(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission will meet 5:30-p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. During their session, the Commission will note the resignation and service of Chair Roger Herring, and welcome to the Commission, Kyle Steffens.

Nominations will then take place for the Chair’s position, followed by the appointment of a new P&Z Chairperson, nominations for Vice-Chair, and an Order to appoint a new P&Z Commission Vice-Chair. In other business, the Commission will review and act on a recommendation with regard to the Prairie Hills Development Final Plat. The site is located on the City’s southeast side. During their meeting last month, the Atlantic Planning and Zoning Commission approved and recommended to the City Council, adoption of the Prairie Hills Subdivision Preliminary Plat.

Prairie Hills Development Final Plat as prepared for the Atlantic P&Z Commission (12/2022)

Earlier this year, the Atlantic City Council approved the purchase of 41.54 acres of farmland for $830,000 from Jim Comes. The property became known as the Prairie Hill housing development project. The City is financing the project through a general obligation debt. The revenue sources toward the debt payments would be lot sales and farmland leases as the city sells lots for the construction of new homes and leases on the unused portions of the subdivision for farm use.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate hosted a ceremony with members of the Legislature and the Iowa Firearms Coalition to commemorate the ratification of the 49th Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa on Friday. The event was held in the Secretary of State’s Office in the Iowa Capitol building.

The ‘Right to Keep and Bear Arms’ Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa was proposed by the 88th General Assembly in 2019 and was readopted by the 89th General Assembly in 2021. On November 8, 2022, the citizens of the State of Iowa voted 748,363 to 399,959 in favor of the amendment’s adoption.

The election was certified by the State Board of Canvassers on December 1, 2022. This marks the 49th amendment to the Iowa’s 1857 constitution. Complimentary copies of the Iowa Constitution were handed out to those in attendance.

(A digital copy of the updated 1857 Iowa Constitution can be found at this link)

(Radio Iowa) – A Spirit Lake been found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a woman. The trial for Christian Goyne-Yarns, the man accused of shooting Shelby Woizeschke outside GrapeTree Medical Staffing in February, began on Tuesday with the prosecution spending parts of three days providing witness testimony and evidence that included the 911 call made by the victim just minutes after being shot where she identified the defendant as the shooter.

The defense claimed Goyne-Yarns was not feeling well on the morning in question and was in the restroom at his workplace in Spirit Lake at the time of the incident, but co-workers testified he was not able to be located and his pick-up was missing, which was seen on surveillance video parking at the scene and waiting for the victim to arrive.

The case was moved to Buena Vista County after a change of venue was granted by the defense. Sentencing will take place in January.

(Radio Iowa) – Three of the four Iowans serving in the U.S. House have voted for the bill that ensures same-sex marriages are recognized in all 50 states. Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines says the Respect for Marriage Act “sends a clear signal that hate and bigotry don’t have a place in America.” Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says the bill preserves current law.

“It’s the full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution where you look at birth certificates, death certificates (and) I believe concealed carry permits apply to this same standards,” Hinson says, “so I think that same standard should apply to marriage certificates in all states and that’s why I supported it.”

Hinson, though, says congress should be focusing on other more pressing issues. “I think my constituents are very concerned about other things,” Hinson says. “…We need to be focusing on fixing inflation. We need to be focusing on energy independence, securing our border.”

Hinson made her comments during taping of Iowa Press which airs tonight on Iowa PBS. Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of LeClaire also voted for the bill, which guarantees recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull was the only Iowa representative in the House to vote against it.

President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

(Neola, Iowa) – A truck driver from Florida died, and his passenger was injured, Friday, during a semi tractor-trailer rollover crash in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 9:36-a.m. on Interstate 80 westbound, near mile marker 28.

Authorities report a 2022 Freightliner semi driven by 42-year-old Alain Hernandez Rodriguez, of West Palm Beach, Florida, went out of control and entered the median, where it struck a light pole and rolled onto its side. Rodriguez died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt.

His passenger, 23-year-old Jose Armando Valdez, of Miami, FL, who was also not wearing a seat belt, was injured and transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital.