Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say 12 states now have respiratory illnesses caused by an uncommon virus — enterovirus 68. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania together have 130 lab-confirmed cases. All are children.

The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Kids with asthma have been especially vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

The strain is not new but only a small number of labs can test for it. Since mid-August, there’s been an unusual spike in identified cases. The CDC has tested more than 200 specimens from more than 30 states. Investigators say it’s not yet clear what triggered the outbreak or whether it’s worsening.

The Atlantic City Council will meet in a regular session Wednesday evening in the Council’s Chambers, at City Hall. During the session, which begins at 5:30, the Council is expected to act on setting Oct. 1st as the date of a Public Hearing on the proposed disposal of city-owned property at 1200 Birch and 1106 Poplar Streets.

They’re also expected to act on an order denying a request to vacate Lot A of the Southern Heights Subdivision 2nd addition. It appears the City does not want to vacate the street right-of-way lot until the Council can review options for future residential development.

And, Mayor Dave Jones is expected to ask the Council to set the hours for Halloween trick-or-treating as from 5-to 7-pm Oct. 31st, in Atlantic.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Nearly 1.8 million Iowa adults gambled last year, according to a study released Tuesday by state health officials. The data means the percentage of adults who gamble is up nine percent since 2011, according to the state Department Public Health.

The study, prepared by the University of Northern Iowa Center for Social and Behavioral Research, also estimates about 8,000 adults in the latest figure could be “problem” gamblers. Symptoms include the need to gamble with larger amounts of money.

The report concludes 77.8 percent of Iowans gambled during the past 12 months. That’s a jump from 68.9 percent in 2011. The most common forms of gambling were lottery tickets, raffle tickets, scratch and pull-tabs, slot machines and card games played outside a casino.

The Young Professionals of Atlantic (YPA) recently partnered with Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) to paint an Atlantic resident’s home. Every year CADCO helps a local resident whose home needs exterior paint in order to maintain the attractiveness of Atlantic and surrounding towns. Atlantic Chamber Director, Ouida Wymer said “We really appreciate all the volunteers that came to help with the project. Mike Redler with Redler Excavation, surprised us all with an air compressor, that really helped with the process.”

Before painting

The YPA’S painted the house on Spruce Street over a period of two days. The project took several hours to complete but greatly improved the appearance of the home. YPA President, Kevin Wieser said “I was really impressed how well the YP came together to support this project. It’s great to see so many YP’s take an active part in helping preserve the beauty of Atlantic. It was a great project to be a part of and it was a total team effort to see it through to completion.”

The Young Professionals of Atlantic is a social group with no membership dues or required meetings. Their mission is to connect, engage and attract young leaders into the community while promoting the greater Atlantic area. Members are young professionals between the ages of 21-40. Any interested individuals can contact chamber@atlanticiowa.com or 712-243-3017 for information.

After painting