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Atlantic Board of Adjustment denies Animal Clinic Conditional Use Permit

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) The City of Atlantic’s Board of Adjustment, Monday evening, denied a conditional use permit request from the owner of the Cass County Animal Clinic.

The permit would have allowed Dr. Erin Conrad-Schwarte to build a vet clinic at 2309 Whitney Street (an East 22nd St. Parcel). Dr. Schwarte purchased the Cass County Animal Clinic from Dr. Larry Victora in May, 2020. Since then, she has provided veterinary services for all sorts of animals. She wanted the parcel to board dogs and cats and for an outdoor dog run that would have been used during business hours. Schwarte told the Board any livestock visiting the clinic would have been contained within the fenced area on the south side of the clinic and within the clinic, and they would not normally be housed on the property overnight.

The proposed project, however, would have been in a low-density, single-family residential district. The fact that the area is zoned residential, prompted many residents in the area to attend the meeting and voice their opposition to the permit, citing safety and comfort concerns.

Taking those concerns into consideration, the Board moved to decline the conditional use permit.

Holiday travel surge not letting up for Christmas

News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The final holiday of the year is projected to follow the pattern of others when it comes to the number of people expected to hit the roadways and airports. Triple-A Iowa spokesman, Brian Ortner, says holiday travel from the region including Iowa is projected to be the fourth highest on record. “A fun way to describe it, I guess is wash, rinse, repeat when we look at how 2023 has been, you know, even despite inflationary pressures, and Americans and Iowans are still willing to get out, then travel for those holidays,” he says. “We’ve seen it over Thanksgiving, we saw it over Independence Day. And now we’re seeing it for Christmas and New Year’s coming up.” Ortner says the travel surge continues to be driven by the pandemic, which kept everyone from traveling.

“And I say that based on a survey done back in August by Triple-A, that we’re asking people, you know, what are your reasons for traveling?,” Ortner says. “And the mindset has changed from bucket list items to man, I want to see family and friends.” Nearly nine million people in what’s called the north-central region are expected to head out for the holidays. “About eight-point-one million of those are going to be hitting the roads. And the biggest thing was that is sometimes it’s just easier to drive and sometimes more cost effective than hitting the air, you know, we are seeing higher numbers in air travel in our region,” he says. “The number that’s surprising, that’s exceeding pre-pandemic levels is what’s classified as the other modes of transportation. And that’s like your cruises or your destinations, you know, your resorts and those sorts of things. But living in Iowa, we don’t have the sun in the beaches. So that makes a lot of sense”. There’s now about two weeks to go before Christmas, and Ortner says you need to make reservations as soon as possible.

“Whether it’s winter or summer, the advice remains the same for your air travel. Plan ahead, get to the airport early, and monitor your flights using your airline’s app or the airport’s apps to make sure your flights not delayed or canceled,” Ortner says. “And consider travel insurance, you know if there’s a cancellation or a delay. Travel insurance is a nice comfort feature.” The other states in the north-central along with Iowa are Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Kossuth County pipeline ordinance to be discussed this (Tuesday) morning

News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Officials in a northern Iowa county are evaluating last week’s federal court ruling that permanently blocks Shelby and Story County ordinances that would have restricted where hazardous liquid pipelines may be located. Kossuth County Supervisor Carter Nath, of Lu Verne, represents the area where Summit’s proposed carbon capture pipeline would pass and he says the ruling wasn’t a surprise.

“There was already a preliminary ruling on that. It was just making it a permanent ruling,” Nath says. “In my mind, it really didn’t change things. Maybe in the court of law, it’s just more finalized. “A federal judge ruled the ordinances in Story and Shelby County could have made it impossible for Summit Carbon Solutions to build a carbon pipeline even if the Iowa Utilities Board grants the company a permit.

Kossuth County Supervisors have drafted an ordinance that’s similar to Shelby County’s. It has not gone into effect, but has made it most of the way through the approval process. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the ordinance this (Tuesday) morning at its meeting in Algona.

Free course in Beekeeping 101 for Iowa teens to start in January

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A veteran central Iowa beekeeper will offer a free, online course in beekeeping starting next month for Iowa youth between the ages of 13 and 16. Julia McGuire heads the Des Moines Backyard Beekeepers and she has ten hives in Madison County. McGuire says the live course in Beekeeping 1-0-1 will start January 30th, teaching all about these important pollinators and how to care for them.

“We’ll cover basic bee biology, and it goes through site location for your beehive, the confluence of the beehive,” McGuire says, “and then we spend a lot of time learning how to work the bees once they arrive in April.” McGuire has kept bees since 2011 and has taught beekeeping for 11 years. The course will run every Tuesday for six weeks.

“There’s also a couple opportunities where we will go and meet in person, so we can work with bees all together,” McGuire says, “so I think a lot of the success in beekeeping is that hands-on work that you might get with a mentor.” For many, beekeeping is a hobby, but McGuire says it can also become a profitable business. She sells honey from her hives, but says there’s another important component to beekeeping — saving swarms.

“I get a lot of swarm calls every April and May from people who have a swarm of bees, or bees actually living and have been in the side of their house or whatever for years,” McGuire says. “I get a lot of phone calls like that. There’s just more demand than there is supply of people who can go get those.” She estimates it may cost around 500-dollars to start a basic hive. In addition to the free Beekeeping 101 course, there’s a youth bee camp planned for May of 2024.

The deadline to sign up for the course is December 31st at: https://forms.gle/h3Lh2zvkwRgwNZnY7

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023

Weather

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Increasing clouds, with a high near 37. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Cloudy w/a 20% chance of snow before 3am. Low around 23. E/SE wind around 5 mph.

Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 45. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Tom. Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. South southeast wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.

Thu. Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 50. The Low was 17. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 38 and the Low was 30. The Record High on Dec. 12th was 62 in 1921 & 1968. The Record Low was -20 in 1932. Sunrise 7:36. Sunset 4:50.

Tax cutting on 2024 legislative agenda

News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds has said her goal is to get rid of the state income tax by the end of her current term — which would be December of 2026. A bill that cleared an Iowa Senate committee last spring suggested elimination of the state income tax could be accomplished in the next decade. Republican Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

“The Senate Republican goal has always been to eliminate the income tax in a responsible and thoughtful manner,” Dawson says. “and that is the pathway that we are going down this next session.” Dawson says he’s looking forward to seeing the tax plan Governor Reynolds is set to unveil in January. Under current law, the state’s personal income tax will become a flat three-point-nine percent by 2026 — but Republican leaders say the state is still taking in far more tax dollars than needed to run the government.

Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum says the focus of tax cutting should be on helping working families and elderly Iowans.  “Not on the wealthy and the big corporations who have quite frankly benefited from this series of tax cuts we’ve seen in recent years,” Jochum says.

Jochum and Dawson made their comments at a forum sponsored by the Iowa Taxpayers Association. The 2024 Iowa legislative session begins Monday, January 8th.

Senate Democrats to propose targeted tax cuts

News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum says Democrats are developing a plan of targeted income tax cuts, like raising the Earned Income Tax Credit for low and moderate income workers, as an alternative to the G-O-P goal of getting rid of the state’s income tax.

“If there’s going to be any changes in the tax system, number one you don’t eliminate the income tax system because it is a more fair system,” Jochum says, “based on the ability to pay.” Governor Kim Reynolds and Republican lawmakers say their ultimate goal is complete elimination of the state income tax. Reynolds approved income tax rate reductions in 2018 and, in 2022, the governor signed a bill that is making deeper cuts in tax rates for individuals and corporations. It will eventually shrink the individual income tax rate to just under four percent by 2026.

“We have been waiting almost six years as working class or middle class Iowans to see any result of even the tax cuts that happened six years ago,” Jochum says. Jochum points to a Department of Revenue analysis which found that if the state income tax is eliminated, the state sales tax would have to be raised to 14 percent to maintain critical state services.

“The sales tax is a regressive tax,” Jochum says. “Regardless of how much money you earn, you’re going to pay 14% on the dollar for everything you purchase and so it’s going to be the working poor, the middle class who are really going to take it in the shorts on this one if that’s the path they follow.”

Republicans in the Senate say eliminating the state income tax will make Iowa more competitive with states like South Dakota, Florida, Texas and Tennessee that do not have a state income tax. A Des Moines Register Iowa Poll conducted last March found 56 percent of Iowans favor gradually reducing the state income tax rate until it is eliminated.

1 dead, another injured when two pickups collide in Boone County

News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Boone, Iowa) – Two pickups collided northwest of Boone, Monday evening, resulting in the death of a man from Boone. The Iowa State Patrol says the crash happened at around 7:05-p.m. at the intersection of Kale Road and 170th Street. The report said a 1996 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 74-year-old Larry Young, of Boone, was southbound on Kale Road, and failed to stop at the intersection with 170th. A 2021 Chevy pickup driven by 62-year-old Kenneth Lendt, of Ogden, was westbound on 170th when Young’s vehicle entered the westbound lanes and the vehicles collided.

Lendt’s vehicle then crashed into a power pole and some trees before entering the southbound ditch and coming to rest between two trees. The Patrol says Larry Young died at the scene. Lendt was transported by Boone County EMS to the Boone County Hospital. Both men were wearing their seat belts.

The crash remains under investigation.

Carroll man killed in a Crawford County crash Monday afternoon

News

December 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Manilla, Iowa) – A collision between two semi tractor-trailers Monday afternoon west of Manilla, claimed the life of a Carroll County man. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2018 Peterbilt semi driven by 65-year-old Douglas L. Hook, of Carroll, was traveling west on Highway 141 and crossing the intersection with Highway 59. A 2015 Freightliner driven by 23-year-old Hayden H. Leonard, of Millville, MN, was traveling north on Highway 59.

Leonard’s semi struck Hook’s semi in the northbound lane of Highway 59. The crash happened at around 4:43-p.m. Following the collision, the Peterbilt came to rest in the northwest ditch. The Freightliner came to rest west of the intersection on V Avenue. The accident caused the intersection to be blocked for several hours.

The Patrol says Douglas Hook died from his injuries after being transported by Manilla Ambulance to the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison.

Monday’s Area High School Girl’s and Boy’s Basketball Scores

Sports

December 12th, 2023 by admin

Girl’s Basketball

Hawkeye Ten Conference:
#7 St. Albert 49, Underwood 23
Clarinda @ Shenandoah

Rolling Valley Conference:
Paton-Churdan @ West Central Valley

Pride of Iowa Conference:
Wayne 51, Moulton-Udell 17

West Central Conference:
ACGC 78, AHSTW 5

Boy’s Basketball

Hawkeye Ten Conference:
Underwood 65, St. Albert 46
Clarinda @ Shenandoah

Corner Conference:
Murray 62, Essex 31

Rolling Valley Conference:
West Central Valley 74, Paton-Churdan 38

Pride of Iowa Conference:
Wayne 81, Moulton-Udell 48

West Central Conference: 
Panorama 64, Woodward Academy 28
Des Moines Christian 75, Pella Christian 55

West Central Conference:
ACGC 65, AHSTW 46