(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police report that at around 12:55-a.m. today (Thursday), 30-year-old Michael David Sinnott, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 600 block of Carter Drive. He was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault by Impeding Air Flow. Sinnott was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. And, at around 6:32-p.m. Wednesday, Red Oak Police arrested 41-year-old Troy S. Williams, of Red Oak, on a warrant for Failure to Appear. Williams was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Adams County, Iowa) – A woman from Corning was arrested on drug charges December 30th, following a traffic stop on Highway 148 at Joshua Tree Road. Upon a probable cause search being conducted on the vehicle, 18-year-old Molly Bagby was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She posted a $1,300 cash bond, and was released from the Adams County Jail.

[updated] (Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic breezed through part of their agenda Wednesday night, until City Administrator John Lund’s report. Lund was of the opinion, following a legislative briefing, that “Rural Iowa is really, kind of like under siege right now.”

He said there are no concrete proposals that he’s aware of, but…

He say working on the valuations with the Business Property Tax  Credits, “We saw a colossal loss in our taxable valuation.”

Lund said since he became City Administrator, Atlantic has only raised the levy once.

The only reason the City went down from the 27-cents was because the 2021 assessments “Were massive, and the City saw a lot of property taxes from that. It was really difficult to justify keeping that capped. So we lowered that down to five-cents.” He was planning on having it phased back in over the years, but at this point, he said, “We’re gonna need those resources sooner than we think, [because] between the inflation and the rhetoric at the Statehouse” and a possible levy freeze, rural communities will have to find ways to tighten their fiscal belts.

Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett said a property tax reduction may sound good to anyone who owns property…

She encouraged other Mayors from around southwest Iowa to go to the Iowa State House and make sure the legislators are comparing “apples to apples,” when it comes to cutting property taxes, especially when there is such a large population on the eastern side of the State, and a lesser, more rural population on the western side of the State.

In other business, the two candidates for the Parks and Rec Director are slated to be interviewed in-person. One of the candidates – John Wyatt Adderton, from Savannah, Georgia, will be here on Friday. He’s a Park Ranger, and his spouse is an airline pilot. Michelle Spunaugle – the other candidate – also has experience as a Park Ranger. She lives in Villisca and will be interviewed separately,

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan who was thought to be the oldest living person in the United States died Tuesday. The Lampe & Powers Funeral Home says Bessie Hendricks of Lake City died Tuesday at the Shady Oaks Care Center in Lake City. Hendricks celebrated her 115th birthday on November 7th, and lived 57 more days.

A funeral for Hendricks is scheduled for this Saturday in Lake City. She was reportedly the 10th oldest person in the world.