One person was seriously injured during a single-vehicle accident Thursday night near the southwest side of Atlantic. Police Chief Steve Green says the driver of the vehicle lost control for reasons unknown just after 10-p.m, near 22nd and Palm Streets. His vehicle crashed into a power pole owned by the Atlantic Municipal Utilities. Green said the man, who was conscious and breathing when police arrived on the scene, was not wearing a seat belt.

He was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital before being transported to a separate trauma facility. The accident remains under investigation. No other details are available at this time.

The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office reports the arrest of 62-year-old John Morgan Rush of Council Bluffs on Thursday.  Rush was arrested on a valid Montgomery County Warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Indecent Exposure.  Rush was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 cash bond.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, announced Ted Robinson was named the 2015 Scrooge for the City of Atlantic. Ted will serve as Grand Marshal in the Lighted Christmas Parade on Saturday evening. Robinson earned his title by collecting the largest amount of donations for the Atlantic Area Chamber’s 15th Annual Scrooge Contest.

All contributions are donated to the Atlantic Food Pantry. The 2015 candidates included: Ali Buckner, Cass County Health System, Rich and Nedra Perry, Geis Perry Jewelry, Ted Robinson, First Whitney Bank and Tony Schmidtke, Fareway. Collectively the scrooges earned 10,607 points. One point is received for every dollar donated and one point for every two cans.

Ted Robinson, winner of the 2015 Scrooge title, along with all the candidates will be recognized at the Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 6th at 3-pm.  The Chamber says recognizing all the candidates at the Holiday Concert is something new in 2015.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Prairie City was arrested Wednesday on an Atlantic Police Department warrant. 30-year old Benjamin John James Grulke, was arrested by deputies on the warrant charging Grulke with Theft in the 5th Degree.

Grulke was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on his own recognizance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Republican Party of Iowa says it has confirmed all of its precinct locations for next year’s presidential caucuses. The party announced Thursday that caucuses will take place in 1,681 locations throughout the state on Feb. 1. Party officials say they have opened three regional offices for the first time to help organize.

Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann says he wants to ensure a smooth and successful caucus to help preserve Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status. Iowa Democratic Party Communication Director Sam Lau says Democrats have finalized more than 90 percent of their precinct locations and posted them on the party’s website.

Veterans from western Iowa who are being treated at the V-A Medical Center in Omaha are being offered the chance to spread some holiday cheer, even if they can’t afford to buy presents. V-A spokesman Will Ackerman says volunteers from the American Legion Auxiliary have opened a special type of gift shop in the hospital that’s just for patients.

Ackerman says, “Veterans who are either in-patients at the Omaha V-A Medical Center or who are going through dialysis treatment or at our recovery center, they are allowed to select a certain number of free gifts for their loved ones.” The auxiliary volunteers take considerable time to buy and wrap the gifts using donations, he says, all in order to help the veterans share the spirit of the season with others.

“They also have a mobile cart to take a good selection of gifts to patients in their rooms and who can’t get down to the gift shop on the third floor so they can also select a gift or two,” Ackerman says. There’s no charge to the veterans for the gifts.

(Radio Iowa)