(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bailey Smith said “We have been getting requests for comment regarding everything going on with the sale of the movie theater.” Smith says “We were made aware a few weeks ago of plans to sell the theater building to a local church, ensuring the closure of our long-standing family entertainment center. The Chamber and CADCO formed a buyer’s group to purchase the property and secured a buyer for the business portion of the theater, who had a business model that would create a positive cash flow. After meeting with all parties involved to come to an agreement that would benefit everyone, we were notified last week our offer was denied and the decision remained to sell the property to the church.” The theater is being purchased by the New Life Church.

She adds “Our organizations are very aware of the struggles COVID-19 brought and what our business community had to endure with closures. Running a theater, when you’re not allowed to be open, is one thing. Running a theater when Hollywood halts production and/or sends movies straight to streaming is another. CADCO assisted in the financing of the theater and has been supportive throughout the entire three years of ownership. During the pandemic, the Chamber offered the theater a business grant to help alleviate costs as well as ensure the theater was at community events to help boost their revenue. We thank the community for all of their support and popcorn purchases to help the theater during this time.”

Bailey Smith stressed “This closure is not due to lack of community support, and we will continue our efforts to ensure generations to come get to experience that same, buttery excitement.”

She adds, “The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and Cass/Atlantic Development Corp. (CADCO), while separate entities, have a shared goal that we work towards every day: make Atlantic the best place to live, work and play. We combine our resources daily to ensure current business needs in our community are being met while also focusing on recruitment of entrepreneurs and businesses that will continue to grow Atlantic. One asset that we have always relied on in our recruitment efforts is the movie theater, now known as Atlas Atlantic Cinema.”

Any further questions may be directed at Devin & Rylea Anderson, the New Life Church or the Board of Adjustment. Devin & Rylea Anderson, owners of the movie theater have issued a statement of the matter: “We are hard at work this winter on our movie schedule, our merchant movies, and our winter popcorn samplers. We continue to rent the movie theater to the New Life Church on Sundays and will support them as they appear before the board of adjustments to get a conditional use permit for their activities in the theater building.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken today (Tuesday) updated the Cass County Board of Supervisors on current bridge projects. The good news, he said is that Bridge # 289 over the East Nishnabotna River on W. 6th Street, in Atlantic’s, may open as soon as the end of today.

Wolken said progress on other projects will be let and/or are in the process of being contracted for.

He said they have a Maintenance Superintendent position open, and there’s a conference coming up next week.

In other business, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2021-22 Urban Renewal Report, and the hiring of Tamara Devall as Auditor’s Clerk. The Board spent nearly a hour discussing 2023 Cass County Employee Health insurance renewal options with Ryan Berven, from Group Benefit Partners, with regard to the FY ’24 renewal. Cass County is the first of 28 Counties in the ISAC plan the review encompasses.

No action was taken on any changes, pending further information from ISAC and other necessary data.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal report finds a vast majority of colleges and universities mislead prospective students about the true cost of an education, a report Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley calls “alarming.” Grassley says the report from the Government Accountability Office studied financial aid offer letters from dozens of institutions, letters students use to compare prices and to determine where they might go to college. Grassley says, “In these letters, 91% of the colleges understated true costs, 65% left out important details about financial aid packages, and almost a third listed loans as grants.”

Grassley says the G-A-O report highlights the “deceptive practices” being used by so many colleges, demonstrating Congress needs to act. The Iowa Republican is co-sponsoring a bill called Understanding the True Cost of College Act. “The bill would require colleges to follow well-documented best practices for information contained in all financial aid offer letters,” Grassley says. “It would create a universal financial aid offer letter, so students can easily compare financial aid packages between schools.”

He says the need for an apples-to-apples comparison is critical. Grassley did not know which, if any, Iowa institutions were studied. The G-A-O report compared the financial aid offers from 176 colleges and assessed them against ten best practices from the Department of Education and a commission comprised of 22 federal agencies. None of the colleges followed all ten recommendations.

Click to access gao-23-104708.pdf

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A program entering its 10th year in Atlantic, serves to benefit the Atlantic Food Pantry, and reward children in the Atlantic School District. In the past, the Atlantic Police Department has offered trips to the zoo and other rewards, but COVID and staffing issues made that difficult. Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue said this year, the kids’ effort to raise the most items to stock the Pantry in the contest, could win them a pizza party. Hogue said the kids are all-in for the win.

