(Atlantic, Iowa) [corrects spelling of Johnson’s first name]– Atlantic resident Eric Johnson spoke before the Atlantic School Board Wednesday night during the Public Comment portion of their agenda, with regard to reports of bed bugs in the district’s buildings.

Johnson said on November 22nd, 2024, bed bugs were discovered on one or more students at the Atlantic High School. Those students, he said, have younger siblings at the Schuler Elementary School.

Eric Johnson said he spoke with Atlantic School District Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen on December 5. “She alleged that the whole school board was aware of this issue,” he said.

Eric Johnson speaks during the Atlantic School Board meeting, Dec. 11, 2024

Eric Johnson said the Dept. of Public Health believes the District is handling the issue properly, and that they will not be stepping-in until it becomes a bigger issue or an infestation at the schools.

He said he agrees the affected students’ rights to a public education cannot be deprived, but there are other policies in-place to protect the health and safety of staff and students. He went on to say that “Inaction on the ground we [the district] don’t have a policy on that [bed bugs], “Is completely unacceptable,” and parents who pull their children out of school until the situation is resolved may be held legally accountable, and “the infestation will be allowed to continue.”

Johnson said he thinks the entire Trojan community is at risk. The Atlantic School Board typically does not respond to statement made during the public comment period, but those statements are entered into the record.

Read Johnson’s full statement here: letter from Eric Johnson presented to Board Meeting Dec 11 2024

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Department of Labor says it has reached an agreement with a Minneapolis-based construction services provider on allegations of sexual harassment by employees in Iowa.

The Labor Department says the conciliation agreement with Ryan Companies will have them pay 350-thousand dollars to resolve allegations employees faced sexual harassment, a hostile work environment or retaliatory actions after cooperating with federal investigators. The incidents happened while the company worked on federally funded projects including the construction of the new federal courthouse in Des Moines. The federal compliance office determined the harassment was severe and pervasive, and officials with Ryan Companies knew of and, in some instances, participated in the harassment.

The federal compliance office is seeking employees in Des Moines who may be due payment or job placement as a result of Ryan’s actions. They are asked to contact the office.

MASON CITY, Iowa (KTTC) – Christopher Revak, a deceased suspect in Jodi Huisentruit’s murder case, is once again the focus of the on-going investigation. Huisentruit went missing in 1995 while on her way to work at KIMT-TV in Mason City. She has not been seen or heard from since.

According to findjodi.com, a Mason City Police (MCPD) Sargent assigned to the case is expected to meet with a Wisconsin investigator to compare notes and discuss an old lead that was previously dismissed by the MCPD. Wood County Wisconsin Sheriff’s office say they believe Wisconsin Rapids native Christopher Revak could be responsible for the crime. However, Revak took his own life while in a Missouri jail one day after being charged with second-degree murder for the March 2007 death of Rene Williams.

MCPD Sgt. Terrance Prochaska said the cases of two women who went missing in Missouri may be related to Revak.

The most recent tip led investigators to Winsted, MN, where someone had thought they might have discovered human remains. The recent search only discovered animal remains.

(Radio Iowa) – Three policemen have been honored for saving a man from a burning apartment in downtown Oelwein last February. Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens says the officers were first to arrive at the scene of an apartment building fire, went door to door to evacuate residents and rescued a man after they heard his feeble call for help.

“These three officers showed exceptional courage and judgment knowing that immediate action was necessary,” Bayens says. “They disregarded their own safety by plunging into a smoke-billowing apartment without the benefit of safety equipment to preserve life.”

Oelwein officers Gage Voshell, William Ward and Codi Wurzer were treated for smoke inhalation. Their Awards of Valor are named for the five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo who were killed in action during World War II when the U-S-S Juneau was sunk by Japanese torpedoes. Kelly Sullivan, the granddaughter of one of the siblings, attended yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) ceremony at the Capital and handed each officer their honorary medal.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Henningsen Construction in Atlantic announced Wednesday night that the company’s third-generation owner, Mike Henningsen, died Tuesday, at the age of 72. In addition to his business leadership and vision, the company said in his obituary, that Henningsen had served as president of the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2015.

He was a long-time board member of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and served for 20 years on the Atlantic Airport Commission. Henningsen owned a P-51D Mustang, “Big Beautiful Doll,” that was frequently heard in the skies over Atlantic until it was sold in 2014. He also owned a North American T-6 Texan.

A funeral service to celebrate the life of Mike Henningsen will be held on Tuesday, December 17, at 1 p.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church in Atlantic, Iowa.