School officials in Atlantic report the Iowa Association for College Admissions Counseling will sponsor a “College Fair” on Tue., Sept. 24th, from 2-until 3:15-p.m., at the Atlantic High School. High School Guidance Counselor Craig Fredin, site coordinator for the event, says 65 representatives from post-secondary institutions will be present to speak about opportunities at the colleges, vocational and technical schools, and military services.

The IA-CAC has established 30 College Day/College Night programs throughout the state, to provide a supportive environment for students to obtain information and appropriate counseling, which should prove helpful to students in selecting an institute of higher learning.

Students, parents, and interested adults from Atlantic and the surrounding communities, are invited to attend next Tuesday’s event.

The Midlands Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association plans to walk this weekend in Shelby County. The walk to end Alzheimer’s will be held on Saturday morning at Pioneer Park in Harlan. Registration begins at 8am with the opening ceremonies at 9. Rosalie Sheppard with the Midlands Chapter says there are some staggering stats when it comes to who is affected by Alzheimer’s. According to Sheppard,  “One in every three seniors has Alzheimer’s or dementia. Worldwide or nationwide, every 67 seconds someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”

She says the fundraising helps continue many different local programs. “We want to have the funding that we can have to enable the Association to continue our education programs here, our support groups that we have had for a number of years. We have an 800 number that people can call 24/7 and talk to a live person. It helps.”

For the Alzheimer’s walk at Pioneer Park, Sheppard says something new is planned: “We’re gonna have a promise garden. It’s where people will get a big flower forget me whirly gate type of thing and we will ask them to plant it in the garden. It makes an impressive thing.”

If you would like more information about Alzheimer’s disease and the association, visit www.alz.org/midlands or contact them at 1-800-272-3900.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

This weekend begins a new season as fall begins on Sunday and one Pottawattamie County City is ready to celebrate a day early. The 6^th annual Crescent Fall Festival will kick off on Saturday morning at 8am with a pancake breakfast. Kris Miller, a member of the Crescent Optimist, says at 10am a speech contest will be held with a chance to win a scholarship. Miller says “That’s for a $500 scholarship for juniors and seniors in high school and freshmen in college.”

Throughout the day you can get a guided tour of the beautiful Loess Hills. Miller says “The garden grove participates with the group that goes to the lavender farms. We have the Honey Creek goat farm where they make goat cheese.”

The tours run from 9am to 3pm. The rest of the Crescent Fall Festival includes a parade at 11 along with food vendors, a cake walk, sand volleyball tournament and a charity fund raiser baseball tournament. The Crescent city park will host fun for the kids as free games and bounce houses will be set up. Miller says a raffle is planned with a chance to win your choice of meat. “For a processed half beef, half hog or three processed chickens and it is a dollar a ticket.” The winner will be drawn at 9pm. The Crescent Fall Festival finishes with a parking lot dance featuring Toy Boxx playing a variety of country music.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports four people were arrested this week. Today (Friday), 18-year old Caleb Jordan Ennen, of Clarinda, was arrested on charges of Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct. On Thursday, 54-year old Brett Allen Morgan, of Clarinda, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Violation of a Domestic Protection Order.

Clarinda Police arrested 22-year old Bradley Joseph Christopher Riley, of Clarinda, on Wednesday, for allegedly violating an Domestic Protection Order. And on Tuesday, 39-year old Corey Allen Jackson, of Clarinda, was arrested on a serious misdemeanor charge of Destruction of Property, in association with an incident at Anchor Homes.

Clarinda Police also took reports about, and/or investigated: five incidents of property being stolen from vehicles; two destruction of property incidents; one incident of trespassing; and incident where the rear glass was broken out of a vehicle, and damage to the front door of a home.

Iowa lost 900 jobs last month, causing the state’s unemployment rate to increase one-tenth of a percent to 4.9-percent. In a report cited by the Des Moines Register, officials with Iowa Workforce Development said Friday, the Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in July and 5.3 percent a year earlier.

IWD says the losses were broad, with trade and transportation cutting 1,300 jobs, professional and business services, down 1,200 positions, leisure and hospitality dropped 900 jobs, and manufacturing, 500. Government gained 3,700 jobs, education and health services climbed 500 and construction added 200 jobs.

