The Atlantic Police Department has released a report on arrests dating back to Sept. 21st. Most recently, three people were arrested last Saturday, in Atlantic:

• 55-year old Michael Nielsen, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Theft in the 4th Degree.
• 51-year old Dana Charles, and 56-year old David Charles, both of Atlantic, were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Meth) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

On Oct. 16th, 24-year old Tyler Osborn, of Atlantic, was arrested for Operating a vehicle without the owners’ consent, and Driving While Barred. On Oct. 12th, 45-year old Dan Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Harassment in the 2nd Degree, and 31-year old Justin Cooley, of Atlantic, was arrested for Theft in the 3rd Degree. On Oct. 11th, 18-year old Tyzha Clark, of Gilbert, and 18-year old Novita Haygood, of Des Moines, were arrested in Atlantic for Burglary in the 2nd Degree.

Oct. 9th, 45-year old Dan Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested for  Disorderly Conducts and Public Intoxication. On Oct. 5th, 19-year old Corbin Loudermilk, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Child Endangerment, and 39-year old April Zarbano, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.

On Sept. 29th, 22-year old TK Narios, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation, and 30-year old Andrew Nickum, of Adair, was arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. 33-year old Tony Mack, of Atlantic, was arrested Sept. 25th, for Public Intoxication, and 32-year old Aaron Ihnken, of Atlantic, was arrested Sept. 21st, for Burglary in the 3rd Degree, Theft in the 5th, Simple Assault, and Trespassing/1st offense.

All subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School Board, Monday night, went over the 2019-20 Certified Enrollment numbers, and approved an Early Retirement Plan for the 2019-20 School Year. Superintendent Trevor Miller told KJAN News the Certified Enrollment numbers are essentially unchanged from last year. Miller said their actual count – which school funding from the State is dependent on – was 422.3, down from 427.21, or down 4.91 students this year. He said actual number of “Butts in seats” (students the District is serving), is 372.9, compared with 377.41. That’s a decline of roughly 4.51 as of Oct. 1st. Miller said they actually gained five students after the count was certified, so they are about where they thought they would be.

He said they would probably be down 10 or 11 student next year because of graduation. They’ve set their budget over the past few years in anticipation of the drop. The Board also approved the District’s Certified Annual Report (CAR). Miller said the good news is that their General Fund is up $300,000 from the start of last year to the end of last year, which was also factored into the budget.

In other news, the Exira-EHK Board also approved an Early Retirement Plan. They will offer 75% of salary for Certified and Classified Staff. 11 personnel are eligible, who if they elect to take Early Retirement, will received 75% of their salary next July, A meeting will be held next Monday to plan and set the dates for eligible staff. After that, those personnel have 45 days to make their decision, which allows the District the opportunity to begin the search for replacement staff. Miller says about three-or four veteran teachers who have served the District for anywhere from 25-to 30 years, and the District wants to reward them for their time.

Miller also reminds District patrons to get out and vote during the City/School Elections, on Nov. 5th.

MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — A hearing to determine whether key evidence can be used against a man charged in the killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts has been delayed. Cristhian Bahena Rivera is charged with murder in the July 2018 killing. Prosecutors acknowledged last week that officers didn’t read Rivera his rights during an interrogation before Tibbetts’ body was recovered.

A court official says a hearing scheduled for today (Tuesday) to decide if the information from that interrogation could be used to rebut testimony was postponed because a defense lawyer’s parent has died. It will be rescheduled. The 25-year-old man is scheduled for trial in February. Prosecutors allege Rivera stalked Tibbetts while she was running near her hometown of Brooklyn, stabbed her to death and dumped her body in a cornfield.

Members of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will hold a Work Session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 23rd), in the High School Media Center. No action is expected. The Board will discuss a Facility Project Update, Financial Update, and Planning. Superintendent Steve Barber will remind the Board as well, of notable, upcoming dates, including:

• City/School elections on Nov. 5th
• The Annual Organizational Meeting 5:30-p.m. Nov. 19th
• And the IASB Delegate Assembly & School Board Convention, set for Nov. 20th & 21st.

PEOSTA, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa city council has accepted the resignation of their mayor despite his request that they let him remain in office. The Telegraph Herald reports that Larry Mescher quit in an email sent Oct. 13 to the Peosta council members. It was sent just days after a contentious council meeting and follow-up work session on Oct. 11 regarding a proposed study on moving City Hall offices from Peosta Community Centre to the city’s new police station.

