w/ Chris Parks

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A bid opening was held at the Atlantic High School Media Center on Thursday afternoon for the school district athletic facilities renovation project. School officials reported that six general contractors submitted base-bids for the project.

The highest bid came in at $9,741,000 and the low bid was $8,650,000. Some alternative bids were given for a few parts of the project at the Trojan Bowl as well. The opening bids are construction bids only and will have other costs added.

It appears that the project will be able to continue as expected with the lower bids coming within budget. Further details on the costs are expected to be released on Friday.

The Atlantic School Board is set to host a public hearing prior to officially awarding the contract.

Red Oak Police report a couple of arrests on Thursday.

At 3:30pm Officers arrested 57-year-old Randall James Elarton of Red Oak on a charge of Breach of Peace, a simple misdemeanor. Elarton was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 cash bond.

At 9:22pm Red Oak Police arrested 43-year-old Edward David Clifford Stickland of Red Oak at the intersection of North 7th Street and East Oak Street in Red Oak for no SR-22 Insurance on File. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Shelby man on drug charges following a traffic stop. Deputies conducted the stop at 12:37pm on Thursday near Birch Avenue and 240th Street. During the stop K9 Baxo was deployed and gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics. The driver, Christopher Pafford of Shelby, was then arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for child porn and enticing a teenage girl into prostitution.

U.S. District Court records say 30-year-old Kevin Herring was sentenced Thursday in Cedar Rapids. He’d pleaded guilty to the enticement and to receipt of child pornography.

Prosecutors say Herring was at a halfway house in Cedar Rapids following his federal prison sentence for being a felon and domestic abuser in possession of a firearm. While out on a pass he met the runaway 14-year-old girl. He persuaded her to become a prostitute and send him sexually explicit images of herself.

Prosecutors say Herring told the girl she could live with him after he left the halfway house.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines Register reporter who wrote about racist tweets posted years ago by an Iowa security guard is no longer employed by the Iowa newspaper because he also made offensive comments on social media.

Editor Carol Hunter wrote in a column posted online Thursday night that reporter Aaron Calvin “is no longer with the Register.”

The Register began investigating comments made by Calvin on Twitter after his story about Iowa security guard Carson King sparked outrage. The story profiled King, who gained national fame after he held a sign seeking beer money during an ESPN show and then promised to donate the more than $1 million that poured in to a children’s hospital.

In the story, Calvin noted King had posted two racist tweets more than seven years ago, when he was a teenager. People angered by the story found old tweets from Calvin that made offensive comments about race, gay marriage and other topics.

Calvin couldn’t be reached for comment. His Twitter account is no longer open to the public.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand on Thursday proposed legislation requiring mandatory prison time for those convicted of theft involving public money.

Sand’s proposal came just days after an investigative story by Cedar Rapids television station KCRG that found only about 40% of special investigative reports from the auditor’s office dating to January 2017 led to criminal prosecution. KCRG calculated that meant no one has been held responsible for at least $8 million in improperly used public funds.

Sand told KCRG that his bill will require mandatory prison time for felonies involving the theft of $1,000 or more in public money, as well as for misusing tax credits.

His proposal doesn’t have a mandatory minimum sentence, Sand said, but will seek to stop those convicted of serious financial crimes receiving only probation.

“I think the policy will give county attorneys controls that they need to make these prosecutions more realistic and more achievable in their offices,” said Sand, who worked as a prosecutor in the state attorney general’s office before being elected auditor in 2018.

Several lawmakers said they were open to Sand’s proposal.

“I will work with our county attorneys and look at our criminal code to see what is needed to make sure people who hurt people are held accountable,” said Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, of Marion.

Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis, of Hiawatha, says she’s also interested in seeing Sand’s bill.

But Republican state Sen. Dan Zumbach, of Ryan, questioned Sand’s impartiality, adding that “it concerns me Auditor Sands wants to be Judge, jury, prosecutor, and criminal sentencer when he is simply the auditor.”

Sand, a Democrat, responded by saying that if wanting to ensure justice for those who steal taxpayer money “is somehow the wrong thing to say, then I don’t want to be right.”

Atlantic, IA – The Cass County Health System (CCHS) Obstetrics (OB) Department announces the “Love Steps Up” walk will be held on Saturday, October 5th at 10 am at Cass County Health System. Love Steps Up is an initiative created by the OB Department to raise awareness and support for families impacted by pregnancy and infant loss. The annual walk is held in October.

