At least four students were sickened with salmonella earlier this week, at a school in Hamburg. One of the students ended-up at a hospital in Omaha, but was later allowed to go home. KETV in Omaha reports parents of students at the Marnie Simons Elementary received a letter Tuesday alerting them to the medical issue. The first salmonella case appeared Oct. 1st, with additional cases being reported on Oct. 7.

So far, no one knows where the salmonella came from. Most parents said they knew about the sick children before the district sent its letter Tuesday. The news came from their kids.

Superintendent Jay Lutt said the district’s food supplier hasn’t found any evidence of salmonella or any cases related to its food products. Because the source remains a mystery, parents want faculty to be extra careful, while at home, those same parents are making sure their kids focus on personal hygiene, especially thorough hand-washing.

Atlantic High School Guidance Counselor Craig Fredin says the counseling staff at AHS will host a College Planning meeting for juniors and seniors and their parents, 7-p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17th, in the high school auditorium. During the meeting, a representative of the College Planning Center in Des Moines will present a program which addresses a variety of topics, including: Admission requirements; School selection; dual high school-college level classes; career and college computer searches and financial aid information.

Counselors from the high school will also be on-hand to answer questions and explain other career and financial aid materials available at the high school.

A teenager attempting to impress his friends ended-up wrecking 2 cars Thursday night, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police 17-year old Dean Anthony Brooms, of Red Oak, was traveling west in the Plaza Parking lot in the 1600 block of North Broadway at around 8-p.m., and attempting to show-off for a group of nearby teens.

The 2007 Ford Mustang GT owned by Steven Doyle Johnson, of Red Oak, was traveling at a high rate of speed when it went out of control and slammed into a legally parked 1992 Ford Escort station wagon, owned by Marlene Dukes, of Red Oak.

Both vehicles were totaled in the crash, with the loss estimated at $14,300. Brooms was charged with Reckless Driving, Failure to have a valid driver’s license, and interference with officials acts. He was released to the custody of his grandmother.

The Iowa West Foundation, headquartered in Council Bluffs, has announced $4.1 million in grants for the third quarter of 2013. The grants will be used to assist 39 nonprofit organizations and governmental entities with funding for area projects. (Below is a list of the recipients, the grant purpose & amount):

• ALS in the Heartland Inc., new patient services for “Lou Gehrig’s” disease in southwest Iowa, $7,670

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, community-based mentoring in Mills and Pottawattamie counties, $40,000

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands, general operating support for Council Bluffs club, $140,000

• Carson, Iowa, Business Club, improvement to the community’s Dreamland Theater, $5,000

• Carstens 1880 Farmstead Inc., preservation projects at historic farm site near Shelby, $15,000

• Children’s Imagination Station Daycare & Preschool, motor skill equipment at Denison facility, $3,625

• Children’s Square U.S.A., replacement of windows at Council Bluffs Children’s Center, $32,000

• City of Council Bluffs, support of events for 2014 LoessFest at River’s Edge Park, $250,000

• Council Bluffs Community School District, renovation of a site for a collaboration with Heartland Family Service, $407,500

• Council Bluffs Goodfellows, program to assist local families during holiday season, $45,000

• Council Bluffs Trees Forever, plantings along new trail in eastern part of city, $8,220

• Creighton University, expansion of financial education program in Council Bluffs, $70,126

• Eckels Memorial Library, additions to the library collection in Oakland, $2,500

• French Icarian Colony Foundation, continued development at site of French Icarian Village near Corning, $20,000

• Grist Mill Fine Arts Council Inc., roof replacement of community fine arts center in Macedonia, $5,000

• Heartland Family Service, substance abuse case management in southwest Iowa, $143,000

• HELP Adult Services, health equipment services in southwest Iowa, $2,000

• Historical Society of Pottawattamie County, restoration of a historic downtown jail and a former train dining car, $26,625

• Humanities Iowa, cultural speaker programs in southwest Iowa, $4,500

• Inclusive Communities, human relations workshops for southwest Iowa youth, $10,000

• Iowa Legal Aid, legal education services for southwest Iowa families and foster care youth, $76,134

• Iowa Newspaper Foundation, newspapers in southwest Iowa school libraries, $18,500

• Iowa West Foundation Streetscape Initiative, city of Council Bluffs streetscape maintenance, $444,000

• Iowa Western Community College, information technology internships in collaboration with local businesses, $101,187

• Joslyn Art Museum, “Museum to the Classroom” program for Pottawattamie County schools, $20,000

• Justice For Out Neighbors-Nebraska, legal consultations in southwest Iowa on immigrant issues, $25,000

• Keep Council Bluffs Beautiful Inc., “CURB” – improvements in local neighborhoods, $60,000

• Macedonia Historical Preservation Society, expansion of Pioneer Trail Museum in Macedonia, $50,000

• Midlands Community Foundation, Honor Flight to Washington D.C. for Korean War veterans of southwest Iowa, $30,000

• Montgomery County Family YMCA, wellness equipment at the Red Oak facility, $32,500

• New Community Development Corporation, construction job training programs at community college in Council Bluffs, $140,000

• Omaha Children’s Museum, student field trips from local schools, $45,000

• Omaha Zoological Society, multi-purpose preschool classrooms at Henry Doorly Zoo, $100,000

• Pottawattamie County Community Foundation, support for donor outreach and foundation operations, $175,000

• Pottawattamie County Conservation Board, acquisition of natural area in eastern part of county, $210,000

• Pottawattamie County Development Corporation, support for Council Bluffs downtown revitalization fund, $800,000

• Pottawattamie County Firefighters Association, equipment upgrade fund for volunteer fire and rescue departments, $175,000

• R.E.S.P.E.C.T.2, theater programs in southwest Iowa schools on healthy relationships, $8,500

• Tabor Historical Society, preservation of the historic Rev. John Todd House in Tabor, $35,000

• United Way of the Midlands, human services programs in Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, $360,000