(Radio Iowa) – The top Democrat on a key committee is calling for extensions on the eviction notices sent to employees who live in state-owned housing INSIDE 23 state parks. The Department of Natural Resources estimates it would cost a million dollars to fix code violations and deferred maintenance — so park rangers, managers and other staff who live in the homes have been told to move out by November 30th. Representative Timi Brown-Powers of Waterloo is the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. She says some of these parks are in remote areas and it’s a safety issue.

“Having a person on the park site is, really, ultimately helpful in case there’s an emergency,” she says. The agency says radios and cell phones can quickly summon on-call staff and two-thirds of state parks, forests and preserves do not have on-site housing for staff today. Brown-Powers says the 26 employees who are impacted should be given longer grace periods to find other housing, especially since applicants for these jobs were rejected if they did not agree to live in the homes within the parks.

“Our staff at our parks don’t make a lot of money. These people do what they do because they love what they do,” Brown-Power says. “I think if we can humanize it and take it step by step for each park, I think that we would be better off.” Brown-Powers says the D-N-R is using a million dollars to buy new signs for the parks rather than fix the dilapidated housing for park employees, and that’s demoralizing for the staff. Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City, says a park ranger told her he sold his classic car to come up with the down payment for a home outside the park where he works.

“This is the worst time to be trying to find a house to live in. The housing market is awful,” Steckman says. “They’re required to live within 20-30 miles of the park, so for some of them, that puts them in a really tough situation.” An agency spokeswoman says the D-N-R’s decision was not taken lightly and officials took into consideration the condition of the houses as well as the future of the State Park system as a whole.

Here’s the list of parks where on-site housing is to be vacated by DNR staffers by November 30th: Beeds Lake, Bellevue, Big Creek, Brushy Creek, Dolliver, Geode, George Wyth, Green Valley (Creston), Honey Creek, Lacey Keosauqua, Lake Keomah, Lake Manawa (Pott. County), Lake of Three Fires (Taylor County), Ledges, MacBride, Maquoketa Caves, Nine Eagles, Palisades-Kepler, Pikes Peak, Red Haw, Rock Creek, Union Grove, Viking Lake (Stanton).

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Authorities in Mills County report two people were arrested following a traffic stop that resulted in a pursuit last Friday. Sheriff’s officials say 38-year-old Christina Marie Stockstill, of Riverton and 39-year-old Jeffrey Dale Hankins, of Tabor, were arrested on Child Endangerment and other charges.

At around 4-p.m., Friday, Mills County Deputies tried to stop a vehicle traveling 85 mph on Waubonsie Avenue, near the intersection of 290th St. The vehicle sped-off through a corn field, at a high rate of speed. The pursuit continued through multiple fields before the suspect vehicle became disabled in a ditch.

Hankins & Stockstill (Mills County S/O photo)

Hankins, who was driving the vehicle, was arrested on charges of: Eluding; OWI/2nd offense; and 3 counts of Child Endangerment. His bond was set at $13,000. Stockstill was arrested for: Possession with the intent to deliver/methamphetamine; a Drug Tax Stamp Violation; possession Contraband in a correctional facility; Child Endangerment, & Interference with Official Acts. Her bond was set at $100,000. Both remains in the Mills County Jail.

Mills County Deputies were assisted during the incident, by the Mills County K9 Unit, Iowa State Patrol, and Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – An ongoing project for an Atlantic High School “Living Wall of Honor” needs your help to expand. Assistant AHS Principal Andy Mitchell said the online “Wall of Honor” can be viewed at atlantic.touchpros.com, any time. It contains most high school yearbook photos dating back to the 1920’s. Mitchell said since it’s still a work in progress, there are some areas where they need more photos and information about AHS alumni. Especially those who are veterans (past/present) and who have made notable post-secondary achievements in athletics and otherwise.

