(Atlantic, Iowa) – Transit agencies across the country have been battling a major shortage of available new buses to replace aging fleets. Officials with the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) in Atlantic, say record ridership combined with a lack of replacement vehicles has put SWITA at the top of the list for oldest fleets in the state and near the top nationwide. SWITA says this month has brought some good news to help alleviate the problem, with the arrival of five new buses.
SWITA recently took delivery of five 2024 Ford Glaval 18-passenger cutaway buses from Hoglund Bus Company. The vehicles were originally ordered in 2021 but have only now just arrived. A multitude of factors have contributed to this bus shortage and delay nationwide, but the issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of bus manufacturers in the country had already started to dwindle with consolidation but the pandemic caused the industry to shrink to two major manufacturers. Supply chain issues combined with reduced capacity further delayed production. Starting from the lack of available chassis to start with all the way up to high demand for competing products like campers. An added layer that has slowed things down is manufacturing requirements for the Build America, Buy America legislation. Stakeholders in the transit industry have been working with legislators and manufacturers to try to break through the logjam.
The pandemic also resulted in record investment in public transit infrastructure, so it’s been a bit of a catch-22 to see results. Cost is another factor that has made procurement a big challenge. Back in 2021 these buses would have cost about $86,000, but continued cost increases and inflation have ballooned that figure all the way up to over $160,000 per bus today. Cost adjustments require contract changes, further slowing the process. That’s why SWITA says it is a big deal to see some new vehicles show up on the lot. Ideally, officials say, SWITA should take delivery of 10 new vehicles a year to keep up with wear and tear. Until that pace returns SWITA will continue to invest heavily in maintenance of existing buses and purchasing used buses where they make sense.
SWITA officials say they are excited to get the new vehicles rolling, and will continue to put effort into improving the bus ecosystem.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a multi-million dollar judgment in a dispute involving the construction on the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.
(as said) – Modern Piping was awarded nearly 13 million dollars after alleging the U-I wrongly benefited from an injunction to delay arbitration in a construction dispute so they could gain early access to the Children’s Hospital. The Iowa Supreme Court says Modern Piping led the district court astray when it convinced the court the wrongful injunction entitled it to recover all the money made by the U-I after taking over the building early. The Supreme Court says the nearly 22 million dollars awarded Modern Piping in costs and fees to fight the temporary injunction is all they can collect.
(Radio Iowa) – Starting July 1st, police won’t have to get a warrant to enter vape shops and stores that sell tobacco products AND let customers use the products in the store. The change is included in a bill that passed the legislature and has been signed into law by the governor. Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis says lawmakers heard concerns about potential underage drinking in lounges in the Iowa City area that do not have a liquor license, but do have a license to sell tobacco products.
Representative Eric Gjerde of Cedar Rapids says the law will provide a new measure of safety to neighbors of these shops.
A warrant would still be required for a police search of private records, the shop’s office or any living quarters that might be attached to the business.
Harlan, Iowa — A former Harlan Community School District sixth grade social studies teacher charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and with the purchase/possession of a depiction of a minor in a sexual act, has plead guilty to lesser charges. 32-year-old Eric Robert Croghan, of Harlan, also served as the 7th Grade Boys’ Basketball Coach and Middle School Girls Cross Country Coach. He entered his voluntary/negotiated plea March 29, 2024, to charges that include Nonfelonius Misconduct in Office (A Serious Misdemeanor) and Purchase/Possession Depiction of a Minor in Sex Act 1st Offense (An Aggravated Misdemeanor). He was sentenced to time served, and received a suspended prison sentence, along with two-years probation. Eric Croghan was also placed on Iowa’s Sex Offender Registry April 1st, and must pay fines amounting to $1,285, and a Civil Penalty of $260.
The original charges against Eric Croghan were filed May 8, 2023. According to court documents, a search warrant had been issued February 20, 2023 on Croghan’s person, property, and vehicles. The warrant stemmed from online contact Croghan had in December 2022 via private message on Kik Messenger with an Online Covert Employee (OCE) who was a member of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Jacksonville, FL.
Harlan Community School District officials initially placed Croghan on administrative leave in 2023, but then he submitted his resignation for all teaching and coaching positions within the district. The school board approved his resignation.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – On Thursday, April 25th, 2024, the Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were on hand to celebrate the opening of a new business, Holy Grail Antiques, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Ambassadors had the opportunity to meet with the owners and view the unique retail space located in an old church.
Alan Guttenfelder, part-owner of Holy Grail Antiques, began collecting antiques in college around 1996. Alan’s passion for antiques grew throughout the years, and from 2007-2011, he owned and operated a store in St. Paul Minnesota. In 2013, Alan moved back to Iowa to care for his mother and became a vendor in various area shops. Alan always had dreams of opening another store in Atlantic, and in 2023 the Templeman Family showed Alan the church, and he fell in love with the stain glass windows and endless possibilities.
