Atlantic School District Superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein disputes the Iowa Department of Education’s conclusion that enrollment projections for the upcoming school year will be less than anticipated. Last year, he says, total enrollment was 1,409. For the 2011-2012 school year, the DOE predicts an enrollment of about 1,391 students, or a loss of 18 students. Amstein says the administration doesn’t believe that will be the case.

He says based on preschool numbers for the 2012-2013 school year…which the DOE predicts will result in the loss of another dozen or so students…Atlantic should actually see the same number of students coming into the district, or about 140 students.

He says the numbers may actually rise over the next two-years, based on the number of live birth rate projections. The bottom line, according to Amstein, is that they don’t see the DOE’s numbers “coming to fruition,” which he says is good news for the district.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Tuesday night, swallowed a bitter pill and approved a bid for the Middle School HVAC and Renovation Project that was nearly $750,000 over budget. Jerry Purdy, with Design Alliance Engineering said the low bidder for the project was Allied Engineering Company, based in Atlantic. The Board approved their bid of $7.645-million for a project that was budgeted at $6.9-million. Purdy said the highest bid of $8.47-million, came from an Omaha company.

According to Purdy, there five bids were selected from those received, all of which were tightly grouped together for the most part. He says the project came in over budget because of what’s termed “Project creep,” whereby items that were added to it during the design phase for one reason or another, some because of code, others for function or aesthetics, were not adjusted in the final budget.

One of those items was the parking lot, which made-up about five-percent of the nearly 8.3-percent increase in costs. He says the addition of storm piping and other issues meant more than just an overlay, as was planned.

The board had the option to accept the bids as presented, or reject them and make changes, which would also mean a delay in the project completion date of up to a year, and mean it would take up to three-years to finish, instead of two. The board was essentially left with three options if it chose to reject the bids: go for more bonds, which would result in additional cost for bonding fees, etc.; to use the $200,000 set aside surplus and use an additional $300,000 resulting from the sale of bonds at a favorable rate; or, borrow at the end of the project, which also means incurring additional debt in the form of interest.

While the board was not happy with the fact the project went over budget,  they agreed with Superintendent Doctor Mike Amstein who said prior to the vote, their options are limited, and timing is critical if the students are to  receive a quality education with as minimal interruptions as possible.

Board member Glen Smith said he was in favor of the bid because the district would be using a local contractor, who can handle issues and questions quickly, and because there’s a higher “Degree of trust,” than with a firm that is farther away. Board Member Jon Martens reluctantly made to motion  to approve the bid, and following a second by Smith, the motion passed unanimously.

The annual Operation T-Bone cattle sale was held Tuesday at the Anita Livestock Auction as 337 head of fat cattle changed hands.  Anita Livestock owner Bernard Vais said the market was good with prices ranging from $110 to $113.50 per hundred.  Anderson Farms of Audubon sold 42 head averaging 1333 pounds for the top price of $113.50 per hundred and Bill McGuire of Audubon sold seven head averaging 1389 pounds at that top price.  Nebraska Beef, Tyson, Cargill and National Beef were the buyers.  Operation T-Bone is an annual event started in 1951 focusing on the importance of the beef industry to Audubon county.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are looking for a “person of interest” in the disappearance of a central Iowa couple whose truck was found in Kansas City, Mo., a day after fire destroyed their Warren County home. A body was found in the debris on July 30. Officials say the body is that of a male, but the identity has not been confirmed.

Authorities are searching for 79-year-old James “Bill” Wood and his 72-year-old wife Kaidena “Kay” Wood. They were seen at a local auction on the morning of July 30. Their truck was found on July 31 at the Cordillera Ranch Apartments in Kansas City.

Investigators on Tuesday released a sketch of a man who was seen at the apartments. They say he may have information about missing couple.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 25-year old Jacob Lee Gronewold, of Griswold, was taken into custody Monday evening. Gronewold was arrested on a warrant charging him with two-counts of Burglary in the 3^rd degree. The warrant was the result of an investigation into an incident which occurred July 4^th.

Officials say Gronewold, who was also arrested early last month on a charge of Delivery of a Controlled Substance within 1,000 feet of a City park, was being held in jail on $2,000 cash bond.

A Tabor man arrested Monday afternoon on a charge of disorderly conduct, faces an additional charge of Assault on a Correction Officer, following an incident at the Montgomery County Jail. Sheriff’s officials say 23-year old Zachary Alan White allegedly assaulted a correctional officer as he was being processed on an original charge of disorderly conduct. White was taken into custody at around 2:30-p.m., one-half mile west of Broadway Street on old Highway 34. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 cash bond.