If you have photos or information you would like to share for the project, e-mail them to amitchell@atlanticiaschools.org. He added that “We’re not even close to being done” with the project. In addition to the Wall of Honor being online, a video touchscreen TV is being installed in the high school commons for viewing during the school day. There are sections in the program devoted to Activities/Athletics, Alumni and Trojan Pride, and multiple sub-sections within those choices.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Steve Barber said of the District’s COVID-19 numbers, they are the lowest since January 3, 2022. “Over this period, we know of 30 staff members and 63 students who tested positive for the virus,” he said Barber. He says many staff and students missed days in January “There were days when staffing levels were low, and building Principals worked at creating the least amount of disruption as possible. As of Tuesday, February 8, two staff and students tested positive for COVID-19”.

Atlantic School Board Zoom meeting (2/29/22)

He said also, the process to find a replacement Middle School Principal has begun. “We will send the job posting out tomorrow [Thursday] morning, listing that we’re in need of a 6-8 Middle School Principal. Interested applicants will need to complete their paperwork by March 4th, 2002. We’ll set up interviews for March 14th through the 16th.” The candidates will be interviewed and a Special Board meeting will be held to consider the interview committee’s recommendation. The person selected for the position will replace Josh Rasmussen, who was recently chosen to become the Superintendent for the AC/GC School District, effective July 1, 2022. Barber said also, because of the Atlantic/CAM win

In addition to the previously mentioned resignations and contract recommendations, the Board Wednesday night approved the hiring of Gentri Meier as Schuler Elementary School Counselor. According to her professional page, she currently serves as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at Turning Point Evaluation, Inc., in Winterset. Meier has an MS in Mental Health Counseling/Counselor from Drake University, and a BA in Psychology from Wartburg College.

In other business, the School Board set March 16th at 5:30-p.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on the 2022-23 School Calendar. The date was changed from March 9th due to numerous board members having a scheduling conflict. The Calendar Committee has been working on the proposal to be presented. There were also some changes to the current calendar. Since the Atlantic/CAM Wrestling Team has advanced to the State Dual Team Tournament, there will be no school on Wed., Feb 16th.  Andy Mitchell, he said, is working on a Pep Bus for transport to Des Moines. Fans are required to purchase a ticket, but they won’t be charged much for transportation.

That change means the Feb. 16th & 17th Parent-Teacher Conferences will be moved to Feb. 15th and 17th, from 5-until 8-p.m.  The Atlantic School Board approved Superintendent Steve Barber’s recommendation to provide all employees (Full- or part-time), a stipend based on continuous years of service at the conclusion of the 2021-22 school year. Payment will be made to staff on Sept. 1, 2022. The stipend amounts were mentioned in a previous story.The name “Retention pay” will be referred to instead, from here on out, as “Hero Pay,” since the Board feels the teachers and staff are heroes for dealing with COVID and the many struggles it brought and continues to bring to education.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Local Food Policy Council, Cass County ISU Extension, and Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development invite people from Southwest Iowa to participate in one of two upcoming sessions to discuss Iowa food needs and opportunities. The Iowa Food System Coalition is gathering input to understand needs and opportunities throughout the Iowa food system—from farms and grocery stores, to restaurants and consumers. Participants will discuss Iowa food challenges, strengths, and goals for the future.

Iowa Food System Input Sessions for Southwest Iowa:

• Feb. 15, 9:30-11 AM, Virtual. Register for the Zoom link at: https://www.goldenhillsrcd.org/swiffi.html.
• Feb. 24, 6:00-7:30 PM, Cass County Community Center (805 W. 10th St. Atlantic, IA 50022). No registration is required.

All people have experience with food, and everyone in Southwest Iowa is welcome to participate. However, people who work in food-related jobs and people who are passionate about local food are particularly encouraged to attend.

These events are part of the Iowa Food System Coalition’s All Iowa Talks About Food. The Coalition is a broad spectrum of local food & farm leaders across Iowa working to better coordinate statewide work, to further invest in, and develop, enduring local/regional food supply chains that are fair, equitable, and lead to the economic vitality of all involved.

For more information on these events, contact Kate Olson, County Director of Cass County Extension at 712-243-1132 or keolson@iastate.edu.