DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections, today (Wednesday), reports 45-year-old Anthony Herbert Smith, who was convicted of Robbery-2nd Degree, Theft-1st Degree and Unauthorized Use of Credit Cards in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Men’s Reentry Center as required, Tuesday.

Smith is six-feet four-inches tall. He weighs 227-pounds. Smith was admitted to the work release facility on March 28, 2024.

Persons with information on Smith’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Anthony Smith (Iowa DOC photo)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Weather permitting, work on the Atlantic SplashPad is expected to be completed by Labor Day. SplashPad Committee member Ali Pieken provided the update to Parks Advisory Commission today (Wednesday).

And, while the Fundraising Committee has exceeded its goal for the project, donations are still being accepted and welcomed, and will be used as necessary. She said plans are in the works for some sort of way to acknowledge the contributions of those whose families would like an aspect of the park to be named after a loved one.

She says the picnic tables will be secured and painted brightly, mimicking the theme of the entire Pad.

The area will have toddler and family bays with separate activators. Stamp Construction will start in-kind site preparation work in a couple of weeks.

In other business, the Atlantic Parks Advisory Commission received an update from Parks & Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen, with regard to the Harl Holt Park and the Pour-and-Play playground fall surface. Christensen said a tree was removed from the site and ground was leveled.

Christensen said also, installation of a new water pump for the Sunnyside Pool is still up-in-the-air. The company tasked with installing the pump and troubleshooting any start-up issues, has not provided a time-line for project completion. The opening date for the Sunnyside Pool, therefore, has not yet been established.

The Parks Advisory Commission heard from Steph Steffens, Wednesday, with regard to “Atlantic’s Got Talent” at the Sunnyside Park Bandshell. Steffens said the event – in partnership with the Atlantic Parks & Rec Dept. and Your Forte – will take place August 3rd, the same time the Park Celebration takes place. She spoke about what talent they’re expecting to have showcased.

The tentative deadline to apply July 1st. It will be open to persons in the surrounding communities, and practically anywhere else.

Steffens says they’re hoping to make it an annual event.  The entry fee is $20. You can sign-up at Your Forte in Atlantic.

(Radio Iowa) – Planting season is underway for most of Iowa, except in the northeast, where the tractors are being stalled by unpredictable rainfall and a lack of moisture. The region’s been in extreme drought for three years, but in the past few weeks, it’s gotten several inches of rain. That’s thrown off planting plans for many farmers who anticipated a drier spring. Iowa State University field agronomist Terry Basol says it means the region still has a lot of catching up to do.

“Our 30-year average is roughly 30 inches of rain,” Basol says, “and last year, that total was 13.8.” Basol says moisture levels in the region’s topsoil are nearly drained, which makes rainfall even more critical. He says that lack of topsoil moisture is troubling for farmers, especially when compared to last year.

“Fast forward to 2024, that’s been depleted for the most part,” he says, “so we’re going to rely heavily on timely rains to carry us through.” Despite the rainfall of recent weeks, the yearly moisture average is down by more than 50 percent.

(Radio Iowa) – Developers of a northwest Iowa wind farm plan to erect 18 turbines in Emmet County. The Red Rock Wind Energy Center project is being scaled back in neighboring Dickinson County, though, as officials consider changes to Dickinson County’s wind turbine ordinance.

Joe Crowley is project developer for Invenergy, the company building the wind farm. “We’ve definitely been delayed,” Crowley said Tuesday. “…That being said, working with counties is how we build successful projects.”

The company originally planned to build 83 wind turbines in Dickinson County, but Crowley says that’s been pared back to around 70 wind turbines due to expected changes in the county’s ordinance. Yesterday, Crowley briefed Emmet County Supervisors on Invenergy’s prep work in their county.

“We’ve been doing geo-technical studies as well diligence to make sure that the sites that we currently have are suitable for the turbines that we’re contemplating,” Crowley said, “as well as just keeping up on working with landowners and refining our layout to make sure that they fit the needs as best as possible.”

The Red Rock Wind Energy Center is planned for Emmet, Dickinson and Clay Counties. Invenergy has built 17 other wind farms in Iowa.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Police Department report 10 arrests took place over the past week.

• On Tuesday, April 23rd, Officers with the A-PD arrested 30-year-old Jesse Boken, of Atlantic, for Public Intoxication.
• On the 22nd, 39-year-old Mathew Rigen, of Shelby, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). Rigen was cited into court and released at the scene.
• On the 21st, 34-year-old Benjamin Sonish, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
• On April 20th, 37-year-old Robert Hackwell, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
• There were 3 arrests in Atlantic on April 19th:
  • 63-year-old Susan Bashor, of Atlantic, and 47-year-old Amanda Bashor, of Clarinda, were arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order, and,
  • 28-year-old KR Takauo, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intox.\
• On April 18th, Atlantic Police arrested:
  • 30-year-old Chad Arbuckle, of Atlantic, for Theft in the 4th Degree
  • 30-year-old Edward Parrott, of Council Bluffs, for Simple Assault, and
  • 37-year-old Jessica Blumberg, of Atlantic, for Domestic Abuse Assault.

