulatory reason why SkyWest Charter’s authorization should be withheld. “We’re concerned that SkyWest Charter’s application has been allowed to languish at the D-O-T for over a year. We understand their application is being contested by various groups who continue making false claims about the safety and security of SkyWest Charter, however, SkyWest Charter has committed to meeting and exceeding all existing FAA and TSA regulations, including having two pilots who have 15-hundred hours or more,” Sims says.

SkyWest Airlines filed a 90-day notice in March of 2022 that they were pulling out of 29 communities, including Mason City and Fort Dodge, but the D-O-T ordered the airline to continue service until it found a suitable replacement.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s smoke over Iowa again from the Canadian wildfires, but National Weather Service Meteorologist, Brad Small says that smoke is high up and not causing problems. “We’ve seen a little bit over northwest and west-central Iowa in the midday here. It’s much worse to our north however from the eastern Dakotas into Minnesota it’s actually getting down to the surface there where we’ve had visibility dropped to a few miles in places,” Small says. He says a variety of factors impact how low the smoke hangs in the air.

“Smoke density wind speed thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere all come into play it’s fairly rare to get smoked down to the surface this far removed from the fires down here in Iowa,” Small says, “but it can’t happen and hopefully in this case it’s all stay to our north and northeast.” Small says the smoke issues were bigger in New York and other eastern states recently because they are closer to the source. He says things could change in Iowa.

“The biggest concerns that looks like for the next couple of days are going to be northeast of us, the smoke might get down to the surface in far northeast Iowa,” he says. Small says the rest of the state shouldn’t see any low hanging smoke. The D-N-R’s air quality measurements show air quality concerns only in a small area in the northwest and southwest corners of the state.