Fast forward to today, Alan and his nine vendors feature multiple styles of antiques from farmhouse to high-end, mid-century modern in both levels of the church. Alan looks forward to being a part of the Atlantic business community and is especially excited for Christmas in Atlantic as he enjoys large municipal Christmas décor and a lot of lights. Holy Grail is currently open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 AM – 5 PM. Alan and his team continue to renovate the basement of the church in hopes of one day hosting parties and book clubs on occasion.
Holy Grail Antiques is located at 801 Chestnut Street in Atlantic. For more information visit their Facebook page or call 612-743-777.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic FFA Reporter Maddy Anderson says Mia Kloewer with the Atlantic FFA Chapter, was the first place winner in the area of Specialty Animal Production, sponsored through the Iowa FFA Foundation Gold Standard Partners, Mia Kloewer is part of the Atlantic FFA chapter. Mia worked in the school’s greenhouse caring for the fish and plants. Upon graduation, Mia would like to open her own greenhouse.
Mia began her Supervised Agricultural Experience project while participating in Horticulture at AHS. “During a class field trip, my interest peaked in plant science and greenhouses because once I walked into the greenhouse that we went to I knew that is what I wanted to do with my life outside high school”, said Kloewer. As part of Mia’s SAE program she began her project in the horticulture class and one of her responsibilities was to take care of the fish in the high school greenhouse. As the semester ended, Mia would also take responsibility to begin taking care of the fish on weekends. That duty transitioned to being part of the team of students that took care of the fish during the summer.
While Mia, responsibility in the greenhouse increased as the summer continued. She began with just feeding the fish to learning how to cleaning the tank and filters. While Mia was taking care of the fish, she also would help water the plants in the greenhouse. Mia said, “I always knew I wanted a career in Agriculture, taking care of fish has helped me explore this career choice because ever since I took horticulture class. This experience has taught me that I wanted to be more involved in the plants and agronomy side of things and less involved in the livestock side of things.”
Anderson says 100% of FFA members have proficiencies as part of the agricultural program and the FFA. These proficiencies range in the areas of Agricultural Communications to Service Learning and from Diversified Agricultural Production to Swine Production. Proficiency Award winners have excelled in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Programs. These awards encourage members to develop specialized skills that will apply toward a future career. State winners will advance to the National FFA competition where they will compete against winners from the other State FFA Associations.
The four national finalists that are selected from each area will be recognized at the National FFA Convention and Expo in October. The Iowa FFA Proficiency Awards program is possible with support from the many partners of the Iowa FFA Foundation. The specific partner for each area is identified in our summary of results. Listed below are the results from the 2024 Iowa Proficiency Awards program.
Wyatt Simons began his SAE project working for Van Wall John Deere in Adair. Simons works side-by-side with current agriculture technicians, helping them with their projects to get them done in a more timely fashion. “This is to build my own experiences and ensure that I understand the basics of being a technician before furthering my education with the company. I work on everything agricultural-wise”, said Simons. This includes but is not limited to tractors, combines, forage harvesters, lawn mowers, lawn tractors, planters, sprayers, manure spreaders, skid loaders, etc. Simons will attend school next fall in the John Deere Tech program. Van Wall will continue to employ Simons and pay for most of his education. In the next two years, Simons will attend school for a few months and then return to Adair to receive hands-on educational experience. “In essence, my role is a hands-on contribution to the agricultural economy, ensuring farmers have the tools for continued production, and my skills support prosperity and the economic system,” said Simons.
(Red Oak, Iowa) – A collision in Red Oak, Thursday afternoon, caused $11,000 damage, but no injuries were reported. According to Red Oak Police, the accident happened a little after 2-p.m., at the intersection of N. 8th and E. Coolbaugh Streets. The Police report says 79-year-old Jane Roberta Waltz, of Red Oak, was driving a 2016 Chevy Equinox on E. Coolbaugh Street, and attempting to turn north onto 8th Street. When she stopped at the intersection and then pulled-out, Waltz failed to notice a 2020 Toyota Corolla traveling northbound on 8th, and driven by 52-year-old Christina Marie Gresham, of Red Oak.
The right front side of Waltz’ SUV struck the car on the left rear side, causing the Toyota to slide into a street sign and scrape a fire hydrant. Red Oak Police cited Waltz for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Yield the Right-Of-Way. The report also noted Waltz should have a reexamination of her driving skills, due to “poor driving skills possibly due to eyesight and age.”
Jim Field visits with New Produce in the Park Market Manager Maria Miller.
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