(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Police Department report that on Thursday, June 15th, 10th street between Olive and Spruce Streets, will be blocked off for the removal of a large tree in that area. Authorities say large equipment will be brought in and used to accomplish the task, which could pose danger to vehicles on the road.

Please plan your travels accordingly as the work is expected to take most of the day, Thursday.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The male operator of a motorcycle was injured Friday night in Cass County (IA), when the machine failed to negotiate a curve, entered a ditch and rolled at least twice. According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the accident happened at around 10:22-p.m., Friday, at Oxford Road and Lewis Road.

The unidentified man was flown by air ambulance to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, for treatment of what were described as life-threatening injuries. The accident remains under investigation. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted at the scene by Cass EMS, the Griswold and Lewis Fire Departments, and Life Flight, out of Audubon.

(Radio Iowa) – A new walking tour in the Iowa Great Lakes includes information about where music icons like Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash performed. Rebecca Peters is the director of Okoboji Tourism.  “People are always looking for a unique way to experience this area,” Peters says. “We really loved the idea of a walking tour because you get to explore the Arnolds Park area and you get to learn a little bit about some great rock and roll history.” The Roof Garden Ballroom in Arnolds Park was the second largest dance hall in the country when it opened in 1923. The Glenn Miller Orchestra was among its earliest bookings. In the 1950s, the venue began hosting rock ‘n roll acts. The Beach Boys performed there in 1963. Peters co-authored a book about the ballroom.

“We got to visit with people and hear stories about how friends would pile into their car and get as many people into a car as possible and come to Arnolds Park to listen to great music,” Peters says. “…Music has always drawn people here and so I think it’s really special to be able to have this walking tour that just remembers that history.”

The original ballroom was torn down in 1987. A brand new Roof Garden opened in 2019. That’s where the walking tour starts, at displays of memorabilia like signed contracts and posters for some of the concerts at the Roof Garden. The second stop is at the Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association Museum. The final stop is at the site of the original Roof Garden Ballroom. Walkers can stand on a newly installed star positioned where the ballroom’s center stage was located — and bands like The Turtles performed.

(Radio Iowa) – A new book offers a glimpse into what it was like to grow up about a century ago in the small north-central Iowa town of Duncombe (DUN-cum). Author and former Webster City resident Kent Wills, who uses the pen name Jack Weicz, is releasing the book this week called “Duncombe Gal.” Wills says it’s about a woman in the last year of her long life reflecting back on her many experiences as a member of what’s considered the Greatest Generation.

While the woman is Wills’ mother, who was from Duncombe, he says it’s a work of biographical fiction as he had to imagine certain conversations. He says his mother never longed for more than an ordinary life while living through one of the most remarkable times in American history. The 77-page book is available on Amazon and Kindle.

(State News) – The Iowa State Patrol reports there was one fatal accident Friday night, and an injury accident Friday afternoon. In Polk County, 40-year-old Jerry Lee Baskett, of Des Moines, died when the 2004 Dodge RAM 2500 pickup he was driving, left Interstate 80 westbound at mile marker 150, and entered the ditch. The vehicle rolled several times before coming to rest. Baskett was ejected from the pickup and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. The crash happened at around 10:47-p.m.

The second accident happened at around 2:30-p.m. Friday, in northern Iowa’s Butler County. The Patrol says 69-year-old Duane Earl Gibson, of Shell Rock, was seriously injured when the 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle he was riding struck a deer on westbound Highway 3, just west of the intersection with T-47 (Sinclair Avenue).

The motorcycle came to rest on the highway, with Gibson pinned beneath the machine. He was not wearing a helmet. Gibson was transported by air ambulance to a hospital in Rochester, MN.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on eight arrests, dating back to May 24th. Most recently:

• On June 5th and June 1st, 55-year-old Richard James Linfor, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Page County Jail for theft in the 5th degree. Linfor was also arrested on May 28tht at the Mills County Jail, on an active Page County warrant for Violation of Probation ($5,000 bond)
• On June 3rd, 39-year-old Paul Nathaniel Falk, of Shenandoah, was arrested on the Wabash Nature Trail north of Shenandoah Iowa. Arrested for public intoxication. Bond is $300.00 cash or surety.
• On the 2nd of June, 40-year-old Lyle Francis Stogdill, of Shenandoah, was arrested at the Page County Jail  for criminal mischief. Bond is $300.00 cash or surety.
• On May 26th, 53-year-old John David Stone, of Braddyville, was arrested for driving while barred. Bond is $2,000.00 cash or surety.
• On May 25th, 23-year-old  Zachary Lee Miller, of Shenandoah, was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office on an active Page County Warrant for Failure to Appear. Bond is $300.00 Cash Only
• And, on May 24th, 28-year-old Bill Louis Stockwell, of Elk Horn, Iowa, was arrested at the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office on a valid Page County Warrant for driving while barred. Bond was set at $5,000.