(Omaha, NE) – President Trump will deliver remarks at a Make America Great Again Victory Rally in Omaha, NE., Tuesday night. The event takes place at Epply Airfield beginning at 7:30-p.m. Doors open at 4:30-p.m. There is a limit of two tickets per person.

For more information or to register, see the Trump campaign’s official website.

(A-P) Democrat Joe Biden plans to campaign in Iowa on Friday, making his first trip as the party’s presidential nominee just four days before the election to a state President Donald Trump carried easily in 2016. Biden aides confirmed that the former vice president was expected to hold a morning campaign event Friday in central Iowa, though it was not clear exactly where he planned to campaign.

Biden is campaigning this week in Pennsylvania and Florida, key swing states Trump won in 2016. Biden is also planning to campaign Tuesday in Georgia, where no Democrat has won since 1992.  It would be an ironic homecoming for Biden in Iowa. He was last in the state on Feb. 2, the eve of a unceremonious fourth-place finish in Iowa’s leadoff Democratic nominating caucuses. Biden staged a dramatic comeback beginning Feb. 29 by winning the South Carolina primary.

Polls have shown the race to be very close in Iowa, where Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 9.4 percentage points, and winning in more than 30 counties carried in 2012 by Democrat Barack Obama.

Atlantic, IA — Officials with the Cass County Health System, Monday, said “Effective immediately, Cass County Health System is suspending Phase III Cardiac Rehabilitation services until further notice due to high transmission and hospitalization rates of COVID-19 in the county. Phase II will remain open at this time.”

Even with the recent rain and snow, much of Iowa’s still far short of precipitation for the year and we’re heading into the drier, colder seasons with little chance of replenishing soil moisture levels before spring. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, who heads the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says wide areas of the state are still recovering from long-running drought conditions.

The snow and rain that fell in the past week helps to bring some short-term drought relief, but he says much more precipitation will be needed to recharge depleted soil moisture levels.

Todey says the expected weather patterns don’t look promising for significant rainfall or snowfall, noting, August of 2020 was the driest in Iowa in 148 years.

The latest drought monitor shows very dry conditions over all but extreme eastern Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The Pottawattamie County Open Burning Ban that was initiated in September has been lifted as of 11:00 a.m. today. Pott. County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Reed says “With the observance of light precipitation in the past week, the observed snowfall accumulations, and fall harvest estimated at 95% completion throughout the county, fire officials have determined a continuing burn ban is no longer needed on a countywide basis.”

Officials encourage all residents to continue to use caution when conducting open burns and recreational fires. Always be aware of the daily conditions, your surroundings, never leave a fire
unattended, and always have an emergency plan. As drought conditions are forecast to persist into 2021, everyone needs to remain keenly aware of their environmental conditions prior to conducting any open burn.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Many residents in Nebraska and Iowa are breaking out the shovels and snow blowers following a significant snowfall — including some record snow — over the weekend. The National Weather Service says Norfolk in northeastern Nebraska set a record for snowfall Sunday with 4 inches. That topped the previous Oct. 25 record of 2.7 inches set in 1997. In Sioux City, Iowa, about 3 inches of snow fell, breaking the previous record for the day of 0.7 inches more than a century ago in 1918.

The service says higher totals were seen in other communities Sunday, including 8 inches recorded in Valentine, Bassett and Anselmo in northern Nebraska. Ocheyendan in northern Iowa saw more than 6 inches

Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning, Monday (today) released the results of this past Saturday’s Biennial Lighted Halloween Campgroud contest at Cold Springs Park, in Lewis. Kanning reports 137 people voted for their favorite site, and the first place winner was Site 1: The Brock family.

The Brock Family

Second place went to Site 3: The Dougherty family. The third place winner was Site 4: The Sandbothe family, and the fourth place finisher was site 2: by the Frisbie Family.

The Dougherty Family

The Sandbothe Family

Kanning says also, the Cass County Conservation Board would like to thank business sponsor Cappel’s Ace Hardware who donated the prizes for the Lighted Halloween Campground. The Board would also like to thank everyone who signed up to decorate a site, and thank you for sharing your Halloween décor with everyone!

The Lighted Halloween Campground will be held again, in 2022!

(Radio Iowa) – “World Polio Day” was observed this past weekend, marking the near eradication of the fatal disease. Siouxland district health director, Kevin Grieme says there are parallels between the polio outbreak in the 1950s in Iowa and the current COVID-19 pandemic. “The first efforts that they took a look at, is they wanted to protect the health care industry — the health care providers. They were truly concerned about having nurses available. Because there were also some fears, concerns and some reservations of treating case of polio — because there wasn’t a lot know of it at that time,” Grieme says. “Two was the ability of the health care community to absorb the potential cases that come in.”

Sioux City was the site of a major out break with the first polio case reported May 1st of 1952, although the disease had been around since the 1930s. Grieme says nearly 16-thousand local children gamma globulin to help treat the disease and Sioux City was one of three sites chosen nationally to take part in what was the largest field test in medical history. “People were scared for one purpose — and that was simply to fight the disease. And I think we find ourselves at that sort of crossroads. And I think the wearing of the masks, looking at ourselves, our personal behaviors,” Grieme says.

He says the series of recommendations given to prevent polio are much the same as we hear for coronavirus. “Wash hands and face before eating. Teach children to keep their hands away from their mouths. Use only clean food and beverages. “Avoid over fatigue and chilling — these often predispose to polio.Keep away from people with respiratory infections — polio often starts as colds, keep way from crowds,” Grieme read. Grieme says one unusual possible cure was quickly disproven. “Do not use D-D-T as a polio preventative measure. It’s been shown to have effect with insects and mosquitoes, but it has not been show to have affect with cases of polio,” Grieme says.

Around five-thousand Woodbury County children were part of a nationwide test of the Salk vaccine to stop the pandemic, and many patients were hospitalized in “iron lungs” to help with their breathing — similar to the respirators used for today’s COVID patients. Sioux City reported its last case of polio in 1967– 15 years after the local pandemic began

(Radio Iowa) – A Rockwell City man was airlifted to a Sioux City hospital after authorities say swallowed about an ounce of methamphetamine during a traffic stop. The Sac County Sheriff’s Office reports a deputy pulled over the vehicle at approximately 12:53 a.m. on Saturday morning south of Sac City. The deputy had noticed an equipment violation and received consent to search the car. As the deputy approached the passenger side, 46-year-old Cristian Lee Garrett was asked to step out of the car.

Garrett was acting irrationally and talking about dying. He then began to scream, saying he was going to die because he had eaten the large amount of methamphetamine. He was transported to Loring Hospital in Sac City by Sac County Emergency Medical Services and later airlifted out. The driver, 31-year-old Matt Olson of Breda, was charged with fraudulent use of a registration.

Atlantic High School Principal Heather McKay and Superintendent Steve Barber, Monday (today), issued a statement with regard to 17-year old Steele McLaren, a student who was involved in a serious accident Sunday afternoon. The letter, to the “AHS Family,” said “Please know that we have supports in place for any who may need it. School counselors Alyssa Dovenspike and Sarah Rose are joined by Green Hills AEA school psychologists Brooke Lamp and Lauren Bennewitz. Students and faculty may utilize their resources at any time.”

Additional resources that are available and are free for all:

• SAP (Student Assistance Program) Informational Video for Atlantic Schools
• Information about Student Assistance Program
• SAP Flyer
• GHAEA Social Workers Information

McKay says “Please be sure you also take care of yourself. We are here to support our students and their families. Please do not hesitate to call or email at any time.

In this together,

Heather McKay, principal

Steven Barber, superintendent”