The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, approved by a vote of 5-to-1 (with Councilman Dick Casady absent), an Order to Approve a Contract with SWIPCO (Southwest Iowa Planning Council) for supplementary services, with regard to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Councilman Chris Jimerson was the lone No Vote.

City and Zoning Administrator John Lund, said when he was hired as an Assistant City Administrator in 2011, he was tasked with taking over administration, zoning ordinance, planning and zoning, Board of Adjustment duties. When he became the full-time City Administrator, he slashed his full-time assistant and took on those duties as well. Lund said while he’s very capable of understanding Administration and budgetary aspects of the job, Urban Planning is a separate discipline.

That focuses more or the dynamics of technical and spatial-related issues of development, population growth, urban system and design. Because he has no education in the area of Urban Planning, he suggested SWIPCO provide the City with those services, as a supplement to the P&Z, on an as-needed basis, at $50 per hour. Issues such as the constant problems with Bull Creek (storm water run-off related), and Sub-division planning, he said are better left to those who understand those issues and work hand-in-hand with the P&Z to help them make better decisions.

In his regular report to the Council, Lund say his attention now turns to the City’s Budget. In his report, Mayor Dave Jones said “There are a lot of good things going on in Atlantic. We’ve got some problems we’ve need to take care of, [by] just going after them and focus on the positive parts of Atlantic. We’ve a lot of things going on. And I would challenge anybody  to take someone (who has never been here) around, and showcase Atlantic…look around and see what we’ve got…all the things we’ve done here in the last 10- 15- or 20-years.”

Jones also set Halloween Trick or Treating for Oct. 31st, from 5:30-until 7:30-p.m. city-wide, and Downtown Trick-or-Treating from 3:30-to 5-p.m. on that date. And, the Council approved the temporary closing of certain streets downtown on Oct. 12th, in preparation for the Fireman’s Parade that begins at 6-p.m. The parade line-up for floats and other participants, is at 2nd and Sunnyside Streets, beginning at 4-pm. The Oscar Meyer Weinermobile will be in the Hy-Vee parking lot from 2-until 5-p.m. for entry into the parade, which features marching bands that include the popular Isiserette’s, Salem Stepping Saints and the Pleasant Green Baptist Church Marching Saints, as well as bagpipes, fire trucks & apparatus, EMS and other participants.

On a related note, the Atlantic Fire Department will hold their Annual Fireman’s Donation Breakfast this Sunday, Oct. 6th, from 7-a.m. until 1-p.m. at the fire station. For your Good-Will donation, you will receive and eggs, sausage, bacon and pancake breakfast.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that a central Iowa man was arrested on Theft charges and cited for Criminal Trespass, following an investigation into a report of a stolen vehicle. 41-year old Brandon S. Beenken, of Des Moines, faces a felony charge of Theft in the 1st Degree, plus a separate charge of Theft in the 1st degree. His total bond on both charges was set at $20,000.

At around 6-a.m. Wednesday, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was notified a vehicle had been stolen from the Morton Mills area. The complainant located the vehicle near the intersection of Redwood and Spruce Avenue, stuck on a Level “B” road. An investigation lead authorities to a farm building in 1300 block of T Avenue, where Beenken was located and charged with a Class C Felony Theft charge and Criminal Trespass.

At around 4-p.m., while Beenken was in the Montgomery County Jail, he was additionally charged with Theft in the 1st Degree, after it was learned a second vehicle that was located, had been stolen from Pleasant Hill. The vehicle also had stolen license plates.

BONDURANT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in a Des Moines suburb have approved plans for a warehouse and distribution center that would create more than 1,000 jobs. The company behind the project to be located in an industrial area of Bondurant is confidential.

City Administrator Marketa Oliver confirmed Wednesday the City Council gave initial approval for the development called Project Bluejay at its Monday meeting. Plans submitted to the city by contractor Ryan Companies appear to call for a 780,000-square-foot building up to five stories high on just over 100 acres.

The massive project appears to have more than 1,800 parking spaces around the building. There are plans for over 370 trees planted on the property. City officials agreed to seek a state grant to help with up to $14 million in street improvements to improve truck access. The city says it will provide up to $8 million from tax increment financing for the project.

A timeline has road work scheduled for next year and a project completion date of July 2021. Bondurant is a city of about 6,000 people, about 10 miles northeast of Des Moines.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The city of Sioux Falls is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed after a 5-year-old girl from Audubon drowned in the Big Sioux River at Falls Park. Attorneys last year filed a federal lawsuit against the city on behalf of Courtney Jayne, the mother of Maggie Zaiger. Zaiger fell into the river from river bank rocks on March 18, 2018, during a family trip to the park.

The Argus Leader reports attorneys representing the city argue that officials responsible for park safety did not breach their duty. The lawsuit alleges the city had ignored recommendations to put up barriers to more clearly distinguish where the rock ends and the water starts.

Officials have since installed viewing platforms and walkways with railings to improve safety.

(Radio Iowa) — The Technology Association of Iowa is setting up a statewide database to connect students, parents and teachers to the many computer-related programs and events around the state. The idea is to build a community of tech-savvy young people who can learn from each other. T-A-I president Brian Waller offers a few examples of what can be found on the site known as Techstream.

“In Waterloo, there’s a Girl Scout program up there doing cyber security specifically,” Waller says. “If you go to Cedar Rapids, kids on Wednesday nights can do computer coding called Computer Dojo.” Waller says the database may also encourage more young people to enter the information technology field to help fill a labor shortage. Waller says he wants Iowa students to be creators of technology, not just consumers of it.

“We’re hoping that this fabric of lots of different outposts of computer science and technology activities and programming, that they’re going to build a community and learn from each other, and really the end goal we would love to see is computer science in the core curriculum for the state of Iowa,” he says. Waller says connecting students to technology classes, workshops and events may encourage more young people to enter the I-T field.

techstreamiowa.org.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says until the U.S. House votes on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, she’s not convinced there’s a case. Speaking to reporters Wednesday Reynolds said, “until they take a vote and I know what they’re accusing him of, I don’t think there’s anything there.”

Reynolds, a Republican, is an honorary state chairwoman of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. GOP leaders have aggressively defended Trump against accusations that he abused his power when he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son. Trump has since suggested people leading the inquiry should be arrested and charged with treason.

Reynolds says the House should focus on issues such as a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, the details of which are being negotiated between the White House and House leaders. She also says she’s hopeful to hear something from the White House this week on a new ethanol policy that would boost production.

Red Oak Police report the arrest this (Wednesday) afternoon, of 39-year old Luke Daniel Rinehart, from Red Oak. He was taken into custody at around 12:15-p.m. in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue, and charged with Breach of Peace/Disorderly conduct. Rinehart’s bond was set at $300.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say drugs killed two people whose bodies were found in a Burlington apartment. The bodies were found July 17 by officers sent to check on the man who lived there. Neighbors had reported not seeing the man for several days. Police said Tuesday that autopsies showed that 59-year-old Kevin Shavers died after ingesting fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. The woman with him, 33-year-old Marlo Pilkington, of Fort Madison, died of methamphetamine and fentanyl intoxication.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests: 57-year old Thomas Clark Golden, of Omaha, was arrested today (Wednesday following a traffic stop on I-29. He was charged with  OWI 1st, Driving on Wrong Side of two-way Highway and Fail to Yield to Emergency Vehicle. Bond was set at $1,000. Tuesday night, 57-year old Gaylord Melvin Augustine, of  Henderson,  was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He was  being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.