Red Oak Police report the arrest early Saturday morning of 21-year-old Jacob Christopher Cashatt of Red Oak in the 1200 block of Senate Avenue. The arrest occurred at approximately 2:17 a.m. and Cashatt is being charged with Public Intoxication. Cashatt was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and booked in on $300 cash bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports no one was seriously injured during a two-vehicle accident on Friday morning. The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 34 and K Avenue at approximately 9:30 a.m. An investigation determined that a 2016 Freightliner semi with an enclosed trailer driven by 59-year-old Michael Hayes of Madison, North Carolina was traveling west on Highway 34. At the same time a 2014 Chevy Equinox driven by 70-year-old Francis Dickson of Omaha was traveling north on K Avenue. The equinox entered the highway and the passenger side of the SUV struck the semi trailer’s landing gear. Dickson and his 39-year-old son Daniel Dickson of Omaha were evaluated at the scene and released with minor scrapes.

That portion of the highway was shut down for about 45 minutes following the crash. The front and side airbags did deploy on the Equinox and it was considered a total loss. The semi trailer sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. Dickson was cited for Failure to Yield upon entering a through Highway.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Montgomery Count Communications Center, Red Oak Police, and Red Oak Fire and Rescue.

Council Bluffs, Iowa – Five Cass County, Iowa residents were arrested on federal indictments charging Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl. The arrests are the result of a six-month investigation into a series of fentanyl overdose cases occurring in Cass and Shelby Counties. The investigation identified a fentanyl distribution network that covered Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska. The investigation into this distribution network remains ongoing.

According to court documents, 19-year-old Mason Blaine Loudermilk of Atlantic, Iowa; 28-year-old Chase Daniel Jahnke of Lewis, Iowa; 26-year-old Kelsi Marie Thurman of Lewis, Iowa; 25-year-old Colby Ray Clarken of Atlantic, Iowa; and 19-year-old Collin Jacob Clarken of Atlantic, Iowa appeared on June 24, 2022. Trial is set for each defendant on August 8, 2022.

The potential penalty for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance as charged in these indictments is a minimum of twenty years up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case has been investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics, along with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Omaha Police Department, Fourth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services, Iowa Division of Intelligence, and Drug Enforcement Administration. This case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

United States Attorney Richard Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.

The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Nishna Valley Family YMCA on Thursday, June 23rd, 2022, to view the new splash pad/sun deck area as well as celebrate new staff.

The Ambassadors were introduced to a few new staff members who have shifted roles and joined the YMCA since the beginning of the year. Kelsey Smith-Walhovd is serving as the zero to five-year old Program Administrator. Tom Williams has been hired to fill the Property Director position and Tina Olson works as the Member Enrichment Director. Dan Haynes, Nishna Valley YMCA CEO, also shared that Allison Knox-Westmeyer is the part-time Fitness Director and Megan Wedemeyer works as the Marketing/Communications Director.

The Ambassadors also viewed the recently added hands-on summer themed activities such as pool inflatables, splash pad characters, sun deck loungers and more. The splash pad/sun deck was designed for adults to enjoy the sun and families with 2^nd grade and younger children. The splash pad also includes a “Nature Explore” area that allows little ones to explore through sand, dirt, grass, and more.

Nishna Valley Family YMCA is currently offering summer pass memberships for non-members for $99. This pass includes access to the pool, hot tub, sun deck/splash pad, and the Nature Explore Playground. The YMCA offers numerous year-round fitness classes, personal training, adult, and youth programs as well as an aquatics center great for all ages.

For more information about Nishna Valley Family YMCA, including membership pricing, contact 712-243-3934 or visit www.nishnavalleyymca.com. Nishna Valley Family YMCA is located at 1100 Maple Street, Atlantic.

DES MOINES – Iowans can now submit new notary commission applications online through the Fast Track Filing system, Secretary Pate announced today. This addition will allow notaries to apply for a new commission from the comfort of their home, without having to scan in documents any longer.

While Notary Renewals have been available to file online for years, this is the first time an original commission can be filed electronically. Per Iowa Code, Notaries must renew their commission every three years. There are currently more than 58,000 active notaries across the state.

“Fast Track Filing is once again making it easier for Iowans to access and complete needed paperwork without the burden of hiring a courier or mailing it to my office,” Secretary Pate said. “This new addition to the site will provide faster turnaround times for those attempting to become a notary public and provide access whenever Iowans need it.”

Since its launch in 2018, Fast Track Filing has become a hub for business owners to file and manage their business documents. Currently, more than 90% of business filings are conducted through the system.

The latest addition is one of many since the initial launch of the system. From forming business entities to completing UCC filings, Fast Track Filing is making Iowans’ lives easier one filing at a time.

