(In an update to our earlier report) A small livestock shed burned to the ground this (Monday) morning, northeast of Elliott, resulting the loss of several chickens. Elliott Fire Chief Brandon Adams told KJAN News a call about the fire at 53890 Pioneer Trail, came in at around 3:45-a.m. Adams says Griswold and Red Oak Fire along with Elliott 1st Responders, assisted at the scene.

Adams says when they arrived on the scene, the small livestock shed was fully engulfed in flames. He says they were able to knock down the flames quickly, but some small chickens perished in the blaze. The number of chickens that died was not known.

Adams says the cause of the fire is undetermined. There was a heat lamp for the chicks connected to electricity, but it’s not certain that actually caused the blaze. Firefighters got the blaze under control by around 4:15, and were on the scene for about an hour altogether cleaning up.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green is scheduled to present his report during Wednesday evening’s meeting of the City Council. The meeting begins 5:30-p.m., in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall.

During his presentation, it’s expected Green will preview his future budget proposals, which may include body cameras for his officers. City Administrator John Lund says the Chief has done a great deal of research into the subject, the topic of which has been in the spotlight since the August 2014 shooting of a black suspect in Ferguson, MO., and other such recent, incidents.

A November 2014 survey of police departments serving the 100 most populated cities, found nearly 30-percent use some type of body cam, about one-quarter of the departments or agencies have plans to implement body cams, while slightly more than one-third of the cities did not use or planned to use the systems.

In Iowa, the police force in Iowa City began using the devices in July, 2015. In other cities, like Ft. Madison, community groups are banding together to raise funds destined to help pay for their officers’ body cameras. But the price isn’t cheap. They average around $800 a piece, not counting the required associated equipment, and other related expenses.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will review the bids and award a contract for, the Nishna Hills Storm Water Project, which is intended to help deal with drainage and storm water run-off issues affecting East 14th Street.The Council will also act on approving the Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Urban Renewal Report, which is required by the State, and accounts for outstanding debt, revenue and expenditures pertaining to the City’s Urban Renewal District.

And, City Administrator John Lund will present the Hotel-Motel Tax report. The four-percent tax was adopted following a vote on a public measure in Nov., 2010. According to his report, the City has raised $314, 706 from the Hotel-Motel Tax, since it began in Jan., 2011. The City uses those funds for a variety of parks and recreation improvements.

A documentary about school consolidation in Iowa will premiere this week on Iowa Public Television. The one-hour program was produced by the Des Moines Register, which compiled a yearlong series on the issue. Register journalist Jason Clayworth says the story is essentially about rural decay. “This is really a story about some seismic demographic changes in Iowa and the consequences they’ve had on, specifically, rural communities in the state,” Clayworth said.

The documentary, titled “Lost Schools,” follows a pair of communities over a one year period. That includes the town of Corwith, as its residents voted to close the Corwith Wesley LuVerne School District. “The other community we focused on was the town of Gowrie, where the Prairie Valley School District and the Southeast Webster Grand School District, for the first time, whole-grade shared their middle and high schools,” Clayworth said.

The two stories highlight the sadness of the loss of a school and the struggles people face when consolidating schools.  “So, really, it was emotional for both communities because we’re talking about great change,” Clayworth said. “A school is something in a community that is very personal for the residents because parents and grandparents, in many cases, have all attended these schools.”

Lost Schools will premiere on Iowa Public Television this Thursday (October 22) at 7 p.m. The program will also air on Sunday (October 25) at 1 p.m.

(Radio Iowa)

Firefighters from Griswold were paged-out just before 4-a.m. today (Monday), to help crews from the Elliott Fire Department battle a fully engulfed shed fire. The blaze was occurring at 53890 Pioneer Trail, which is northeast of Elliott.  No other information was immediately available.