A record Mega Millions jackpot might be on the way for Tuesday’s drawing after no ticket matched all the winning numbers in Friday’s estimated $1.25 billion dollar jackpot. The next drawing is now being estimated at $1.55 billion grand prize, which would top the previous record prize of $1.53 billion that was won in South Carolina in 2018.

Friday’s wining numbers were 11-30-45-52-56 with a Mega Ball of 20. Although no one hit the jackpot, lottery officials say two tickets won $2 million and seven others won $1 million by matching the first five numbers.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce report “AtlanticFest,” presented by First Whitney Bank & Trust, will be held Saturday, August 12th, rain or shine. AtlanticFest is an annual festival that serves as a fundraiser for the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Executive Director Bailey Smith says  “AtlanticFest is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Chamber. Our sponsors help cover a lot of the costs of the event, allowing us to raise funds through registration fees, pop stand sales and the 50/50 raffle. We use the funds from AtlanticFest to continue to grow community events while also supporting business-based programs. We love this partnership with First Whitney Bank and the experience AtlanticFest offers the community. It also gives us the chance to support local businesses and civic organizations”

Downtown Atlantic will be filled with fun activities for the whole family to enjoy. Come early and start the day with a pancake breakfast or a run/walk in the Annual Road Race with chip timing. There will be crafters from all over Southwest Iowa, as well as some of the best food vendors to help satisfy any appetite. Kids can enjoy bounce houses and games throughout City Park. The 25th Annual Car Show and 9th Annual Motorcycle Show will be taking place once again this year. And with free entertainment throughout the day, you can’t go wrong.

A bags tournament has been added to the fun this year and will be held in City Park. Enter a team of two for $50 and try your chance to win $500, $300 or $200 guaranteed. Registration begins at 10 AM at the City Park Shelter.

Day-of registrations are accepted for events including: car show, motorcycle show, road race and bags tournament. Maps of the event, Atlantic merchandise and more will be available at the Chamber booth in City Park. To learn more about AtlanticFest, visit www.atlanticiowa.com.

The Chamber thanks their AtlanticFest partners for their support: First Whitney Bank & Trust, A.M. Cohron & Son, Atlantic Ag & Auto- Carquest, Atlantic Municipal Utilities, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling, Atlantic Home Realty, Armour Insurance, Brocker, Karns & Karns, Brown’s Shoe Fit, Camblin Plumbing & Heating, Downtowner, Karl Chevy, McAtee Tire, Nishna Valley Family YMCA, Roland Funeral Home, Rolling Hills Bank, Rush, CPA & Associates, Salute Gymnastics and Wiota Steakhouse.

(August 4, 2023: Atlantic, IA) – Officials with SHIFT ATL report that their Summer Soiree event on July 15th helped raise over $20,000 for the nonprofit organization. Funds raised from this year’s event will be poured directly back into SHIFT ATL’s latest venture, Sunnyside Range, to make facility and programming upgrades to keep a vital community attraction available for years to come.

SHIFT ATL Board Member Jessie Shiels said “We cannot say THANK YOU enough to all of our sponsors, vendors and community members that helped make this event a huge success for our organization. Without the community support and excitement for what we are working so hard to create in Atlantic, SHIFT ATL would not exist. We are grateful to continue carrying out our mission and ensuring Atlantic is a place everyone wants to live, play and work for years to come.”

SHIFT ATL 2023 Summer Soiree

Summer Soirée 2023 is made possible through support of Executive sponsors such as Cass Health, TS Bank, Landus, Camblin Mechanical, AM Cohron and Son, Armour Insurance, Rigid Edge Exteriors, Lindeman Tractor, Elvis Hass State Farm, and Green Acres Lawn and Landscaping. And, Advocate sponsors, include Rolling Hills Bank and Trust, Megan Roberts State Farm, Principal Financial (Mark Smith and Erin Freund), Atlantic Rotary and Venteicher Auctioneering, with Supporting sponsors Henningsen Construction, Anita Supply Center, Rush CPA and Associates, Iowa Corn, and Casey’s. Beverage sponsor Atlantic Bottling and Floral sponsor Farm House and Flowers.

To learn more about each project, to donate or to get involved, contact shiftatlantic@gmail.com, visit the website
shiftatl.org or Facebook page, @shiftatl.

