Denise Coder, Site Manager for Cass County Home Care has announced Blue Zones officials recently notified the City of Atlantic that its application to be chosen as a “Blue Zones” demonstration site will not advance to the site visit level at this time.  Blue Zones officials noted that ten smaller Iowa communities have been identified for site visits in the next few months.

Blue Zones did not give details at this time about the reason that Atlantic was not chosen, but intend to visit Atlantic sometime in the summer to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of its overall application.  Bethany Rogers, Cass County Wellness Coordinator, observed that the ten communities that were chosen all ranked higher than Atlantic in citizen votes.  She says “Atlantic’s current percentage of citizens voting is 15.48%.  Blue Zones stated early on that citizen commitment would be important in their choice.”

The Atlantic Blue Zones team will meet with state Blue Zones officials in the summer, and the local team still plans to implement chosen components of Blue Zones, based upon local capacity and technical assistance available from the state.  Atlantic intends to reapply, if the opportunity arises in the future.

Rogers reminds residents that voting remains an important component of the project.  “If you haven’t voted and are willing to make a personal commitment to improving your health and the health of Atlantic, it is important that you log on today and vote to support Atlantic.”  Voting will provide access for residents to ongoing information about health topics and local activities.  Residents can visit www.bluezonesproject.com to vote for Atlantic.  Also, a Facebook page has been established for the Atlantic Blue Zones project.  Log on to Facebook and search for Atlantic Blue Zones.

Cass County Extension Youth Coordinator Susan Oliver Tuesday, delivered 500 Easter eggs to Atlantic Nursing and Rehab Center (ANRC) in preparation for the April 7th Easter Egg Hunt.

Susan Oliver delivers Easter Eggs to ANRC

Each year ANRC Administrator Kellie Jimerson seeks supporters for the hunt, during which there are more than 15,000 eggs to be found, as well as bikes to give away, hot dogs, chips, soda and popcorn.

Cass County Extension staff filled their eggs with 4-H stamps, silly bands, wristbands and even some candy.  4-H is open to all youth in grades K-12.  For more information about the fun Cass County Extension 4-H & Youth Programs have to offer visit: www.extension.iastate.edu/cass

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A traditional Easter dinner with ham as the main dish could stretch budgets as prices remain high heading into the holiday. Ham prices have been higher than usual for the past two years because the cost of pig feed has gone up. On the wholesale level, ham is selling for about 75 cents a pound this spring, which is in line with last year. But that price is well above the average 55 cents per pound price in the previous five years. Recent retail prices in grocery stores were around $2.20 per pound. Omaha shopper Paula Vejvoda (VAY’-veh-da) says she bought her Easter ham when they were on sale around Christmas and froze it to save money.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a joint investigation between authorities in Montgomery and Cass Counties has resulted in the recovery near Villisca, of motorcycle stolen from the Cumberland area. Officials say the cycle was recovered Saturday morning from a ditch near the intersection of 260^th and Willow Avenue, east of Villisca. The 2007 Yamaha YZF-R6S had been stolen from Dayton Michael Amdor, of Cumberland. 

Damage to the cycle was estimated at $1,500. An investigation into the incident remains on-going.

April is “Window Safety” month in Iowa and a Des Moines couple is leading the effort to spread this safety message. Four-year-old Hannah Geneser died after falling from a third floor window in March of last year. Her father, Jamie Geneser, is urging parents across the state to check window screens and talk with their kids about being careful around windows. 

“For me, personally, it’s a way to kind of channel all the grief and pain that we have, that I have, and channel it in a positive manner,” he says. “It’s really a coping mechanism for myself and I just have this drive to make sure that other parents don’t have to go through what we have gone through.” The Genesers have started a non-profit foundation to spread their child safety message.

“We already have talked to several different people that have already made changes to how their home is set up, how their windows function, different guards, different precautions they’re putting in place,” Jamie Geneser says, “so we’ve had an overwhelming response to this thing that we’ve brought to people’s attention.” The Iowa House this morning (Tuesday) passed a resolution to mark Window Safety Awareness Month and Jamie Genezer was there, along with his wife, Shanda Boone.

“It’s very important for us and I’m overwhelmed,” Shanda Boone says. “I didn’t expect to be this overwhelmed with emotion, but it just means so much to us and it helps us to continue you on.” Every year, about five-thousand U.S. children are taken to emergency rooms after falling out of windows. Last year in the Des Moines area alone, five children fell out of windows in the spring and summer.

Go to www.radioiowa.com to learn more about window safety and the child safety foundation created to honor Hannah, the child who died after falling out of a window. 

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

An elderly Griswold woman suffered minor injuries after being hit by a car Monday morning. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says Joann Dean was knocked to the ground after she was hit by a vehicle which was backing out of a private driveway. The accident happened at around 11:30-a.m., near 507 1^st Street, in Griswold.

 Officials say the driver of a 2002 Dodge, 59-year old William Lee Peebles, of Griswold, was cited for Unsafe Entry Onto a Sidewalk. Following the accident, Dean was transported by Griswold Rescue to Montgomery County Hospital in Red Oak where she was treated for her injuries, and released.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A man who was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant will likely face additional charges, after he held authorities in Council Bluffs at bay for about 9-hours before finally being taken into custody early this (Tuesday) morning. According to media reports, officers went to the home on South 13^th Street in Council Bluffs at around 5:30-p.m. Monday to serve a warrant for 56-year old Donald Shamblen.

Shamblen was said to be near his garage when officers arrived. The stand-off began when he allegedly told officers he had a gun and a knife, and wasn’t going to jail. A Council Bluffs Emergency Response Team (ERT) and negotiators arrived on the scene, and the area was cordoned-off.

At around 2:30-a.m., police knocked down a door and took Shamblen into custody without incident. He was transported to a hospital for evaluation before being taken to the Pottawattamie County Jail.