On Oct. 15, however, Mescher sent another email, saying that in haste “and a bit of anger, I sent out an email that I resign. I would like to apologize and ask that you allow me to rescind my previous email.” On Monday night, the council said no. Council Member John Kraft said the city needed its leader to step up when the city hits tough times and then told Mescher: “Unfortunately, I feel you jumped ship.”

The Griswold School District’s Certified Enrollment and BEDS (Basic Educational Data Survey) numbers are down this for the 2019-2020 School Year. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Certified Enrollment numbers were due Oct. 15th. He said the Certified number includes all students who live in the district, regardless of where they attend classes. That number was 457.5. That reflects the weight different services are calculated, and is a decrease of 18.3 students from last year. BEDS enrollment (The number of students served every day, not necessarily where they live), went down 28 from last year, which left the total enrollment at 416.9. Henrichs said the District anticipated a decrease of about 15 students. The Certified numbers were close to what they expected, he said, but the BEDS numbers were lower. That’s due to the impact of Open Enrollment, and kids served from other district’s who were down this year.

The Griswold School Board also received an update from Steve Baier, who is on a committee looking to start a daycare center in Griswold that would serve 100 kids. The initial idea they had was to find a building in Griswold suitable for renovation on Main Street at a reasonable price, that would serve as the facility, however, Henrichs said they didn’t have much luck. He said they found it would be too costly to remodel any available building. Therefore, they are exploring building a daycare on school land, with the district sharing playground equipment and so on. The Committee has hired an architect. An architect’s report is needed in-part because they must be included in grant applications. Current funding includes $65,000 from the Noble Church, which was matched by Griswold Communications. That still leaves them well short of the total estimate cost of slightly more than $1-million. Henrichs said the building would not be owned or operated by the school, but the district would be fully in support of those efforts.

The Griswold School Board Monday, also approved the resignations of Rhea Gipple – Special Ed/Para-Educator/Pre-School Educator; Laura Carlton – Wrestling Cheerleading sponsor; Troy Nicklaus – Middle School Volleyball Coach. Mindy Hartman was transferred from Elementary Para-educator to Pre-school Special Ed para-educator. New hires include: Summer Ewing Elementary Para-Educator, and Alexis Riley- Wrestling/Cheerleading sponsor. And, the Board approved a Leave of Absence from Tanner Potter – Middle School Wrestling Coach.

The Board, Monday, set Nov. 6th at 6:30-p.m., as their next Work Session. Henrichs said it is a continuation of discussion fostered during an IASB meeting in July, with regard to a review and revise the hiring process.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is taking part in a Judiciary Committee hearing today (Tuesday) on so-called sanctuary cities and their impact on public safety. Iowa banned sanctuary cities and counties with passage of a state law last year that revokes state funding to places that violate federal immigration law. Still, Grassley says sanctuary jurisdictions are a worry in Iowa — and across the country. Grassley says, “There may be law outlawing it in Iowa, but I think you’re going to find a lot of sheriffs in Iowa cautious about how they handle requests from the federal government.”

He’s quick to point out that action — or inaction — by Iowa law officers isn’t based on their personal politics, but more on fear of litigation. Grassley says, “We’ve had organizations that go to court, let’s say they might be something like the ACLU as an example, threatening lawsuits if sheriffs cooperated with ICE and other immigration officials.”  While Iowa City has pronounced itself as a safe haven to people who are in the U-S illegally, city leaders have not designated the community as a formal sanctuary. The Iowa City city council vowed not to commit local resources to enforcing federal immigration law, which prompted passage of the 2018 state law against sanctuaries. Grassley says sanctuary proclamations elsewhere continue to be a concern.

“You have an instance I think last week, the governor of California got somebody out of prison through his executive powers,” Grassley says. “He did it for the sole purpose so they wouldn’t be extradited and put out of our country.” Under the Iowa law, which took effect on July 1st of 2018, cities and counties are forbidden from prohibiting or discouraging law enforcement officers or other employees from “assisting or cooperating with a federal immigration officer as reasonable or necessary, including providing enforcement assistance.”

TIFFIN, Iowa (AP) — A former president of a baseball organization in eastern Iowa has been accused of stealing more than $30,000 from it. Linn County court records say 40-year-old Adam Henderson, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with theft. The Gazette reports that Johnson was president of the Clippers Baseball Club, an organization that serves the Clear Creek Amana School District area but is not affiliated with the district.

An investigation began after Henderson wrote a club check that bounced. Court records say investigators found that Henderson wrote himself checks, used the club’s debit card, deposited club funds into his personal account and wrote checks to pay his rent. The records say Henderson eventually acknowledged the thefts to a detective.