Iowa has 19,800 more jobs last month than in August 2012. August is only the second month this year that Iowa has seen employment fall. March marked the other monthly decline at 4,700. IWD Director Teresa Wahlert said despite the monthly loss of jobs, more Iowans were employed. The report showed 1,100 more Iowans had jobs in August than in July, and 27,000 more positions than a year earlier.

Construction is the largest gainer so far this year, up 4,500 jobs, followed by manufacturing and professional and business services, both 4,400 jobs higher.

America reached a dubious record this week for having gasoline prices of at least three-dollars a gallon for one-thousand straight days. Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says unless we fall into a recession again, we’ll likely have prices that high for another thousand days — or more. Weinholzer says, “The record for a thousand consecutive days over $3 was set nationally a couple of days ago, Tuesday to be exact, but it will not be set until next week in Iowa, because Iowa hit the $3 level one week later than the nation did.”

The last time Iowa had gas prices averaging under three-bucks a gallon was December 28th of 2010. Weinholzer says it’s possible we may not see pump prices that low again. “Certainly not within the next couple of years,” Weinholzer says. “There’s no reason to anticipate that, even though in some areas, production is increasing when you look like things like fracking.”

Earlier this year, Iowa spent five days with the average price above four-dollars a gallon — in late May. Even with the rising popularity of ethanol, the growth in the use of electric and hybrid cars, and efforts to produce oil domestically, Weinholzer says key developing nations are just starting to use gas-powered vehicle technology. “You have to keep in mind that probably tens of thousands of people in China and India are buying their very first automobiles every month as we go forward,” Weinholzer says. “As a result, even though there is an increase in some areas of crude oil development, there is a more significant increase in demand.”

Iowa’s current average price for gasoline is three-52 a gallon, three-cents higher than the national average.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An attorney for a teen accused of killing a 5-year-old Atlantic boy is asking that his case be moved to juvenile court.  The Des Moines Register reports that public defender Michael Williams of Sioux City is also asking for a full evaluation of 17-year-old Cody Metzker-Madsen‘s mental health, juvenile court history and family history.  The teen’s family has said he is mentally disabled and has the mental capacity of a preschooler.

A judge has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 30, the same day the teen is supposed to be arraigned.  Authorities believe Metzker-Madsen killed 5-year-old Dominic Elkins, whose body was found at the bottom of a ravine near Logan, on Aug. 31st.

The teen and the boy had lived at the same foster home for nearly three weeks.

w/ Ric Hanson

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An Atlantic man who was set to stand trial next month on domestic assault charges, will instead appear in court Monday (Sept. 23^rd), to enter a plea of guilty. 46-year old Rex Dean McDermott was arrested on October 13^th, 2012, following an incident which allegedly occurred at a feed dealership, in Atlantic. His sentencing will take place at a later date.

McDermott had initially plead not guilty to a felony charge of Willful Injury causing bodily injury, and a serious misdemeanor charge of Domestic Abuse Assault causing bodily injury/mental illness. McDermott was released on bond a few days after his arrest, and was ordered to have no contact with his alleged victim.  His trial date was continued several times this year, with the last date set for Oct. 22nd.

A series of town hall meetings meant to inform Iowans about the federal health care overhaul begin this weekend. Angel Robinson, with the Iowa Insurance Division, says individuals and business owners can ask questions about the health insurance marketplace that goes live on October 1st. “We are going out to a couple places nearly every week. We are hoping that people will come and will come with their questions, to get educated, to understand, so they’re not surprised by the changes that are coming,” Robinson says. The Affordable Care Act requires everyone to have insurance coverage in 2014 or pay a tax penalty.

“This affects everybody. You either have to have coverage or find it or decide you will take the penalty. People don’t always realize that, so we definitely want to talk to them,” Robinson says. Iowans will be able to access a marketplace allowing them to compare health insurance plans and see if they qualify for subsidies to help pay for premiums. More than 20 informational meetings are planned around the state through November 21st.

Locally, meetings on the health care changes will be held:

Nov. 6^th, in Carroll, from 6:30-to 7:30-pm.

Nov. 7^th, in Atlantic, from Noon until 1-p.m., at the Cass County Community Center

Nov. 13^th, in Clarinda, from 6:30-to 7:30-pm at the Lied Public Library.

Details about additional meeting times and locations are available on the Iowa Insurance Division website at http://www.iid.state.ia.us/sites/default/files/page/2013/04/10/consumer_flyer_des_moines_pdf_20635.pdf

(Radio Iowa)