Cass County’s Salvation Army Bell Ringing Campaign is at the half-way mark, and so far, donations are running ahead of last year at this same time. County Chair Duane McFadden said Thursday night the bell ringers had raised a little over $4,500 since the Grand Lighting Ceremony in downtown Atlantic, on November 17th. He says last year they raised a little more than $5,300 altogether. Donations started coming in slowly at first this year, because of the weather on the first Saturday of the effort, but things began to pick up from there, and McFadden hopes they will finish with a fine effort as well.

McFadden says the familiar Red Kettle’s will be in place at Fareway, Hy-Vee, and Wal-Mart in Atlantic, through Christmas Eve. He encourages anyone who wishes to volunteer their time to help ring the bells, to call him as soon as possible, as there are still some open shifts. The two-hour shifts run from 10-a.m. to Noon, Noon until 2-p.m., and from 2-until 4-p.m.  McFadden says for many people, the experience has proven to be very rewarding. He says you can call him at 249-0939. One man who volunteered for the first time, told McFadden afterward that he wanted to volunteer again for the following year. Duane says it’s something you’ll treasure when you volunteer your time for a good cause.

The funds raised by the campaign stay in Cass County.  Over the course of past year, the funds were made available for such programs as the “Shop with a Cop” program, gift cards to local schools, to assist students in meeting various needs, assisting stranded motorists and transient individuals,  fans for distribution by West Central Community Action Center, and, back packs to be distributed by the administrative staff.

This year the Cass County Salvation Army unit also partnered with the Parents as Teachers Program, to purchase car seats for the program’s use.

PHOENIX (AP) — A scathing U.S. Justice Department report released Thursday found that Maricopa County, AZ, Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s

Joe Arpaio (file photo, AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

office carried out a blatant pattern of discrimination against Latinos and held a “systematic disregard” for the Constitution amid a series of immigration crackdowns that have turned the lawman into a prominent national political figure. Arpaio struck a defiant tone in response to the report, calling it a politically motivated attack by the Obama administration that will make Arizona unsafe by keeping illegal immigrants on the street.

The government found that Arpaio’s office committed a wide range of civil rights violations against Latinos, including unjust immigration patrols and jail policies that deprive prisoners of basic Constitutional rights. Arpaio has built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents and dressing them in pink underwear, selling himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.

Western Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King said in a statement Thursday evening “I defend Joe Arpaio. I think he needs to continue with the tent city. And I think that the Department of Justice should not be using themselves as a tool, a political tool, to push back against people that are working to enforce the law.”

Cong. Steve King (R), IA

The findings will force Arpaio’s department to make major changes to carry out new policies against discrimination and improve training of staff and officers. Arpaio faces a Jan. 4 deadline for saying whether he wants to work out an agreement to make the changes. If not, the federal government will sue him, possibly putting in jeopardy millions of dollars in federal funding for Maricopa County.

The fallout from the report was swift. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it is severing its ties with Arpaio, stripping his jail officers of their federal power to check whether inmates in county jails are in the county illegally, a move that was meant to speed up deportation. Homeland security officials also are restricting Arpaio’s office from using a program that uses fingerprints collected in local jails to identify illegal immigrants.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told Missouri River governors Thursday that it is trying to find more room in its reservoirs to avoid a repeat of this summer’s flooding that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to states along the Missouri River. Corps Brig. Gen. John McMahon said his agency has so far tallied $630 million worth of flood damage to the levees, dams and channels built to control the river. “I anticipate that number will continue to creep up a bit,” McMahon said.

McMahon said he is awaiting funding from Congress to complete repairs. He said unrepaired damage to the control infrastructure would leave the drainage susceptible to flooding in 2012 if another unusually wet spring hits the region. He told governors or representatives of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas that the agency is looking for more storage room for floodwater for 2012. McMahon said a report due next week is likely to have specific recommendations. “We are setting ourselves up for a much better outcome,” McMahon told the governors. Some of the governors have been asking for more aggressive flood control. McMahon said the agency will have to weigh the impact of such measures against the other uses for the river, such as barge traffic and wildlife concerns.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, for instance, has said the more aggressive flood control measures would infringe on his state’s wildlife and recreation industries, and lead to water shortages when drought hits. He has resisted the other Missouri River governors’ efforts and predicted they will have little impact on whatever the Corps decides to do. “It is going no direction,” Schweitzer said of the governors’ group. “These governors have no authority. They have less authority than a single member of Congress, who at least have a vote and hold the purse strings.”

Nebraska and Iowa recently pulled out of a separate group called the Missouri River Association of States and Tribes, citing the dispute with Montana over how to manage the river and what they viewed as the group’s unresponsiveness to their concerns.

The CAM Community School District’s Board of Directors have scheduled a public meeting to be held on Monday, December 19^th at 6:30 pm at the CAM High School.  The Board is exploring the opportunity to partner with Connections Education to form a free K-12 online learning center within the district.  The center would operate independently of the CAM District’s educational program and would serve students statewide in the open enrollment process.  

