A traffic stop late Wednesday night near Sidney, in Fremont County, resulted in the arrest of 61-year old Terry Shere, of Sidney, on a Class D Felony charge of OWI/3rd offense. Shere was being held at the Fremont County Jail on $5000 bond.

Terry Shere

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, approved the closure of certain city streets along with parking restrictions that will be in effect from 6-a.m. Sunday, July 21st through 2-a.m Monday, July 22nd, for the upcoming RAGBRAI event that will bring thousands of bicyclists and their support vehicles into town. We mentioned the streets that will be affected, earlier this week online and on the air (but the list can be found at the end of this story if you missed it).

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson said additional temporary street closings or parking restrictions would be implemented on an as-needed basis. The Council also approved an Engineering Agreement with Snyder & Associates, for the Atlantic Animal Shelter Building addition. Funds for the addition, which will allow cats to be held in separate quarters from dogs, was made possible through a gift of $135,000 from the estate of Ms. Lorene Eppelsheimer. She specifically requested the new addition be built in accordance with her wishes. The addition will be 18-by 36-feet, or 648-square feet in all. Estimates are that the engineering and project management costs will run $120,350. The balance of the funds will be used for additional cat cages and comforts for the cats.

In other business, following a public hearing, the Council passed a Resolution that allows the final property process to proceed with regard to 411 Walnut Street (The Atlantic Senior Center). During their meeting June 5th, the Council accepted a bid of $55,445 from the Elks Club for the purchase of the facility.

In his report to the Council, Mayor Dave Jones said there were four reported grass clipping notices issued to residents, who allowed their clippings to be tossed on city streets by mowers. Code Enforcement Officer Kris Erickson said the notices went to four new offenders. If those persons repeat their actions, they will receive a citation.

During the Public/Council Forum, Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson said there were about 40 complaints with regard to fireworks from June 15th through Monday of this week. There was no indication any citations were issued.

Councilman Dana Halder commented that the Massena City Council is looking into having a Splash Pad built near their ball fields. Halder said “We’re putting up more playground equipment on the west side of [The] Schildberg [Recreation Area]. I would really like to see the Parks and Rec Department focus on a Splash Pad. We have playground equipment all over this town. And we have people asking and begging for a Splash Pad. We can draw people from other towns that are going to buy gas when they get here…” and when they are ready to leave, can get something to eat at a local restaurant.

Halder said “We need to re-focus on some things here, and let’s get doing some things people are asking for.” Councilman Chris Jimerson agreed. Mayor Dave Jones said the Parks and Rec is working on it, but it will probably take a bond issue to approve it. Jimerson said his fear is that they will probably try to attach a new pool to any plans. The City Administrator will talk to Interim Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen about bringing the matter up to the Parks Board again (It was brought up in previous discussions this year, but the parks board wanted to focus on other areas).

And Councilman Chris Jimerson addressed concerns by some Atlantic residents that the tornado sirens didn’t go off Tuesday afternoon. He explained that in years past, when the National Weather Service issued a Tornado warning, it was for the entire county. Over the past few years, they changed to a “Polygon” formula, that narrows down the area and direction of a severe storm, so it doesn’t panic the entire county. He said the theory is, if you continually warn somebody to go to the basement, pretty soon people will ignore it.

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Here are the approved Street Closures for RAGBRAI, effective 6-a.m. Sunday thru 2-a.m. Monday:

• Chestnut Street from the Court House Driveway access (in the 700 block) to 2nd Street, to allow set-up of a stage and vendor access).
• 6th Street from Locust to Walnut (The entry point to the entertainment area, bike parking, and vendors)
• Poplar Street from 7th to 5th (for bike parking & portable restrooms)
• 7th Street, from Poplar to Walnut (which will serve as the entertainment area and crowd area, while the bands play).
• 10th St., at the intersection with 7th, for eastbound traffic (only at the peak times for riders getting to, and leaving, Atlantic).
• 14th Street, from Olive to Plum Streets (On Monday, July 22nd, while the riders are leaving town).

