Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation said today (Thursday) the public will be informed each week through the local media, about detours for Highway 6 in Atlantic, once a long-awaited construction project begins in the next few weeks. The road is scheduled to be closed from the intersection of Olive Street and Highway 6 (7th Street) east to just past the entrance to Burger King.

IA DOT District 4 Transportation Planner Scott Suhr and District 4 Assistant District Engineer Don Stevens provided the media with a project update this (Thursday) morning. While the exact start date has not yet been determined because the contractor for the project has not yet signed the documents necessary to begin, Suhr says in the days leading up to construction, orange “Trailblazing” detour signs with the names of each business will be erected, directing people to those local businesses they would normally have access to on 7th Street.

Signs will also be placed at 7th and Olive directing traffic to 10th Street for local, through traffic. Other, non-local or “Global” traffic will take Highway 173, Interstate 80 and U-S Highway 71 into or around Atlantic.

Bid letting on the project took place on March 17th. And, while the exact start date has yet to be determined, construction will start no later than June 6th and be completed in two-to three-months, depending on the weather. In ideal situation, Suhr said construction would start following the last day of school, and be completed before the fall semester begins.

Project updates will be made available to the media for dissemination to the public on Monday afternoons, following meetings with the contractor, once construction begins. The idea is to keep the public informed on progress being made while the project is underway.

UPDATE:  The memorial service for the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Harry will be held today at the Memorial Building at 5:00 pm instead of the City Park due to the weather.

The Union County Sheriff’s Department says a rural Lorimor resident reported today (Thursday), their green, 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 4-wheel drive off-road machine, had been stolen from a farm property. The 700cc machine had a red hitch on the front. The loss was estimated at $6,000.

An investigation into an incident early this (Thursday) morning resulted in the arrest of a man charged with Impersonating a Police Officer. Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says officers arrested 20-year old Brian Lewis Frey, of Clarinda, at around 1:30-a.m.

Officials were notified that at approximately 1:00 a.m. Frey allegedly used red/blue lights while operating a red 1998 Ford Mustang registered to him, to pull over a vehicle on State Street.  Frey and his car were located in the Clarinda Lied Recreation Center parking lot on East Main Street.

The man was taken into custody without incident and later released after posting a $2,000 bond. All reports have been forwarded to the office of Page County Attorney Jeremy S. Peterson for review and decision regarding the filing of formal charges in Page County District Court. Police Chief Keith Brothers stressed there was no danger to the public and this appears to have been an isolated incident.

The Creston Police Department received two reports of recent thefts, this week. On Wednesday, a resident on North Lincoln Street told authorities someone took several electronic items from her home, including a Dell tablet, RCA tablet, an Ipod Touch, and Ipod Shuffle. The loss was estimated at $382. The items were taken sometime between March 11th and 25th.

And on Tuesday, a resident in Creston reported to police that someone had taken his backpack that contained a Leatherman tool, Interline jacket, Eye glasses, and carabiners. The items were taken from 107 N. Division Street, sometime between 8-and 8:15-p.m., Tuesday. The loss was estimated at $200.