To view the Fast Track Filing system, click here. For more information about Iowa notaries, click here.

An Iowa State University study finds there’s not enough evidence to show fertilizer companies are taking advantage of inflation to raise prices. The study was requested by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller earlier this year because of fertilizer price spikes. I-S-U ag economist Chad Hart, one of the study’s authors, says several factors caused fertilizer prices to rise, including supply chain problems, energy market fluctuations and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price of ammonia is up 126-percent compared to a year ago. Farmers use nitrogen, phosphate and potassium-based fertilizers to help their plants grow. Hart says there was a “perfect storm” of factors but there’s not enough evidence to say whether fertilizer companies are using their market power to hike prices.

The I-S-U study predicts fertilizer prices will decline in the second half of this year but they won’t return to where they were in mid-2020 because farmer demand is high and supply chain problems still exist.

Travel industry experts predict the upcoming Fourth of July holiday will be the busiest-ever for travel by car, truck, S-U-V and van in Iowa and nationwide, despite record or near-record gasoline prices. Meredith Mitts, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the forecast predicts nearly 48-million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday, and 42-million will travel by motor vehicle.

The average price for gas in Iowa is now $4.68 a gallon, down from the all-time record set last Wednesday of $4.76. The national average is $4.94. A year ago, gas in Iowa was averaging $2.89. Based on past holiday history, Mitts says pump prices will likely bounce again before the Fourth of July arrives.

The demand for travel started rising earlier this year, she says, and it’s not tapering off. People are ready for a break, Mitts says, and despite higher prices, they’re still finding ways to take that much-needed vacation.

While air travel is forecast to be slightly stronger than last year, domestic air travel volumes are expected to remain well below pre-pandemic levels. She blames recent issues with air travel and ongoing concerns of cancellations and delays due to pilot shortages.

Iowa Democrats presented dramatic changes for the 2024 Iowa Caucuses to national party leaders today (Thursday). Iowa is one of 16 states and Puerto Rico applying to be among the five states that will vote first in the next presidential election cycle. Iowa Democrats propose using mail-in voting in the weeks ahead of Caucus Night, with the winner announced that evening. Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn says that means precinct leaders will no longer have to count heads in the room and use complex mathematical formulas to determine which candidates get how many delegates.

Former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan, a member of the Democratic National Committee, says a mail-in process to indicate presidential preferences was used in Nevada, North Dakota and Hawaii in 2020.

Democratic National Committee member Mo Elleithee (eh-LAY-thee) in January suggested Iowa’s Caucuses didn’t meet the list of standards party leaders are looking for in a state that kicks-off the presidential campaign, but he’s praising these proposed revisions.

Frank Leone (lee-OWN), another member of the Democratic National Committee, was in Iowa to observe the 2020 caucuses.

Other members of the committee suggested if New Hampshire retains the first primary, it would consider the new Iowa Caucus process very similar to their primary. New Hampshire also has a state law requiring it to hold the nation’s first presidential primary. Brennan, the former Iowa Democratic Party chairman, pointed out Iowa law requires both major parties to hold Caucuses eight days before any other state votes.

A final decision from the national Democratic Party is expected in August. Republicans have already set their 2024 calendar and the Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses remain first.

The town of Denison is holding its very first Immigrant Heritage Festival today (Friday). The president of the Denison chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Alma Puga, says she organized the festival as a way for immigrants of all backgrounds to share their cultures.

The 2020 census showed more than a third of the community is foreign-born. Puga says in recent years she’s seen a growth in the immigrant community – with residents from Sudan, Laos, and Central American communities. Patty Ritchie is helping organize the event. She says it will be a chance to highlight all the different languages and customs that makeup Denison. She says she wishes more Iowans understood the amount of diversity the state holds.

The event will also serve as a fundraiser for a scholarship fund for Latino seniors at Denison High School. Ritchie hopes the festival can help them increase the number of students who receive financial aid. The festival will feature everything from cultural dances to a parade to the unveiling of the community’s newest mural. It’s a work of local art that reads “Immigration is Beautiful.”

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests on Thursday.

The first arrest involved Sheriff’s Officials serving three separate warrants on 53-year-old Rene Telesforo Valdivia of Fort Collins, Colorado for Failure to Appear on two counts of Possession of Marijuana and one count of Possession of Methamphetamine 3rd Offense. Valdivia was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Also Thursday Montgomery County Deputies met with Deputies from Mills County Sheriff’s Office who were transporting 18-year-old Michael Anthony Monson of Omaha to the Mills/Montgomery County line. Monson had a warrant for OWI 1st Offense. He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.