There was a changing of the guard for the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education, Monday night.

From the left: Josh McLaren leads the new Atlantic School Board session; Superintendent Mike Amstein; Dr. Keith Swanson & Jenny Williams.

New Board members Alison Bruckner, Keith Swanson and Jenny Williams were sworn-in, Josh McLaren was elected Board President, and former Board President Kristy Pellett was elected Vice President. Olivia Newburg, Secretary to Superintendent Mike Amstein, was elected Treasurer, and Mary Beth Fast was re-elected to the Board Secretary’s Position.

Prior to the new board taking their seats, the retiring Board, consisting of Dennis Davis, Phil Hascall and Rod Hartwig, were recognized for their years of service and provided with a plaque.

Kristy Pellett made the presentations. First up to receive recognition and an award, was Hartwig, who’s served for the past four-years.

Rodney Hartwig receives recognition from departing Board President Kristy Pellett.

Phil Hascall just received a plaque for his years of Board service.

Next came Phil Hascall, who has been a member of the Atlantic School Board for 13-years.

And finally, Dennis Davis was recognized for his 29-years of service. Pellett said she called the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) to ask who the longest tenured board members were in the State. Unfortunately, they don’t keep a list of that nature. But they did say, that when the IASB switched over to digital records, there were one or two persons who started their service in 1970.

Kristy Pellet congratulates Dennis Davis.

Dennis Davis started on the Atlantic School Board in September, 1986. He was one of a few that started in the 1980’s, so Pellett said she “Can safely says he’s in the top ten of longest tenured Board members in the State, to which Davis replied “That shows you how old I am,” a comment which drew laughs from those in attendance.

Afterward, Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein thanked each of the three retiring Board Members for the work they have done. He said each one brought a specific area of expertise to the Board, along with a specific point of view, and “Without that, we couldn’t have accomplished the things that you’ve been able to do.” He said the board hasn’t always agreed with each other and the administration, but the students have always been first and foremost in their sights.

Rod Hartwig welcomed the new Board and challenged them to keep in touch with the District’s School Principals to learn about the programs and process involved with education. Hascall said he’ll miss the experience, because of the support the district and education has received from the community. Dennis Davis said for him, the Board has come full circle with the election of Dr. Keith Swanson, because Davis replaced Swanson on the Board 29-years ago. He had this piece of advice for the new board members: Listen…listen before you speak, because…your first year you don’t know anything…listen, and talk to people. Good luck.”

The new Board then proceeded with business, and decided to set chnage the date and time of Board meetings and work sessions from Monday’s at 7:30-p.m. to the second and fourth Wednesday’s of the month at 5:30-p.m., effective Sept. 30th, due to some scheduling issues. In other business, the new Atlantic School Board approved the 2015 FFA Convention Trip to Louisville, KY, and a 28-E agreement with the Griswold School District for a Fiscal Year 2016 Industrial Technology class.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce has announced it is partnering with the Atlantic High School and several other Community minded organizations and businesses to start the Silver Cord Program in the Atlantic.  The Silver Cord Program is a graduation incentive program to promote volunteerism in the Atlantic Area.  Atlantic High School seniors who volunteer a minimum of 200 hours throughout their high school career will graduate with a silver cord and be eligible for a $500 scholarship provided by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.  The program encourages volunteer opportunities with all Civic Organizations and will benefit the entire community.

Ouida Wymer, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, said “We are pleased to partner with the Kiwanis Club of Atlantic. Their generous donation will allow the Silver Cord Program to utilize the on-line resource volunteerspot.com.” Volunteer Spot is an on-line tool used for volunteer sign-ups, scheduling and management.  Wymer says “Volunteer spot will be beneficial to the students involved in the Silver Cord Program and the entire community. Everyone will have access through www.AtlanticIowa.com.“

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce will host an educational meeting on Wednesday, September 16th, at the Noon at the Rock Island Depot (102 Chestnut Street).  The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the program to any Civic Organization or business interested. The meeting will also teach the organizations and businesses how to use volunteerpsot.com

It’s open to any Civic Organization in the Atlantic Area. Call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017 to book your seat, or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com .

The Atlantic Police Department released a statement Monday evening at 5:00pm that they had cited 18-year-old Nicholas Terry of Red Oak for Leaving the Scene of an Injury Accident.

Police were searching for a suspect in a silver 2009 Chevy Malibu after an accident that occurred around 11:15am this (Monday) morning at 10th and Plum Streets in Atlantic.  Reports described a young male driver had struck a female pedestrian causing her to fly onto the hood of the vehicle at impact.  The driver then left the scene and a partially full beer can was found at the scene and taken into evidence.

Atlantic Police have identified the victim as Sarah Darling of Atlantic.  She was taken to the Cass County Memorial Hospital for treatment and no report on her condition was immediately available.

(Update 1:24-p.m.)

An All-Points Bulletin has been issued for a vehicle suspected of being involved in a pedestrian hit-and-run accident in Atlantic this (Monday) morning. Law enforcement officials are looking for a silver, 2009 Chevy Malibu, with Iowa license plate DEA 049. The vehicle will have front end and hood damage.

The driver is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol when they struck a female at 10th and Plum Streets in Atlantic, at around 11:15-a.m. The woman was tossed onto the hood of the car during the impact. She was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, where a report on her condition was not immediately available.

A partially full can of beer was found at the scene and taken into evidence. The car is registered to a subject out of Red Oak. Authorities say witnesses told them the driver appeared to have a been a young male. The suspect has a lengthy record in Montgomery County, according to dispatch reports. He also is known to frequent a residence in Bridgewater.

The phones are working once again at the Cass County Courthouse. The system went down earlier this morning, but was repaired and functioning again just before noon. It was the second time in just under a week the phone system crashed at the courthouse.

Atlantic Police are looking for a vehicle involved this morning in a pedestrian hit and run accident at 10th and Plum Streets. The accident happened at around 11:15-a.m. The suspect vehicle is a silver, possibly 2009 4-door Chevy Malibu, registered to a subject out of Red Oak. The vehicle (with Iowa license plate # DEA 049) will have front end damage, as the victim of the hit-and-run was tossed over the hood. The driver appeared to have a been a young male. A partially full beer can was discarded at the scene of the accident.

Authorities in Montgomery County have been notified to be on the lookout for the vehicle and a possibly intoxicated driver. The suspect has a lengthy record in Montgomery County, according to dispatch reports. He also is known to have a residence in Bridgewater. Authorities in Adair County have also been notified.

A female victim of the hit-and-run was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by ambulance. No other information is currently available.

The manager of an Iowa apprenticeship program says there’s more demand for skilled workers than his program that trains plumbers, welders and technicians who work on heating and air conditioning systems can supply. Jason Shanks, the training director for the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33 in Des Moines, says “Apprenticeship has been the best kept secret for a long time. If you have a conversation with people about apprenticeships, they know what the work is, but they don’t understand the true meaning of apprenticeship. I think that’s been the biggest problem.”

The apprenticeship program he runs lasts five years and the cost for the apprentice is only 200 dollars a year, plus a contractor hires that apprentice as a “helper” and they earn a paycheck. “Day one they get the same benefits that I receive, health care,” he says. “…They don’t have a huge student loan debt when they’re done. They have a career.” There are 753 apprenticeship programs registered with the State of Iowa today.

Duane Boswell of Iowa-based T-M-C Transportation says his employee-owned company started a “heavy truck” apprenticeship program in the early 1990s and today there are a thousand drivers enrolled. “One of our greatest challenges and frankly one of the greatest challenges in the over-the-road trucking industry is finding enough quality individuals to drive our trucks,” Boswell says. “It’s not everybody that wants to be out a week at a time or more.”

But the apprentices who go to work for his trucking firm can earn 50-thousand dollars in their first year of training, plus they get health benefits. Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds invited the two apprenticeship program managers to speak at a news conference at the statehouse this morning (Monday).

“There is a significant skills gap in Iowa and across this nation,” Reynolds says. “And as we continue to work every day to grow this economy, we need to make sure that we have that talent pipeline in place not only to meet the jobs of today, but to meet the jobs of the future.” A new state program started in 2013 provides three million dollars annually to cover the some of the costs of equipment, materials and other expenses for apprenticeship programs in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

Cass County Health System is hosting a free event on Wednesday, September 16 called, “Mommy’s Time Out.” The event begins at 5:30 in the atrium and includes informational booths and a guest speaker. Jeri Orstad, RN and co-chair of the Women’s Health Services committee, which is hosting the event, says “When you have young children, life can feel crazy all day, every day. It’s good for moms to take a time out, spend some time with other moms, learn more about caring for their kids, and have a good laugh.”

Danielle Herzog will be the guest speaker at the event. Danielle is a writer and her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Parenting, The Omaha World Herald and more. Danielle also writes a popular blog titled Martinis & Minivans.

The booths feature a number of local resources and include information on medicine and kids, reference materials on illness, nutrition, immunizations, obstetrics, and more.

The event is free and open to all moms of young children. For more information, visit the Cass County Health System page on Facebook, casshealth.org, or call 712-243-7405.

Fall arrives next week, a dangerous time of year as it’s much more likely Iowa motorists may collide with deer. A new study shows the odds Iowa drivers will hit a deer are rising. Ann Avery is spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance, which compiled the numbers. “Iowa is ranked third this year among the states in terms of your likelihood to have a collision with a deer, according to the State Farm information,” Avery says. “For perspective, Iowa was 4th last year.”

Iowa drivers are more than 13-percent more likely to collide with a deer than they were last year, according to the study. It says the odds drivers will hit a deer in Iowa are 1-in-68, compared to the national odds of 1-in-169. If you should emerge from hitting a deer unhurt, your car won’t likely be as lucky and neither will your savings account. “The national cost per claim average for a deer-vehicle collision is more than $4,100 and that’s up 6% from last year when the average was about $3,800,” Avery says. “So, it is expensive and we do want to help people not have that happen to them.”

Mostly due to mating and hunting seasons, the months a driver is most likely to collide with a deer in Iowa, are — in order — November, October and December. In 2013, there were 191 deaths reported nationwide as the result of collisions with animals, with deer being the animal most often struck, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Some tips to avoid deer include: use your high beams when possible at night, don’t rely on devices like deer whistles and should a deer jump into your path, don’t veer, as you could end up in the ditch or oncoming traffic.

“Keep in mind, deer generally travel in herds,” Avery says. “If you see one, others may be nearby. Be aware of posted ‘Deer Crossing’ signs. We see them often but they’re there for a reason. They’re placed there because those are active areas. Remember that deer are most active between dusk and dawn and the fall months are very active months for deer, which is when you can most reasonably expect this will happen.”

For the ninth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely with 1-in-44 odds. The rest of the top five are: Montana, Iowa, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. Hawaii is last, also for the ninth year in a row, with 1-in-8,765 odds.

(Radio Iowa)

(update 11:50-a.m.: Phone system is functioning again)

Cass County Courthouse phone system is once again not not working. Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman issued the notice of problems with the phone system at around 8:50-a.m.  The same system experienced problems early last week.

Notice will be sent when it has been repaired.