With temperatures predicted to dip well below zero, the Iowa DNR has decided to cancel First Day Hikes at 27 state parks scheduled for New Year’s Day. Todd Coffelt, State Parks Bureau Chief, said Friday “While it’s a great disappointment to us to cancel this event, the safety of park visitors comes first. We know that frost bite can set in fairly quickly at those cold temperatures, so we are using caution in making this decision.”

First Day Hikes are part of a national initiative to encourage people to spend time outdoors. Last year in Iowa, more than 1,200 people participated in hikes across the state. Coffelt said “We definitely will plan on hosting hikes again next year, and anyone can visit state parks during the winter and enjoy the beautiful scenery that’s unique to this time of year.”

First Day Hikes were scheduled to take place at the following parks in western and southwest Iowa:

• Lewis and Clark State Park
• Prairie Rose State Park
• Springbrook State Park
• Green Valley State Park
• Lake Anita State Park
• Viking Lake State Park
• Waubonsie State Park
• Wilson Island State Recreation Area

Two people were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital this (Friday) morning, after the car they were in crashed into the Atlantic Food Pantry. According to the Atlantic Police Department, a vehicle driven by Dorothy Oliphant, of Atlantic, was legally parked in the 400 block of Poplar Street, when the car pulled away and began to drive north on Poplar. Once in the 300 block of Poplar, Oliphant, for reasons unknown – possibly medical – proceeded to backup south on Poplar Street. The car didn’t stop until it hit the north side wall of 402 Poplar Street. The accident happened at around 9:30-a.m.

Oliphant, and her passenger were injured in the crash. They were transported to CCMH by Medivac Ambulance. Officials say the rear end of the car sustained about $10,000 damage. A dollar of amount of damage to the Food Pantry Building, owned by Tim Kreifels, was not immediately available. A citation is currently pending for Dorothy Oliphant, depending on the outcome of an evaluation.

An Iowa Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officer conducted a traffic stop late Thursday night in Atlantic, which resulted in a foot pursuit. Capt. Dan Gohlinghorst, with the Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division, told KJAN News Officer Brian Rink pulled over a pickup for failure to dim headlights, at around 10:30-p.m., near 10^th and Oak Streets. As Rink, and the driver of the vehicle were walking back to Rinks Patrol SUV, the driver of the pickup– identified as 29-year old Justin Patton, of Atlantic, took off on foot.

Cass County Deputy Tyler Shiels was dispatched to assist in the chase. He and his K9 partner were deployed and located Patton, who was taken into custody and brought to the Cass County Jail. Patton was charged with Driving While Suspended and Interference with Official Acts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A California man charged with setting up fake businesses in Iowa and two other states to obtain more than $355,000 in unemployment benefits for nonexistent workers has pleaded guilty in federal court and will be sentenced next month. Court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Iowa say Nikolai Monastyrski has pleaded guilty to all charges contained in a 14-count indictment alleging wire fraud and mail fraud.

A November 2016 complaint says Monastyrski defrauded Iowa Workforce Development of more than $114,000, collected $230,000 from Illinois and $11,300 from Pennsylvania. Prosecutors say Monastyrski, who requires a Russian interpreter in court, ran the scheme from his Folsom, California, apartment. Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger on Thursday set his sentencing date for Jan. 8 in Davenport. She had accepted his guilty plea in September.

Cass County Public Health is teaming up with Live Healthy Iowa to improve the health of the county’s residents and improve its overall ranking in the newly released Active Index. Since 1988, the obesity rate in Iowa has increased from 14 percent to 32 percent. Iowa’s less than desirable national rankings for obesity and inactivity have contributed to the overall health of the state’s residents, which led to development of the Active Index. Currently, out of the 99 counties in Iowa, Cass County ranks 76th in the Active Index, with a participation rate of 3.01%. Live Healthy Iowa’s Active Index provides a measurement of where each county ranks across Iowa. Rankings in the Active Index are based on county members’ participation in select Live Healthy Iowa and Iowa Sports Foundation challenges and events, including the 10 Week Wellness Challenge, Live Healthy Iowa 5K, The Next Step Challenge, Kid’s Fall Fitness Day/Healthiest State Walk, Summer Iowa Games and Winter Iowa Games.

Beth Olsen, Director of Public Health for Cass County, says “Like other counties in Iowa, we know that the obesity rate and overall health statistics of Cass County are something that we need to address. Thirty-five percent of our adults are obese and 26% are physically inactive, both surpassing the average in Iowa. Forging a closer partnership with Live Healthy Iowa by working to achieve a better Active Index ranking will provide us with a roadmap for improvement and help us to engage our residents – of all ages and activity levels – to participate in healthy and active opportunities to improve their health.”

