JAMES DORY, 83, of Anita, died Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at Cass Health in Atlantic. Cremation has taken place, and no services for JIM DORY are planned at this time. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Anita assisted the family.
Memorials may be made out to A.M.U of Anita, United Methodist Church, Anita Library, Anita Wellness Center, the Anita Ambulance, and may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022.
(Radio Iowa) – Consumer spending in Iowa is driving state sales tax revenue higher. Over the past six months, there’s been a more than 10 percent increase in sales tax payments to the state. The latest report of overall tax collections shows total state revenue grew just over nine percent last month compared to December of 2020. Jeff Robinson is the senior fiscal analyst with the Legislative Services Agency.
“In summary, Iowa net General Fund revenue continues to grow at a strong pace, with sales tax posting remarkable year-over-year gains,” Robinson says. “Corporate income tax growth has moderated, but remains positive.”
Robinson says it’s likely there was a modest gain in the amount of personal income tax payments made to the state, however an accounting change made in mid-November makes a precise reading difficult. That’s because the Department of Revenue set up a single account on November 15th for depositing ALL tax payments made to the state and Robinson says it’s taking some time for payments to be separated and reported in each tax category.
(Audubon, Iowa) – School Administrators across Iowa and the nation, for that matter, are planning to enact one of two options with regard to Federally Mandated employee COVID-19 vaccinations. The mandate says businesses with 100 or more employees must ensure those employees are vaccinated, or submit to weekly testing. The U-S Supreme Court is expected to received oral arguments tomorrow (Friday), on whether or not to enforce the Mandate. That would include most school districts, including Atlantic, Audubon and Griswold. As previously mentioned, the Griswold School Board has a special meeting this evening to discuss the matter and enact a plan. Atlantic will hold a vaccine policy meeting at Noon on Monday, Jan. 10th in the District Central Office at 1406 S.W. 7th Street (The meeting will be streamed on YouTube, with the link to be made available prior to the meeting).
Atlantic’s Policy says “Employees must submit to the Superintendent (or their designee) acceptable proof of vaccination status no later than January 10, 2022. Beginning Feb. 9, 2022, any employees who are not fully vaccinated must submit proof of negative COVID-19 test results every seven days. Audubon Superintendent Eric Trager says the Audubon School Board will meet in special session 7-a.m. Monday, to discuss the federal policy and their response.
He says this situation is still very fluid, and could very well change, but the deadline for having those policies in-place, is Monday, Jan. 10th.
If the high court rules against the mandate, the Audubon School District will cancel the meeting and take no action at all. Either way, Trager said the “Timing is not ideal here.”
The Audubon School Board, he said, is not alone in having to act on the policy one way or another.
The Audubon School Board meeting takes place 7:00 a.m. Monday, January 10th, in the Board Room at the High School.
(Stuart, Iowa) – The Stuart Police Department, today (Thursday), announced on social media, that K9 “Ally” has officially joined the department. K9 Ally and her handler, Officer Daniel Irving, have begun working as a team and are ready to serve the Stuart community. Ally is an 18 month old shepherd mix that was purchased from Midwest K9 in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Midwest K9 had already trained K9 Ally in narcotics detection and tracking, when she was purchased. Officer Irving and K9 Ally then needed to train together as a team, to ensure they understood each other. Officer Irving and K9 Ally went through 50 hours of of narcotics detection training with Midwest K9. Officer Irving and K9 Ally then went through a certification test and passed with a perfect score. Officer Irving and K9 Ally will be required to recertify each year.
Officer Irving and K9 Ally are currently in the process of going through tracking training, which is an additional 20-25 hours. Once Officer Irving and K9 Ally are certified in tracking, they’ll be able to assist in tracking suspects and missing persons. K9 Ally’s ability to help track missing persons, whether it is a lost child or an elderly person who has wandered too far from home, will hopefully be an asset to Stuart and surrounding communities.
