The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, passed by a vote of five-to-one, with Councilperson Garrett voting no, and Councilperson Somers absent, the second reading of an amended Ordinance pertaining to elections. The Ordinance needs one more reading in order to go into effect. If that happens, it would change the method by which elections (in particular, the Mayoral and Parks and Rec Board), are decided. The current system is a “Plurality takes all,” whereby one only needs to get the most votes on the first and only ballot, in order to win. That means less than 50% is required to be elected.

The City’s Personnel and Finance Committee supports the alternative, Primary System approach to elections, where by a super majority of the votes are needed to win. It could also result in a run-off election if the votes are too close to call. The disadvantages are that the Primary System adds an additional cost, it could mean extended campaigning, and the inconvenience of having to vote a second time, not to mention confusing or conflicting results.

Mayor Dave Jones said Wednesday, “We have researched and researched, and basically, it’s always they way we were going to change it to, but somewhere it got codified, I think, when Doug Harris was City Administrator. Basically, no one paid a lot of attention to it, they just kind of did what some of the [other] cities do, which a lot of time happens.”

Councilman Gerald Brink said during discussion, “A lot of people don’t understand that.” Councilman Pat McCurdy agreed, and said he had conducted an informal poll of about 30 people. “Three out of four – they want it 50 plus one – especially for Mayor.” The final vote takes place July 21st. The Council passed by a vote of 6-0, an ordinance amending the Code, with regard to changing the term for Park Board Members from six-years, to four. And, they passed a Resolution authorizing final transfers for FY 2021.”

City Clerk Barb Barrick explained, after City Administrator John Lund looked at the budget, and what was in the ending fund balances for FY21, we wanted to have a good idea of where those fund balances were before we proposed the final transfers.” The City routinely transfers money between its one-hundred separate funds.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council set July 21st as the date for a Public Hearing with regard to the sale of City-owned property at 101 Cedar Street. The City’s Personnel and Finance Committee has agreed to sell the parcel to Cook Sanitation, in exchange for the refuse company paying $2,000. The agreement says the property will be sold as-is, dilapidated house included. Cook Sanitation is required to have the home demolished by no later than Dec. 31, 2021, and have an industrial building on the site within five-years (Aug. 2026).

They also approved an Order limiting street parking to the east side of Palm Street on July 31st, for the Cass County Fair Association. The move will make it easier for large farm equipment to enter the fairgrounds for special events that day.

(Radio Iowa) – Authorities have released the names of the man and woman found dead inside a vehicle at a state park in eastern Iowa last weekend. An obituary posted online indicates 27-year-old Courtney Lynn Rhodes and 31-year-old Cody Michael Rhodes were married. The obituary for Courtney Rhodes lists her address as Gladbrook and describes her as a loving mother of two children.

Courtney and Michael Rhodes were found dead Saturday inside a vehicle parked at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area in rural Linn County. An Iowa Department of Public Safety news release indicates autopsies have been conducted, but the cause and manner of the couple’s deaths have not been determined.

A tractor trailer unknown injury accident has resulted in a blockage of eastbound Interstate 80, east of the exit to Highway 148. Anita and Wiota Fire & Rescue were called to the scene at mile marker 73 at around 12:15-p.m. At 12:27 PM, Google reported a 10 min delay Eastbound. Additional information is not available.

(12-p.m. News/Glenwood) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a dozen arrests took place from June 30th through July 6th. On Tuesday (7/6):

• Dylan Seth Harris, of Malvern, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $2,000.
• 40-year-old Melissa Sue Gammell, a homeless person, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $25,000.
• 41-year-old Robert Lee Bopp, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $20,000.

