The Atlantic School Board Monday night approved several recommendations with regard to changes in school personnel. Superintendent Mike Amstein reported Central Office Secretary to the Superintendent, Melinda McDermott, is retiring effective April 11th. Amstein says after posting the position and looking at the transfers he recommended, and the Board approved, Olivia Newberg, who works as a SAM at the Washington Elementary School, as her successor.

The Board also approved recommendations by Atlantic Activities Director Matt Alexander, which included: Mike McDermott as Head Girls and Boys Tennis Coach; James Northwick was named as a volunteer assistant Tennis Coach; Oran Perkins as assistant Soccer Coach; Shawn Williams as a volunteer assistant boys Soccer Coach.

Amstein reported also near the end of the meeting, that Casey Pelzer has resigned as Atlantic Head Girls Basketball Coach , and High School English Teacher Elizabeth Huggins has resigned. Both are effective at end of the current school year.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education Monday night, approved the proposed 2014-2015 Certified Budget, which increases the amount of money the district receives from property taxes by 54-cents per thousand dollars assessed valuation over the published $14.47 per thousand. The levy is now $14.91 per thousand.

Prior to a vote on approving the budget, Atlantic Middle School Student Advocate Pam Russell asked the Board not to cut the student advocate position, because “There would be services that would not be met in a timely manner or on a consistent basis.”  She said the service impacts the students’ present and future, especially with regard to dropout prevention. Russell even offered to have her pay cut in order to save the position, in order to benefit  the students. She said she already knows of a case where a high school-aged student has dropped-out of school thinking they would get their GED instead.

During action on the budget, Superintendent Mike Amstein reiterated the fact that there are only three places in the budget the board really has an “wiggle room” with, as far as adjustments are concerned. One is the SBRC Cash Reserve, another is the Cash Reserve Levy, and the last is the Management Fund. Amstein said they’ve proposed $964,771 for the SBRC Cash Reserve Levy, $600,000 for the Cash Reserve levy dedicated to the General Fund and a $350,000 levy for the Management Fund, for a total levy of $14.91 per thousand dollars assessed property valuation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a Burlington man is recovering after he accidentally shot himself in the foot while hunting. The state Department of Natural Resources says 31-year-old Dustin Guernsey was injured Saturday morning in Lee County. He was hunting for snow geese at the time. Officials say Guernsey was carrying equipment and his shotgun as he walked across a field. He stumbled and the weapon discharged into his left foot.

ELK HORN, Iowa (AP) — A Danish museum in western Iowa says a $50,000 grant will help pay for a specialized green roof. The Curatorial Center at the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn will be an 8,000-foot addition built into the hillside. It will connect to the museum’s lower level. The Curatorial Center will house traveling exhibits and large artifacts. It’s expected to open this summer.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say there are no signs of foul play in connection to the death of a woman found behind a Waterloo business. Waterloo police say an autopsy was performed Monday on 53-year-old Sharon Creighton. Authorities say the preliminary investigation and autopsy results indicate no signs of foul play.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A small airport in eastern Iowa is increasing its parking rates to help pay for a $10.7 million improvement project. The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids will increase parking rates from $5 to $6 a day for long-term parking. It will jump from $7 to $9 a day for short-term parking. The change is expected to raise an additional $815,000 per year. It’s the airport’s first increase in parking rates since 2001.

Interim Audubon City Attorney Dave Wiederstein says the Audubon City Council will not take action at the Council meeting tonight (Monday) on agenda items 10 and 11 pertaining to the Order terminating Lora Hansen’s employment with the City of Audubon and appointing Jan Roberts as the interim City Clerk. Wiederstein said in Press Release that attempts will be made prior to the April 14 Council meeting to reach an agreement that avoids the forced termination of Lora’s employment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Southwest Airlines will soon start daily, non-stop service from Omaha to Los Angeles. The airline made the announcement Monday. The service begins on June 9. The Boeing 737 aircraft will depart from Eppley Airfield at 2:50 p.m. daily and land in Los Angeles at 4:10 p.m. local time. There will be a different schedule on Saturdays. The plane can seat more than 140 passengers.

The airline originally announced plans for Saturday-only flights from Omaha to Los Angeles. They changed plans due to strong demand.

Officials in Iowa report the Farmer’s Electric Cooperative based in Greenfield, and serving parts of six southwest Iowa counties (Adair, Audubon, Cass, Guthrie, Madison and Union), has received funding for the retrofitting of 123.4-miles of overhead electrical lines. The project is valued at more than $3-million. 75-percent of the eligible costs is paid for by FEMA (The Federal Emergency Management Agency), 10-percent is paid by the State, and the remaining 15-percent is paid through the sub-applicant (local governments, communities, tribal governments and certain eligible non-profits).

The Hazard Mitigation Projects (HMP) are funded to reduce or prevent damage from future disasters. Federal funding is made available after each Presidential Disaster Declaration, through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Managements serves as the coordination point between the entities applying for assistance and FEMA. IHSEM staff are involved from the beginning to end, from guiding applicants through the application process to completing the final paperwork.