Stuart Police K9 Ally & Officer Irving (photo via the Stuart PD Facebook page)
While Officer Irving and K9 Ally’s priority will be serving the Stuart community, outside agencies can request Officer Irving and K9 Ally’s assistance. Officer Irving, as K9 Ally’s handler, will consider outside agency requests on a case by case basis, factoring in such things as department policies, location and the environment in which K9 Ally would be deployed. K9 Ally’s safety is a top consideration when Officer Irving is deciding whether or not to deploy her. When K9 Ally is not working, she resides with Officer Irving at his residence. K9 Ally is a member of his family, even though there are differences between a working dog and a house dog. K9 Ally has certain times and locations where she is able to relax, spend time in the yard and enjoys playing with tennis balls.
Officials say the next step is to work towards getting K9 Ally a protective vest. Protective vests are recommended for dogs over two years old, hopefully to ensure that the dog is fully grown when fitted for a protective vest. The Stuart Police Department says it is grateful for all the community support it has received regarding their K9 Program. The K9 Program they say, would not have been possible without the many generous donations from private citizens and businesses, along with a grant from the Empowering Adair County Foundation.
The Stuart Police Department will continue to accept donations for the K9 Program to help with ongoing costs such as veterinarian care and training costs. Donations can be made out to the Stuart Police Department K9 Program and sent to PO Box 370, Stuart, IA 50250. Donations can also be dropped off at the police department in the mail box next to the entrance door.
(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa woman has been sentenced to 30 days in federal prison after pleading guilty to money laundering.Twenty-three-year-old Yesenia Ledesma-Ledezma, of Albert City, has agreed to forfeit the house she bought in April of last year with 65-thousand dollars in cash. According to a plea agreement, she admits smuggling counterfeit goods into the country and selling them for a profit.
A news release from U.S. Attorney’s Office indicated the value of those smuggled goods was 370-thousand dollars.
(Radio Iowa) – Assaults at hospitals increased at some locations in the state during the pandemic. That includes Sioux City where police reported six assaults of staff at MercyOne and five at UnityPoint St. Lukes. In the Mercy One Emergency Department, Johnny Garza says they have a two-part training that first emphasizes dealing with situations as they escalate and how to get out of them. “The second part of the training is what do you do if physical contact is made — how do you ensure safety to self? For instance, what techniques are involved if you are grabbed by the arm, grabbed by the hair if someone is biting you,” Garza says. “So, each one of these, the safety training that we provide does provide resources for staff on how to escape or how to prevent further injury.”
He says there are alarm buttons in the E-R for staff to get help if things do escalate. “By initiating either the emergency or the code, you are definitely going to get team members there to assist,” he says. Garza says the staff also have an alarm system that is linked to their I-D badge. “So it’s on them every single minute that they are working. There’s a button that they are to push. This will not only activate a panic alarm — but it will also tell staff where that distressed staff member is so that staff and security can respond,” Garza explains.
Staff also have radios available. The assaults in Sioux City included eight nurses and four security guards. The University of Iowa recently reported that two-thirds of the aggravated assaults on the campus in 2020 happened at the University Hospitals and Clinics. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported this trend of staff assaults began in April — but the story said attacks on health care workers have been rising for years.
KELLY DAVIS, 67, of Atlantic, died January 5, 2022, at his home in Atlantic. A time of remembrance for KELLY DAVIS will be held from 3 pm until 5 pm, Saturday, January 22, 2022, at the Nishna Hills Golf Club in Atlantic. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Atlantic is assisting the family.
A private family burial will take place at a later date in the Atlantic Cemetery.
KELLY DAVIS is survived by:
His brother – Dennis (Sherry) Davis, of Atlantic.
His sisters – Vicki (Bob) Levy, of Des Moines, and Kristi (Roger Simpson) Arnold, of Wathena, Kansas.
