SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Company officials say construction delays are pushing back the opening of a $300 million pork plant in Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Seaboard Trump Foods plant was expected to begin production around July 31. But chief operating officer Mark Porter says more time’s needed to get equipment in place and finish the commissioning process before commercial processing can get underway.

Porter says the new potential startup dates under consideration are Aug. 25 and Sept. 4. The joint venture between Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods will have the capacity to slaughter 21,000 hogs a day. The plant is expected to employ around 2,000 people by the time a second shift begins operation in May 2018.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has for the first time issued a statewide order prohibiting weapons in courthouses and other public areas used by the state court system. Chief Justice Mark Cady says in the order released Tuesday that it does not affect peace officers.

It does, however, ban other visitors from carrying weapons into courthouses. The order requires the chief judge in each judicial district to work with local officials to carry out the order in all 99 counties but does not specify how weapons would be detected.

Currently 72 counties prohibit weapons in courthouses but just nine have airport-like magnetometers at entrances. The court says 27 counties have no known courthouse weapons ban. Cady says current policies are inconsistent and must be corrected, “to uniformly protect all Iowans.”

Officials with the Cass County Health System (CCHS) in Atlantic said Tuesday, that the Diagnostic Imaging Department at CCHS recently held a Sports Drink Drive. Employees donated water, sports drinks, and cash towards the project. They donated 841 bottled drinks to the Atlantic, CAM, and Griswold High Schools for their summer athletes to use.

(In the photo below are some of the members of the Diagnostic Imaging team. Left to right: Jess Sandbothe, Mindi Macha, Carrie Schmitt, Jordan Keysor, Claudia Mullen, Brian Juhl, Stephanie Drees, Melanie Bishop, and Steph Drogo.)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s last health care insurer to sell policies to individuals statewide through the federal Affordable Care Act is seeking a 43.5 percent increase in premium rates for next year.

Minnesota-based Medica says the increase is necessary to remain in Iowa.

Company Vice President Geoff Bartsh said Monday that a number of risks remain with its decision to be the lone statewide provider. Medica will re-evaluate the decision in September before contracts to provide coverage in Iowa are signed.

The company insures about 12,500 Iowans through the Affordable Care Act exchange which offers subsidies for those meeting income guidelines and about 1,400 who buy their own insurance off the exchange.

Iowa is seeking a waiver that would allow it to repurpose federal subsidies to attract younger, healthier individuals into the market.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Board met on Monday evening in the council chambers at City Hall and progress at the Shildberg Recreation Area was a big topic of discussion. Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Seth Staashelm said work is going on this week to plant trees, install fire rings, and begin sewer line installation for the campground.

Some shoreline stabilization work is being done around lake 3 at Shildberg’s and long term plans are in mind to eventually connect the lake 2 trail to a full circle.

The board also discussed the Sunnyside Pool Renovation plans and Staashelm is encouraging the public to comment on the project so the plans can be shaped by the community.

Discussion also began on forming a committee to look into improving the little league complex into a larger sports complex that other sports can take advantage of.

A summer series of Movies in the Park also starts up this Friday with some added fun activities for the kids.

w/Chris Parks.

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The Red Oak Police Department believes a medical incident led a man to cross traffic and crash into two parked vehicles on Monday afternoon.  At 2:51pm a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Richard Leroy Clark of Red Oak was traveling southbound on North Broadway in Red Oak when he crossed two lanes of traffic, jumped a sidewalk, and ran into two parked vehicles in the Kum and Go parking lot.  Clark left the scene of the accident and officers found a license plate at the accident site. Officers then were able to locate Clark and his damaged vehicle at his residence. It is believed Clark suffered a medical incident and alcohol was not a factor.

No one was injured during the incident and Clark was checked out by Red Oak Rescue. Clark was cited for traveling on the wrong side of a two-way highway. The two parked vehicles that were struck suffered a total of $6,000 estimated damage. Clark’s vehicle sustained an estimated $5,000 damage.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s officials and Red Oak Rescue assisted the Red Oak Police with the incident.

