(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Hy-Vee, on Thursday, January 25th, 2024. The Ambassadors welcomed Katelyn Burnett as the new Store Manager and heard about her goals for Atlantic Hy-Vee.

Katelyn began working at Hy-Vee at the age of 15 years old as a cashier and bagging items for customers. While Katelyn attended college, she continued to work at Hy-Vee in many different departments such as catering, special events, marketing, and human resources. Fast forward to the end of 2022, Katelyn began the process of becoming a store manager. In November of 2023, Katelyn received word she would be moving to Atlantic to become store manager and has since spent the last few months learning about the community while taking part in all things Christmas in Atlantic.

Ambassadors and Hy-Vee Staff (Left to Right): Krysta Hanson, Magan Sramek, Sue Liston, Kathie Hockenberry, Kelsey Beschorner, Julie Waters, Jeremy Butler, Colt Doherty, Emily Kennedy, Katelyn Burnett, DeeDee Kalny, Elaine Otte, Dr. Keith Leonard, Dolly Bergmann, Anne Quist, Rick Mericle, Andrew Martin, Bill Saluk, Scott Bennett, Jim Kickland

Katelyn shared with the Ambassadors that her favorite part of working in a small-town like Atlantic, is being involved in community partnerships and events. One of Katelyn’s goals for the Atlantic Hy-Vee is to host monthly “character weekends” such as the brunch they are hosting this Saturday from 11AM-2PM featuring Elsa and Olaf from Frozen.

Hy-Vee employs anywhere from 120-150 people with most staff working in the summer months and in the Garden Center. Hy-Vee is open daily, 6AM to 10PM, with services ranging from floral to catering and pharmacy to dietitian services.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say two men were arrested on separate charges, Thursday. Officers arrested 31-year-old Rogelio Olivera-Martinez, of Creston, at around 7:12-a.m. He was taken into custody at his residence on charges that include Public Intoxication, Interference with Official Acts, Criminal Mischief 4th Degree, Burglary 1st Degree, and Domestic Abuse Assault – Injury or Mental Illness 1st. The cash-or-surety bond for Rogelio Olivera-Martinez was set at $27,300.

And, at around 1:40-p.m., Thursday, Creston Police arrested 25-year-old Dylan James Lawrence, of Creston. He was taken into custody at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC) and charged with OWI/1st Offense. Lawrence posted a $1,000 cash or approved surety bond, and was released.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City man was arrested after police said he used a shovel to hit a washing machine at a laundromat earlier this month. KCRG reports 40-year-old Nicholas Lecnar, of Iowa City, is charged with criminal mischief for the January 13 incident. Police said at around noon on that day, Lecnar used a shovel to hit a washing machine several times, causing $1,725 in damage.

The incident was captured on security cameras, with clear images of Lecnar’s face, according to a criminal complaint.

It’s the dead of winter but Iowa’s hard-core cyclists are thinking ahead to spring and getting back in the saddle. The Iowa Bike Expo, what’s billed as one of the largest one-day bike shows in the Midwest, will be held tomorrow (Saturday) in Des Moines. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says they’re expecting at least five-thousand people to attend the free event. Hoffman says you’ll be able to chat with representatives from local businesses, state and local government agencies, as well as vendors selling bikes, apparel and gear.

The expo will be followed by the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party. Both are being held at the Iowa Events Center.

WOODBINE, Iowa (KETV) — No school can have eyes on every camera feed at once. But using artificial intelligence, the Woodbine Community School District believes it has the next best thing to get a head start in responding to an active shooter situation. Superintendent Justin Wagner tells KETV that they’re using AI to buy time in the event of an emergency.

An alert comes when a gun is brandished in front of a camera. When the AI sees a gun, it’s sent to a command center at the company ZeroEyes. There, someone manning a computer will confirm it’s a gun. Then, the alarm is sent to school officials and nearby law enforcement with an exact location.

ZeroEyes Chief Operation Officer Rob Huberty said that happens in seconds, often minutes before a potential active shooter decides to pull the trigger. ZeroEyes is in hundreds of schools in 40 states, including some others in Nebraska and Iowa.

The AI is constantly trained by bringing different types of guns into a green screen room, which teaches the computers what a gun will look like. Superintendent Wagner said they’re not trying to keep up with the latest in safety technology, they’re trying to LEAD it, saying they can’t affort NOT to stay ahead of threats to the district.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — There’s no doubt which of Iowa’s specialty license plate designs is most popular. The state’s “blackout” plates were an immediate hit with drivers when they were first released July 1, 2019. Four months later the simple design — white lettering over a black background — was the state’s most popular. Nearly 50,000 had been issued at that point, well more than the 30,000 University of Iowa plates issued.

Now, almost five years later, 585,772 of the state’s 4,605,643 total plates, about 12%, are blackout, according to Iowa DOT data from the 2023 calendar year. And other states have taken notice. Blackout plates with the regular number-letter combination are $35, plus an annual $10 fee. Personalized versions cost $60, with a $15 annual fee.

Black and gold University of Iowa plates are still the second most popular specialty plates in the state, with nearly 27,000 in circulation, more than 92% of which are personalized. Iowa State is third, with more than 19,000 cardinal and gold plates issued, 92% of which are personalized.

Other colleges with plates include Briar Cliff, Buena Vista, Central, Clarke, Coe, Cornell, Des Moines University, Dordt, Drake, Dubuque, Graceland, Grand View, Grinnell, Iowa Wesleyan, Loras, Luther, Morningside, Mount Mercy, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Palmer, Simpson, St. Ambrose, Upper Iowa, Wartburg and William Penn.

The three most popular Iowa Department of Natural Resources specialty plates, of which a portion of the cost goes to the Wildlife Diversity Program and Resource Enhancement and Protection, feature birds. The most popular DNR plate features a goldfinch, the state bird, with more than 13,000 in circulation. Eagles are next on the list (5,236 total plates), and pheasants are third (4,414).

Other DNR options include deer (4,281) and trout (1,937).