(Radio Iowa) – Criminal justice students at Iowa State University will soon have a chance to test their policing skills on a high-tech simulator that features an interactive ten-foot-wide screen. I-S-U Police Chief Michael Newton says his officers are also using the simulator to practice a variety of techniques used to diffuse volatile situations and to better respond to behavioral health issues.

“Training like this puts our officers in real-life-type situations without actually being in real life,” Chief Newton says. “They get a chance to practice. They get a chance to make mistakes in a teaching and learning environment.” I-S-U officers are put through roleplaying training sessions on the simulator which Newton says are designed to mimic different scenarios they could encounter on campus.

“Immediately, you feel like you’re in it. You feel like you’re really there in the situation and you immediately have the physiological response that we do sometimes on our cases,” Newton says. “Our heart rate goes up, what can happen to officers is tunnel vision can set in.” That sort of response can interfere with decision-making, so Newton says simulator training helps officers recognize how their bodies react and practice techniques that may prevent a stressful situation from worsening.

Police officers are often the first responders to a mental health crisis, especially in rural Iowa, but they typically don’t have the resources to get additional training to recognize different disorders or practice de-escalation techniques.  “With the video options, we can run through many more revolutions of training in a really fast time frame,” Newton says. “De-escalation is a huge concern for people in our community, and so the more training we can do on de-escalation, the better off we all are.” I-S-U researchers envision offering additional training with the simulator to rural police departments from across Iowa.

“I really see this as an opportunity for our entire state,” Newton says. “Iowa State University is an asset for everyone. I know some of the smaller departments have smaller, tighter training budgets. This is just another tool that we can use to put them through real-life situations and hopefully learn and develop a better police officer.”

Researchers plan to assemble a focus group with I-S-U students from Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honors society, to create a curriculum with the simulator for upper-level classes.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Council Bluffs was arrested at around 2-a.m. today (Wednesday), for Possession of a Controlled Substance. 32-year-old Nicholas James Jensen was taken into custody following a traffic stop on Interstate 29. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Retired Admiral Mike Franken has filed more than 64-hundred signatures on nominating petitions in his bid for the Iowa Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination. Franken says he could subtract all the signatures collected in Polk County, Iowa’s most urban county, and still have enough to qualify for the primary ballot — and that’s by design. “I would like to be over represented in rural Iowa. I would like to be fully saturated in the urban areas. I would like to have the voice that spans the needs of a large populous and also be the voice of pragmatic realism and I’d like to really energize the Democratic Party,” Franken says. “What I’ve seen is a sense of forlornness that I would like to erase.”

Former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids, Dr. Glenn Hurst of Minden and Bob Krause of Burlington have also said they’re running for a chance to challenge Republican Chuck Grassley’s bid for an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. Last Friday, Grassley emphasized that he will have the most seniority of anyone in the senator if he’s reelected this fall. Franken suggests voters should pay attention to policies rather than tenure. “There are things such as seniority and then seniority that leads to, perhaps, lack of verveness and initiative and perhaps lack of broad thought with what’s best for the state and the nation,” Franken says.

Franken’s campaign website is being revamped to include “more substance,” according to Franken, who recently hired a new campaign manager. Franken told reporters he is exceedingly happy with the changes. “In Iowa, you win support by seeing, talking, shaking hands, being part, listening and so we are working hard on that,” Franken says. “But to ensure also we’ve got the necessary finances in the end game to make sure we to ensure that we flood the state with name recognition and also platform positions, etc.”

Franken, who grew up in Sioux County, served 36 years in the military. Franken ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020 and finished second in the Democratic Primary. In other 2022 campaign news, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to kick off her bid for another term tonight (Wednesday). She’ll speak at a campaign rally on the state fairgrounds. The Des Moines Register is reporting businessman Fred Hubbell, who ran against Reynolds four years ago, has endorsed Deidre DeJear, the Democratic Party’s leading gubernatorial candidate this year.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County District 3 Supervisor John P. Hartkopf, today (Wednesday), announced his re-election campaign. Hartkopf is currently finishing his first term as a County Supervisor. His press release says he “has a long history of successful community service and has diligently worked as a Supervisor to enhance County government and to improve Cass County in general. Along with the normal Supervisor duties, John has focused on economic development and mental health services for Cass County.”

He also touted his success in leading “the negotiations to keep Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Zion in Atlantic, keeping services for 1,900 individual Cass County residents and saving 41 county jobs. Hartkopf assisted in the merger of these organizations into “Zion Integrated Behavior Health” for financial stability and enhanced service to the community.” Hartkopf also serves on the Governing Board of the Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Region providing extensive services to Cass County.

John P. Hartkopf (photo provided)

His bio states John Hartkopf also serves on the CADCO, CABEDA, and Valley Business Park boards. After several years of extensive research, investigations, updated surveys, and cost estimates it was clear that the interstate natural gas transmission lines, NNG’s encroachment regulations, and because of a number of other issues, that it was not economically feasible to develop the property. The Cass-Aubudon VBP Board unanimously voted to sell the property bringing in 2.55 million dollars. The Cass monies will go to the Glacier Road Business Park which already has the basic infrastructure and recently obtained the Altas Crane Company and is currently negotiating with other prospects.

