Authorities in Montgomery County say a Wisconsin man suffered self-inflicted stab wounds early this (Friday) morning, at the site of the Villisca Axe Murder house.

Villisca Axe Murder house

37-year old Robert Steven Laursen, JR., of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, was transported by Villisca Rescue to the Clarinda Regional Health Center and then flown to Creighton Medical Center in Omaha.  A report on the man’s condition is currently not available.  The incident was reported at around 12:45-a.m.

Sheriff’s officials say Laursen was visiting the historic location as part of a recreational paranormal investigation. Since there was no indication of foul play, authorities say it’s unlikely charges will be filed.

Deputies were assisted in their investigation by personnel with the Red Oak Police Department. Six children and two adults were murdered in the house just over a century ago in a crime that was never solved.

Iowa motorists will be encouraged to hear that after more than one-thousand-four-hundred days, a mile marker has been reached on gasoline prices. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa, says prices have hit the lowest level in almost four years. White says, “The national average price of gas dropped below $3 a gallon for the first time since December 22nd, 2010, ending its longest streak ever above that price.”

The national average for ethanol blends is now two-95 a gallon. In Iowa, pump prices have been falling, holding steady, then falling some more for weeks. White says the statewide average for ethanol blends is now two-97 a gallon, though some Iowa retailers are in the two-70s.  “They continue to drop almost on a daily basis,” White says. “We did see processed fuel trickle up a little bit on the commodities market but we don’t expect it to stay there.”

Crude oil prices are trading around $79 a barrel, down from $107 a barrel just a couple of months ago. Several factors are fueling the drop in gas prices, including a big increase in domestic crude oil production.  “It’s currently at its highest level in 30 years thanks to North Dakota,” White says. “With corn prices being down, ethanol prices have dropped as well. Also, the demand is flat right now and we have to look at the hurricane situation. There has not been a hurricane that’s impacted oil operations in the U.S in the last two years.”

It’s typical for gas prices to fluctuate heading into winter but White says at this point, there’s no indicator that prices will rebound anytime soon. White says, “There are many factors that impact fuel prices which makes it very difficult to predict but looking at what we have right now, with the increase in production, the demand being flat, we do anticipate paying very favorable rates throughout the rest of the year.”

The cheapest average gas price in an Iowa metro area is in Sioux City at two-88, while Davenport is the most expensive, averaging three-oh-two.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Area Chamber’s 14th Annual Scrooge Contest, sponsored by Hockenberry Family Care
and Longaberger Consultant – Dolly Bergmann, is underway during the month of November. Eleanor
Hoover organized the contest back in 2002 just one year after the inaugural Lighted Parade.
The Scrooge contestants raise money and collect non-perishable food items for the Atlantic Food
Pantry.

Karla Eilts

Mark McNees

Kyle Bartholic

Rob Tarrell

Kevin Wieser

The 2014 candidates include: Karla Eilts, Rex Pharmacy; Kevin Wieser, Brown’s Shoe Fit;
Kyle Bartholic, Youth Leader at E Free Church; Mark McNees, Atlantic Fire Chief and U.S. Postal
Service; and Rob Tarrell, Cub Scouts. According to Hoover, “Candidates can choose any method they want in collecting their points. In the past, candidates have hosted soup suppers, and put pictures and boxes in local businesses to collect food donations.”

Contestants are responsible for collecting and submitting their points to the Chamber by December 4th at Noon. The contestant with the most points will be named, Scrooge, and all proceeds will benefit the Atlantic Food Pantry. Winner of the Scrooge Contest serves as the Grand Marshal in the Lighted Parade on Dec. 6th at 6 p.m. in Downtown Atlantic. Cash donations are worth one point on the dollar and two non-perishable items earn the contestants one point.

Past Scrooge titles have been awarded to: Devin Ferguson 2002, Eleanor Hoover 2003, Rex
McDermott 2004, Tonia Goft 2005, Rick Harlan 2006, Mary Ann Moorman 2007, Dana Halder
2008, Tammy Wise & Janet Huey 2009, Ritchie Anderson 2010, Janet Cappel 2011, Melanie Petty
2012 and David Miller 2013.

Hoover said the Scrooge title is used because,“Contestants find the meaning of Christmas, by giving
to others,” explaining that is the real honor of being named Scrooge.“Therefore, I am hoping that
together as a community we will assist the contestants to provide many neighbors and friends the
same joy of having a meal to celebrate the holidays.”

The contest will run from November 1st to December 4th. Donations to a contestant can be made by
delivering food or funds to their drop off locations or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. For
more information please call the Chamber at 712.243.3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

Two people were arrested Thursday on separate charges in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Office reports deputies took 24-year old Eric Alan Vannausdale, of Red Oak, into custody at around 5-p.m. on a valid Montgomery County warrant for Operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. RedOak Police assisted in conducting the arrest.

And, at around 2:30-p.m., 59-year old Melvin Lawrence Svoboda, of Council Bluffs, was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34, at T Avenue in Montgomery County. Svoboda was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Svoboda was being held on $1,000 bond, while Vanndausdale’s bond was set at $2,000.

Iowa’s prison population is forecast to grow by 39-percent over the next decade, according to a new report from the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning. Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says although the report estimates Iowa’s inmate count at 11,317 by mid-2024, it’s unlikely to actually reach that level.

“It’s just a prediction and we will continue to monitor, but we’ll continue to work the way we are now in trying to keep our prison population stable as well as moving people through the system,” Scaletta says. There are currently just under 82-hundred (8,200) inmates in Iowa prisons that are designed to accommodate 7,276 prisoners. Scaletta says his agency has been working with lawmakers and the Board of Parole to improve the community-based corrections system and reduce recidivism for inmates who are freed.

“So, we’ve been able to stabilize and even lower our population over the last three to four years,” Scaletta said. The 34-page Prison Population Forecast report is schedule to be presented to the Board of Corrections at its meeting today (Friday) in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)