On July 5th, 46-year-old Jennifer Lynette Brokman, a homeless person, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $1,300. There were four arrests in Mills County on July 4th:

• 29-year-old Danny Santacruz, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense and having a weapon as contraband in a Correctional Institution. Bond was set at $5,000.
• Rick Allan Smith, 35, of Malvern, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Bond $1,000.
• 46-year-old Heidi Ann Dockery, a homeless person, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $1,300.
• and Chad Michael Gerren, 39, of Omaha, was arrested for being a Felon in possession of a Firearm, Possession of Burglary tools, Poss. of a Controlled Substance, and Poss. of paraphernalia. His bond was set at $5,000.

On July 3rd, 37-year-old Mallorie Marie Blum, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Bond set at $1,000. And, there were two arrests June 30th in Mills County: 22-year-old Gurardo Garcia Gutierrez, of Kansas City, MO, was arrested at the Nodaway County, MO. Jail, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond $15,000; 36-year-old Nicholas James Nelson, of Omaha, was arrested for Attempted Burglary, with bond set at $2,000.

(Radio Iowa) Amazon is building a 640-thousand square foot warehouse in Davenport. Davenport Mayor Mike Matson says a thousand people will be employed full-time at the facility when it opens. “Amazon will become one of the Quad City region’s top employers,” he says. The warehouse will be what the company calls a “fulfillment center.” It’s the first site in Amazon’s delivery sequence, where products are sorted and stored before being boxed for shipping.  “Amazon’s facility will be located in the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center out by I-80,” Matson says. “If you’ve been out there, you might be seeing or already seeing some dirt being moved.”

K-W-Q-C T-V broadcast today’s (Wednesday’s) announcement online. Paul Rumler, president and C-E-O of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, says this is a big win for the region. “Amazon will invest $250 million…That’s a huge influx of money into our community,” he says. “On an annual basis, this will have at minimum an economic impact of $148 million.” Rumler says that’s the yearly impact of Amazon salaries for a thousand workers, plus Amazon’s spending in the area to support the center. The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce fielded Amazon’s first inquiry about building in Davenport in November of 2020, as the company sought information about the labor market.  “Obviously workforce is the top issue on just about every employer’s mind,” Rumler says.

Rumler estimates there are 30-thousand recent college graduates within a 60 mile radius of the Quad Cities. “We’re talking about anybody with a college associates degree or certificate all the way up through a bachelor’s degree, so we have a wide group that we can attract here within our labor shed,” Rumler says. “Our labor shed market expands all the way up to Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Galesburg and we draw people from outside the region who want to come work in the Quad Cities area.”

The Des Moines Register is reporting Amazon is also building a warehouse in Council Bluffs where packages boxed at a center like the one in Davenport are then sorted based on where they’re to be delivered.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh says the Foodbank for the Heartland mobile pantry will be back in Cass County again, twice this summer: in Anita on July 14th, and in Atlantic on August 11th. A mobile pantry a traveling food pantry that delivers food directly to families in need, for a one-day distribution. It is available free-of-charge. Visitors are asked to stay in vehicles with their trunk open. No documentation is needed.

The July 14th event takes place from 5:30-until 7-p.m. (or as supplies last), at the Anita Food Pantry (208 Chestnut Street). Questions may be directed to the Food Bank for the Heartland at 402-315-2555.  The August 11th event is from 4-until 6-p.m., at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic (805 W. 10th St.). Traffic in the area will be directed by volunteers.

At both sites, you can expect to receive pre-packaged boxes containing one shelf stable box and 3-to-5 varied pre-bagged produce items. The contents are subject to change, however.

If you have any questions or delivery requests in connection with the Atlantic mobile pantry, call Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at 712-249-5870 (Or e-mail bhoegh@iststate.edu )

(Shenandoah) – A man and woman from Arizona were arrested this (Wednesday) morning on drug charges, in Shenandoah. According to Shenandoah Police, officers responded at around 3:30-a.m. to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the Casey’s parking lot.

During their investigation, Officers found 36-year-old Jennifer Lee Chapman and 35-year-old Shane Clay Plumb, both of Kingman, Arizona, asleep in the vehicle. Further investigation resulted in their arrest for carrying weapons without a permit, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both suspects were being held in the Page County Jail on $3,300 bond.