If you would like to be part of the discussion, join Cass County Public Health for a meeting on Friday, January 12th, from 1:00-until 2:30pm, at the Cass County Memorial Hospital Conference Room #2. County members will meet with Dr. Amy Michelle Willcockson, director of Live Healthy Iowa and Chuck Long, CEO and executive director of the Iowa Sports Foundation and former NFL and University of Iowa football star to discuss Cass County’s health rankings and develop a plan for improvement.

There is no charge for counties to be part of the Active Index; there are only minimal participation fees in the annual challenges. If you plan to attend the event on Friday, January 12 from 1:00-2:30pm at the Cass County Memorial Hospital Conference Room #2, please RSVP to Beth Olsen at (712) 243-7552 or at olsea@casshealth.org.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The owners of a Sioux City bee and honey operation fear vandals may have cost the couple their business. Justin and Tori Engelhardt own Wild Hill Honey, and they found the damage Thursday morning when they went to dust snow off their 50 hives in a grove on their west Sioux City property. Justin Engelhardt says all the hives were knocked over, killing at least 500,000 bees. The vandal or vandals smashed any equipment they could reach but didn’t steal anything. He estimated the damage at $50,000 to $60,000.

He says “this probably sunk us,” because insurers don’t offer beehive coverage. No arrests have been reported.

Two people were arrested following a pursuit that began in Missouri and ended in Iowa, Thursday night. Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports that a little after 8-p.m., Thursday, Page County Authorities were advised of a vehicle pursuit Northbound on U-S 71 from the Wilcox, MO area. The vehicle entered Iowa where Page County Deputies joined the pursuit of the suspect vehicle, a 1999 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle entered a stalk field where it stopped and backed into a Page County Sheriff’s Vehicle.

The driver and his passenger were taken into custody without incident. Upon a search of the vehicle property was recovered that had been stolen from a local business in Maryville. The driver, identified as 34-year old Shawn Michael Jones, of Papillion, NE., was arrested for Theft 2nd Degree, Eluding and Assault on a Peace Officer. The passenger, identified as 35-year old Jennifer Kay Hendricks, also of Papillion, NE., was arrested for Theft 2nd Degree.

Both suspects were transported to the Page County Jail and held without bond pending an initial appearance in Page County Magistrate Court.
(12-p.m. News)

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports that at around 5:20-p.m. Thursday, officers arrested a Union County man. 34-year old Adam Michael Roan, of Afton,  was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, possession of methamphetamine, possession of heroin, possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license. Roan was arrested in the 100 block of South 15th Street pursuant to a traffic violation stop. He was being held in the Page County Jail on $5,000 bail pending an appearance before the court.

Police reports have been submitted to the offices of Page County Attorney Carl M. Sonksen for review regarding the filing of formal charges.

The forecast for the holiday weekend ahead likely isn’t one which the state tourism folks will tout to lure visitors to consider Iowa as a vacation destination. Besides the latest round of snow, it’ll be dangerously cold, with wind chill indices likely reaching the 40s-below zero in some areas. Meteorologist Allan Curtis, at the National Weather Service, says the flakes are flying and much of Iowa will have new snowfall soon. “We are looking at snow and there’s a fair chunk of the state that’s already seeing light-to-moderate snow, generally northwest and north-central Iowa,” Curtis says. “That’s going to continue to spread southeast through the day and on south. The heaviest bands are going to be north of the Des Moines area, up towards Waterloo and over towards Tama.”

One of the forecast maps shows the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor may be getting six inches of snow by tonight (Friday). “That would be likely on the high side at this point,” Curtis says. “We’re not going to rule that out by any stretch for some local amounts. The majority of people are going to be in the three-to-four range and we will probably see a handful of four-to-five and if we do see a six-inch amount, that’s certainly not out of the question.”

It’s been bitter cold all week, but the forecast calls for the situation only to get worse for the next three to four days, just in time for the three-day holiday. “Today’s going to be the warmest day through the new year,” Curtis says. “Saturday, Sunday, Monday, we’re looking at highs below zero across pretty much the entire state and if that wasn’t bad enough, we’re also talking some absolutely brutal wind chills, especially come Saturday.”

It appears the final days of the year will also be among the very coldest. “Parts of northern Iowa are looking at easily negative-30 degrees in the morning, approaching negative-40 possibly,” Curtis says, “and on south through the state, at least negative-20 at times.”  Temperatures should warm slightly by Tuesday or Wednesday, he says, with highs at least climbing into the teens above zero.

(Radio Iowa)

Two people were injured during a single-vehicle accident at 4th and Poplar, in Atlantic, this morning. According to Police Chief Dave Erickson. the female driver of the vehicle was traveling north on Poplar Street near Fareway, when, for reasons unknown, she stopped and put the car into reverse. The car backed-up a little over one-half block before the rear end struck the Atlantic Food Pantry building. The carsustained heavy damage. No injuries were reported to have occurred at the Pantry. The woman and her husband, who was a passenger in the vehicle, were transported to CCMH by Medivac Ambulance. The accident remains under investigation. No other details are currently available.