DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State officials have decided to save some money by shutting down some rest areas along Iowa’s interstates.  Iowa Transportation Department director Paul Trombino told The Des Moines Register that the agency won’t replace two rest areas in Dallas County that will be demolished for an interchange project in 2015. It’s unclear yet what will happen to the 38 other full-service rest areas. Trombino says there will be fewer of them in the future, “there is no question about that.”

The 40 rest areas cost the state about $6.1 million annually to operate. Delia Meier is senior vice president of the Iowa 80 Truckstop near Walcott, and she says she’d be thrilled to have any additional customers who might stop there if some rest areas were to be closed.

A town in Pottawattamie County plans to ring in the holiday cheer with an old fashioned Christmas Celebration this weekend. The Neola’s Old Fashioned Christmas is set for Saturday and Sunday and is full of activities, food and fun for the whole family. Penny Christensen, chairperson for the holiday tradition, says it all starts with a cookie walk on Saturday. “We have a cookie walked at St. Pat’s Hall from 4 until the cookies run out. We also have a soup supper there from 4 to 7. We also have a kid’s Christmas shop and games: A dollar each.”

Santa Claus is a part of the Neola Christmas and will set up shop at the Neola Area Community Center from 6 to 8pm. The Neola Christmas features a couple of unique activities. Christensen says one of the activities is a live box auction. “We have our great box auction which is about 51 businesses from the area, Minden, Underwood and Neola donating boxes with $50 or more inside. The boxes will get auctioned off with only three clues given and nobody knowing what is inside of it. This usually raises about $6,000 which gets distributed to the food pantry, community center, scholarship, bike trail and other different community things.”

The auction will be held inside the St. Patrick’s Hall as well. The other unique item at the Neola Christmas is the animals showing up on Sunday. “We have a real reindeer caribou and sleigh at the Phoenix Theater from 12 to 3 and is free from the public. Bring your camera so you can take pictures of them.” Other activities at the Neola Christmas include local business open houses, community choir performing on Saturday and Sunday and new this year is the Blast from the Past.

Christensen says “And that will be different things from the past such as a butter churner, record player, an old bath tub and other things kids won’t know what they are. Those are going to be brought by the Montgomery County Museum from Red Oak.” The Blast from the Past will set up inside the Neola Area Community Center on Sunday from noon to 3pm.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest on Thursday of 60-year old Peggy Jacobs. The Atlantic woman was taken into custody on a charge of 5th degree theft. Jacobs was booked into the Cass County Jail and later released on $300 bond.

Police Chief Steve Green says Jacobs was arrested for allegedly having in her possession a little more than $100 worth of unpaid merchandise taken from the Atlantic Wal-Mart store. Jacobs is a Special Education Resource instructor at the Washington Elementary School.

In a statement to the media, Atlantic Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein  said “At this point the school is conducting their own investigation. No determination in regards to discipline will be made until the schools own investigation is completed.”

(Updated 9:30-a.m.)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A 59-year-old former Ralston, NE., teacher has been convicted at his second trial for inappropriately touching young students.  On Thursday a Douglas County, NE, District Court jury found Nicholas Richter guilty of three counts of sexual assault of a child. In August Richter’s first trial ended in a hung jury.

Three boys ranging in age from 10 to 12 testified that Richter groped them during classes. A middle-age man also testified that Richter groped him three decades ago, when Richter was teaching in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Richter faces up to five years in prison on each of the three counts.