The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, tabled action on the first reading of an amended Ordinance affecting the speed limit on a section of Sunnyside Lane. There is a 25-mile per hour speed limit currently posted from 10^th Street to 2,000-feet south of 10^th. The remaining 1,700-foot stretch of road is unregulated, which was an oversight in planning, or was left as is for reasons unknown, according to City Administrator John Lund. If someone was speeding along that part of Sunnyside, a ticket would be essentially unenforceable because there is no posted speed limit.

The amendment would change the entire length of Sunnyside from 10^th to 22^nd Street to 25-miles per hour, which Councilman Gerald Brink said is not necessary. Brink was adamant that the unregulated section should be 35-mph instead of 25 because there are very few houses in that area and even less pedestrian traffic. Brink said the traffic on that section of Sunnyside is averaging about 40-miles per hour. Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson said the regulated section is 25-mph because it runs by the pool and there are hidden driveways along that stretch of road. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm explained how speed limits are set. He said speeds are generally set by an 85^th-percentile speed study. Whatever 85-percent of the vehicles travel at or below is where the limits are set. He said from what he knows about that road, the terrain is not likely to dictate what the limit should be. He said a study could be conducted, but that it really isn’t warranted, considering the length of the road in question.

Councilperson Ashley Hayes was in favor of the 25-mph for the entire road to 22^nd Street. She said coming from the south to the north, there’s not enough time to drop from 35-to 25 without it being considered a speed-trap. Hayes said she’s seen countless drivers slam on their brakes when they hit the 25-mph zone, because there is no speed limit coming from 22^nd Street. She said she doesn’t like the idea of having a partial speed-limit on the section of same street in question. A motion to approve the Amended Ordinance on the first reading failed by a vote of 5-to-2, with only Councilpersons Hayes and Jimerson voting in favor. The matter now “goes back to the drawing board,” according to Mayor Jones.

In other business, Mayor Dave Jone said the Council would set the date for Halloween as October 31^st during their next meeting. And, he wanted the public to know the Council will be discussing a raising of the sewer rates. He said people keep mowing their grass clippings into the streets which clogs up the sewers. “They don’t want to listen to us we might have to look at [stricter enforcement] or rate increases.” Councilman Chris Jimerson added, that grass clippings blown out into the street, make it very dangerous for motorcycles, especially when the grass is wet.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three Des Moines police officers and the city have been sued in federal court for violating the constitutional rights of a man who says he was filming from the sidewalk cars parked illegally at the police station. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Daniel Robbins, who is identified as a Des Moines independent photojournalist.

He claims three officers violated his First Amendment right to be free from retaliation and false arrest. He accuses the city of failing to properly train officers. Robbins says the officers accused him of suspicious behavior, patted him down and took his cell phone and camera to search them. He was not charged and was eventually let go.

Robbins’ attorney Gary Dickey says citizens have a constitutional right to film the police from public sidewalks as long as they don’t interfere with official acts.
A police department spokesman says officers investigated when a civilian female city employee reported Robbins as suspicious when it appeared he was videotaping her getting into her car.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Mexican man charged with killing an Iowa college student was known for years on the dairy farm where he worked by another name: John Budd. Yarrabee Farms is facing scrutiny over whether its managers had any idea that Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in the country illegally before the slaying of Mollie Tibbetts.

The name under which Rivera worked for the last four years was confirmed by three people with knowledge of his employment history who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company declined to confirm or deny the alias. An immigration lawyer advising the farms says companies cannot discriminate against workers based on how their names sound.

Farm officials say Rivera presented an out-of-state photo identification and a Social Security number when he was hired in 2014.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have charged two people with first-degree murder in the death of a Des Moines man whose body was found by officers in the back of a vehicle earlier this summer. Television station KCCI reports that 50-year-old Jeffery Lee Stendrup, of Clive, and 24-year-old Jaycie Sheeder, of Coon Rapids, were charged Wednesday in the death of 36-year-old Jeremy McDowell.

McDowell was found dead June 22 in Newton the back of a vehicle Sheeder had been driving. Sheeder had called police that day to say McDowell had been assaulted and needed medical attention. She drove to Newton to meet police, who found McDowell dead in her back seat.

Authorities believe Stendrup suspected McDowell of stealing items from him and beat McDowell with a baseball bat in an effort to get the items back.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lawyer fighting a discrimination lawsuit against Iowa officials is withdrawing from the case. George LaMarca has billed Iowa taxpayers nearly $1 million to fight the case filed by former state official Chris Godfrey against Gov. Kim Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad. Godfrey accuses Reynolds and Branstad of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The 73-year-old LaMarca says poor health is forcing him to retire.

Judge Brad McCall accepted LaMarca’s withdrawal today (Wednesday). He also granted a delay in the trial that was scheduled for Jan. 14. Godfrey’s attorney Roxanne Conlin argues the withdrawal is a delay tactic and says LaMarca should have to repay taxpayers. Branstad in 2010 pressured Godfrey to resign. When Godfrey refused, Branstad cut his salary. Branstad says his actions were justified by Godfrey’s performance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Supreme Court Justice Daryl Hecht says he will resume hearing cases and participating in decisions as he continues treatment for skin cancer. The high court announced Hecht’s decision Wednesday in a news release. Hecht revealed in April that had been diagnosed with melanoma, considered the most serious type of skin cancer. Hecht has been treated in Sioux City and Rochester, Minnesota.

The 66-year-old Hecht has not participated in hearing oral argument since March and participated in only a few cases during the remainder of the court term that ended June 30. Hecht says he expects improvement resulting from a new treatment regimen will allow him to resume a more active role. The new court term began Tuesday. Hecht was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2006.

In an update to our story yesterday, Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy Rob Ambrose reports an Atlantic man was injured during a motorcycle accident late Tuesday morning, in Pottawattamie County. 71-year old Paul Fischer was riding a 2009 Kawasaki westbound on Highway 6 at around 11:25-a.m., when his leather coat came loose from the straps and caught the rear wheel. The coat became entangled in the wheel and caused it to lock-up.

Fischer managed to keep the cycle upright until it rolled onto its side on the road in front of 48606 Highway 6. The man was wearing a helmet. Fischer suffered injuries to his face, arms and chest, and was transported by Griswold Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, in Atlantic. No citations were issued. The cycle sustained about $5,000 damage.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A former church northeast of Fort Dodge is transforming into a homeless shelter for women and children who need help. The Messenger reports that the former St. John’s Lutheran Church in rural Webster County will become the home of the Lotus Community Project. Iowa District West, a part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, has donated the property. The district took control of the church after it closed last year.

Lotus Executive Director Ashley Vaala says there will likely be $105,000 in renovations before the shelter can open in December. Vaala says there will potentially be eight rooms available to provide temporary living space to women in Webster, Hamilton, Humboldt, Wright, Calhoun and Pocahontas counties.