The City of Atlantic’s Community Protection Committee met Tuesday evening at City Hall to discuss the issues of fireworks within City Limits. The Committee members were looking to find ways to get around a bill the Iowa Legislature has approved, but that has not yet been signed by Governor Branstad. He has until May 22^nd to sign the bill into law.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said the Iowa Firefighter’s Association has sent a letter to the Governor asking him to veto the bill, but the prospects for him doing so are not good.  The bill (Senate File 489), gives city councils and county boards of supervisors the authority to ban or restrict the use of fireworks, but it does not allow them to prohibit their sale. It also allows cities to restrict where fireworks are sold. Those rules would be based on zoning regulations in each city.

Mark McNees said ideally, he would like to see a ban on, or at the very least a limit, on the use of dangerous fireworks within the City Limits of Atlantic, but he acknowledged it would be tough to enforce. Councilman Gerald Brink and Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson had some comments on the prospects of that happening.

Councilman Dana Halder said businesses, such as Fareway, lots have already been approached by fireworks vendors wanting to set up shop in the form of a tent, on their property. McNees said the issue then becomes, who will inspect them? Fireworks vendors pay fees for inspections by the State Fire Marshals Office, but McNees said there isn’t enough funding for all inspections, nor enough personnel, so the responsibility will likely ultimately fall on local, certified fire chiefs or some a law enforcement agency.

McNees said there’s no way any local ordinances regulating the use of dangerous fireworks can be placed in effect before the sale of fireworks is allowed on June 1^st. But the Committee was in agreement that they could make it tougher for fly-by-night vendors to set up shop by raising fees and more.

Mark McNees said the vendors could easily make up those fees by the volume of sales. The consensus of the Community Protection Committee is that the best the City can do right now, is conduct more research into what other cities in Iowa are doing in preparation for the bill’s signing, and see if their tactics can be deployed in Atlantic.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The last carrier of individual health insurance policies in most of Iowa might stop offering them to residents. Minnetonka, Minnesota-based Medica announced Wednesday that its ability to stay in the Iowa insurance market “is in question at this point.”

The company echoed statements by two larger carriers that already have announced their intentions to leave the market: Aetna and Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield. All three cited instability in the market because of concerns about the Affordable Care Act.

The Des Moines Register reports that the carriers’ exits would not affect Iowans who obtain insurance through their employers or through a government program. But the exits could leave more than 70,000 Iowans who buy their own coverage without any options for next year.

(UPDATE 11:25-am.: The missing girl has been found. No other details are available.)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says it has taken a report of a missing juvenile from the 1600 block of Boxelder Avenue, northwest of Red Oak. 17-year old Jessica Lynn Dickerson was last seen Tuesday, May 2nd, at about 9:30-p.m.

Jessica has black hair, brown eyes, braces on her teeth with rubber bands. She stands about 5-feet 3-inches tall and weighs about 120-pounds. If you have any information about her location, please call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107.

Authorities said they do not suspect the girl is in danger, but no other details were released.

Photo provided by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department

Officials with the Veterans Administration (VA) say it has come to their attention, that a phone line has been set-up by an unknown party to potentially “mimic” the VCP (Veterans Choice Program) phone line. The imposter phone line may be intended to reach Veterans who inadvertently dial the VCP number incorrectly. The line allows Veterans to check their eligibility for the program and ask questions.

The VA says it takes the situation seriously, and steps are being taken to find those responsible for the fake phone line as part of a civil or criminal investigation. The real VCP phone number is 1-800-606-8198.

You have reached the wrong VCP phone line if the line offers a $100 rebate when IF you provide a credit card, and, the phone line DOES NOT state you have reach the “U-S Department of Veterans Affairs” or the “VCP phone line.” The incorrect line will confirm you had reached the VCP if you ask that question.

If you are not sure you have called the correct line, hang up and dial 1-866-606-8198 again. Once again, the correct line will say you have reached the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.