The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Wednesday of a Lewis man on a warrant for 50 charges related to the sexual abuse of a minor.

Roger Allen Ericksen

52-year old Roger Allen Ericksen faces two Aggravated Misdemeanor charges of Assault with the intent to commit Sexual Abuse, two counts of Lascivious Conduct with a Minor (A Serious Misdemeanor), and 46 Class-C felony counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd degree. The arrest stems from an on-going investigation into allegations Ericksen had sexual contact with a 14-year old female over a two-month period of time, earlier this year. Ericksen was being held in the Cass County Jail on $250,000 bond.

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The Atlantic Animal Shelter is reminding persons who have adopted pets from the shelter, that they must spay or neuter the animal, as your adoption form indicates. Shelter officials say it’s a State mandates when animals are adopted out. The Shelter says State officials have visited the shelter and found many adoption forms have not been not been returned, stating that the animal has been spayed or neutered. Officials say if the forms are not returned by the end of the month, they could lose their ability to adopt-out the animals, which would mean all animals not claimed by their owners would face euthanization.

Since no one wants that to happen, the Atlantic Animal Shelter is asking you to return your animal adoption paperwork to the shelter, so they are in compliance with State regulations, and so you can receive your $20 rebate. If you have any questions, call the Shelter at 712-243-2287.

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Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, says the Postal Service’s decision to delay closing all offices until May of next year isn’t just a move that will delay the inevitable. Braley says Congress has been working on changing the way the Postal Service funds its retirement system to allow them to save BILLIONs of dollars, and that’s why he favors delaying the closings. 

“I think in this case the moratorium on making decisions will allow congress more time to try to address the problems facing the Postal Service in a meaningful way,” Braley says. The congressman has backed a bill by a colleague on revamping the postal retirement system and he says the U-S Senate is also considering action as well.

“I think that the impact of congressional action between now and the date when the Postal Service has decided to postpone its decision making will at least inform the decisions of the Postal Service on what type of action it needs to take,” Braley says. Braley says his questioning of the Postmaster General makes him confident the Postal Service is looking at several options to revamp its business once the pension issue is settled. “I think they have a lot of ideas that they are prepared to implement, some of which are good and some of which are not, but they haven’t just been sitting there idly, they are preparing to deal with the realities of their funding,” according to Braley. 

There are 178 post offices in Iowa that are on the current list for possible closure. Locally, that includes those facilities in: Brayton, Cumberland, Grant, Kimballton, and Lewis. Braley and the rest of the Iowa Congressional delegation all asked the Postal Service to delay the closings, as did Governor Terry Branstad. 

(Radio Iowa)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The founder of a Nebraska hedge fund and his wife are donating $5 million to the University of Iowa to benefit finance students and Hawkeye football players.The university announced Wednesday that Curtis and Carol Lane of Omaha made the gift, which UI President Sally Mason called a “creative, forward-looking act of generosity.” She said the Lanes have been some of the UI’s biggest fans and most effective champions.About $1 million of the money will endow an existing fund named in their honor that supports business faculty members who provide practical learning opportunities for UI finance students. Another $2 million will endow a scholarship fund for undergraduate finance majors, with preference given to military veterans.The final $2 million will endow a scholarship fund for Hawkeye football players.

Council Bluffs (AP) — Rick Perry is turning to his military service as a selling point to voters looking for a veteran in the Republican presidential campaign. The Texas governor is looking for a second wind, with mere weeks until Iowa starts the nominating process with its January 3rd caucuses. Perry is lagging in the polls, and is working hard to recapture the fervor of his August entry into the race.

Heading into today’s (Thursday’s) debate in Sioux City, Perry is expected to highlight his service. He is looking to use his record to tap into veterans, older voters who helped Sen. John McCain win the nomination in 2008. The only other military veteran in the GOP race is Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber says while an investigation is still underway in connection with a single-vehicle accident that claimed the life of a Shelby Firefighter on I-80 in September, it does not appear the driver of the vehicle will face any charges. The Iowa State Patrol is beginning to wrap up its investigation into the crash, during which firefighter Michael Collins died, as he was directing traffic around an accident on Interstate 80, near Shelby. Wilber told the Omaha World-Herald, that unless the report on the investigation shows that the driver of the car, 43-year old David L. Thies, of Ames, Iowa, did something reckless, which authorities do not expect, the only thing he’ll likely get, is a traffic ticket.

The 41-year old Collins, was killed September 18th, as he was standing in the left lane of I-80 directing traffic. The Iowa State Patrol says a Honda Accord driven by Thies, went around slowed traffic and struck Collins. Matt Wilber said he is awaiting the results of the State Patrol’s more detailed technical investigation, to be completed in the next few weeks, before determining if any charges will be filed.

Collins’ family hopes something turns up. They think something needs to be done. One of his brothers, 36-year old Al Fenderson, told the paper “To me, that’s just not something you just write somebody a ticket for, especially when you take somebody’s life. There needs to be some sort of punishment besides the ticket.”

But according to Pott County Attorney Matt Wilber, an overtly reckless act — such as drunken driving or drag racing — is necessary in order to file a charge like motor vehicle homicide. Neither of those instances can be proven in this case, he says. The accident that claimed Collins’ life marked the second time Thies had been involved in a fatal crash.

In 1988, he was riding a motorcycle near Axtell, Neb., when it crashed in an incident authorities said involved alcohol. Thies’ passenger, 20-year old Gina Pearson, of Kearney, was killed. Thies served 17 months for motor vehicle homicide, according to Nebraska Department of Correctional Services records.

Wilber said he was aware of the incident but said it has no bearing on the Collins investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The value of Iowa farmland is up 32.5 percent from last year to a record of over $6,700 an acre. An annual survey by Iowa State University also shows the percentage increase breaks a 38-year-old record of 31 percent set in 1973. The survey released today (Wednesday) shows the average price rose from $5,064 an acre to $6,708 an acre from November 2010 to last month. Before this year the previous high average, adjusted for inflation, had been $5,770 per acre in 1979,

ISU economist Mike Duffy, who conducts the survey, says farmland values have surged along with the surge in commodity prices and farm incomes. O’Brien County in northwest Iowa has the highest average value at $9,513 an acre, up 33 percent.

An Atlantic organization dedicated to supporting the Atlantic Animal Shelter has announced it is disbanding, and will no longer accept funding. Former members of “The Friends of the Atlantic Animal Shelter” say they will no longer exist as an auxiliary to the shelter. The group thanks its past supporters and suggests persons donate funds for the shelter to the City of Atlantic.

The funds should be earmarked for use at the Animal Shelter only. Any donations received by the Friends staff will be forwarded to the City fund.