(Iowa DNR News) – The recent blast of arctic air is growing ice on lakes and ponds over much of Iowa. Anglers are ready to get out for the popular early ice fishing season. “Many of us can’t wait to get out on the ice each winter,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of fisheries for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “Ice fishing is a fun, inexpensive activity for anglers of all ages to get outdoors and avoid cabin fever.” The DNR recommends a minimum of four inches of clear ice for fishing and at least five inches for snowmobiles and ATVs.
“Check ice thickness as you make your way to your favorite fishing spot,” Larscheid said. “Ice conditions change constantly and its thickness can vary across the lake. Trust your instincts – if the ice does not look right, don’t go out.”
A blanket of snow on top of an ice-covered lake insulates the ice, slowing the growth of ice and hiding potential hazards or weak spots. River ice is 15 percent weaker than lake ice. Ice with a bluish color is safer than clear ice. Avoid slushy or honey-combed ice and stay away from dark spots on the ice. Don’t walk into areas where the snow cover looks discolored.
Safety Tips on the Ice
No ice is 100 percent safe.
New ice is usually stronger than old ice.
Don’t go out alone – if the worst should happen, someone will be there to call for help or to help rescue.
Let someone know where you are going and when you will return.
Check ice thickness as you go out – there could be pockets of thin ice or places where ice recently formed.
Avoid off-colored snow or ice. It is usually a sign of weakness.
The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process.
Bring along these basic items to help keep you safe: hand warmers, ice cleats to help prevent falls, ice picks (wear around your neck) to help you crawl out of the water if you fall in, a life jacket, a floating safety rope, a whistle to call for help, a basic first aid kit and extra dry clothes including a pair of gloves.
The following article was submitted by Rebecca Wallace, Family and Consumer Sciences at the Atlantic High School & Atlantic Middle School. It was written by Mary McBride, and is part of a series of articles letting you know what’s going on with the Atlantic, Iowa School District….
Not everyone knows that the Atlantic Community School District has multiple settings for their high school students to earn a diploma. In addition to the traditional high school setting, there
are two other programs to help students meet their graduation goals. These programs are called the Link Center and the Cass County Educational Opportunity Center (CCEOC). Both of these
programs are usually located at the Achievement Center, though they are currently displaced by the 6th and 7th-grade students due to the Atlantic Middle School fire. However, they are two
very different programs that serve a variety of students.
The Link Center is a program for students who need a smaller classroom setting, higher teacher-to-student ratio, and social-emotional support. This program is led by Special Education
teacher Mary McBride and Behavior Interventionist Melanie Fell. They are assisted by paraprofessionals Oran Perkins and Clint Weppler. The Link Center serves students between 6th and 12th-grade and can have up to 10 students at a time.
The CCEOC is a program that allows students to recover credits if they get behind at the high school. This program is led by Special Education teacher Karen Vogl and assisted by general
education teacher Bryce Smith and paraprofessionals Stacy Van Aernam and Sheri Walter. They can serve up to 40 high school students who work at their own pace to complete classes
through independent study.
Both of these programs help to ensure that students who may struggle in the traditional high school environment can still obtain a diploma and move forward in their postsecondary plans.
Students from these programs may go to college and often go on to a successful career.
(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa school district is adding a dual language program next fall that will have kindergartners learning English and Spanish. Corry Spies, principal at Franklin Elementary School in Muscatine, says parents of kindergartners can sign them up for the program that will start in August and it will extend to the following grade every year. Spies says, “It’s just something that will continue to help our students overall in life with problem-solving skills, building leadership, self-confidence, and then strengthen that bond that exists between our schools and our community.”
Becky Wichers, the Muscatine district’s director of student services, says the program will benefit kids who speak English at home, but especially those who speak Spanish at home. “So it lets them be a leader in the classroom,” Wichers says, “and I think it really demonstrates the appreciation for our native-speaking Spanish students and their families, so I think culturally, it will really enhance that relationship.”
The Muscatine Community School District already has a similar program for four-year-olds in preschool, but this will be the first time it’s brought into the district’s K-12 system.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS