Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital (CCMH) in Atlantic, say a six-ton magnet is being installed at the hospital as part of a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit.

Workers at Cass County Memorial Hospital moved the new MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) magnet into the in-house MRI suite Nov. 18th.

The device was brought in by removing a large window in the west lobby, where space has recently been remodeled for the new MRI suite.  Previously, MRIs have been performed on a mobile unit.

Officials say the new in-house MRI will allow patients to schedule exams at their convenience, Monday through Friday.  The unit will be ready for service beginning December 23, 2013.

An accident Friday morning in Atlantic caused $4,500 damage, but no injuries were reported. According to Atlantic Police, a vehicle driven by Jeremy Zellmer, of Atlantic, was traveling west on 9th Street at around 10:25-a.m., as a vehicle driven by Gail Morse, of Atlantic, was traveling south on Spruce Street. As Zellmer approached the intersection, he was unable to stop due to the slick road conditions. His vehicle slid through the intersection and struck the Morse vehicle. Zellmer was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop or Yield sign.

The Atlantic Police Department Monday (Today) released additional details about an injury accident that occurred Sunday afternoon. Officials say SUV’s driven by Mandy Wolff, of Atlantic, and Patrice Amos, of Griswold, were traveling east and stopped at the traffic light on Highway 6 and the north entrance to the WalMart store, when an eastbound pickup driven by Ronald Simon, of Atlantic, approached the light in the left lane.

Ric Hanson photos

The pickup turned to enter the right lane and hit Wolff’s Dodge Durango in the left rear. The impact pushed the SUV into Amos’ vehicle. Simon, Wolff and three passengers in her SUV, were all transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital. Their injuries were described as non-life threatening. The accident happened at around 2:50-p.m.

Authorities say Ronald Simon was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, while Wolff was cited for having No Proof of Insurance. Damage from the crash amounted to $20,700.

After a rise in cases involving embezzlement from city coffers, the state auditor’s office has implemented a new audit schedule that aims to combat fraud in Iowa’s smallest towns. State lawmakers approved the new audit schedule, which went into effect earlier this year. State Auditor Mary Mosiman says as of July, cities with populations of fewer than two-thousand people will be audited on the basis of risk.

“So, if they have annual budgeted expenditures of one million (dollars) or more for two consecutive years, they are going to be subject to an annual examination,” Mosiman says. “If they do not have one-million or more for two consecutive years, they’ll have a periodic examination. That’s new this year.” Starting in July, towns with budgets of more than one-million dollars will get audited every year, and those with smaller budgets, at least every eight years. Mosiman says some towns never had anyone from the outside look at their books.

“Prior to July of this year, cities under the population of 700 never had to have an annual audit, and if there was a fraud in the government, it was typically one of those,” Mosiman says. “That’s something we hope helps with mismanagement and basically fraud in our smallest of cities.” The auditor’s office counted 32 cases of small town corruption in Iowa between 2005 and 2011. In the town of Halbur, population 246, for example, Mosiman says the city clerk leveraged her position as a bank employee to embezzle more than 290-thousand dollars. In another example, the city treasurer of McCausland wrote checks to herself and her husband to the tune of 187-thousand dollars, or about 650-dollars per resident.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department is warning residents about another scam letter is being sent out to the public. Officials say the most recent one some residents are receiving is from an “Investment Company” out of the United Kingdom. The letter says that they have sent other notifications to you stating that you have been the prize winner. It also says if they do not hear from you within 3 weeks the case will be closed and you will no longer be eligible for your prize winnings.

The letter has names, phone numbers, the claim number and is very detailed with information, but authorities say it is a scam. If you have any questions about this, or other possible scams, contact the Atlantic Police Department at 712-243-3512.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Monday (today) released a report on recent arrests. On Nov. 18th, 37-year old Lisa Marie Ferguson, of Hamburg, was arrested for a probation violation and on a Page County warrant. On Nov. 17th, 30-year old Jarrod Monroe Crawley, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Burglary in the 3rd degree and Theft in the 3rd degree. And, on Nov. 15th, 20-year old Derrian Ryan Bredberg, of Tabor, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.