(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, announced the winners of this year’s “Angel of Christmas.” This year, there were two “Angels” receiving the award: Atlantic Food Pantry volunteers, Sharon Sandhorst and Dr. Ken Burkhart.

The Chamber says the title, “Angel of Christmas” recognizes and thank area residents who symbolize the true meaning of the season. Angels exemplify the true holiday spirit all year long – putting others first, spreading generosity and sharing the holiday spirit with everyone they meet. The title is sponsored by Cass Health.

During the presentation, Cass Health CEO Brett Altman said, of Sandhorst and Dr. Burkhart, “We just really appreciate your kindness, your compassion, your willingness to help other people. day in and day out- giving of your time and your help.” He added, “Cass Health is privileged to sponsor this every year, and we’ll tell you that we had several great nominations, but you guys stood out.”

From left to right: Atlantic Food Pantry Volunteers, Dr. Ken Burkhart and Sharon Sandhorst, Cass Health CEO Brett Altman (Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce photo)

Sandhorst and Burkhart were nominated by Barbara Lytte, and she explained in her nomination letter why the two should receive the title.

“Sharon Sandhorst has volunteered for the food pantry for many years,” Lytte wrote in the letter. “She puts in countless hours weekly to make sure everything runs smoothly. You could call her the ‘office manager’ of sorts. Paperwork, counting, bagging, almost (becoming) a full time (volunteer) job for her. And all without complaints. Sharon gives and gives and expects no thanks and no recognition in return.”

“Dr. Ken Burkhart was in charge of our local food pantry,” Lytte wrote in the letter. “After many, many years of managing the big endeavor, he finally stepped down in October of this year. He handled it all any time of the day. He lined up and scheduled the volunteers that helped out in the pantry. He was there when the Food Bank of Iowa truck delivered. He helped pick up donations from local businesses. He fielded phone calls. He ordered the food that is handed out weekly. He knew the patrons that came to the pantry and he knew their food favorites. If a business donated desserts, he knew who liked what desserts. If it was a large family, he made sure there was an adequate amount of food for the family. He calmly listened to complaints and tried to rectify the issue. He treated each and every patron with dignity and always with a smile. He was always caring and compassionate to all of us that volunteered and worked with him. He knows and exemplifies the true meaning of “giving back to others.”

POLK COUNTY, Iowa — [KCCI] – A former Polk County Jail inmate is now suing the county, the sheriff, and a former jail worker. Justin Mowery says he was sexually manipulated by Brianna Miller, who was a cook at the jail. Miller was Mowery’s supervisor while he worked in the kitchen as an inmate. She pleaded guilty to three counts of harassment in January. Mowery is now suing for damages.

The lawsuit says Polk County and the sheriff were negligent in their duties to protect him and supervise Miller. Polk County says it cannot comment on ongoing litigation.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — [KCCI] – Two people suspected in a Michigan murder were arrested Tuesday, in northern Iowa. Clear Lake police say they got a call Tuesday night from law  enforcement in Michigan asking for help. Authorities believed Margaret Kempainen, 50, and Jacob Kempainen, 20, were in town. They’re suspected of killing an 87-year-old family member in Michigan. Clear Lake police tracked the two down at a gas station and took them into custody.

(Radio Iowa) – If you have games, watches or electronics under your tree, you likely have those shiny, button-sized batteries in the box, too, and those batteries can be a critical problem if a child swallows one. Tammy Noble, a registered nurse and spokeswoman for the Iowa Poison Control Center, says the moisture in the throat can trigger the flow of current in the battery, which can lead to serious trouble in the esophagus. “The esophagus is the tube that goes from the back of your throat down to your stomach,” Noble says. “When it’s stuck in the esophagus, it can cause burns, even significant burns, within two hours after they swallow it.”

Curious kids can find those batteries in all sorts of products, from bathroom scales to grandma’s hearing aids. Unfortunately, it likely means a trip to the E-R if a battery is swallowed. “This is definitely an emergency situation when kids swallow these batteries,” Noble says. “Even the small ones, we get concerned about just to make sure it’s not stuck in the esophagus. We always refer those in to the hospital to get X-rays.” Parts of Iowa have snow on the ground and ice melt in the garage — or on the sidewalk and driveway. Noble says those white granules of ice melt might also look appetizing to a child. The various ice melting products on the market often contain either of two primary ingredients.

“Some are like your table salt, with sodium chloride, and other ones have potassium chloride,” Noble says. “Both of those, when you swallow that, it’s a larger quantity than just shaking the salt shaker on your food, so it can cause an upset stomach, especially if you’re swallowing larger quantities of it.”

If your child ate ice melt — or anything else questionable, be on the safe side and call the Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center. The experts are available around-the-clock at 1-800-222-1222.

(Radio Iowa) – Scratch tickets are often given as Christmas gifts, but Iowa Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer says they are not recommending them for minors. “Technically, it is not against the law for you to give a lottery ticket to someone who is under age, but we would just ask folks to stop and ask whether it’s a good idea,” Neubauer says. She says it can be a gray area for some people. “We’ve tweaked our message a little bit this year. And we’ve said that we think that lottery tickets are something that should be purchased by adults for adults. And you know, that’s true for a lot of products,” Nueabauer says. “You know, certainly alcohol and tobacco come with age restrictions. And those are things that people give a lot this time of year, even movies and toys have age recommendation guidelines. So we just asked people to keep that in mind when they’re buying lottery tickets, please reserve lottery tickets for the adult audience.”

Neubauer says scratch tickets are a form of gambling. “Studies have shown that problem gambling can begin in adolescence when impulse and attention control are still developing. So we at the Iowa Lottery want our products to go to those who are mature enough to enjoy that entertainment,” she says. Neubauer says you have to be 21 to buy a scratch ticket, but it is NOT illegal for a minor to redeem a gift ticket.

“We at the lottery would always ensure that the ticket was legally purchased, legally presented, and legally possessed. And we would ask the right questions in that situation to make sure that that was the case. In this case, it simply comes down to who are you giving that ticket to and under what circumstances ” Neubauer says.

You can find out more about the issue on the Iowa Lottery’s Blog on their webpage.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Red Oak man was arrested Thursday afternoon on an assault charge. Red Oak Police report 54-year-old Vernon Brinkley Warf was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault and Child Endangerment. Warf was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.