Each of the named individuals mentioned above (With the exception of Mathew Rigen) were taken into custody and booked into the Cass County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – In honor of Arbor Day, community leaders in Dubuque will break ground Saturday on what will eventually grow to become a community orchard. Laura Roussell, executive director of Dubuque Trees Forever, says they’ll plant a few fruit trees this weekend with plans to add between 15 and 20 more trees over the coming few years. Roussell says, “We’re going to have apple, cherry and pear, and also some berry bushes like a honey berry, raspberry, maybe blueberry, we haven’t finalized the whole list yet.” The triangular plot of land is considered a city park, but it’s never been developed. Where some saw empty ground, Roussell saw an opportunity.

“We had this vacant lot that’s just been mowed for many, many years, and we thought, this is located in a food desert, and we thought it would be a great place to have free, fresh fruit for the people in the neighborhood,” Roussell says, “and also any leftovers would go to the food pantry.” In addition to the fruit trees, the community orchard will also include what Roussell is calling a Mowing to Monarchs pollinator garden to benefit bees, butterflies and other important insects. She hopes this orchard marks the start of something special that’ll endure for decades.

“We get volunteers that sign up to plant, weed, mulch, all of those things, so that that trees that we plant will have a long and successful life,” Roussell says. “It’s just going to be a really beautiful — and edible — addition to the neighborhood.”

The public is invited to Saturday’s 10 A-M free event at the corner of Hill and Caledonia Streets.

(Radio Iowa) – The City of Waterloo is planning to convert a long vacant Rath meatpacking plant building into almost 90 affordable apartments for seniors. Waterloo City Administrator Noel Anderson says that could free up many single-family homes for first-time home-buyers, and could mean revitalization for the city. “We need that new construction or rehabilitation of senior housing greatly in Waterloo to help open some of these existing neighborhoods for new housing opportunities,” he says.

The administration building is over 70 thousand square feet and has been vacant since 1985 when the company went bankrupt. Anderson says the building will be will converted into studio, one bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. “Sometimes it’s a matter of having more options out there for seniors will help reinvest back into those neighborhoods not only with new owners, but with a new populations,” he says.

Former Rath Meatpacking Plant in Waterloo

The city anticipates construction will get underway this summer.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness will host a Mental Wellness Panel on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at the Griswold Community Building (601 2nd Street, Griswold, Iowa 51535). A free meal will be provided at 5:30 pm. The presentation will begin at 6:00 pm. Community members of all ages are welcome to join as we discuss resiliency strategies, emotional support for our youth, and local resources for therapy and crisis situations. No pre-registration is required.

Panelists who are scheduled to share their expertise include Erika Kirchhoff, Mary-Beth Roskens, Debrenee Grajeda, Carolyn Bruck, and Melanie Fell. The panelists are local service providers with organizations that work in and around Cass County and provide assistance to local residents. There will also be booths set up to explore local mental health resources before and after the event.

If you are unable to attend in person, please join us through Zoom. The QR code is attached to the Flyer or contact Grace McAfee for the link. The Zoom call will also be confidential for those who would like the option to be anonymous. Anita and Atlantic libraries will also be satellite hosts for those unable to join the Zoom meeting from home. If you are interested in viewing the event from the library, please reserve your space by calling Grace McAfee (712-250-8170) by May 8. No meal will be provided at the library satellite locations. If you are unable to find transportation but would like to attend in person, please contact Grace to arrange free transportation by May 8.

Michelle Hartfield of the Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness invites residents to “Come hear a panel of professionals on available resources and learn how to navigate mental health and substance abuse services in our communities. Cass County has several resources available that go underutilized. This event will give attendees a chance to learn about mental health services that are available in our backyard.”

This event is sponsored generously by the Healthy Cass County Coalition with funding from the Healthiest State Initiative Grant and Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company. If you have any further questions, please contact Grace McAfee at (712) 250-8170 or mcage@casshealth.org.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A Public hearing was held this (Wednesday) morning in Greenfield, on a proposed Adair County Ordinance regulating the placement of Data Centers. Applied Digital has an agreement to purchase land adjacent to a substation in the 1200 block of Fallow Avenue in Adair County, for a 200-megawatt data center. During the hearing, an Adair County resident said there are too many questions about the definition of a data center and specifics regarding setbacks, water usage and other property matters.

Adair County farmer Randy Caviness has wind turbines on his land, and is concerned about stopping progress and losing the opportunity to bring in jobs.

Others mentioned similar concerns, along with the affect on property values.

One of Applied Digital’s owners, Nick Phillips, said he was surprised at the amount of “Pushback” in the community since the data center was first proposed. He spoke about increasing property values and the investment in the county it would bring, along with jobs.

He addressed also, the question about the property setback.

Former State Representative and Adair County property owner Clel Baudler, urged the Board not to “Over-regulate private industry.”

Supervisor John Twombly said the County Attorney recommended the Board take no action, due to possible legal repercussions. Supervisors Jodie Hoadley and Matt Wedemeyer agreed there’s nothing they can do to stop Applied Digital, but there should have been a better plan for property setbacks. The Supervisors voted 3-2 against a motion by Board member John Twombly NOT to pass an ordinance regulating data centers on the 1^st reading. Wedemeyer made, and the Board passed, a motion to modify the wording in the draft proposed ordinance in setbacks and the definition of a commercial building, and have a public hearing on the second and possibly third consideration, on May 8^th at 9:15-a.m.