(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – An employee of Pirate Cove Water Park in Council Bluffs, early Monday morning, discovered the body of a person in the pool. Authorities says police and rescue personnel were called to the park at 915 N. 21st Street, a little after 7-a.m. a for a report of a man down. Responding personnel located a deceased 12-year-old male in the  deep end of the pool, which was closed for the season and not open to the public this past weekend.

Investigators believe that the victim jumped the fence and gained access to the pool. It is believed that the victim entered the deep end of the pool and accidentally drowned. The boy’s family was notified. The police department will not be releasing the name of the victim at the family’s request.

The victim recently began attending Wilson Jr. High School in Council Bluffs.

The 31st Annual Coca-Cola Days will be held September 22nd and 23rd in Atlantic. The event is the second largest collector’s show in the United States and includes a tailgate barbeque open to the public, a Show, Swap & Sell, Coca-Cola themed raffle and many more activities for all ages.

The theme for the 2023 Coca-Cola Days is “An Iowa Classic”. The committee brainstormed ways to celebrate the theme through raffle items which include a Coca-Cola beach umbrella, bags game, and bag chairs.

A Classic Car Show & Shine has been added to this year’s festivities that will take place in the front parking lot of the Community Center from 9AM-2PM on Saturday September 23rd. Community members are encouraged to bring their cars to display while also walking through the Show, Swap, & Sell inside the Community Center building.

Kelsey Beschorner, Programs Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said, “We wanted to add something fresh to the event that went along with our theme, and we thought a Show & Shine would be just the ticket. To add a Coca-Cola twist to the event we will be offering commemorative Coca-Cola sunglasses to the first 50 attendees of the Show & Shine.”

Raffle tickets are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce for $5 a ticket or 5 tickets for 20. The winner will be announced Saturday, September 23rd at 2 PM at the Show, Swap & Sell meet at the Cass County Community Building. Tickets will also be available for purchase that day.

T-Shirts for the 2023 Coca-Cola Days Celebration are also available for purchase. The shirts are heathered grey and feature the theme, “An Iowa Classic”. T-Shirts can be purchased for $20 at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce or day-of at the Show, Swap & Sell Saturday, September 23rd.

For more information on Coca-Cola Days or a full list of activities, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

The Iowa company planning to build a two-thousand mile carbon pipeline through five states has now been denied construction permits in both North and South Dakota.

This (Monday) morning, South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission unanimously rejected Summit Carbon Solutions application to extend its pipeline through their state. The South Dakota regulators say Summit failed to follow county ordinances the require buffer zones around city limits and homes.  Summit executives say they will refine their proposed route through South Dakota and resubmit the application.  The company’s statement says Summit Carbon Solutions says remains committed to South Dakota’s ethanol industry as well as the 73 percent of landowners along the pipeline route in South Dakota who’ve signed contracts giving the company voluntary access to their property.

Summit Carbon Solutions has already redrawn its proposed pipeline route in NORTH Dakota after regulators there raised concerns the pipeline was too close to North Dakota’s capital city.  The IOWA Utilities Board started a hearing on the company ‘s proposed pipeline path in Iowa in August.  The hearing resumes tomorrow (Tuesday) in Fort Dodge at 8 a.m.

A Huey helicopter from the Vietnam era has completed its tour of Ames, Boone and Carroll areas. Tom Arentz is one of the crew members on the helicopter that was restored by a group called Friends of Army Aviation.

Arentz and his fellow crew members gave flights out of the Ames, Boone and Carroll airports over the past week. Arentz says the first Huey flew in 1956.

The Friends of Army Aviation, which is based in Alabama, has restored two Hueys. The Patriot Peak Foundation sponsored the helicopter’s flights in Iowa from September 3rd through the 10th. Aretz says they fly with the doors open, not to scare the passengers who spend 85 dollars on tickets for the ride, but to give them insight into the way the Hueys were used in war.

If you are driving on Interstate 80 east of Van Meter on Wednesday night, Sept. 13, around 10 p.m., you need to be aware of the closure of both directions of I-80 for up to 20 minutes, weather permitting. Crews need to complete utility work over I-80 just west of the Dallas County weigh station between Van Meter (exit 113) and Waukee/Booneville (exit 117).

While I-80, as well as the eastbound I-80 entrance ramp from Van Meter (exit 113) and the westbound I-80 entrance ramp from Waukee/Booneville (exit 117), are closed, law enforcement will provide traffic control using a rolling roadblock to assist you through the work zone during the 20-minute closure.

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) wants qualified Iowans to get and stay connected to crucial phone and broadband services to reach local emergency personnel, health care providers, and community and job resources, and to connect with family and friends. Having access to these services can be the difference between social connection and complete isolation.

The IUB joins the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in support of “Digital Connectivity and Lifeline Awareness Week,” September 11-17, 2023. This week is designed to both raise awareness and increase participation in the federal Lifeline program and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Promotion of these programs is targeted at helping ensure no one gets left out of vital communications services due to cost. Qualifying low-income residents who need assistance paying for monthly voice or broadband bills are encouraged to apply to the federal Lifeline program for potential financial assistance.

Under the Lifeline program, discounts are available of up to $5.25 monthly on a voice service bill or up to $9.25 per month for broadband or bundled voice and broadband service bills for qualified residents who participate in certain public assistance or veterans pension programs or meet income guidelines. Discounts of up to $25 per month are available for residents on tribal lands.

The complementary ACP was implemented by the FCC in 2021 and is also available to qualifying households. ACP can provide a monthly discount on broadband service of up to $30 per eligible household (or up to $75 per eligible household on tribal lands), with an additional one-time device subsidy to permit customers to purchase a laptop, desktop, or tablet at a discount from a participating provider if the household pays more than $10 and less than $50 toward the price of the device. The participating broadband service provider will receive the funds directly from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). Current Lifeline participants are automatically eligible, but they still need to select a provider and eligible ACP plan to receive the benefit. The ACP is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

To apply for Lifeline benefits, or to request an application be mailed to you or download a copy visit https://www.lifelinesupport.org, or contact your local participating telecommunications provider or the IUB. To apply online or download an application for the Affordable Connectivity Program, go to getinternet.gov.