An Atlantic man was appointed this week to a task force which will study whether Iowa’s public schools should lengthen the school day and make other changes to their calendars. Frank Spillers, with Global Horizons in Atlantic, was named as one of the 16 individuals appointed by Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass, Tuesday, to the Instructional Time Task Force, which was created by lawmakers as part of their education reform law.

The committee will study whether the minimum length of the school day and year should be extended for some students or all students and whether schools should have a uniform start date. The group will also consider whether summer break should be shortened, with days off spread out throughout the year. Glass says time in school should be applied differently to students based on their individual needs, but that adding time should be carefully studied because of its expense.

Dive Team members from southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa conducted a search Tuesday for a Council Bluffs man missing since he jumped out of a boat into Hanson Lake Sunday morning. They recovered the man’s body Tuesday evening, not far from where he jumped in. The body of 34-year old Michael Hartsook, was discovered at around 7:30-p.m.  An autopsy has been scheduled. Officials say the lake will be open today (Wednesday). 

Dive teams from Red Oak, Clarinda, Adams, Cass and Ringgold Counties, participated in the search, scouring more than 12,000 square feet of the lake, which is located in Sarpy County, NE.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty to bludgeoning two people in their sleep with a crowbar.  The Sioux City Journal reports that 23-year-old James Kroll entered the plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court. Kroll is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and first-degree burglary. Police say Kroll beat 54-year-old Jeffrey Moravek to death and seriously injured 54-year-old Mary Tope after breaking into Tope’s home on June 13. Tope remained hospitalized at Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City last week. An updated report on her condition is not available.
 
Police say Tope’s daughter, Emily Tope, was in the house at the time and identified Kroll, her former boyfriend. Court papers say Kroll was distraught that his relationship with Emily Tope had ended.