Crews with the City of Atlantic, civic groups and others will be out and about for three days next month, picking up junk you set by your curb and taking it to the landfill, at no charge. It’s all part of an effort spurred by comments made from Councilman Dana Halder in late April, with regard to the junk Halder saw in people’ yard and alleys. At that time, he urged citizens of the community to take some pride in their properties and the City, and take care of the junk.

In response, Mayor Dave Jones has coordinated with the Street and other Departments to pickup your junk, Wednesday through Friday, June 7^th, 8^th and 9^th. Items that will NOT be accepted include televisions and computer monitors, and tires. Home appliances and furniture are accepted, you just need to get them to your curb. Nick Harris, with the Young Professionals of Atlantic, is spearheading the effort, and looking for volunteers to help transfer items from the curb to the trucks.

Everyday trash needs to go with your contracted, curbside garbage service. Councilman Dana Halder said “If you don’t have an account with a trash man, you should have.” Mayor Jones warned of the consequences for those who violate the Ordinance with regard to junk on properties, once the 3-day cleanup period is over: He said they’re working on amending the Ordinance to reduce, after notice, the maximum clean-up time from 30-days to 10. After that, if the city has to clean up your property, there will be a $100 surcharge and $75 per hour for crews to take care of your trash.

Jones said that’s a lot more expensive that the typical sanitation contractor’s fee of about $22-24. He said the warning is meant to spur the “Habitual Offenders” into action. Jones reminded residents also to mow their lawns as soon as possible. Once the grass reaches 12 inches, the City will come out and mow it for you, but at a substantially higher rate than it would be if you hired a service or the neighbor kid to mow your lawn.

More information about the City Wide Clean-Up days will be made available, soon.

Here’s a reminder for veterans and anyone else seeking a job in the KJAN listening area: A Job Fair is being held today in Atlantic at Iowa Western Community College. It’s intended for employees affected by the loss of jobs announced late last month at Plastic Professionals in Atlantic, but anyone can attend. Officials with Iowa WorkForce Development say the Job Fair runs from Noon until 3-p.m. May 18th.  Veterans will be given preference and will be allowed in from 11-a.m. until Noon only, prior to any other job seekers.

Among the confirmed employers who will have representatives on-hand is: NSK/AKS; Menards; Conductix-Wampfler; Warren Distribution; Henningsen Construction; Mahle; Lisle Corp.; Atlantic Bottling Company and Avoca Specialty Care.

Tables will be available for you to complete applications, but if you have paper applications already in your hands, bring them with you. In addition to representatives from various companies on-hand to provide information and possibly conduct interviews, job seekers will have access to the IowaWORKS lab to complete online applications.

Two men from Montgomery County were arrested on separate charges Wednesday night. Red Oak Police arrested 29-year old Thomas James Delgado, of Red Oak, at around 11:30-p.m., for Domestic Assault. Delgado was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, pending an initial court appearance.

And, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 24-year old Justin Lewis Marsden, of Red Oak, at around 10-p.m., for Violating a No Trespass Order. Marsden was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond. Deputies were assisted during the incident by Red Oak Police.

A crash in south-central Iowa Wednesday killed one teenager and injured two others.
The accident happened around 7:30 a.m. at a rural intersection in Decatur County. The State Patrol reports a truck driven by 16-year-old Logan Gilliland ran a stop sign and was struck by an SUV. Gilliland died in the crash — while his brother, a passenger in the truck — was badly injured. Fourteen-year-old Landon Gilliland was air-lifted to a Des Moines hospital. The driver of the SUV, 16-year-old Grace Martin, was injured and taken by ambulance to a hospital in Leon.

Logan Gilliland was a sophomore at Lamoni High School. His younger brother is an 8th grader and Martin is in 11th grade in the Lamoni School District.

(Radio Iowa)

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a man from Tennessee was sentenced Monday in Council Bluffs, to 10-years in prison on a meth-related charge. 42-year old Juan Beteme Amezquita, of Murfreesboro, TN, was sentenced to prison for possession with intent to distribute over 67 pounds of methamphetamine.

The charge resulted from an investigation stemming from a traffic stop that occurred in Council Bluffs. Methamphetamine was found in a trailer pulled by Beteme, and concealed in a newly purchased freezer and wrapped in plastic. Beteme admitted to picking up the methamphetamine in Los Angeles, California, and intended on delivering the methamphetamine to Minnesota.

In addition to the 120 month prison sentence, Beteme will be required to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports a traffic stop early this (Thursday) morning in Randolph resulted in a man arrested on drug charges. The Fremont County K9 was deployed and indicated at the presence of narcotics. A search was conducted that led to the arrest of 56-year old Michael Landon, of Sidney. Landon faces charges that include Felony Possession of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Medication. He was brought to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center and held on $6,000 bond.

Michael Landon (Fremont County S/O photo)