The Atlantic Fire Department was dispatched to a ceiling fire at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Atlantic, at 716 W. 7th Street. The building has been evacuated, and the first fire crews on the scene show no smoke. Police also reported smoke, but nothing visible inside, either.

As it turns out, it was just the ballast on a light fixture that had burned out and was causing the smell. No damage or injuries were reported.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman wants to remind residents of the county who recently received their Voter Registration cards in the mail, that you DO NOT have to return the card, if all the information printed on it, is correct. You only need to return the postage paid card if information on it is incorrect, such as your name, your address or other, pertinent information.

The way the card was printed has caused problems for many county auditors’ offices, because it is confusing and seemingly contraddictory. But the bottom line is, that you do not need to return the card, if your information is correct. Returning cards with no changes to them costs the a little more than a dollar each time they are mailed and processed.

Wishes to Walt Disney World® Resort may be the most typical wish for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but there was nothing commonplace about a six-year old Underwood girl’s wish. Elizabeth (her last name was not released) wanted to go to the Disney Theme Park to meet Belle, Cinderella, Tinkerbell and Rapunzel, and when her wish was fulfilled, Elizabeth became the 2,500th child to receive a wish in the state of Iowa.

Elizabeth from Underwood gets her wish to visit Disney World, in FL

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa grants the wishes of children living with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. A wish come true helps children feel stronger and more willing and able to battle their life-threatening medical conditions. For many wish children and their families, it marks a turning point in their fight against their illnesses.

The Iowa Chapter grants approximately one wish every other day and 82 cents of every dollar donated goes directly toward wishes. Examples of some of our wishes include to have a room redo, to meet a sports or movie celebrity, to be a dolphin trainer, and to go places like the Super Bowl or, like Elizabeth, to Walt Disney World® Resort.

In 2012, the Iowa Chapter is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and 2,500 wishes granted to Iowa’s children living with life-threatening medical conditions.

(Press Release from the Make-A-Wish Foundation)

A traffic stop on Interstate in Cass County Monday afternoon resulted in the arrest of a Washington State man on a drug charge, and the seizure of cash. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Wayne Brosam told KJAN news the arrest occurred after he pulled a 1999 Honda over for speeding, at around 4:40-p.m. near the Marne Exit (51-mile marker) on westbound I-80. Brosam says after the driver denied him permission to search his vehicle, Cass County Deputy Brian Quist and his K-9 partner “Kane” were called to conduct a free-air search around the car. The dog indicated on the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. During a “Probable Cause” search, Brosam and Quist located a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, along with $4,000 in cash, tucked away in suitcase, located in the trunk of the car. 

The cash was seized, and the driver, 42-year old Lloyd V. Dual, of Eatonville, Washington, was taken into custody on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance for Personal Use. Dual was booked into the Cass County Jail and released this (Tuesday) morning on $1,000 bond. Trooper Brosam said he became suspicious of Dual’s intentions when his travel plans didn’t make sense. The man told the Trooper he was traveling from Indiana to Washington State. While in the Trooper’s vehicle, Brosam said he could smell marijuana on the man’s clothes.