An initial report of a possible house fire early this (Saturday) morning south of Atlantic turned out to be a controlled burn or trees and other debris. The Atlantic Fire Department was initially dispatched to a possible house fire at 7:13-a.m. Two separate callers had reported seeing flames from a distance, possibly from a home east of Highway 71 off the Landfill Road.

Once fire officials arrived on the scene, it was determined there were several fires…all trees and other types of debris cleared from a field or ditch…that was part of a controlled burn. The flames were easily visible from Highway 71. Fire officials were set to have a talk with the person responsible for the controlled burn…reminding them they need to call the Fire Department when such activities are planned, so false alarms do not cause the fire department to respond needlessly, with personnel and equipment.

(Update 7:22-a.m.)

The Atlantic Fire Department has been called to the scene of a possible house fire this (Saturday) morning. Two separate callers reported seeing flames from a distance, at a home near Highway 71 and the Landfill Road, not Lansing Road, as the first caller had initially indicated. The first call came in at around 7:13-a.m.

We’ll update this information as it becomes available.

Democrats in the Iowa Senate this week will start drafting legislation that would forward more state tax dollars to public schools for the 2015/2016 school year. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal says the State of Iowa is about 15-hundred dollars behind the national average in per pupil spending. “So we’re well below the midpoint in terms of the support we provide for students in this state and we’ve been slipping,” Gronstal says. House Speaker Leader Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha — the top Republican in the legislature — says Republicans won’t take up the Democrats’ school spending proposal.

“Here’s the deal: we’re not going back to the days where Governor Culver was making all kinds of promises and then turning around doing across-the-board cuts,” Paulsen says. “That 10 percent across-the-board cut that he did was one of the most devastating things that happened to schools.” In the fall of 2009 as state tax revenue started to fall because of the recession, Governor Culver imposed a 10 percent across-the-board cut in the entire state budget, including state aid to schools.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Glenwood are investigating a shooting incident which occurred near an elementary school Friday afternoon. According to the Daily NonPareil, Douglas Trent Good, of Glenwood man was taken to the hospital  after a unknown person accidentally discharged a firearm into his leg while sitting in a car waiting to pick up children at West Elementary in Glenwood. A report on Good’s condition was not immediately available. No other injuries were reported. KETV says Douglas Trent Good told emergency operators he shot himself in the leg, while waiting in the playground pick-up area.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn’t announced if she will run for president in 2016, but her supporters in the early voting state of Iowa are getting organized anyway. Top Iowa Democrats are set to gather in Des Moines today (Saturday) for an event aimed at building support for a potential Clinton White House bid. Craig Smith, the national chairman of the Ready for Hillary group, is scheduled to address the gathering.

Hosts of the event include the state chairs for Clinton’s 2008 campaign and President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Ready for Hillary is a so-called super PAC building a national network to benefit Clinton should she decide to seek the presidency in 2016. The former secretary of state and 2008 presidential candidate hasn’t disclosed her plans.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa National Guard is closing an armory in the southern Iowa city of Centerville. The Guard announced in a news release last night that officials had decided to immediately close the armory after studying its force and infrastructure needs. The 21,000 Centerville armory was built in 1992.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are piecing together what happened at a northeast Iowa house where five bodies have been recovered after a fire. The fire in Arlington early yesterday left just a charred pile of smoking metal and siding. Ron Humphrey with the fire marshal’s office says autopsies will determine if any foul play was involved. Arlington is in Fayette County, about 125 miles northeast of Des Moines.

SULLY, Iowa (AP) — Officials have released the name of an Iowa inmate who died while working at a truck wash business. Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says 26-year-old Willie Mercer was pronounced dead Tuesday at Sully Truck Wash in Sully. Officials have not determined his cause of death. Two other employees were found unconscious near Mercer inside a tank trailer. They remain hospitalized.

ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota and Iowa state lotteries have unveiled a new two-state game in which players win by matching all of the numbers — or none of them. All or Nothing players will choose 12 numbers from a pool of 24. A $1 ticket gives players a shot at a top prize of $100,000.