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Charges filed in connection with drug/alcohol party in Harlan

News

September 16th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Three people face charges in connection with a party held last weekend, in Harlan. According to Harlan Police, 18-year old’s Cody Schwery and Brandon Allen, and 17-year old Dylan Hansen, all of Harlan, were charged with supplying alcohol to persons under the legal age. Officials say on September 10th, the police department was notified of an underage party taking place in the 700 block of 5th Street, in Harlan. Upon further investigation, several persons were charged or cited.

17-year old James Schwarte, of Harlan, along with Dylan Hansen, and 18-year old Trent Wendt, of Portsmouth, were charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. Schwarte and Hansen were also charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  16-year old’s Jena Rasmussen and Austin Hess, both from Harlan, along with Schwarte, Schwery and 17-year old Jordan Fiztmaurice, of Panama, were each charged with Possession of alcohol under the legal age.

Each of the individuals under the age of 18 were cited and released. Cody Schwery and Trent Wendt were brought to the Shelby County Jail, and charges were filed at a later date on Brandon Allen, with a warrant having been issued by the court.

Survey suggests slow growth in Midwest, Plains

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 16th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new monthly survey of bankers suggests the economy in rural areas of 10 Midwest and Plains states continues to slow, but the region is helped by  strong farm income. The overall Rural Mainstreet index for the region improved to 52.2 in September from last month’s 49.3, suggesting weak economic growth. Anytime that index, which ranges from 0 to 100, is above 50, it suggests the economy will grow. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says this month’s results don’t suggest a recession but the numbers have deteriorated. Bankers in rural parts of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming are surveyed.

CARL CAMPBELL, 84, of Orient (svcs 9-19-11)

Obituaries

September 16th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

CARL CAMPBELL, 84, of Orient, died Thu., Sept. 15th, at the Adair County Memorial Hospital, in Greenfield. Funeral services for CARL CAMPBELL will be held 11-a.m. Mon., Sept. 19th, at the Orient United Methodist Church.  Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

Visitation at the funeral home is from Noon until 6-p.m. Sun., Sept. 18th, with the family present from 4-6pm.

Memorials may be directed to the Orient Plymouth Congregational Church or to the Williamson American Legion Hall.  Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Burial, with full military graveside rites, will be in the Orient Cemetery.

CARL CAMPBELL is survived by:

His sons – Carl Jeffrey (Suzy) Campbell, of Lawson, MO. ; & Roger (Laura) Campbell, of Cedar Rapids.

His daughters – Carla (Doyle) Jensen, of Adel, & Flora (Kelly) Pool, of Orient.

9 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, other relatives & friends.

Former Iowa basketball recruit James Speed dies

Sports

September 15th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Former Iowa basketball recruit James Speed, whose career was cut short when he went blind, has died of complications from liver cancer. The University of Iowa says Speed died Wednesday in Las Vegas, where he lived since the mid-1970s. He was 61. Speed was a Hawkeye recruit in 1970, when he lost his sight in both eyes due to a sinus infection before he played a game for Iowa. Speed, who grew up in Shreveport, La., was a 6-7 forward who played junior college basketball in El Centro, Calif. After losing his sight, Speed worked as a basketball coach and most recently in real estate.

Council Bluffs man claims Hot Dog Man statue

News

September 15th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The mystery of the Council Bluffs Hot Dog Man statue has been solved and police say they’re glad to give it back to its owner. Police Capt. Terry LeMaster says Curtis Wennhold proved the statue was his by supplying its arms, which had broken off. The statue was found Sept. 2 after police were called about a man in a hot dog costume watching children near a bus stop. It turned out only to be a statue but no one knew where it had come from.

LeMaster says it was taken from Wennhold’s yard by teenagers who hoisted it into a vehicle, breaking off its arms. He says the teens became “creeped out” by it and dropped it off where it was found.

Ribbon Cutting held for IWCC Design Tech program

News

September 15th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for IWCC Design Technology Center

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this (Thursday) morning in Atlantic, for a new “Design Technology” Program at Iowa Western Community College’s Cass County Center. Students enrolled in the program, the idea for which began almost five-years ago, will learn to build 3-D, virtual products using specialized software developed by Texas-based Siemens Product Lifestyle Management. Jay Miller, a native of Atlantic, conceived the idea of having the program, which is the first of its kind in the nation for a two-year college, explained how Atlantic became the site for a program which will fill the needs of a global community. He says he approached Dr. Dan Kinney, President of Iowa Western in 2007 with the concept. Industry advisors were then recruited from Rockwell-Collins, Keiwit, Mahle Components, Winnebago and L.B.T., to develop the curriculum. Higher Learning Commission approval was later granted to allow students to graduate from the Atlantic Center, and a $65.2-million grant was received from Siemens in the Summer of 2010.

