The Atlantic Police Department reports one person received three citations following an accident Wednesday morning at 4th and Poplar Streets. LaVonne Rudnick, of Atlantic, was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign, and for having both no proof of Insurance and a Driver’s License. The accident happened at around 9:15-a.m., when Rudnick, who was traveling east in the 100 block of West 4th Street, stopped at the intersection with Poplar, before continuing into the intersection, where her vehicle hit  a car driven by Julie Tjepkes, of Atlantic, as Tjepkes was traveling north on Poplar.

Following the initial impact, the Tjepkes vehicle spun and hit a vehicle driven by Jeffrey Kamies, of Atlantic, as he was traveling west on West 4th. Damage from the crash amounted to $8,600. No injuries were reported.

Individuals and businesses stepped forward this year in Atlantic, to make the annual Atlantic Police Department and Reserves Christmas programs for families in need, a huge success. Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of donations, during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting. Green says in all, over $7,600 was raised by donations, and used for two programs run by the Police Department. He says over 44 children and 12 adults were provided with a Christmas that otherwise would not have been possible. Green says without the donations…including $3 given by a 5-year old, and $2,000 from a local businessman…the programs would not have been as successful as they were. 

The Police and Police Reserves ran two programs, and have done so for many years. The 1^st program, “Family Dreams,” is run by the Police Reserves. This year, the Reserve Officers took seven families on shopping trips in the downtown area, and allowed parents to purchase clothing, coats, boots, and toys for their children. An additional four families were taken for a more limited shopping excursion. Grocery money to purchase needed personal items and/or Christmas dinner, was also supplied to each family. 

The second part of the Christmas program is handled by both the Regular Officers and Reserves, and is labeled “Shop with a Cop”. Green says this year, 14 children were taken to the Atlantic Wal-Mart and allowed about $175 each, with which to shop – accompanied by an officer — for necessities such as boots or gloves, and a few toys. The kids were encouraged to develop the spirit of giving, by spending some of the money on their parents and/or siblings. Afterward, the kids and their parents were treated to sandwiches and cookies at the Sub-Way store, located inside the Wal-Mart. 

Green says about 50-percent of the cost of the “Shop with a Cop” program is provided by Wal-Mart and funds from the Salvation Army Red Kettle donations.

Federal authorities in Omaha say they’ve broken up a substantial drug ring with the arrest of 11 suspects. FBI Special Agent Weysan Dun hopes the sting will bring a sizeable disruption to drug trafficking in the region. Agent Dun says, “These individuals are suspected of being significant sources of much of the methamphetamine that is being trafficked in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.” 

It’s not just meth. He accuses the 11 suspects of dealing cocaine as well. Dun says the FBI coordinated some 50 local, state and federal agents over the past day or so to make the arrests, mostly in the Omaha area. Dun says, “We believe these individuals were supplying drugs to, or were affiliated with, a number of gangs, including the Rebels, The 18th Street, and the Playboy Seranos.”  In addition to bringing in nearly a dozen suspects, Dun says officers also seized a untold quantity of drugs. “The high purity levels of the methamphetamine that we seized suggests that the drugs had not been cut,” Dun says. “They were likely coming directly to Omaha from a primary source of supply.” 

Warrants have been issued for four more suspects who were not caught in the initial round-up.

(Matt Kelly/Radio Iowa)

LEBANON, Mo. (AP) — Wal-Mart has pulled a batch of powdered infant formula from more than 3,000 of its stores nationwide after a newborn Missouri boy who was fed the formula died from what preliminary tests indicate was a rare bacterial infection, the retailer said. The government has not ordered a recall of the 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn powder with the lot number ZP1K7G. Manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition said its records showed the lot tested negative for the bacterium before it was shipped.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Dianna Gee said Wednesday that the company decided to pull the lot “out of an abundance of caution” while health officials investigate Sunday’s death of 10-day-old Avery Cornett. The product could go back on shelves depending on the outcome of the investigation, but customers who bought the cans have the option of returning them for a refund or exchange, Gee said. Gena Terlizzi, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said Wednesday that samples of the formula given to Avery were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing. “At this point it has not been determined whether the illness is linked to the formula or an outside source,” Terlizzi said in a statement.

w/ Ric Hanson

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 Another Republican Presidential candidate will be making a campaign stop in Atlantic prior to the January 3rd caucuses. Texas Congressman Ron Paul will campaign in both Atlantic and Council Bluffs next week. Paul is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting at the Cass County Community Center on Thursday, Dec. 29th, at 3:00 p.m. , before he travels to the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs,  for another town hall meeting at 7:00 p.m. on the 29th.

Last Sunday, former Pennsylvannia Republican Senator Ric Santorum spoke to a crowd of about 50 people, here in Atlantic.

A Red Oak man was arrested Wednesday evening on a trespassing charge. According to Red Oak Police, 52-year old Ronald Lee Hall was taken into custody at around 11-p.m., and booked into the Montgomery County Jail. He was later released on $300 bond.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker late Wednesday evening released the identity of a man who died during a rollover accident Monday evening, near Underwood. Danker says on Wednesday, the Iowa Dept. of Criminal Investigation’s Medical Examiner’s Office positively identifed by fingerprint comparisons, 31-year old Clint Joseph Kilibarda, of Omaha, as having been in a vehicle which left the roadway at 240th Street and Railroad Highway. Kilibarda is orginally from Carter Lake. He was a 2000 graduate of Council Bluffs/Thomas Jefferson High School.

Kilibarda and 33-year old Kirk Ring, of Neola were ejected from the 2005 Mazda as it rolled into a ditch near just before 5-p.m., Monday. When deputies arrived, Ring was found conscious and breathing, but suffering from serious injuries. Kilibarda was pronounced dead at the scene. Ring was flown by helicopter to Creighton University Hospital in Omaha, for treatment of his injuries. Witnesses told authorities the vehicle had been traveling south on Railroad Highway at a high rate of speed prior to the crash. Danker says alcohol is believed to have played a role in the accident, which remains under investigation.