The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors will meet Monday evening in the Council’s chambers at City Hall. During their 5:15-p.m. session, the Board will receive updates on their Capital Improvement Projects, discuss Summer Recreation Programs, programming and fees at the Sunnyside Pool, adding mileage charts for the Schildberg Quarry Trails, and other matters pertaining to the Quarry Rec Area. Other topics include the opening of streets and restrooms at Sunnyside Park, and Sunday concerts at the Sunnyside park.

 ONAWA, Iowa (AP) – A 24-year-old Wyoming man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for kidnapping and raping a 19-year-old woman at knifepoint in a rest stop bathroom near Onawa.  The Sioux City Journal reports that Mark Bitzan was sentenced Friday for his January convictions of first-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual assault.  The Monona County Attorney says Bitzan took the victim to a bathroom stall at an Interstate 29 rest stop in 2010, threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her.  Bitzan was convicted in 2006 of a sexual assault in Natrona County, Wyoming.

The temperature in Atlantic this (Sunday) afternoon reached 81-degrees, which is a record for this date. The old record of 80, was set 94 years ago, in 1918. Saturday’s high was 82, which was only two-degrees shy of tying the record set back in 1894. The near week-long string of record breaking highs appears to have come to an end. The forecast for the work week calls for showers and thunderstorms Monday through Thursday, with highs starting out in the low 70’s, and ending in the mid-to upper- 60’s.

An SUV carrying six people from Smyrna, Tennessee overturned Sunday morning in Fremont County, killing two and injuring four others. The Iowa State Patrol said the accident happened near the 18-mile marker of I-29 northbound, just after 7-a.m, north of Percival. Officials say a 2004 Chevy Suburban driven by 26-year old Ricardo Osori-Torres went off the road for reasons unknown, and into the median, before re-entering the northbound lanes of travel, where it rolled several times, ejecting at least two of its six occupants. One of the persons who was ejected was then stuck by a northbound semi. The Patrol says no one in the SUV was wearing a seat belt.

24-year old Maria Ledezma and 15-year old Alex Ledezma died at the scene. 10-year old Carlos, 14-year old Victor, and 8 year old Jacklyn Ledezma were injured, along with the driver. Jacklyn and Victor Ledezma, along with Ricardo Osorio-Torres, was transported by helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha, while Carlos Ledezma was taken to the UNMC by Sidney Rescue.

The accident, which resulted in I-29 being closed for nearly4-hours Sunday in both directions, remains under investigation.

The Adams County Sherrif’s Office reports the arrest on Thursday (3/15) of 37-year-old Susan Elaine Barnes of Griswold.  Barnes was stopped by Adams County Sherrif’s Office deputies around 8:30pm Thursday and was taken into custody for Driving While Suspended.  No further details are available.

w/ Chris Parks

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For the third time in less than a week, Atlantic has broken the record for a High temperature. We topped out at 78-degrees this (Friday) afternoon, which beat the old record of 77 set on March 16th in 1966 and 2003.

Wednesday’s high of 78 broke the record of 72 set in 1908, and on Tuesday, our high of 79 in Atlantic broke a record set in 2007. The National Weather Service says near record highs across the area are possible again on Saturday. Here in Atlantic, we look for a high near 80.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help in identifying the person or persons responsible for an incident of vandalism, in Stanton. Officials say deputies today (Friday) investigated an incident where the front passenger window of a silver 2001 Hyundai Elantra was broken out in the driveway of a residence in Stanton. The damage was estimated at $250.

If you have information about the crime, call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-432-1001.

(3-p.m. News)

A development specialist for Iowa State University Extension/Community Development will be the guest speaker at the March 29th meeting of PRIDE (the Progressive Rural Iowa Development Enterprise), in Anita. Lynn Adams, who also serves as the coordinator for the Southwest Iowa Coalition (SWICO) will describe the benefits of “Buy Iowa Online,” when the meeting is held 7-p.m. Thursday, March 29th, at the Anita Community Center.

Buy Iowa Online (www.buyiowaonline.com) is an internet commerce website owned by PRIDE, where eligible vendors can sell their Iowa products to the world, without having to create and maintain their own website. Additional business during the March 29th meeting will include the election of 2012 officers.

PRIDE is a 501(c)(3) organization devoted to development of all types, in and beyond southwest Iowa, for its member cities of Cumberland, Griswold, Lewis, Marne and many other, individual members. For more information, call Frank or Kim Spillers at 712-250-0275.