Due to forecasted inclement weather, the Interstate 680 grand reopening ceremony being hosted by the Iowa Department of Transportation on Wednesday will be held at the Crescent Fire Station (102 W. Florence Street, just west of Old Lincoln Highway). The public is welcome to attend. I-680 is still scheduled to reopen at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday. Vehicles representing the contractors responsible for the fast-track rebuilding of the highway will lead the way.  Parking will be available at the Pink Poodle Steakhouse, 633 Old Lincoln Highway; limited parking will also be available along Florence Street.

The event will feature formal remarks from: Iowa Governor  Terry E. Branstad & Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds; Federal Highway Administration Administrator Victor M. Mendez; Iowa Department of Transportation Director Paul Trombino III;  Nebraska Department of Roads District 2 Engineer Tim Weander; Mayor of Council Bluffs Tom Hanafan & Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle.

There will also be a ceremonial “relinking” of Nebraska and Iowa, and refreshments.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested Monday, on unrelated charges. 52-year old Bernard Anton Cerven, of Villisca, was arrested Monday morning on a Magistrate’s warrant for Contempt of Court. Cerven was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $4,000 cash bond. And, 40-year old Keith Allan Currin, of Villisca was arrested Monday afternoon, on a District Court warrent for Violation of his Probation. He was on probation in association with a 3rd degree burglary charge filed against him in August, 2010. Currin appeared before a judge and was released on $1,300 cash bond.

A collision between a van and a deer Sunday evening in Montgomery County resulted in minor injuries to a passenger in the van. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a 2003 Chevy van drive by 42-year old Dana McCormick, of Elliott, was traveling south on Highway 48 at around 6:45-p.m., when a deer ran onto the road. When the van hit the deer, a passenger in the vehicle, 10-year old William McCormick, suffered a possible arm injury, as he complained of pain following the collision.

The accident, which happened about two-miles east of Elliott, caused an estimated $3,000 damage to the van.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office says four vehicle-versus-deer accidents occurred over the past week. None of the collisions resulted in injuries. There were two run-ins with deer reported Monday morning. Officials say just before 7-a.m., vehicles driven by 32-year old Shawn Pappas, of Red Oak, and 60-year old Dianna Drake, of Stanton, collided on westbound Highway 48, when Drake braked hard to avoid a deer which had suddenly appeared on the road. Pappas, who was following the Drake vehicle, was unable to stop in time, and hit the rear of her car, causing it to become disable. The vehicles sustained a combined $6,000 damage. No citations were issued.

Less than a half-hour later, a pickup driven by 17-year old Robert Button, of Shenandoah, hit and killed a deer that appeared on C Avenue. The accident caused $1,700 damage to the pickup, which was towed from the scene.

Late Saturday night, a pickup driven by 18-year old Michael Pittman, of Clarinda, collided with a deer, as Pittman was traveling south on Willow Avenue, in Page County. The vehicle sustained $1,500 damage. And, Friday evening, an SUV driven by 31-year old Stacy Bolton, of Clarinda, hit a deer on O Avenue. The impact caused $2,500 damage.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (8.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Monday were updated on the County’s Continuity of Government (COG), and Continuity of Operations Plans. Rob Koppert, E-9-1-1 Coordinator and Assistant to Emergency Management Director Mike Kennon, explained why those plans are needed. He says both plans would spell out how government functions would continue, should members of the Board of Supervisors be wiped out in a disaster, and/or if any of the county’s physical facilities are destroyed.  The initiative began a number of years ago, according to Koppert, but is only now beginning to take shape across the State.

Koppert says Mike Kennon has been working with the State Planner with regard to the COOP/COG plans, and it appears the Emergency Management Department is ready to move forward with plans to meet with County government officials to discuss those plans.  He says Kennon has a list of functions each entity in the County will need to discuss and prioritize, with regard to the plan. That includes the various County Department heads, who will determine the needs for each department, before a disaster strikes, so those items can quickly be acquired if needed.

Supervisor Chuck Rieken asked if Kennon wasn’t “reinventing the wheel,” when it comes to the COG/COOP Plans, because the State or other agencies have something similar in place. Koppert said there are templates available with which to guide the process, but the COG/COOP Plans for each county, would be County Specific. That would include where the County offices would set up operations if the courthouse were to be destroyed or damaged to the point where normal functions would be impossible.

The County is also required to develop such a plan, according to the Federal initiative ordered by a Presidential directive. The recent purchase and installation this past Spring, of a new 175 kilowatt Emergency Generator, is part of the County’s COG plan.

w/Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Humidifiers have been running almost non-stop for weeks as one of Iowa’s driest Octobers in more than 20 years is now over. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says the month that just ended saw very little rainfall, though it wasn’t a record-breaker. “The driest one is in a class all by itself, way back in October of 1952,” Hillaker says. “Most of the state had no rain what-so-ever and the statewide average was just 2/100ths of an inch for the month. That’s our driest calendar month of any month for the year, not just for October.”

Here in Atlantic, we received just .21” of rain during the month. The normal average is 2.54-inches. While official State numbers are still being tabulated, this October saw a statewide average between three-quarters of an inch and eight-tenths of an inch of rain, which will rank it around the 10th driest Iowa October on record. It was the driest October since 1988 when we only averaged two-thirds of an inch of rain statewide. Hillaker say the just-ended month was also warmer than usual.

“The month is going to average out about three-degrees warmer than normal,” he says. “We actually got off to a rather cold start. We had an unusually cold September and the first couple of days in October were well below normal as well. A little bit of cold weather was mixed in, especially the last week or two, but most days were above normal.” As for the month ahead, November may follow suit, at least as far as warmth.

“November, historically when we’re in a La Nina weather pattern as we are right now, has quite strong odds of being warmer than normal and just a teeny tendency to be on the dry side of normal as well,” Hillaker says. Based on the forecast though, he says Iowa may see rain showers as soon as tomorrow (Wednesday) with an even-larger storm front possibly moving over the state this weekend.

The average high for October in Atlantic, was 68.5-degrees, which was slightly warmer than the normal average of 65.7. The average low was 35.9, which was slightly cooler than the normal average of 38.1.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – For the first time in nearly two years, the overall Business Conditions Index for a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains took a negative turn.  Today’s (Tuesday’s) report on the survey of supply managers and executives says the index dropped to 49.9 in October, compared with 52.2 in September. Organizers say any survey score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.

Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss oversees the survey. He says one reading slightly below a growth-neutral 50 doesn’t signal a recession. But Goss says the October figure is evidence that the weakness in the national economy has hit the regional economy.

The states are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

ATLANTIC – Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn & Co., P.C. CPAs have released an audit report on Cass County Memorial Hospital, Atlantic, Iowa. The auditors reported that the Hospital’s Unrestricted Funds revenues totaled $31,689,800 for the year ended june 30, 2011, a 3.6 percent decrease from 2010. The revenues included $27,909,900 in net patient revenue, $844,700 in other operating revenue, $1,989,600 from the county and $297,300 in interest on investments.

Expenses for the year totaled $31,057,600, a 3.3 percent decrease from the prior year, and included $5,976,800 for nursing services, $12,993,800 for other professional services and $8,077,000 for fiscal and administrative services. The decrease in revenues and expenses was primarily due to the Hospital discontinuing its home care and hospice services during the year.

There were no corrective measures indicated necessary for this audit. A copy of the audit report is available for review in the office of the Auditor of State and the Hospital Administrator’s office.

(Press Release from CCMH)