(Radio Iowa) – With kids headed back to school in a few weeks, an expert says now would be the ideal time for parents to start weaning them off of social media so they’ll be able to better focus on their studies. Gerta Bardhoshi, a professor of counselor education at the University of Iowa, says don’t try and force them to quit everything cold turkey, but do offer suggestions on how they can start breaking what may be a slight addiction to their electronic devices.

How much is too much social media? Teenagers themselves may know they may have a problem. A recent survey found one-third of teens say they are online “constantly,” while another third said they spend “too much time” on social media.

Bardhoshi is director of research and training at the U-I’s Scanlan Center for School Mental Health. She says parents should be somewhat lenient and not try to push their child into giving up all social media, at least not all at once.

Kids will model their parents’ behavior and Bardhoshi says that includes when moms and dads set good examples, and not-so-good examples.

Establishing healthy boundaries around phone and social media use, Bardhoshi says, can benefit the entire family.

Scanlan Center link: https://scsmh.education.uiowa.edu/

(Radio Iowa) – A setback today (Friday) for Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions’ plan for a pipeline to carry liquid carbon from ethanol plants in Iowa and other states to underground storage in North Dakota.

All three members of North Dakota’s Public Service Commission have voted to reject the proposed 320 mile route for the pipeline in their state. Summit issued a statement saying it plans to address the commission’s concerns and resubmit its application in North Dakota. Summit and two other companies have proposed carbon pipeline routes that would run through Iowa. North Dakota’s Public Service Commission said Summit had not addressed legitimate concerns from some North Dakota landowners and had not sufficiently pursued an alternate route around Bismark, the state capitol.

The IOWA Utilities Board plans to start its hearing on Summit’s pipeline route through Iowa on August 22nd. The hearing could last for months. The company has said it wants a decision by the end of the year on the application to build its pipeline along a 680 mile route through Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) Organizers of the “Rooster Tail Ride” are hoping their event next weekend will encourage bicyclists to venture farther on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. There’s a 20-mile ride on the trail from Council Bluffs to Mineola on Tuesday nights in the late spring through late October when the weather cooperates. Rebecca Castle, who’s on the Southwest Iowa Nature Trails board, says the 35 mile Rooster Tail Ride extends to Shenandoah and combines bicycling and live music in each of the towns riders pass through. “We’ve also added a couple of stops, so now we have live music on the Silver Creek bridge, which is a nice, about halfway point between Silver City and Malvern,” Castle says, “and then we also have music in Strahan, which is a ghost town about halfway between Malvern and Imogene.”

Castle says the towns and musical acts along the route break up the ride into nine mile segments. “For those people that maybe aren’t experienced riders, don’t have a lot of long distances under their belt, this is still a good ride for them,” Castle says. There is a pre-party in Mineola on Friday, August 12th, but the ride starts Saturday morning, August 13th in Mineola. “You’ll bring your luggage there to Mineola and then that morning we will haul from Mineola down to Shenandoah, to Sportsmen’s Park. That’s where the camping is,” Castle says. “And then there’ll be showers not only at the pool, whilc they’re open, but at Pork Belly Events. They will be bringing their shower trailers that they use for RAGBRAI and other events for later showers also.”

There’s a 45 dollar registration fee, plus Castle says the Rooster Tail Ride has local sponsors and a state grant to help pay the musical acts and cover other expenses. A band called Silver Bullet that plays Bob Seger tunes and a Tom Petty tribute band from Kansas City are booked to perform in Shenandoah for the riders. The Wabash Nature Trail for biking and hiking is on the former Wabash rail line. It starts in Council Bluffs and ends 63 miles later in the tiny town of Blanchard, in Page County.

JOHNSTON, Iowa – August 4, 2023 – Applications are open for the Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team (CAT) program, which focuses on increasing college students’ understanding of the corn industry. During the one-year program, students will visit the Capitol, tour industry leaders’ operations and expand their network and knowledge outside of the classroom. Applications are available on Iowa Corn’s website and are due September 29, 2023.

“I would recommend the Collegiate Advisory Team to others because it helped me expand my network of industry professionals before leaving college,” said Austin Miller of Buchanan  County and 2022-2023 CAT member.  “Through the program, I was able to tour an ethanol plant, learn how policy development is created from the ground up and expand my knowledge of what commodity organizations do.”