A graduate of the University of Iowa, Hartkopf was President of Allied Engineering Company from 1984-2014, Chairperson of the Atlantic Municipal Utilities, Chairperson of the MBI Government Affairs and Director. Hartkopf co-founded the Iowa Competitive Bidding Alliance to protect tax payers in public works and has over 30 years experience in dealing with government at the federal, state, and local levels.

He says he “looks forward to serving Cass County in his second term.”

Atlantic, IA – SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is closing out their engraved brick patio paver fundraiser on March 31, 2022. The nonprofit organization has been selling personalized engraved patio pavers for a year, and the fundraiser is wrapping up at the end of March. Individuals, families, organizations and businesses are all able to purchase a 4×8 paver with text, an 8×8 paver with text or an 8×8 paver with their logo to commemorate a loved one, celebrate your family or put your company/organization on display. All of these engraved pavers will make up a portion of the patio that will be built early summer 2022. These pavers will be a great keepsake for anyone to come visit and see their impact for the community of Atlantic.

Accompanying these patio pavers will also be a colorful mural on the side of The Telegraph building that celebrates Atlantic and how “good it is to be here”. Starting the first of March, renovation on the exterior of The Telegraph began and will continue this spring and early summer, with all projects being complete to reveal for their Summer Soiree fundraiser dinner and dueling pianos on July 16. McGill Restoration from Omaha is completing the brick work on the entirety of the exterior.

Werts Construction from Atlantic will be installing the new stone and awning on the front of the building, completing the renovation of the exterior. Following those projects, a community patio will be built in the courtyard space, and then two murals will be installed, one on the west side of the building and one on the east side with the patio!

SHIFT ATL recently completed the interior rehabilitation of The Telegraph building, located at 14 e 4th Street in Atlantic. They are managing a fully operating AirBnB on the upper story, and they are currently using the main level as commercial space for pop-up shops, local events or as a flexible community space while they work to find a permanent commercial tenant. If you are interested in purchasing an engraved patio paver or learning more about the fundraiser, you can visit shiftatl.org/bricks or contact Jessie Shiels at 712.304.2651.

For more information or any questions about this SHIFT ATL event, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/shiftatl, their website at shiftatl.org or by email at shiftatlantic@gmail.com.

Atlantic, Iowa ─ Jack and Jill Preschool, located at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, is accepting registrations for children aged 3-5 years old for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Jack and Jill Preschool offers a unique learning experience in a safe, fun, and loving environment. The classrooms boast many different learning stations to foster a varied learning experience where your child can learn fine motor skills in one station, and then discover science-based activities in the next. Jack and Jill Preschool offers field trips to introduce your child to activities and opportunities in the community, including dance, gymnastics, festival of trees, and more! With Jack and Jill’s proximity to the YMCA, your child will get the added bonus of using the gyms for activities and the pool for swim days.

Three-year-old classes:
• $50 registration fee due at time of enrollment
• Tuition fee of $90/month (grants available on first come, first serve basis for those who qualify)
• Meet Tuesday and Thursday each week
o 9:00 am to 11:30 am
o OR 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Four-year-old classes:
• FREE*
• Choose from two schedules:
o Monday, Wednesday, Friday
▪ 8:10 am to 11:30 am
▪ OR 12:10 to 3:30 pm
o Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
▪ 8:10 am to 11:30 am*Your child MUST be four years old by Sept. 15, 2022 to qualify for free tuition.

Children who attend the Ann Wickman Center will be bussed to and from preschool. For all others, transportation will be your responsibility, or SWITA is available for transportation. Please call 712-243-4196 to set up arrangements. To register, call the YMCA or stop by and speak with Mrs. Haynes to get paperwork and information on classes. Spots will fill as registrations come in, so if you wish to enroll your child in a certain time slot, please get your registration in as soon as possible.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans and two Democrats in the Iowa Senate have voted to end the senate’s confirmation process for the governor’s appointments to more than two dozen state boards and commissions. Under current law, the governor’s nominees for nearly 140 boards, commissions and councils in state government must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the senate to serve. Republican Senator Roby Smith of Davenport says if 26 senators sign a petition, any of the nominees to the boards on this new list would be subject to the confirmation process. “If someone feels that someone’s not qualified or should not be confirmed…that sends them through the process to be reconsidered,” Smith says, “and then they have to get 34 votes.”

Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, says this gets rid of automatic checks and balances for important state boards. “We had somebody that was appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women not too long ago that was an absolute sexist pig,” Petersen says, “and we turned them down — all of us in here.” Members of the boards that oversee Iowa’s prison system and the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy are also among the groups that would no longer be automatically reviewed by senators and subject to a confirmation vote.

Senator Todd Taylor, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says this is the worst possible time to end confirmation for members of those boards. “We need more oversight, not less. We need more accountability, not less. We need more citizens’ involvement, not less,” Taylor said. “We need checks and balances. Everybody understands that.” Senator Smith says Democrats are exaggerating. “To say that the governor has full control if this bill is passed is not accurate,” Smith said.

Members of more than one-hundred other state oversight boards still would still have to get 34 “yes” votes in the senate in order to serve. There are currently 32 Republicans in the state senate. That gives Democrats in the minority the power to block confirmations supported by the G-O-P majority. That was the case last year with a person the governor had nominated for the Iowa Public Information Board. It’s one of the boards whose members would no longer be automatically reviewed by senators if the bill becomes law.