Deputies in Cass County today (Friday), arrested a man from Kansas on an OWI charge. 32-year old Curtis Lee Rykhus, of Winfield, KS, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense. Rykhus was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on $1,000 bond.

In an update to our earlier report, officials with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said today (Friday), that a person who allegedly posed as a Sheriff’s Deputy Thursday afternoon, has been identified, and “A thorough investigation is underway. The community is no longer in danger from this individual.” The Sheriff’s Office cautioned parents however, to “Please educate your children how to handle strangers approaching them. Proper training and preparation can help keep our children safe!”

Earlier, authorities had said a middle-aged male described as being approximately 5’8″ tall, heavyset with short dark brown hair and going bald approached a group of juveniles between 4:00 and 4:15 PM near the high school in Corning.

The man allegedly identified himself as a sheriff’s deputy and informed the group he was looking for a fight in progress and he was taking them to jail. The individual was driving a late 90’s or early 2000’s Chevrolet or Ford pickup black and red with a silver stripe down both sides.

The group of juveniles left the scene and the man who spoke with them drove off.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) warned parents to monitor their kids’ usage of realistic-looking, air soft guns and make sure they’re using them responsibly. In their Facebook post, authorities showed two rifles, and asked if you could identify which one was real and which one wasn’t. The fake one almost got a person shot.

Photo from Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Authorities said “A few days ago, Deputy Grove and Deputy Gries were given this terrible scenario as a suspect reached for the top weapon. Fortunately the suspect followed the verbal commands issued by the deputies and did not brandish the weapon in their directions. Only after the suspect was taken into custody did deputies determine the weapon was an air soft rifle. The orange barrel had black electrical tape on it to make it look more realistic.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that deceased Slipknot bassist Paul Gray’s child may sue for loss of a parent’s companionship, affirming the rights of children born after a parent’s death. The ruling Friday comes in the wrongful death lawsuit that Gray’s widow filed after the heavy metal bassist died of a drug overdose in May 2010.

Brenna Gray sued several medical care providers that were treating her husband’s drug addiction. Lower courts dismissed the suit because its filing two years after Gray’s death exceeded Iowa’s statute of limitations.

The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal for Brenna Gray – but said her daughter could pursue damages. The court said the deprivation of her father’s comfort and guidance is no less real because she didn’t experience it while in utero.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $415 million, making it the largest since a record-setting prize in January. Winning numbers for the game will be drawn Saturday night, and if no one has the lucky ticket, the prize will likely grow substantially by the next drawing Wednesday.

Although $415 million is nothing to turn your nose up at, it’s far smaller than the largest-ever $1.6 billion jackpot that prompted some to wait in hours-long lines outside lottery retailers. Three people bought winning tickets for that prize in January.

Powerball is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce’ Image Committee has presented the Mailander Law Office with a “Community Improvement Award.” The award recognizes the successful efforts to improve a property in the Atlantic Area, and leave a positive impression on both their clients and the community.

The Mailander Law Office has been in existence since 1982 with an office in Anita. In November of 2012, they opened an office in Atlantic at 104 E. 5th Street. The Atlantic office is staffed by Attorney Jonathan “Jack” Mailander and staff Andrea Steffen and Emily Soper. Serving both the Atlantic and Anita offices are Attorneys James W. Mailander and Karen L. Mailander, with the assistance of the Anita staff of Brandi Sargent and Mona Christensen.

Pictured: Gene Fischer, Bill Saluk, Rich Perry, Gerald Brink, Ouida Hargens, Jim Mailander, Jack Mailander and Andrea Steffen.

The Community Improvement Award is given to a business that takes pride in making Atlantic a welcoming and beautiful community by continuing to improve its appearance. If you would like to nominate a business or community member for a Community Improvement Award please contact the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce: 712-243-3017 or chamber@atlanticiowa.com.