“Leadership development is a priority at Iowa Corn,” said Larry Buss, President of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. “Our organization and other commodity groups rely on strong farmer and producer volunteers to guide our organizations now and into the future. The Collegiate Advisory Team, allows us to jumpstart many farmers and ag industry leader’s careers and leadership capabilities.”

2023- 2024 Schedule of Events:

• Session 1: November 9 – 10, 2023
• Session 2: January 25 – 26, 2024
• Session 3: March 28 – 29, 2024
• Session 4: Iowa Corn Grassroots Summit (Optional)

Any post-secondary student who has completed high school and is attending an Iowa college of university to pursue a career in agriculture is encouraged to apply. If you or someone you know might be interested, please contact Brian Bell, Iowa Corn Director of Leadership and Organizational Development at bbell@iowacorn.org.  For more information, visit www.iowacorn.org/CAT.  

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced today (Friday), that his office has released a new and updated handbook for Iowa notaries. Iowa notaries are essential components of Iowa’s business, legal, financial, and real estate communities, and it is imperative for every Iowa notary Public to stay current on Iowa notary law and receive guidance on proper recording and notarial service.

The Handbook for Iowa Notaries Public was finalized and published during the summer of 2023 to provide Iowa notaries with an additional, convenient resource for learning and as a reference on best practices.

Pate says his office “Is proud to serve as Iowa’s small business portal, and Iowa’s notaries are integral to the state’s business community. This handbook provides valuable information to help notaries perform these duties. It is our hope that this resource complements notarial service, empowers notarial participation, and inspires notarial integrity.”

Iowa Notaries Public are commissioned by the Office of the Iowa Secretary of State to serve the public as impartial and unbiased witnesses. The most common function of the notary is to witness and attest that the identity of the person appearing before the notary matches the identity of the person who signed the document.

The handbook includes information on electronic and remote online notarizations as well as traditional notarization. While the updated handbook offers important guidance on notarial services, it is not legal advice, and notaries with legal questions should consult an attorney. Additionally, all notaries are strongly encouraged to read and understand Iowa Code chapter 9B and Iowa Administrative Code 721—43 for further guidance.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Variety Children’s Charity say Fareway Stores, Inc. partnered with Variety to conduct the seventh annual Round Up at the register in July at all 138 store locations, raising a total of $171,450.14 for Variety – the Children’s Charity. Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer said “We want to thank our generous customers for their heartfelt donations to Variety-the Children’s Charity. We have proudly partnered with Variety for more than 35 years and are committed to helping kids who are at-risk, critically ill, or living with special needs across our footprint.”

Customers had the opportunity to round up to the next dollar or provide an additional donation on their grocery bill to help fund Variety’s mission. Dollars raised through the round up will stay in the state in which they were raised, and will help create opportunities for children to fully share in the experiences of life.

The top five fundraising stores will now have the opportunity to host a specialized bike giveaway to a child in their community:

1.    077-Norwalk

2.    137-Polk City

3.    705-Clear Lake

4.    073-Council Bluffs   

5.    025-Clinton

Sheri McMichael, State of Iowa Executive Director of Variety, said “We sincerely appreciate the fundraising efforts of Fareway and Fareway customers. These funds will allow us to continue our efforts to help children who are at-risk, under privileged, critically ill or living with special needs.”

(Radio Iowa) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will headline a fundraiser this Saturday for Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. Bird, the first Republican in 40 years to serve as Iowa’s attorney general, has appeared with other G-O-P presidential candidates, too. “When they come to Iowa, I’m glad to show them around, whether that’s showing them around the farm or around the State Fair that’s coming up,” Bird says. “I look forward to hosting all of them.”

A few dozen Republicans in the Iowa legislature have endorsed candidates in the 2024 presidential race, but statewide elected officials have not. “Right now, I am neutral — not endorsing in the Caucuses,” Bird says. “My focus is really on doing the job that I’ve got before me. It’s a big job. I’ve got changes to make since my predecessor had been there for four decades.”

Bird, who defeated incumbent Democrat Tom Miller in last fall’s election, says she may endorse a candidate as the January 15th Caucuses draw closer. “I’m somebody that loves the Iowa Caucuses. I went to my first caucus when I was just 13, so I think the most important thing about the Caucuses will be about the people who go and show up and vote and persuade their neighbors about who they should vote for,” Bird says. “That’s the beauty of the Caucus.”

Bird, by the way, was a junior delegate when she was 13 and did not vote in the Caucuses. Bird made her comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S.