(Atlantic, Iowa/ Chamber News) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Danielle Lambert & Tara Sueck, owners of Sweet Joy Shoppe, on Thursday, January 13th, 2022. Officials say the Ambassadors joined Danielle & Tara in celebrating the opening of their new location in the Atlantic Medical Center.

Wendy & Dan Schulz moved from Colorado to Atlantic in 2011 and soon opened Sweet Joy Shoppe. Their daughter, Danielle, graduated from Atlantic Highschool and then attended Iowa Western graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts. After moving away for a short time, Danielle came back to Atlantic and settled into her roll as the Executive Chef at Sweet Joy Shoppe. Tara Sueck joined the Sweet Joy team in 2018 after approaching Wendy about selling her crafts in the shop. Fast forward to 2021, Wendy & Dan have retired and moved to Nepal to work as missionaries, and Danielle and Tara have taken over the business and expanded into the Medical Center.

Sweet Joy’s hospital location offers many grab-n-go options such as chicken salad croissants, strawberry pecan salads, pita chips with hummus along with coffee, tea and specialty drinks. The shop is open at 6:30AM for hospital staff and 7AM-3PM for the public Monday-Friday. Brett Altman, Cass Health CEO, mentioned that in the planning stages of adding the coffee shop to the hospital, the committee wanted the hospital to be a hub of the community and not just a location for medical appointments. He is happy to see groups gathered in the seating area having coffee and hope the community will see both the coffee chop and gift shop as additions to the business community for retail and food & beverage.

Sweet Joy Shoppe is located in the atrium of the Atlantic Medical Center and at 315 Chestnut Street. For more information about Sweet Joy Shoppe, call 712-254-9048 or visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Sweet-Joy-Shoppe-267877693254300

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Benjamin Corell has alerted several units that they are likely to be called to active duty this year. It includes a mission in support of NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — as fears rise about a Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We anticipate we will deploy members of the 209th Medical Company from Iowa City and members of the 1133rd Transportation Company from Mason City to support Operation Atlantic Resolve in Poland,” Corell says. “Atlantic Resolve is part of the Deterrence Initiative focused in Eastern Europe. This enables the U.S. to provide deterrence to adversaries while supporting our NATO partners.”

In 2010, Corell was the commander of Iowa National Guard soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. He says this summer’s withdrawal was very difficult to watch. “I take solace knowing that I, along with those that served beside me, did everything in our ability each day that we served there to achieve an outcome different than what exists today,” Corell says. Corell delivered the annual “Condition of the Guard” address to legislators yesterday (Thursday) and that was his only direct reference to the war in Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Corell

Last year, more than 16-hundred Iowa Guard soldiers and over 200 Iowa Airmen were deployed to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “We have a new generation of heroes in our midst. The men and women who returned home after serving in the Global War on Terrorism are carrying freedom’s torch in the same proud tradition as veterans of previous conflicts,” Corell says.

As Radio Iowa reported yesterday (Thursday), about 80 percent of Iowa Army and Air National Guard members are fully vaccinated, but Corell says the Secretary of Defense’s order that all soldiers and airmen get Covid-19 shots is creating dilemmas within the ranks as unvaccinated members retire or await Pentagon decisions on religious and medical exemptions.

(Radio Iowa) – The Racing and Gaming Commission heard reports Thursday on two recently completed market surveys that detailed the impact of a new casino in Cedar Rapids. The survey by Spectrum Gaming says it appears that Cedar Rapids is well served by casinos in Waterloo and Riverside and a Cedar Rapids casino could significantly impact those two properties. The study by the Innovation Group shows existing casinos would lose 30 percent of their revenue from a new Cedar Rapids casino. Innovation spokesman Thom Litt says looking across the country it has been rare to see anything more than a 30 percent impact.

That impact would be 61 million dollars on the Waterloo and Riverside casinos — but the survey says overall revenue in Iowa is estimated to increase by 51 million dollars with the addition of a Cedar Rapids casino to the market. Newly-elected Cedar Rapids Mayor, Tiffany O’Donnell says that is positive. “I’m very encouraged. They’re two different studies and I consider the Innovation Group study to be the one that I am going to lean on the most — knowing that it is proven to be, this a group that’s proven to be within one or two points in past studies like this,” according to O’Donnell.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell (2022)

Cedar Rapids was denied a casino license in 2014 and 2017 and O’Donnell believes that is going to change with the latest studies. “The effects will be minimal, and certainly the effects on existing casinos less than they’ve ever been before. If not a casino in Cedar Rapids now, I’m not sure when it would be,” she says.

Elite Casino Resorts which owns the Riverside Casino, issued a statement saying the new studies confirm that a Cedar Rapids casino would get a majority of its revenue from existing casinos — and the Cedar Rapids market is well served by the Riverside and Waterloo casinos.

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest early Thursday afternoon, of 31-year-old Devon Taylor Keller. The Creston man was taken into custody at the Union County Courthouse on a Union County warrant for Violation of Probation, related to a No Contact/Protective Order. Keller was being held without bond at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, pending an appearance before the Judge.