The order to temporarily restrict parking those days will affect:

• 10th, from 7th to Olive, on the north side.
• Palm, from 9th to 10th, on the west side.
• E. Mahogany at 9th Street, north & west sides.
• W. Mahogany at 10th St., west side.
• Ed Podolak Drive, from Linn to Olive, north side.
• Linn Street, from 10th to Ed Podolak Drive, east & west sides.
• 14th Street, by the Heritage House, south side.
• Olive Street & Roosevelt Drive, 100-feet north on the east side.
• and, 10th and Olive, one-half block in all directions.

Police in Red Oak arrested a man Wednesday afternoon for Simple Domestic Abuse Assault, and Obstruction of Emergency Communications. Officers called at around 12:20-p.m. to a residence in the 100 block of E. Prospect Street, arrested 33-year old Salvador Ramos-Zuno, of Red Oak, following an investigation.

Ramos-Zuno was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate. Red Oak Police were assisted during handling of the incident, by Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Two men from Illinois were sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 41-year old Cameron Felder and 37-year old Nathaniel Thomas were sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Felder was sentenced to 70 months in prison and Thomas was sentenced to 150 months imprisonment. They will each serve a term of supervised release of four years when released from prison.

In August 2018, the Iowa State Patrol conducted a traffic stop of Felder and Thomas’ vehicle for speeding on I-29 in Fremont County. As the trooper approached the vehicle, the occupants were uncooperative and required numerous commands to shut the car doors and turn the car off. The trooper immediately detected the odor of burnt marijuana. Thomas handed the trooper a baggie of marijuana out the passenger window. A search was performed on the vehicle and officers located over 200 grams of methamphetamine in pill form.

The case was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports conservation officers cited dozens of paddlers on July 6th for no life jackets on board their kayaks. The 300 plus paddlers, most in kayaks, some in inner tubes, were floating from the Puckerbrush Access to the Booneville Access on the Raccoon River, north of Van Meter, in Dallas County.

Nate Anderson, Iowa DNR conservation officer, says “It’s so important to have a life jacket on or at least available, as small paddling craft can easily tip and throw a paddler into the water. If you are sitting on the life jacket instead of wearing it, it won’t be there when you really need it.”

Safety incidents are on the rise among Iowa paddlers.  Forty-seven percent of Iowa’s 19 boating deaths from 2016 through 2018 were paddlers. Four paddlers, not wearing life jackets, died this year. Iowa law requires a life jacket to be on board all canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket at all times when in a canoe, kayak or on a paddleboard.

Todd Robertson, paddling instructor and Outreach Coordinator for Rivers Programs at the Iowa DNR, says “You should always wear your life jacket, regardless of your swimming ability or paddling experience. This is super important when paddling on moving water, like a river, where changing currents and hazards can dump you into the river.”

(Radio Iowa) — State health officials report a rise in the number of foodborne illnesses involving a bacteria called campylobacter (CAM-pee-loh-bak-tur). Cases topped one-thousand statewide for the first time in 2016 with more than 600 cases reported in the first half of this year. Barb Fuller, a human sciences specialist with the Iowa State University Extension, says it’s usually associated with chicken.

“The biggest cause is eating raw or under-cooked poultry or things that are contaminated by raw poultry — so if you didn’t wash your cutting board or change your plate when you take something out to the grill,” says Fuller. “It can also come from things like raw milk or unpasteurized milk, but chicken is the biggest cause.”

The campylobacter bacteria is present in the intestines, liver and giblets of poultry and can be transferred to other parts of the animal when it’s slaughtered. Fuller says the bacteria is common, but it can be eliminated with proper cooking. “About 33% of chicken that you buy in the grocery store is probably contaminated with bacteria,” said Fuller. “You can’t see it, you can’t smell it, you can’t taste it, so sometimes we think about chicken with salmonella, but campylobacter is a big problem.”

Symptoms of the illness can be severe in people with weakened immune systems, but she says most people only develop a mild reaction to the infection. “It does cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and maybe nausea or vomiting,” said Fuller. “It causes those general sort of things you might think of when you ate something. It takes about two-to-five days and the symptoms last about a week.”

