COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Leaders in Council Bluffs say developers are showing interest in a large, long-vacant brick building. Mayor Matt Walsh tells the Daily Nonpareil that plans are in the works to renovate the building located at South Sixth Street and 10th Avenue, which was part of a two-building operation by the International Harvester Company years ago.

City Community Planning Department Director Don Gross says officials have talked about the project “in a conceptual way” and that details haven’t been worked out. Neither Walsh nor Gross would reveal who is interested in revamping the building.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz will be touring Iowa this month, with stops in the KJAN listening area beginning Mon., Oct. 12th. The junior U.S. Senator from Texas will be in Rockwell City, Sac City and Sioux City, on Oct. 12th.

And he’ll make stops in Glenwood, Sidney, Clarinda, Atlantic and Council Bluffs on Friday, Oct. 23rd.

Locally, Cruz will hold meet and greet events Oct. 23rd:

9:30-a.m. at the Gathering Place, in Glenwood (110 S. Vine St.)
11:30-a.m. at Penn Drug Company, in Sidney (714 Illinois St.)
1:30-p.m. at the Garrison Coffee House, in Clarinda (106 N. 16th St.)
4:00-p.m. at the Sweet Joy Shoppe, in Atlantic (315 Chestnut St.)
6:30-p.m. at Bayliss Park Hall, in Council Bluffs (530 First Ave.)

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)

It’s not often we hear about methamphetamine lab busts in Iowa any more, but crimes and other problems associated with meth addiction continue to raise concerns. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley will chair a field hearing of the U-S Senate Judiciary Committee in central Iowa next week to discuss the ongoing battle with meth. Grassley says Iowa law enforcement and drug treatment officials tell him the problem is still “severe.”

Grassley says, “While some state and federal laws have helped to limit meth production in our state, Mexican drug cartels are apparently stepping in to eliminate the gains we’ve made in the fight against meth.” In recent years, state and federal legislation has restricted the ability to buy key ingredients used in making meth, like allergy medications that contain pseudoephedrine. Still, drug lords south of the border are managing to smuggle in larger and larger quantities of the ready-to-use drug.

“The hearing is designed to learn about current trends concerning meth use and distribution in Iowa,” Grassley says. “Another purpose of it is to bring awareness to the issue, and another purpose, to find out if there are ways the federal government can help address the problem beyond what we’re already doing.” Iowans who want to offer input at the hearing but who can’t attend will still have options.

“I intend to hear from witnesses on the front lines in the battle against meth abuse,” Grassley says, “in addition, to help us gain full understanding of the problem, Iowans can submit written testimony for the hearing record.” The hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 13th, at 10 A-M in the main auditorium of the State Historical Building in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors will hold a special meeting Wednesday evening at the Parks and Rec Building at Sunnyside Park (1200 Sunnyside Lane). During the session, which begins at 5:15, the Board will discuss, but take no action, on a 5-year plan for the Parks and Rec Department.

Every year during September and October, first grade students from the Atlantic, Griswold, and CAM school districts visit the hospital and clinics to learn more about healthcare careers, as well as what it’s like to be a patient. With the assistance of the Cass County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, the first graders are taken on a tour that highlights areas such as the Atlantic Medical Center, Emergency Department, cafeteria, laboratory, and the nursery.

During the tour, the students also participate in a mock tonsillectomy. Jena Waters, R.N. and Quality Specialist, guides them through the steps of preparing for surgery and recovery. She shows the students x-rays, and explains what kinds of medical equipment they might see as a patient. During the mock tonsillectomy, the kids get involved by playing different roles including admissions clerk, doctor, nurse, patient, parents, or lab technician.

First-graders from CAM North participated in a play that walks the students through a mock tonsillectomy. (Photo courtesy CCMH)

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say an Atlantic man, 35-year old Harold James Shoemaker,was arrested Monday night at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Shoemaker was wanted on a Union County warrant for failure to appear in court on a child support matter. He was being held in the Union County Jail on $2000 bond.