(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) have introduced Erin Hudson to their staff. Hudson will assume to role of Community Development Director, overseeing SWIPCO’s housing and planning teams of 12 current staff members. The housing and planning departments are currently managing a grant portfolio of over $100 million, ranging from disaster recovery, housing, recreation, to foundational services such as transportation, water, sewer, and broadband.

“I am very excited to be here as I am glad to get back to working in an area of assisting people as most of my career has evidence of such,” said Hudson. “I find the work that SWIPCO does to be fascinating, and I am glad to be a part of it. I am ready to dive in and get involved as the Community Development Director in all aspects of Housing and Planning as we move forward through all the projects we are working on and all projects we may have on the horizon.”

Hudson lives in Harlan, Iowa with her two children. She has a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University in Psychology and a master’s degree in public administration from University of Nebraska-Omaha. Hudson has a background working with various populations in the nonprofit arena. She worked with troubled youth, then low-income individuals/families, then disabled individuals, and then an assisted living facility.

Erin Hudson

Hudson has worked in administration and wrote and reviewed federal government grants to fund programs that she operated. Hudson brings with her a wealth of knowledge in grant writing and has many years of supervisory experience from her position as director at Youth Emergency Services, West Central Community Action, Concerned, Inc. and Manning Senior Living.

“Erin brings amazing experience managing diverse teams. Right now, there are unprecedented investments being made in our communities and Erin will be a major help as SWIPCO works to ensure as much of that is invested right here in Southwest Iowa.” SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Cass County met during a brief session this (Tuesday) morning. The Board approved the renewal of a 28-E agreement with the Southwest Iowa Juvenile Detention facility. Board Chair Steve Baier….

After some brief discussion, the Supervisors tabled action until March 14th, on updating the County’s Investment Policy. Baier said the Board has been working on the policy for at least a couple of months. Supervisor Bernard Pettinger said he and Supervisor Wendy Richter have been discussing how to better explain what the policy entails.

An attorney will review a draft of the proposal to make sure the language in clear, concise, and compliant with the Code of Iowa. And, Engineer Trent Wolken reported the Secondary Roads Department has been trying to keep a delicate balance with regard to application of road rock. First they were dealing with snow and ice late last week, and then it was heavy rain this week.

Board Chair Baier said “This is one of the challenging periods of year,” and that “no matter what you do the Secondary Roads that you’re gonna have some issues.”

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Supreme Court is hearing arguments today (Tuesday) over President Biden’s plan to forgive student loans, a plan Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley calls “reckless” and which would cost the federal government nearly one-trillion dollars. Grassley, a Republican, says the student loan system is deeply flawed and students and families need help in making better informed decisions about borrowing for college. “I often hear from Iowa families who are dissatisfied and confused by the complex student loan borrowing program, however, the federal student loan forgiveness doesn’t fix this problem,” Grassley says. “It would only shift the responsibility for repaying loans away from the original borrower and force it upon the American taxpayers.”

Grassley is introducing three bipartisan bills with Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota, which he says would offer more counseling, resources and clarity to the student loan process. Grassley says Biden’s plan would erase ten- to 20-thousand dollars in debt for each student who qualifies, and millions may qualify. “It’s not fair to force the cost of this plan on taxpayers who didn’t seek an advanced degree or who already paid off their loans,” Grassley says. “My bill empowers students with the tools that they need to make informed decisions about borrowing for school.”

Grassley says the trio of bills would ensure that students get the full picture when choosing a college and taking out a loan. From the initial college search, to the acceptance of financial aid, to counseling once in college, Grassley says the bills would help students avoid sticker shock, find the best college for their budget and avoid taking out ill-advised, oversized loans. He says a societal change is forcing a shift in how we think about college.

“You go back 25 years and the attitude was in American society if you didn’t have a B.A. degree or a graduate degree, you weren’t going to amount anything,” Grassley says, “and you’re finding people that get a four-year degree, they go back to a community college to get some skill so they can pay off their loans.”  Grassley says much of the student debt conversation is focused on repayment of that debt, while he says we need to fix the process on the front-end before students get in over their heads. A news release from Grassley’s office says the three bills are:

• The Understanding the True Cost of College Act which would create a universal financial aid offer form and standardize terms used to describe financial aid to allow students to more easily compare financial aid packages between schools.
• The Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act would strengthen the Higher Education Act to enhance the current loan counseling requirements for institutions of higher education.
• The Net Price Calculator Improvement Act would improve the effectiveness of and access to net price calculators.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two people were arrested on separate charges, Monday. 21-year-old Jeremiah Lee Whitney, of Creston, was arrested for Driving while Barred. Whitney was cited and released from the scene. And, 48-year-old Dorie Marie Shiltz, of Creston, was arrested Monday night for OWI/1st offense. Shiltz was transported to the Union County Jail where she was later released on $1000 cash or surety bond.

Creston Police said also, a woman from Kellerton reported Monday afternoon, that sometime midnight and 11:30-pm January 25th, someone broke off her windshield wiper while her vehicle was parked at Southwestern Community College, in Creston. The damage estimate $178.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Citing issues related to Police staffing, especially on the day shift, Atlantic City Administrator John Lund is expected to request the City Council, Wednesday afternoon, pass a Resolution “Adjusting Overtime Pay for Sergeants and Assistant Police Chief for the Period of Feb. 16, 2023 through March 17, 2023. Lund says “The Atlantic Police Department has undergone an extended period of staffing difficulties, with the day shift having been particularly impacted.”

“Our Police Chief, Assistant Police Chief, Sergeants and Officers,” Lund says, “have had to cancel vacations, cut short scheduled vacations, and add 12-hours shifts on scheduled days off, after having worked three 12-hour shifts in a row, in order to maintain our minimum level of coverage of two officers on the streets, per shift.” John Lund says normally, the City offers traditional compensation time at 1 1/2 times the regular hourly rate for all hours worked outside their scheduled hours or on a scheduled day off, or all hours in excess of 104 in a seventeen day period. “However,” he said, “This compensatory time is functionally useless, as officers are not even getting their scheduled days off, or pre-planned vacactions.” He says “Taking random days off using compensatory time is off the table.”

Lund says along with the Mayor, he and Police Chief Devin Hogue have moved to address the issue, decisively mitigate the situation and bolster morale, and to prevent the further erosion of staffing levels, by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Union for the officers (AFSCME). “The MOU” he says, “allows for a period of double pay to replace the traditional time and a half Overtime in the form of compensatory time, for the period of Feb. 16, 2023 through March 17, 2023, for those officers working the day shift of 6-a.m. to 6-p.m.” And, while the MOU addresses the day shift union officers, it does not address the Sergeants and Assistant Police Chief that work outside of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“The resolution will see to it our non-union supervisors are offered the same benefits that the unionized officers receive,” Lund said. He noted also, that Chief Hogue has been taking on a lot of the shifts, “including a 15-day work marathon with zero financial benefit and no compensatory time.” Lund adds, “I will continue to work with [the] Mayor on how we can rectify this situation.” And, while traditionally, resolutions such as the one proposed would typically go through the Personnel and Finance Committee, Lund says “There are legal and personnel issues involved that are inappropriate for discussion in a public meeting.”

The issue, he said, needs to be addressed immediately.