Miller said graduates of the program will fill a need companies have to replace retiring workers in the high-tech industry throughout the world. One of the companies who is in need of the type of students the program will instruct, is Rockwell-Collins.  Dale Wolf, Head of Engineering Services for Rockwell,  said the knowledge students gain in state-of-the-art tools in 3-D electronic design and data management, should provide them with “significant employment opportunities,” in a variety of industries. He says his company and others in the aerospace industry are facing a shortage of skilled workers due to retirements, and the Design Technology Program will help to fill the void.

Bill Boswell, Head of Partnerships for Siemens P-L-M Software in Des Moines, said he attended a conference of industry analysts who cover the manufacturing industry, in Boston, Massachusetts, last week. He said one of the things they talked about, in addition to the recent devastating effects of the hurricane, was the “perfect storm” the industry faces for educated and highly skilled workers. He says one of the company H-R vice presidents he spoke with, said they will be losing 50,000 people to retirement in the next 10-years alone. Other companies will experience a similar “brain drain.“

Boswell said even with a poor global economy last year, there was still a need for 3-million engineers. Colleges and Universities worldwide only graduated about 2.25-million students, which leaves a shortage of 750,000 worldwide, just to keep up with the booming technology. Iowa Western Community College he says, is the first partner his company has worked with, to create a two-year Associates Degree program around Product Lifestyle Management.

Backyard and Beyond 09-15-2011

Backyard and Beyond, Podcasts

September 15th, 2011 by admin

Lavon speaks with Atlantic Chamber Director Megan Roberts about the final music in the park concert tonight!

Play

7′-1″ Woodbury Chooses Hawkeyes

Sports

September 15th, 2011 by Jim Field

Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffrey got a big commitment Wednesday evening when seven-foot-one-inch center Adam Woodbury verbally commited to the Hawkeyes.  The Sioux City East senior had narrowed his choices to Iowa and North Carolina.  Woodbury is a four star recruit who is in the top 50 of all the major recruiting services lists.  Woodbury averaged 18.5 points and 12.4 rebounds last season.  He also had scholarship offers from Nebraska, Ohio State, Stanford, Wisconsin and a number of other schools.  In June, Woodbury was named the MVP of the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Virginia.  He is Iowa’s fourth recruit for that class, joining 6-2 Mike Gesell of South Sioux City, 6-3 Patrick Ingram of Indianapolis and 6-9 Kyle Meyer of Alpharetta, Georgia.  Woodbury said he was impressed with McCaffrey and looks forward to being a part of the Hawkeyes resurgence.

Atlantic’s Coca-Cola Days Parade theme: “Celebrating 125 Years of Fun”

News

September 15th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The annual Atlantic, Iowa Coca-Cola Days parade, a popular finale for Coca-Cola Days festivities, is on track, and accepting entries for 4 p.m. start on Saturday, Sept. 24.  Formerly for ages 12 and under only, the parade is now open to all wanting to participate. Entries from area clubs, businesses, and individuals are accepted, although only the children’s Coca-Cola themed costume contest for 12 and under will be judged and awarded AtlantiCash prizes. This year, the Audubon High School marching band will be performing for spectators on Chestnut Street.  As always, a Coca-Cola theme is required for entrants with this year’s festival theme being “Celebrating 125 Years of Fun.”

Parade entry forms must be submitted and will be available online at ww.CocaColaDays.org, via e-mail at chamber@atlanticiowa.com, or can be picked up at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce office at 102 Chestnut Street.  The parade is sponsored in part by the Iowa Chapter of Coca-Cola Collectors Club.

Gov. Terry Branstad signs proclamation allowing overweight loads for harvest season

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 15th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

(DES MOINES) –  Gov. Terry E. Branstad today will sign a proclamation to allow the transportation of overweight loads of soybeans, corn, hay, straw and stover. The proclamation takes effect September, 15, 2011, and expires after 60 days. “Many Iowans’ livelihoods depend on a smooth, efficient harvest season,” said Branstad. “I am pleased sign this proclamation, which will allow the movement of Iowa’s commodities and help Iowa farmers during harvest.”

The proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa, excluding the interstate system, and which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code section 321.463 paragraph “5.b”, by more than twelve and one-half percent (12.5%), do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.   

The action is intended to allow vehicles transporting soybeans, corn, hay, straw, and stover to be overweight, not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight, without a permit, but only for the duration of this proclamation. The Iowa Department of Transportation is directed to monitor the operation of the proclamation, to assure the public’s safety and facilitate the movement of the trucks involved.