The meeting will provide information in reference to the benefits a partnership would create for our current CAM students and the CAM District.  Superintendent Steve Pelzer says this is a new concept in the state of Iowa, but similar programs are currently available in over 20 states.  

Pelzer and the School Board invites the public to take this opportunity to learn more about the program, and share your thoughts with the Board.  A decision by the Board on whether or not to pursue this program will be made very soon to meet the March 1^st deadline for open enrollment applications.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A survey of bankers in 10 Midwest and Great Plains states reflects continued economic growth in the region, which boasts strong agricultural performance and rising commodity prices.The Rural Mainstreet Index rose to 59.7 in December, the highest survey figure since June 2007. The index hit 58.4 in November, 52.9 in October and 52.2 in September. Survey organizers say that whenever the index, which ranges from 1 to 100, is above 50, it suggests the economy will grow.Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says growth in U.S. regions tied to agriculture and energy are outpacing urban areas.The survey covers Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil is reporting six women were cited or arrested on suspicion of prostitution after a sting at an area hotel. Members of the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force performed the prostitution sting Wednesday at an undisclosed location.

Five women from Omaha were cited for prostitution, including 22-year old Jessica Haley, 41-year old Laura Cox, 45-year old Regina Garcia, 23-year old Brandi Jordan,  and 20-year old Mary Brammann. Jordan was also cited for possession of marijuana. A sixth woman, 24-year old Alexandra Clausen,  of Minneapolis, was taken into custody on suspicion of prostitution and possession of marijuana.

Police reports indicated the women agreed to participate in a sex act with an undercover officer for money, ranging from $100 to $250.

The Vision Iowa Board has approved grants totaling just over $119,000 to help 13 tourist attractions around the state with advertising. An $8,000 grant was awarded to the Pottawattamie County Conservation Board, to market the Hitchcock Nature Center and Mid-America Center. And, The Manning Heritage Foundation received a grant amounting to slightly more than $1,000, for marketing of the Manning Hausbarn-Heritage Park. Grant recipients are required to match at least 50 percent of their request. 

Vision Iowa spokesperson Jessica O’Riley said four projects were awarded the maximum marketing grant of 15-thousand dollars ($15,000) — including the Dubuque County Historical Society for promotion of the National Mississippi Museum and Aquarium.  Another $15,000 marketing grant was directed to the City of Storm Lake, to promote the indoor/outdoor water park at King’s Pointe Resort. 

The Mason City Chamber of Commerce Foundation was awarded a marketing grant of nearly seven-thousand dollars ($7,000) to promote the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Park Inn Hotel. The other marketing grants are directed at projects in Des Moines, Ellsworth, Cedar Rapids, DeWitt, Waterloo and Garner.

(Radio Iowa)

For the second day in a row, firefighters from Cass County are responding to a vehicle fire on eastbound Interstate 80. Fire coming from the engine compartment of a pickup truck was reported at around 10:30-a.m.  As Atlantic and Marne Fire were responding to the scene at the 51-mile marker (near the Marne exit), the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. Atlantic Fire Fighter Gene Schmeling told KJAN News the flames totally engulfed the cab of the Dodge crew cab-style pickup, which was a total loss. There were no injuries reported. Firefighters were on the scene for about one-half hour.

Yesterday, a Subaru station wagon caught fire as it was headed eastbound on I-80, near the Wiota exit. The driver of the vehicle, a woman from Nevada, suffered burns to her hands while trying to rescue five animals that were traveling with her. Three of the animals, two cats and a bird, died. The vehicle was a total loss.

The Atlantic Police Department reports this (Thursday) morning, that an Atlantic woman was arrested Wednesday on a harrassment-related charge. 59-year old Deborah A. Thomas was taken into custody on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Harrassment by Communication charge. Thomas was booked into the Cass County Jail and held, pending a court appearance.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has identified Atlantic as one of 16 Iowa communities to be highlighted on the 2012IowaCaucus.org website (http://2012iowacaucus.org/).   Atlantic Area Chamber Executive Director Megan Roberts says “Atlantic was recognized as a key location for media teams to film traditional Iowa towns during the caucus season.”  The website is aimed at providing information to media and visitors during the month before and during caucuses scheduled for January 3rd, 2012. It provides community data, caucus events and quick facts about each community.

Roberts says “Several of our local events are highlighted as well as some of our larger employers, ” and that “It is one more outlet to help put Atlantic on the map.” According to a release from the IEDA, the website is also available for mobile device users including smart phones. A printed map of Atlantic will be distributed at major candidate events in the month of December.  Council Bluffs and Harlan are also featured on the website.

Roberts says “The Iowa Caucus website could be a key way to attract some new media attention and new visitors to Atlantic from those that are watching the election race. We’re looking forward to providing them with our Atlantic hospitality while they are here.”