A man from Union County was arrested Wednesday on a warrant out of Taylor County. Creston Police say 35-year old Thomas Johnston, of Creston, was arrested on a warrant for Theft in the 4th degree. Johnston was later released after posting a $1,000 bond.

Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner issued a statement to KJAN News clarifying the amount he is being paid as a special prosecutor for the City of Atlantic, in cases dealing with criminal matters.

Earlier, we said that during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, City Attorney Dave Wiederstein mentioned with regard to the hiring of a City Attorney, if the General/Civil and Criminal retainers are included together in the contract, he recommended continuing the $15,000 annual salary currently paid to the County Attorney, for Criminal Prosecutions, above and beyond what is proposed in the General Retainer. Currently, the Cass County Attorney handles Criminal Prosecution cases for the City, while serving as a paid, Assistant City Attorney.

To clarify, Wiederstein said he is being paid $15,000 as City Attorney, and he recommended the new City Attorney, whomever that may be, be paid the same amount, and that they handle criminal matters as well.

Dan Feistner said he has been paid the same amount ($300.00/month or $3,600.00/yr) ever since the City of Atlantic appointed him as the special prosecutor for their criminal matters. Feistner said he bills the City of Atlantic twice per year, once in June and once in December, for his attorney fees and for office expenses.

An investigation into an earlier incident resulted in the arrest of a man on drug charges this (Friday) morning. Red Oak Police say 29-year old Aaron Lucas Allen, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 400 block of Highland Avenue at around 1-a.m., on charges that include Possession of Meth with the intent to deliver, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Allen was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on $100,000 cash bond.

A free Holiday Concert will take place in Atlantic this Sunday evening (Dec. 7th). The concert is being presented by Bonnesen’s Five and Ten Store, and will be held at First United Methodist Church, starting at 3:00 p.m. New to the Holiday Concert this year is an interactive format, including all types of music, solos, duets, instrumentals and an encore choir.

The local lineup of talent includes: Paige Anstey, Atlantic High School, national fine arts finalist 2 years in a row; Kevin Ferguson, reading “Twas the Night before Christmas,”; Haley Glenn, Atlantic High School, 2014 State Honor Choir, national fine arts finalist 2 years in a row; BJ and Krysta Hart, soloists and duets; Lee and Kelly Havemeier, Atlantic Youth Pastor’s and Music Ministers; Caleb Kelly, high school accomplished musician, national competition for public speaking, violin soloist and singer; Sheryl Sunderman and Carolyn Delay, directing youth bell choir.

The Angel of Christmas award, sponsored by the Cass County Health System, will be presented by Todd Hudspeth, Chief Executive Officer, during the concert. The Angels of Christmas is a tradition in Atlantic recognizing and thanking area residents who symbolize the true meaning of the season. Angels exemplify the true holiday spirit all year long—putting others first, spreading generosity and sharing the holiday spirit with everyone they meet.

For more information, call the Atlantic Area Chamber at 712-243-3017.

Officials at the state agency which hands out unemployment benefits to laid-off workers say they’ve detected a new kind of fraud that’s resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars from the state unemployment trust fund. Iowa Workforce Development Director Teresa Wahlert says perpetrators set up fake companies and then “lay off” fake employees who collect unemployment. Wahlert calls it a whole new field for fraud investigation. “One of our new strategies is not only to pursue fraudulent claims against the trust fund, but also to pursue fictitious companies,” Wahlert says.

A new fraud detection system is helping to detect the fake companies before they can collect any benefits, according to Wahlert.  “So far, between August and November of this year, we’ve found 13 fictitious employers,” Wahlert says. In one day alone, eight phony companies registered with the state using the same IP address. Wahlert says the new system has helped prevent half a million dollars ($500,000) in fraudulent unemployment claims.

(Radio Iowa)