(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Board of Regents has approved making the Iowa Center for School Mental Health a permanent part of the University of Iowa’s College of Education. The center was launched about a year ago with a combination of 20 million dollars in federal pandemic relief and state funds. Daniel Clay is the dean of the university’s college of education. “Some extraordinary faculty here….spent the last year building the center and simultaneously responding to a multitude of crises across our state, including student suicide, teacher suicide and the murder of a teacher — and that’s just the very tip of the iceberg,” he says. “The underlying mental health issues are quite extraordinary.”

Dr. Allison Bruhn is the center’s interim director. She says there are long-term impacts if students don’t get the support they need, since at least half of Americans with mental health difficulties began struggling before the age of 14. “So that means we have a lot of kids in our country sitting in classrooms that are suffering from social, emotional, behavioral, psychological issues,” she says. Bruhn cites research indicating 16 percent of Iowa kids between the ages of 12 and 18 have a mental health disorder. “Less than half of them receive treatment,” she says. “Over the last decade, there’s been a 53% increase in the number of students contemplating suicide and it’s the second-leading cause of death among adolescents.”

Bruhn says students are more likely to be disciplined and do poorly on school work if their mental health struggles are not addressed. The Iowa Center for School Mental Health is offering training to teachers and conducting research in Iowa schools to figure out what approaches work best to address students’ needs. University of Iowa officials say they started getting calls for help from parents and educators the day after Governor Reynolds announced the center’s existence during a news conference.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Atlantic High School (AHS) Alumni Smackdown Committee and Atlantic Parks & Recreation, is pleased to announce “Smack Down After Dark” will take place Saturday, August 20th, 2022. Kelsey Beschorner, Programs Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, said “The AHS Alumni Smack Down is an annual golf tournament that has grown to be a large event that gives alumni from all over the globe an opportunity to reconnect for a day of fun. The planning committee reached out to the Chamber to expand on the event and add evening entertainment the entire community can enjoy.”

The event will take place at Sunnyside Park with a beer garden, organized by the Atlantic Fire Department, and food vendors beginning at 5 PM. The Classic Rock band “Oreo Meatwagon” will play from 7 – 10 PM on the Band Shell. The event will be free admission with more details available as the date gets closer.

The 8th Annual AHS Alumni Smackdown Tournament will be held the morning of August 20th. The event will take place at both Nishna Hills Golf Course and Atlantic Golf & Country Club. To learn more about the tournament or to register, visit www.atlanticiowa.com.

Stay up to date on the latest information regarding Smackdown After Dark by ‘liking’ the event page on Facebook or visiting the Community Calendar on www.atlanticiowa.com. Smackdown After Dark is sponsored by the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting next week at 9-a.m. on Wednesday, instead of the normal Tuesday, due to June 7^th being the Primary Election Day. One of the main topics the Board will discuss, is the sudden revelation on Wednesday (June 2^nd), that the Treasurer’s Office hours have been reduced (effective today), due to staffing issues and having to train new employees to fill the vacant positions. As previously mentioned, the new hours are Monday-Wed.-Thursday & Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., closed for lunch those same days from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and re-open from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Office is now closed all day, on Tuesdays.

Board Chair Steve Baier says the number of hours the Treasurer’s Office was reduced to, caught the Supervisors by surprise because they had not received prior there was no prior discussion. He acknowledged that while the treasurer has control over her office, and as such can set the hours accordingly, there may be other options that would allow staff training to take place without impacting the level of service to the public.

Some Treasurer’s Office transactions may be accomplished online, but Baier said the people of his generation tend to prefer in-person communication and transactions, whenever possible. He said “As you know, we recently had a transition in the auditor’s office that included training a new deputy (Dee South) to take Mary Anstey’s position, as Mary took over assessor duties as well as Sara Harris stepping into the auditor’s position with Dale Sunderman’s retirement.”  He added that “We were able to reach out to personnel in neighboring counties, specifically Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke, who came to Atlantic several times to help Sara as she took over the reins.  We only had one day when the auditor’s office was closed and that was due to state training on new election laws.

“It is pretty standard practice among counties, Baier said, for counties “to help each other as staff turns over.” He added that “ With Tracey being state treasurers’ association president, I would certainly expect her to have the connections to get the assistance she needs.” A Treasurer’s Office employee, Julie Symonds, who has three decades of experience, is planning on retirement in a few weeks. Baier said “This certainly isn’t how she expected her career with the county to come to a close,” and he feels badly for her being asked to work longer than planned.

(Radio Iowa) – State gambling regulators have fined an eastern Iowa casino for letting a customer bring a four-year-old onto the gaming floor. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko says it happened in the Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington. “The security officer did not challenge the individual and prevent the situation from occurring,” Ohorilko says. “…The minor was sitting on the lap of the adult and pushing buttons on the machine. An employee did eventually notice it and remove the customer from the floor.”

Ohorilko says it appears the four-year-old was inside the casino’s gaming area for about 11 minutes. There was another incident at the Catfish Bend casino involving someone older, but still under the age of 21. They gambled for more than half an hour before security intervened.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has fined the Burlington casino 40-thousand dollars for the two incidents. The AmeriStar Casino in Council Bluffs has also been fined 20-thousand dollars after a minor was allowed to gamble before being escorted out. You must be at least 21 years old to gamble at an Iowa casino.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A Grand Opening will take place from 9-until 11-a.m. Saturday, June 4th, for the LC Clinic location, in Atlantic. The pregnancy medical clinic will officially open to the public on June 27th at 507 Chestnut Street. Executive Director Hannah Shady says their mission is to reach out to offer support to men, women, and their families in the community.

Parents who attend classes at the clinic will receive “Mommy money and Daddy dollars” to spend at the clinic’s baby boutique.

They also provide a men’s ministry program.

Another service LC Clinic provides, is abortion recovery support.

She says the non-profit clinic provide medical services, peer counseling and material assistance at NO CHARGE, and is funded solely through the generous donations of individuals, churches and business sponsors. LC Clinic already has locations in Creston and Stuart. Executive Director Hannah Shady says the Stuart location celebrated 10-years of opening their doors for the first time, on March 12th.

For more information, visit www.IowaLcClinic.org and www.HelpLifeCareClinic.org.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports three arrests. Early today (Friday), 23-year-old Monica Nicole Johnston, of Creston, was arrested at her apartment in the 800 block of W. Adams Street, for Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness. She was taken to the Union County Jail and subsequently transferred to the Adams County Jail, where her cash or surety bond was set at $1,000. Just before 2-a.m. (today), 22-year-old Noah Alexander Young, of Creston, was arrested in the 800 block of W. Adams St. for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. His bond was set at $300.

Thursday evening, Creston Police arrested 26-year-old Laura Lee Lagois, of Sioux City, IA, for OWI/1st offense. She was taken into custody following a traffic stop in the 900 block of N. Sumner Street, transported to the Union County Jail. Lagois later posted bond, and was released.