The Creston Police Department reports a minor accident occurred just after noon on Monday. At 12:06pm officers were called to the accident at the intersection of Highway 34 and Commerce Street. A 1998 Oldsmobile BVD driven by 36-year-old Shauna Kay McClain of Creston was stopped on Commerce Road waiting to turn right on Highway 34. A 2008 Dodge Caliber driven by Patti Elaine Page-Jones of Creston was behind the Oldsmobile at the stop and thought McClain had turned.  Page-Jones then ran into the back of the Oldsmobile as she proceeded forward. No injuries were reported and a total of $3,000 damage was estimated. McClain was cited for Driving While Suspended.

The Iowa State Patrol is reporting another “extreme speed” incident. A trooper on Sunday clocked a vehicle on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs going 115 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. A picture of the radar reading and the car that was pulled over was posted by the Patrol to Facebook. Patrick Hoye, Chief of the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says THAT motorist is not just putting their own life at risk – but many others on the road.

“When a driver is going that fast, there is just absolutely no reaction time for them to stop,” Hoye said. “They’re in and out of lanes…it’s an extremely dangerous situation.” Other motorists who spot another vehicle traveling at such an extreme speed are encouraged to safely report it to police. “What we ask citizens to do is pull over at the next exit, call the local sheriff’s department and alert them of that vehicle traveling at that extreme speed,” Hoye said.

“A lot of times, that’s how law enforcement is notified if there’s no officers in that area.” In recent months, the State Patrol has posted several photos of traffic stops on Iowa interstates involving vehicles clocked at speeds over 100 miles an hour.

(Radio Iowa)

An insurance brokerage based in Burlington recently agreed to pay a group of Iowa cities, counties and school districts over a million dollars to cover what the state insurance commissioner has classified as “deceptive” fees. But SOME local officials say they’re getting just a fraction of what they SHOULD be paid and they’d like to sue. Two Rivers Insurance has agreed to pay restitution to Winnebago County, for example, but County Supervisor Mike Stensrud, of Lake Mills, says the county actually overpaid Two Rivers by far, far more.

“I can definitively say that I will not go along with accepting the $5700 settlement,” Stensrud says. “I believe we can prove that we were bilked out of $85,000.” Stensrud is urging his fellow county supervisors to sue. “I believe that we should go after the loss that we incurred,” Stensrud says. Hancock County Supervisor Jerry Tlach, of Garner, says Hancock County paid the company more than 250-thousand dollars in brokerage fees that were disguised as premium costs, but Two Rivers has agreed to cut the county a check for just a quarter of that amount.

“We haven’t signed anything to say we’ll accept it yet or not,” Tlach says. “…This is the best deal the Iowa Insurance Division thought they could come up with.” Two Rivers Insurance sold Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance policies to local Iowa governments for more than 10-thousand employees statewide. In 2014, Wellmark informed regulators it had discovered Two Rivers was adding fees to what was described to customers as just the premiums.

Two Rivers denies wrongdoing, but in May the company agreed to pay the local goverments one-point-three million dollars. The president of Two Rivers told The Des Moines Register the brokerage still believes its “past practices were appropriate at the time,” but agreed to offer to pay restitution to end “what would be an extremely costly and burdensome legal process.” The settlement involves 15 counties, 12 Iowa cities and four school districts as well as the public library and public water utility in Council Bluffs.

These local governments formed a consortium to buy policies in a larger group. Many local officials involved have indicated they’ll accept the Two Rivers restititution because their counties, cities and schools were able to reduce insurance costs with lower group rates. The 33 local governments have until July 22nd to accept or reject the proposed restitution. Locally, the settlement involves the CITIES of Council Bluffs and Harlan, and the following COUNTIES: Guthrie, Monona, Pottawattamie and Union.

Here is a link to the insurance commissioner’s ruling and “Exhibit A” spells out how much Two Rivers is to pay to each of the local governments listed above.

(Radio Iowa)