The Chief said canned goods and other non-perishables are worth points. Last year, nearly 40-thousand items were collected. Hogue says they hope to eclipse that amount in this year’s food drive. He says the program has the support of parents, who might just happen to see some items missing from their cabinets or the home pantry.

Aside from the goal of winning a pizza party for their efforts, the kids, he says come away with a sense of giving and helping others less fortunate. Hogue says his officers are all about helping others.

Items for the Atlantic Food Pantry are being accepted through December 12th.

[7:05-a.m. News ](Creston, Iowa) –  Police in Creston, Monday afternoon, arrested a man for Failure to Appear (in court), on an original charge of Indecent Exposure, a Serious Misdemeanor. 58-year-old James Chandler Sash, of Creston, was arrested at his residence. Sash was transported to the Union County Jail, where he was being held without bond.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon County Conference Board has voted to appoint Janell Bluml as Assessor, in Audubon County. Bluml has served as Deputy Assessor for many years and is certified for the job. She succeeds Deb Umland, who retired at the end of November. Bluml officially took over the post on December 1st.
It’s expected an additional employee will be hired, which will make the Assessor’s Office fully staffed.

Janell Bluml

[Updated 12/6/22] (Corning, Iowa) – A plane that took-off from the Corning Municipal Airport in Corning, Monday afternoon, struck a power line, and crashed. The accident happened at around 12:38-p.m., according to the Iowa State Patrol. The pilot, and only occupant of the aircraft, died at the scene. Their name was not immediately released.

The aircraft was said to be a fixed, single-wing ERCOUPE 415-C, manufactured in 1946, registered to a man from Corning. The plane clipped powerlines and impacted the terrain during the takeoff sequence (initial climb).

The incident was under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.  Additional information is currently not available.

(Radio Iowa) – Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald has ruled on the Iowa Senate Majority Leader’s residency following a challenge. Grimes resident Ann Gale filed the challenge to Republican Jack Whitver’s use of a Grimes address for a newly-drawn Senate district in the November election. He won the race and she argued that Whitver still lists his Ankeny address for his businesses and utility bills for his Grimes condo showed little water was used there this fall.

Fitzgerald says the evidence submitted before Whitver’s September 2022 move to Grimes is insufficient to overcome the presumption that Whitver’s declared residency is valid. Whitver’s spokesman issued a statement saying, “Senator Whitver appreciates his decision to set partisanship aside and follow the law. Now, two different Democrat-controlled hearings have determined Senator Whitver’s residency and voter registration are legal.”

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says three people were arrested last week, on separate charges. At around 3:42-a.m., Friday, 28-year-old Jonathan Joseph Fleener, of Bacliff-Galveston, TX, was arrested at a location on Hanna Avenue, and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault. Fleener was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

34-year-old Aaron Wade Opdyke, of Malvern, was arrested at around 11:39-a.m. Nov. 30th on charges that include Driving Under Suspension, Fraudulent Use of Registration, and Failure to Provide Proof of Liability. His bond was set at $300.

And, at around 1:55-a.m. on Nov. 29th, Mills County Deputies arrested 41-year-old Eurvin Ray Morgan, Jr., of Omaha, for Theft in the 2nd Degree. He was taken into custody at the I-29 Rest Area.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A collision north of Malvern, Friday night, resulted in three people being transported to the UNMC in Omaha. According to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, a 2005 Nissan driven by 45-year-old Joseph Bredberg, of Council Bluffs, was traveling north on 315th Street and approaching the intersection with Highway 34, to turn west onto the Highway. A 2004 Dodge driven by 52-year-old Melissa Pedersen, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on Highway 34, and approaching the intersection with 315th Street.

A witness in a vehicle stopped facing west on Highway 34 in the turning lane, was waiting to turn south onto 315th Street, and the intersection with Highway 34. The individual said the Bredberg’s vehicle failed to yield upon making a left turn, and was struck broadside by Pedersen’s Dodge. Due to incapacitating injuries, both drivers and a passenger in the front seat of the Dodge, were not able to be interviewed by authorities for this report.