Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports a culvert replacement project on County Road G-35, 4 1/2 miles south of Anita and just north of the intersection of Jackson Road and 740th Street, will require closing the roadway to traffic beginning Monday, October 28th. Detour signs will be posted by the Cass County Secondary Roads Department. The project is expected to last about a month.

A press release notification will be issued when the roadway is back open.

Atlantic Chamber of Commerce Program Director Ashley Hayes today (Friday) announced that she is leaving her position with the Chamber, and will be returning to work in the Day Habilitation program associated with Partnership for Progress–Willow Heights. Her last day will be Friday, November 8th. Hayes, who has also served on the Atlantic City Council, said she has “Enjoyed getting to work with [Chamber businesses] and learning more about [those] businesses, [the owners] and what [they] are passionate about in [the] community.

Ashley Hayes

Hayes said also, “It’s been a pleasure to work with the people of this community in this way and be apart of helping it grow and continue to thrive. I hope to continue that work through volunteering and my continued involvement with Atlantic Rising.”  Hayes has held her position with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce since May, 2017.

Plans to fill the Program Director’s position will be announced by the Chamber at a later date.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a man from Thayer reported Thursday night, that sometime between 8-a.m. and 4-p.m. Thursday, someone entered his property and took his pregnant female French bulldog. The dog is small, white in color with blue/grey colored spots. Also reported missing, was a trail camera valued at $100. The owner of the dog said the animal and her unborn puppies were valued at $30,000.

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County have released a list of arrests taking place from Oct. 13th through the 24th. On Thursday (Oct. 24th), 40-year old Tobin Lee Jensen, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Driving While Revoked. Jensen was taken to the Cass County Jail and released today (Friday), on his own recognizance. On Monday, 58-year old Sharadee Ann Witt, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Sponsoring a Gathering (a Class-D Felony) and Possession with Intent to Deliver/Alprazolam. Witt was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $5,000 bond.

On October 17th, Cass County deputies arrested 33-year old Cody Michael Johnson, of West Des Moines, on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Johnson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,000 bond. That same day, 51-year old John Kenneth Kay, of Atlantic, was arrested on a two Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrants, each for Theft 2nd Degree (Class-D Felonies). Kay was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $10,000 bond.

And, on October 13th, 48-year old Ann Kristine Harding, of Griswold, was arrested on a Lancaster County, NE, warrant. Harding was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released to Nebraska authorities.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A judge who presided over a non-jury trial regarding a troubled roadside zoo in eastern Iowa now must determine whether it should be closed.
Testimony ended this week regarding Cricket Hollow Animal Park. Four plaintiffs have sued to have the animals removed and the zoo owned by Pam and Tom Sellner closed. The zoo sits just west of Manchester.

The trial opened Oct. 16, and testimony ended Tuesday. The Telegraph Herald reports that Judge Monica Wittig has 60 days to render a verdict. In April last year a federal appeals court upheld a district court ruling that the zoo violated the Endangered Species Act with its treatment of some animals.

(9-a.m. News) — Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports a physical search for a missing rural Clarinda man suffering from Dementia, was officially suspended Thursday afternoon. 68-year old Dale Allen Hodtwalker is still missing. He was last seen Tuesday morning. Hodtwalker is described as being 6-feet tall, 140 pounds with gray hair, a gray beard and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue or gray t-shirt, gray and black pajama pants and white socks. Family members say in addition to dementia, the man walks with a severe limp, cannot speak and is hard of hearing. They say he left the residence without shoes or a coat.

Dale Hodtwalker

Sheriff Palmer says the physical search was suspended after conferring with Hodtwalker’s family, area landowners / farmers, medical personnel, members of the search teams, legal staff, and Law Enforcement. He said also, “The Page County Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank everyone involved in searching for Hodtwalker. The decision to suspend the physical search was done only after every possible resource had been used.”

Anyone with any information about Hodtwalker or his whereabouts is asked to contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office at 712-542-5193. Any and all leads will be followed up on immediately.

The City of Audubon is advising residents, that Building Crafts, Inc. from Red Oak, will be installing new water meters in your residence. They will need clear access to your current water meter, and water service will be temporarily shut off during the installation which takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Crews will be wearing identification so that you can verify that the employee is with Building Crafts, Inc. The City say “Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.”