(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Wednesday evening, issued the Oath of Office to the two newest members of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department Board. The Parks Board, during their meeting Monday evening, selected Jeremy Butler to succeed Ashley Hayes, who resigned in August. And, Shirley Jensen, who was already on the Board, but had been improperly given the Oath when she was appointed to the Board, was sworn-in.

In other business, the Mayor proclaimed the week of Sept. 17-23 “Constitution Week,” in the City of Atlantic. Constitution Week is celebrated annually during the week of September 17-23 to commemorate its history, importance, and bring attention to how it serves still today. The celebration started through a petition of Congress in 1955 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Mayor Garrett announced also, that Halloween Trick-or-Treating will be held City-wide in Atlantic on Oct. 31st, from 5-until 7-p.m. The Council, Wednesday, unanimously approved an Order permitting a fireworks show by Wild Wayne’s, during the Atlantic Homecoming game on Oct. 8th. They also approved an Order pertaining to the closure of 6th Street between Chestnut and Poplar, on Oct. 8th, from 1-until 5-p.m., for the Pre-Fire Prevention Parade. Councilperson Elaine Ottee explains…

There will be games and activities available for families in the downtown Atlantic City Park as part of the event. The Council also approved the closure of selected streets on Friday, Sept. 23rd, from 2:15- and 3:30-p.m., for the Atlantic Homecoming Parade.

Oath of Office issued to Jeremy Butler

Oath of Office issued to Shirley Jensen.

A public hearing was held during Wednesday’s Council meeting, on a proposal to enter into a General Obligation Land Acquisition Loan Agreement for the purchase of land from the Comes Family Trust. The land will be used for housing development. Hearing and having received no comments, the Council unanimously passed a Resolution authorizing and approving the Loan Agreement, the issuance of $500,000 taxable G.O. Bonds, and the levying of taxes to pay for them. They then acted to pass a Resolution with regard to an application to rezone City-owned property at 301 Maple Street, for the purpose of expanding an existing local business. City Administrator John Lund…

And, the Atlantic City Council passed the third and final reading of an amended Ordinance pertaining to Panhandling, as well as the second readings of Mowing, and Solid Waste Removal. The Council voted 4-to 2 (With Councilman Sisco absent), to pass the second reading of an amended snow & ice accumulation removal Ordinance. Councilmen Pat McCurdy and Jim Behrens had separate reasons for voting “Nay.”

(Radio Iowa) – An historic F-80 fighter jet made a flight to Sioux City for repainting with an assist from a Davenport-based Iowa Army National Guard Chinook helicopter.

The 1950s era jet has been on display at Camp Dodge in Johnston and has the markings of the 174th Fighter Interceptor Squadron which was the predecessor to the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City. Flight engineer Staff Sergeant Jesse Ayala says carrying the jet in a sling under the helicopter to Sioux City allowed them to practice important aircraft recovery methods.

“Downed aircraft recovery is something very important not only in experience but in a timely manner as well and sot when it comes to the mission and it could save lives it could save equipment,” he says.

F-80 jet arriving in Sioux City. (ING photo)

He says the fighter jet hanging below the helicopter on a sling provided some challenges:

“The unique load essentially is we have to be creative and find a way to properly and safely secure the aircraft. And the aerodynamic aspect is basically how is it going to fly in the air and when it’s an aircraft with another aircraft, something that has tendencies to react to different wind and gusts. It can be something to really pay attention to so slowly but surely and just with experience is the best way to get around it,” he says.

The first generation F-80 fighter was assigned to the Iowa Air Guard after the 174th returned to Sioux City following their activation in 1951. The jet will be painted and then flown back to be put on display again at Camp Dodge.

(Radio Iowa) – A dangerous and potentially deadly trend is sweeping social media that entices people to cook chicken in cough syrup or cold and flu medicine, prompting an expert at the Iowa Poison Control Center to say -never- do this. Registered nurse Tammy Noble, the Sioux City-based center’s education manager, says this practice can be exceptionally hazardous, depending on what’s used, and she calls it a recipe for disaster.

“There’s different medicines that are in the cough syrup and chicken can absorb that cough syrup,” Noble says. “Some of those ingredients could be things like acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol. Acetaminophen is safe in recommended doses but it can cause liver damage and even death when you get overdoses of it.” The U-S Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory, warning consumers that cooking chicken in these medications is dangerous and Noble confirms, it could be lethal.

