The Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department held its 2013 recognition banquet, Saturday night. It was the fourth such year for the event. Fire Chief Mark McNees said Jake Vetter was named “Rookie of the Year,” for having met his Firefighter 1 training requirements and attending meetings.

Mark McNees receives the “Firefighter of the Year” award from 2nd Asst. Fire Chief Tim Cappel.

Justin Masker receives the “Top Dog” award.

Chief Mark McNees bestows the “Rookie of the Year” award to Jake Vetter. (Bobbi Jo McNees/Photos)

Justin Masker won the “Top Dog” award, for responding to most of the calls the department was dispatched to over the past year. That includes EMS, fire and/or Fire and Rescue. And, the Chief himself was awarded “Firefighter of the Year.” McNees said he was “Surprised and grateful” for receiving the honor.

Seven Firefighters were also honored for their milestone years, including: Chris Towne (15 years); Tom Cappel (15 years); Shawn Page (15 years); Justin Masker (5 years); Justin Anderson (5 years); Andy Kloewer (5 years), and Nathan Oswald (5 years).

There are 39 members of the Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department who put their lives on the line to save people and property, every day of the year.

The Page County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest last Friday of a Braddyville man. 23-year old Matthew Thomas Riddle was taken into custody at around 12:45-p.m. following  a traffic stop at Cottonwood and 3rd Streets, in Braddyville. Riddle was charged with Driving Under Suspension, and cited for having an expired registration and failure to provide proof of insurance. He was arrested and brought to the Page County Jail where he was unable to post bond.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Friday, of 19-year old Bryce Charles Elihue Baker, of Atlantic. Baker was taken into custody on a District Court warrant for Violation of Probation. He was brought to the Cass County Jail and being held on $10,000 bond.

On Thursday, January 30th, 21-year old Johnathan Tyler McAlpin, of Red Oak,  turned himself in at the Cass County Jail on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Eluding (D Felony), OWI 1st Offense (Serious), and Driving Under Suspension (Simple). McAlpin was booked and released on his own recognizance later that day.

Also on January 30th, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office charged 20-year old Kyler Jay O’Brien,  with Burglary 3rd Degree (D Felony) with regard to a report from September 25th, 2012 in Anita, wherein the victim reported her house broken into and her purse gone through. O’Brien remains at the Cass County Jail on theft and drug charges from January 3rd, 2014. Including the new charge, O’Brien was being held on $13,000 bond.

The opportunity to spend the summer in Lake Anita State Park is available for individuals who serve as a campground host. Campground hosts receive free camping at a designated site while they help state parks staff by assisting campers, explaining park rules, helping with registration and serving as an impromptu local tour guide. Hosts help park staff to keep the park clean and with light maintenance.The camping season is April 1 to October 31.

Applications are available online at www.iowadnr.gov/volunteer then click on the campground hosts link in the column on the left. Or, call 515-242-5704 to have an application mailed. Applicants will have a federal criminal history and drivers’ license check as part of the process.

“We would like to get the host placed by mid-March so they are ready to go in April,” said Linda King, with the DNR’s office of volunteer services.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – College-bound Iowa students can get advice about career options and student debt using a new web tool.  Officials from the Iowa Student Loan Board officially launched the new tool Monday on www.studentloan.org. It’s called the “ROCI Reality Check,” meaning a reality check on the return on college investment.

Christine Hensley, the board chairwoman, says the tool provides students with information about the starting salaries for careers in their chosen majors, as well as the likelihood they may get a job. She says it is designed to help students think about how much money to borrow for college. Gov. Terry Branstad says students need this kind of information to make smart decisions.

Iowa Student Loan is a nonprofit that doesn’t receive state funding.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report the arrest on Sunday of a Malvern woman. 33-year old Angela Danielle Neil was being held without bond after being arrested at 4-p.m. for Violating a Protection Order.

And, a Maryville, MO. man was taken to the Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs following an accident that occurred Sunday afternoon on Interstate 29 in Mills County. Authorities say Timothy Babcock was traveling north on 180th Street at around 2:20-p.m., when his 2008 Chevy went off the road and into a field, where it continued north for about one-mile before coming to rest near the 37.25-mile marker of I-29. The vehicle sustained major damage. Officials say Babcock appeared to be intoxicated and was found walking aimlessly on I-29.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, Hailey Murphy, of Glenwood, was transported to the hospital by Glenwood Rescue Saturday afternoon, when the 2002 Mazda she was driving left northbound 237th Street at Galaxy Court, and struck a tree in the front yard of a residence, causing the airbags to deploy.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office has released details about a crash over the weekend that claimed the life of an Oakland man and resulted in injuries to three other persons. Pott. County Sheriff Jeff Danker says the accident took place on 360^th Street, just south of Iowa Highway 92, at around 12:45-p.m., Saturday.

Danker says 31-year-old Joshua Fritz of Oakland was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident just east of Treynor. He said Fritz’s vehicle was northbound on 360th, which is a B-level road, when it collided with a southbound vehicle driven by 19-year-old Jordan Easton of rural Council Bluffs. The vehicles met nearly head-on at the crest of the hill.

None of the occupants of the vehicles, other than a child, were wearing their seatbelts. A passenger in Fritz’s pickup, 4-year-old Clayton Fritz of Oakland, was taken by Macedonia Rescue to Council Bluffs Mercy Hospital. Easton was taken by Carson Rescue to Mercy Hospital, while a passenger in his pickup, 22-year-old Brendan Jones of Omaha, was transported by Macedonia Rescue to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. The sheriff says none of the injuries were believed to be life threatening.

Danker says the two vehicles were part of a coyote-hunting party. He says the accident remainsl under investigation.

An announcement from the Rieken-Vieth Funeral Home says Fritz graduated from Riverside High School with the class of 2000. Afterward, he enlisted in the National Guard where he served until 2008. While in the Guard he was stationed in Afghanistan from 2004-2005 during Operation Enduring Freedom. On February 14, 2008 he was married to Melissa Ann Miller. The couple has one son.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is asking for citizens to stop selling and trading WIC benefits on social media sites. In a press release, the IDPH says WIC local agencies continue to inform the department that they personally have identified advertisements or have received information from the public regarding advertisements on social media sites for the sale of WIC benefits, particularly infant formula. The continued report of these actions indicates to the state WIC office and to USDA that this illegal activity is ongoing.

WIC benefits are issued to pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children who have been certified as eligible to participate in the program in accordance to federal regulations. WIC food instruments and cash value vouchers may only be used by a WIC participant, a caregiver, or a designated proxy to purchase WIC eligible food items for the participant’s use. Any other use of WIC benefits, including the posting of WIC benefits for sale on the internet, is evidence that the participant committed a violation and is therefore subject to program sanctions.

The USDA has consulted with their office of general counsel and requested that all national social media sites post a notice regarding the illegality of selling WIC benefits, particularly infant formula on its website and that WIC food and benefits be added to its list of prohibited items. The state WIC office in the Iowa Department of Public Health is now requesting the same actions from local social media sites. If you have seen someone posting WIC benefits, contact the IDPH office by calling 515-281-7095 or by email at jill.lange@idph.iowa.gov.