The candidates at Thursday night’s Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum in Atlantic discussed their interest in seeing the bike trails in and around Atlantic expanded, budget issues, term limits, their goals if elected, taxes, their qualifications, and what their strengths are. Among the Board of Supervisor’s candidates, Don Lappe said his biggest strength is his years in law enforcement, and working with government agencies in that capacity. He said he understands what’s transpired in local government in the past and what to expect in the future. Jeff Richter, who was a self-employed auctioneer for over 35-years before he retired, said his biggest strength is his business experience. He says he also knows how to deal with budgets, based on his experience.

Gaylord Schelling, who retired after 33-years in a teaching career, said his strength lies in his abilities to communicate, and in resolving conflicts. He also said he would be a “Good steward” of the tax dollars. Pat McCurdy said his biggest strength is in the area of economic development. He was one of the founders of Southwest Iowa Egg in the southeast part of the county, which he says created 20 jobs and added to the tax base. He was also involved in bringing Boulders Inn and Suites, to Atlantic. He said he’d like to bring more wind farms to the county, to increase the tax base. Kathy Somers, who currently serves on the City Council, said her biggest strength is her ability to look at both sides of an issue and make an informed decision.

When asked whether or not the Supervisor candidates would be willing to take a cut in pay if that were an option, to cut costs in a tight budget year, Schelling said he’s not running for the job because of the pay, he said he wants a new challenge, and to give back to the county and community to make it a great place to raise families. Richter, Lappe, and McCurdy said the pay is irrelevant, and they too want to give back to the community and bring jobs to the area. Somers said the Supervisor’s pay is much less than the City Council’s, yet she would definitely take a cut in salary. She also said she cares about the community, and hopes to add a more rounded, “balanced membership” to the Board, along with fresh ideas and a youthful exuberance.

The City and County government elections will take place on Tuesday, November 8th.

You’ll be gaining one-hour of sleep Sunday, when most of the nation observes the change from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time. At 2-a.m. Sunday, we’ll “Fall back” one-hour. So be sure and set your clocks back one-hour before you go to bed, Saturday night.

Three people were hurt during a collision Thursday afternoon northwest of Shenandoah, in Fremont County. Sheriff’s officials say the drivers of the vehicles, 16-year old Judson Krein, of Farragut, and 21-year old Michael Glenn, of Riverton, suffered minor injuries. A passenger in the Glenn vehicle, 23-year old Rebecca Hart, of Sidney, was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by emergency crews. She was transported to the Shenandoah Medical Center by Shenandoah Rescue.

Sheriff’s officials say the accident happened at around 4:15-p.m., as a 2007 Dodge Caliber driven by Krein was traveling north on 370th Avenue, and Glenn was traveling east on 190th, in a 2000 Buick Century. The vehicles collided at the intersection. The impact resulted in Michael Glenn’s vehicle being shoved into the south ditch.

The accident remains under investigation.

Officials with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers are meeting with residents along the Missouri River after this summer’s record flooding to explain plans for next year. At a meeting Thursday in Sioux City, several residents surrounded Jody Farhat (FAR-hat), head of the Corps’ reservoir control office, as she explained how the Corps tried to manage this spring’s massive run-off.

Farhat says the snowpack from the mountains and plains was captured into the reservoir system and it was all accounted for and normal rainfall and even above-normal rainfall could have been handled as there was still storage space. Farhat says in a single weekend, a record rainfall filled the reservoirs and they were left with no alternatives but to further open the floodgates, flooding the basin.

“If you don’t have storage, and we lost that storage because of the rainfall, then basically we had to say how much will our peak inflows be from that mountain snowpack and we’re going to have to pass it through because we have so little storage left,” Farhat says. “The cup is full, whatever comes in is going to have to go out.” Gary Brown, director of the Woodbury County Emergency Services office, says they need better communications from the Corps.

Brown says the Corps needs to do a much better job of letting local governments know what’s coming, as he says they were sometimes hours or days behind the information curve. Brown says the recovery continues in the Sioux City area, but it’s slow going. He says, “There are a lot of people in all three states that aren’t home yet and we’re working to do everything we can to try to get them back home but it’s going to be a long road.” Brown says they have learned some important lessons from this year’s flooding. He says they’re adding personnel and training to be able to run a 112-day emergency operation again, if needed. The Corps will release its 2012 operating plan for the Missouri River in late December or early January.

(Radio Iowa)