Even though you may recover in about a week, you can still be contagious for several weeks, so Fuller says you need to be careful being around other people — especially those who may be at a higher risk for a foodborne illness. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 1.3 million cases of campylobacter infection every year.

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a total of 23 Iowa school districts and schools will be able to bolster their computer science teacher workforce, due to a state appropriation of $500,000. The funding is part of a broader effort to expand computer science education across the state. This effort aligns with the Future Ready Iowa initiative, which is about preparing more Iowans for rewarding, high-demand jobs and getting employers the skilled workers they need.

Reynolds said “This investment provides students with the tools they need to excel within a 21st-century digital economy. Teaching computer science and other STEM-related courses is an essential component to any child’s education. That’s why Iowa is preparing our young people for success in cutting-edge careers with programs like this.”

The Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund, along with voluntary statewide computer science standards, were established as part of legislation signed into law in 2017. SF 274 supports our effort to provide high-quality computer science instruction in every elementary, middle and high school. Schools will use the incentive fund to pay for professional learning or university coursework for teaching endorsements in computer science.

The incentive fund drew 31 applications representing 39 public school districts and non-public schools in urban, rural and suburban parts of the state. One application represented a team of elementary, middle, and high schools within Great Prairie Area Education Agency in southeast Iowa.

Award recipients will report on their progress by the end of the 2019-20 school year.

Among the recipients is the Earlham Community School District.

Police in Red Oak have arrested a man on an assault warrant. 25-year old Jesse Dean Uhlmann, of Red Oak, was taken into custody just before 11-a.m. on the Red Oak Police Department warrant for Assault with intent to inflict serious injury, and a warrant for leaving the scene of an accident.

Uhlmann was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a$2,300 cash bond.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa announced today (Wednesday), that four Cass County (IA) residents were sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs, for their role in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

50-year old Mary Mayo and 34-year old Tony Martin Mayo Jr.,  31-year old Jessica Lynn Gross, and 25-year old Alex Lee Pleis, were sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone. Mary Mayo was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment to be followed by 48 months of supervised release. Tony Martin Mayo was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. Jessica Lynn Gross was sentenced to time served and 60 months of supervised release. Alex Lee Pleis was sentenced to time served and 36 months of supervised release.

In late August of 2015, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration received information regarding the illegal distribution of prescription drugs in and around Cass County, Iowa. Using a confidential informant, the DEA determined Mary Mayo obtained prescriptions for oxycodone, hydrocodone and other controlled substances from medical professionals through false representations of injury or illness and related pain management.

Mary Mayo then used her Medicare/Medicaid benefits to obtain controlled substances from local pharmacies. She also obtained oxycodone from a co-defendant, Rebecca Canfield. Once the prescription drugs were obtained, Mary Mayo negotiated a price for the pills with a known buyer. If an agreement was reached, Mary Mayo had a member of her family deliver or assist in the delivery of the controlled substances.

During the yearlong investigation, DEA arranged the purchase of oxycodone and hydrocodone from Mary Mayo and the pills were delivered to a DEA agent, who was working in an undercover capacity. With the exception of Rebecca Canfield, all co-defendants are members of Mary Mayo’s family.

During the course of the investigation, it was determined Mary Mayo was receiving Social Security benefits she was not entitled to. As part of her sentence, Mary Mayo was ordered to pay restitution to Medicare/Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration.

The case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration; United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General; Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; United States Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General; Cass County Sheriff’s Office; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have charged a 31-year-old man with killing a woman and her two children at a Des Moines residence. Police said Wednesday that Marvin Esquivel-Lopez was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He’s accused of shooting 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter, Grecia Daniela Alvarado-Flores, and her 5-year-old son, Ever Jose Mejia-Flores.

The three bodies were found around 11 p.m. Tuesday by officers sent to the Laurel Village apartment complex. Police say Esquivel-Lopez lived at the same address.