“Most people don’t talk about miscarriage openly, but it has affected a large number of families,” said Britni Olson, RN. “We started Love Steps Up as a community event so that there would be more open discussion about it. We hope that parents affected by miscarriage know that they aren’t alone, and that the community is here to support them. When you suffer a miscarriage or infant loss, it’s a very personal experience, but it can also be very healing to connect with others who have been through similar experiences.” The event is free and open to the public. It will be held on Saturday, October 5th at 10 am at the Cass County Health System Healing Garden. Attendees are to park in Lot D on the west side of CCHS and enter through the West Entrance near the cafeteria. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the CCHS Cafeteria.

There is no registration or fee for the event, any questions can be directed to the CCHS OB Department at 712-250-8862.

DES MOINES – While the nation focuses on the Iowa Caucuses in the very near future, the State Historical Museum of Iowa turns to the tradition’s colorful past.

Featuring images, film clips, newspaper articles and more than 100 artifacts from 1972 to 2016, the museum’s “First in the Nation: Shaping Presidential Politics Since 1972” exhibition is now open and will help voters and others understand the state’s unique role in presidential politics.

“Every four years, Iowa becomes the focal point for presidential candidates, political insiders and the entire world as the first contest on the road to the White House,” said Susan Kloewer, administrator of the State Historical Society of Iowa. “With this exhibition, we are helping to demystify the caucus process while sharing campaign stories from the past. We encourage Iowans and visitors to see this exhibition.”

“First in the Nation” explores candidates’ journeys through the Iowa caucus cycle, from their first exploratory visits all the way through their frenzied final hours. The exhibition shows how candidates organize their campaigns, meet everyday Iowans and participate in the excitement of caucus day. While Iowa does not pick the president, it narrows the field of candidates who test their message and organizational skills to win one of the proverbial “three tickets out of Iowa” and a head start on the race to the White House.

In the exhibition, guests and visitors can:

• Watch a video about Iowa’s unique position as host of the first-in-the-nation caucus.
• Take a selfie with their favorite 2020 presidential candidates.
• See campaign and election artifacts, including the button collection of David Yepsen, the host of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” and former political reporter for The Des Moines Register.
• See an 1856 Republican Ticket, the first presidential election with a Republican nominee.
• See an Iowa Caucus jersey from the Iowa Cubs. It’s a newly acquired item from the team when it honored Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses with special uniforms and caps.

If you go:

What: “First in the Nation: Shaping Presidential Politics Since 1972”
Where: State Historical Museum of Iowa, 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines
When: Now through February
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Admission: Free

In addition, the “First in the Nation” traveling exhibit will be on display Nov. 1-27 at Drake University’s Cowles Library and Jan. 7-30 at the University of Northern Iowa’s Rod Library. The traveling exhibit is an extension of the museum exhibit and travels the state to share images, film clips and artifacts that also tell the story of Iowa’s unique presidential election process.

The State Historical Museum of Iowa is overseen by the State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. More information is available at iowaculture.gov or 515-281-5111.

GREENFIELD – Iowans interested in the results of a DNR study to improve water quality in Meadow Lake in Adair County can attend a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 8. Citizens are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to improve the lake to the meeting for discussion.

Meadow Lake is on the state’s list of impaired waters for high levels of algae and turbidity. The current study, or DNR water quality improvement plan, shows how these problems are caused by too much phosphorus in the lake. The problems impact recreation on the lake and aquatic life.

The plan explores the amounts and sources of phosphorus entering the lake and offers potential solutions to reduce those levels and work toward fixing the problem. The document is designed as a guide for local resource agencies, partners, stakeholders and residents to improve the lake. Staff from the DNR’s Watershed Improvement Program will be on hand to answer questions.

The Oct. 8 meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the City of Greenfield City Hall, 202 S. First St. Those not able to attend the public meeting can receive more information at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WaterQuality/WatershedImprovement/WatershedResearchData/WaterImprovementPlans/PublicMeetingsPlans.aspx and submit comments on the plan by Oct. 28 via:

E-mail: jeff.berckes@dnr.iowa.gov

Mail:  Jeff Berckes, care of Iowa DNR, Wallace State Office Building,

502 E. Ninth St. Des Moines, Iowa 50319

After gathering Iowans’ comments, the DNR will forward the final plan, also called by its technical name of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.