The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday night at the High School, to approve contracts for new staff coming on-board for the 2013-2014 school year, and some resignations.

Superintendent Mike Amstein told KJAN News the Board elected to hire:

Jessica Brocka, as a Middle School Art Teacher. Brocka comes to the district from Adel, and has formerly taught in Arizona;  Scott Yates was hired as a Physical Education teacher at Schuler Elementary School, and Assistant Football Coach; Tina Olson was hired by the district as a part-time Home School Program teacher, to work with Linda Nichols. The Home School Program is being expanded from three-to five-days per week, according to Amstein.

The Board also hired the following as coaches: Alan Jenkins was hired as the Middle School Football and Head Boys Varsity Track Coach, and Jordan Newburgh was hired as Assistant Varsity Wrestling Coach.

The Board also accepted the resignation of Jill Pollard, Remedial reading instructor at Washington Elementary, and Brandi Nielsen, who served in the Health Services Dept. as the Schuler and Middle School Nurse.

A revised version of the new voter registration forms are now available from the Secretary of State’s office. The Iowa A-C-L-U had raised concerns about the layout of the questions on the forms. Chance McElhaney, a spokesman for the Secretary of State, says they made changes so the voter eligibility question is the first thing on the new form. “There are three easy questions that we move to the very top, ‘ are you a citizen of the United States, will you be 18 before election day, and if you’ve been convicted of a felony, have your rights been restored?’ If you answer no to any of those questions you’re not eligible to vote,” McElhaney says.

He says it should make it harder to accidentally register to vote if you’re not eligible. “Nobody wants anyone to commit a felony mistakenly. How the previous form was set up, you got to those qualifications at the very end right when you were about to sign , and we want to make sure that right up front should I be filling out this form or not,” McElhaney says.

McElhaney says county auditors, the voter registration commission, and the secretary of state collaborated on the new form. The new version of the form has passed muster with the A-C-L-U.

(Radio Iowa)

A man was struck by a truck in a construction zone near Anita this (Friday) morning. According to reports, emergency crews were called to a construction site west of Anita on Highway 6, just after 9-a.m.

The man was said to be conscious and breathing. No other details are available at this time.

(Update at 9:57-a.m.: No injuries. Property damage accident only)

Rescue crews from Atlantic and Marne have been called to an accident this (Friday) morning on Interstate 80. The accident involving two motorcycles happened at around 9:50-a.m. on I-80 westbound, about a mile west of the Marne exit. Marne and Atlantic Fire and Rescue and Medivac Ambulance were called to the scene. No other details are currently available.

The Walnut City Council, Thursday evening, received a petition from citizens opposed to the possible installation of additional stop signs along Antique City Drive. City Clerk Terri Abel said there was a petition with 108 signatures of people who are opposed to the proposal. She said also,  Iowa DOT representative Red Allen, from Atlantic, explained why stop signs should not be used for speed enforcement. The Council then decided to have a speed study conducted on Highway 83 and Antique City Drive, to come up with recommendations for possible stop sign placement. But for now, no action was taken on the addition of any such signs within the City limits.

In other business, the Walnut City Council discussed matters pertaining to signage. One of the issues they’re having is with regard to the billboard along Interstate 80. Abel says the Iowa DOT has planted bushes which have overgrown to the point where they are blocking the sign informing visitors to the State about Iowa’s Antique City. She says since the DOT isn’t too keen on taking care of the overgrowth, the City will have to try and come up with a solution.

One of the options being considered, she says, is raising the sign above the bush level, because it’s difficult to get signage along the interstate in the first place, much less going through the process to move the sign to a better location. City leaders also talked about repairing both “Welcome” signs near the City, and the possible addition of a Welcome sign on the south side of Walnut, but no action was taken.

And, the City has announced three Council seats and the Mayor’s position will be on the ballot for the November 5^th elections. By announcing the open seats, it’s hoped residents will show an interest in running for City government.

(9-a.m. News)