“Cough suppressants can cause heart palpitations and agitations, sometimes even hallucinations depending on the amount that was taken,” Noble says, “and it also has things like decongestants which have an effect on your blood pressure, can cause heart attacks and headaches if they’re used in high, high doses.” There’s also the risk of food poisoning if the chicken isn’t properly cooked, and if the red, green or blue liquid soaks into the meat, it’ll be hard to distinguish its color.

In addition, cooking chicken in a marinade of medication could give off highly concentrated vapors which could critically damage the lungs. So, why would people even consider following this TikTok challenge? “I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be better for sleep or if it’s just a trend,” Noble says, “or if they’re looking for alternative ways to keep themselves from getting sick, whether it’s from just regular winter/fall germs or whether it’s with the COVID-19 infections, we’re not really sure.”

Much like with the Tide Pod Challenge a few years ago, in which people shot video of themselves while eating liquid laundry detergent pods, Noble says she’s not surprised people would try cooking chicken in NyQuil.  “Working at the poison center, we always think we’ve heard it all until we answer the call and then it’s like, ‘Nope, haven’t heard that one before,’ and people never cease to amaze us at some of the things that they will attempt to do,” Noble says, “maybe not necessarily knowing how unsafe it may be, or maybe they -do- know how unsafe it is and they don’t care.”

As ridiculous as the Tide Pod Challenge may have seemed to most of us, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports it killed at least ten people, none of them in Iowa. Noble says as yet, she’s taken no calls at the hotline about this latest chicken recipe, at least not yet. Reach the Iowa Poison Control Center any day, any time at 800-222-1222.

(West Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Association of Realtors (IAR), Wednesday, said August’s home prices were up 13.3 percent and sales decreased 23.3 percent according to the Housing Trends by the IAR.  3,802 homes sold in August 2022. In August 2021, 4,956 properties were sold. For the first eight months of 2022, Iowa has experienced a 10.4 percent decline in sales compared to the same period in 2021.  The median sales price for August 2022 was $229,900 compared to $203,000 in August of last year.

The number of homes available for sale continue to increase after record low numbers this Spring. Our inventory of homes was 20.3 percent lower than in August 2021 with 7,510 homes on the market statewide. 

“Home sales typically start to slow in August with families finishing up vacations, so many Iowans attending the state fair and school starting up. After a summer of inflation and higher interest rates, many experts, including NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, believe the worst of inflation may be over. Price growth is expected to moderate in the future as the market shifts in a more buyer-friendly direction,” stated IAR President Byron Menke.

Homes continue to sell quickly. August saw an average of 27 days on the market. That is almost 13 percent faster than August of last year.

ATLANTIC, IOWA — Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) report the addition of Aaron Koontz as a Grants Specialist. Koontz will work with SWIPCO housing programs to ensure that the agency and the communities it serves are doing what needs to be done per grant regulations. He will help clients navigate through rules and procedures and application paperwork.

SWIPCO and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund operate a wide range of programs, including housing repair, down payment assistance, demolition of dilapidated houses, and lead abatement. SWIPCO also provides building inspection services and currently has more than 1,500 rental units in its inspection program. Koontz will assist with all of these programs and will be an asset to the agency.

Aaron Koontz

Koontz, a graduate of Denison High School, said “I have lived in Southwest Iowa all my life, and I am excited about helping this region of rural Iowa thrive and become a better place to live. Through my position, I will be able to help others while ensuring that we stay in compliance with multiple programs.”

“He is great with people and is an effective communicator. He has a great eye for detail, and he brings many years of experience working as a legal specialist and a legal coordinator at PayPal,” SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A man from Minden was sentenced to prison, Tuesday, following his plea to a charge of bank fraud. Authorities say a judge in Council Bluffs U-S District Court sentenced 40-year-old Stewart Jerome Messerschmidt to two months in prison followed by five years of Supervised Release.

Messerschmidt made false statements to Shelby County State Bank (SCSB) regarding collateral for his farm loans. During 2017 and 2018, Messerschmidt also provided false information on applications for Marketing Assistance Loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for Messerschmidt’s 2018 farm production. The fraud was discovered during an investigation by SCSB and FSA which showed that Messerschmidt had overstated the grain he produced, had claimed grain belonging to other producers, and falsified the number of cattle he owned.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – The luxury goods retailer Nordstrom is laying off 231 employees at its warehouse in Cedar Rapids. K-C-R-G T-V reports Nordstrom has filed a layoff notice with the State of Iowa. The layoffs will take effect October 18th. Seattle-based Nordstrom opened a fulfillment center in Cedar Rapids in 1997. The company expanded the size of the facility about a decade ago, as online sales soared.

Nordstrom has recently trimmed its sales outlook — predicting revenue will rise in the third and fourth quarters, but by about 200 million less than previously predicted.