TYNDALL, S.D. (AP) – An Iowa man accused of intentionally injuring a South Dakota police officer in a hit-and-run incident has been arrested after more than four months on the run.

The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan reports 35-year-old Travis McPeek, of Sioux City, Iowa, was arrested Thursday in Mesa, Arizona, by federal marshals.
McPeek had been wanted on a warrant for felony aggravated assault against law enforcement since the Aug. 6 traffic stop.

Authorities allege he struck Tyndall Police Officer Kelly Young with his truck in a convenience store parking lot and fled. Young was treated at a hospital for broken ribs, a cut on a leg, an injured ankle, and other cuts and bruises.

Join Cass County Conservation Staff at Atlantic’s  Schildberg Recreation Area- Lake 4 on Saturday, January 7th 2017.  Staff will be giving ten-minute presentations regarding the Trumpeter Swans every half-hour beginning at 11:00 a.m. with the last one being presented at 2:00 p.m.  There will also be time to view the swans through spotting scopes and witness random swan feeding sessions.

Hot chocolate, cookies, grilled hotdogs, and other snacks will be provided free of charge with donations being accepted (for swan care). The Schildberg Recreation Area is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, Lake 4 is on the north side of Highway 83. 

IF THE WEATHER IS “BAD” OR THE SWANS ARE NOT AT THE PARK…the program will be held at the Atlantic Public Library from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. with a light lunch available. This event is being sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, Atlantic Parks and Recreation, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Atlantic Public Library.

(Cass Co. Conservation Dept. News Release)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Two Iowa men will serve shorter prison terms after President Barack Obama commuted their sentences. The names of Anthony Dodd, of Davenport, and Aaron Rees, of Pleasantville, were on a list of those who received the commutations Monday. Both men’s life sentences were shortened to 20 years.

The Des Moines Register reports Rees was sentenced in 2005 following his convictions on conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and using a minor to manufacture meth. Dodd was convicted of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and received his sentence in 2006.

White House officials say Obama has shortened the sentences of 1,176 people during his presidency, including 395 serving life sentences.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:12 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two women held each other and wept as Iowa’s six electors cast their Electoral College ballots for Republican Donald Trump. Mary Barrett and her daughter Rebecca Barrett drove from Iowa City to the state Capitol to see the Monday afternoon balloting, which took only minutes. They say given the importance of a Trump presidency, they wanted to see the Electoral College vote in person. Mary Barrett expressed “surprise how sad it made me feel.”.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A man charged with killing his mother and grandmother in Council Bluffs will be sent to a mental health facility after being found mentally incompetent to stand trial. The Des Moines Register reports a judge signed an order Friday that will send Michael Dieckmann to treatment at a state prison mental health facility in Oakdale. Staff at the Oakdale facility will try to restore Dieckmann’s mental health to the point where he can understand the charges against him and participate in his defense.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A lawsuit from two Sioux tribes seeking to stop the Dakota Access oil pipeline is on hold while a related court battle over the project plays out. Pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners is asking a judge rule that it has federal permission to lay pipe under the Missouri River in North Dakota. The judge in the meantime has put aside the tribes’ legal challenge over permits at numerous water crossings.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The insurance industry and its regulators are asking a judge to allow documents that detail “shadow insurance” subsidiaries created by Iowa-based life insurers to remain secret. The Iowa Insurance Division and the Federation of Iowa Insurers are opposing the lawsuit filed by Indiana University professor emeritus Joseph Belth. Belth argues that the “shadow insurance” instruments threaten the solvency of insurers.

The ice skating rink being prepared at Sunnyside Park will have its Grand Opening sometime during the first week in January. The exact date will be announced later. Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm told the Atlantic Parks and Rec Board during their meeting Monday evening, that the heavy duty liner covering the basketball court was installed Friday thanks to volunteer help, and fits like a glove.

They’ve put in two-inches of water and will need to make sure the ice is at least four-inches thick before it can be used. That’s also the reason he hasn’t set a specific grand opening date. Staashelm said they want to make sure the ice is smooth and ready for use. The 90-by-120 foot rink will likely be open he said, before the Grand Opening event.

Staashelm said there is a lot of excitement about the skating rink. He said ice skates are not being made available to users, so you’ll have to bring your own. Staashelm said also, he has e-mailed the Aksarben Curling Club (www.curlaksarben.com) to see if they have any interest in using the facility once its open. He hopes to eventually have a night designated specifically for curling.

LED rope lights are installed on three of the four sides. Additional electrical and illumination issues are currently being addressed. A snow fence will enclose the area, with one designated entrance. Patio heaters are also planned for the area so people can warm up once they’ve been on the ice for a while.

In other business, Staashelm confirmed the streets in Sunnyside Park are closed for the season for safety reasons (they don’t want to have vehicles sliding off the roads and hitting buildings, property or pedestrians). The park itself is still open for foot traffic and events.

Seth said also, reservations for the shelter houses at Sunnyside Park will not be accepted until January 1^st. He says he will be updating the Parks and Rec website to reflect reservation dates for 2017.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A man charged with killing his mother and grandmother in Council Bluffs will be sent to a mental health facility after being found mentally incompetent to stand trial. The Des Moines Register reports District Judge Susan Christensen signed an order Friday that will send Michael Dieckmann to treatment at a state prison mental health facility in Oakdale.

The order followed the determination that the 31-year-old Dieckmann wasn’t mentally competent. Staff at the Oakdale facility will try to restore Dieckmann’s mental health to the point where he can understand the charges against him and participate in his defense.

He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the March deaths of his mother, 63-year-old Jacqueline Dieckmann, and his grandmother, 91-year-old Illa Pfeiffer.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce will host its Annual Dinner Saturday, January 14th, 2017 at the Cass County Community Center. Chamber Executive Director Ouida Hargens says she “Always look forward to the Annual Dinner. It’s a great opportunity for us to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, look forward to what we will accomplish and most of all, highlight all of our volunteers and Chamber Members that have invested their time and money back into our organization and our community.”

The Chamber will recognize businesses, organizations and individual leaders in the community. Two people will be recognized and given awards including: ATHENA Award and Distinguished Service Award. The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking nominations for the Distinguished Service Award.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual, business or organization who has made the community a better place to live. They have rendered special services for the benefit of the community and have demonstrated an active leadership role for the betterment of the community through their involvement in business, civic and social service organizations.

Last year, the Distinguished Service Award was given to Geis Perry Jewelry for over 40 years of commitment, generosity and support of local businesses and events.
Please contact the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce to nominate someone for the Distinguished Service Award. The deadline for nominations is January 6th, 2017.

Governor Terry Branstad says with lower-than-expected state tax revenue, the current state budget must be reduced by nearly 100 million dollars. “This year we’re going to have to do some ‘deappropriation’ in order to meet the fiscal challenge we’re facing,” Branstad says. “We have a requirement that the budget be balanced.” A state panel met last week and lowered the “official” estimate of state tax collections for the current budgeting year. Branstad hopes to shield a few major budget items from cuts.

“I’m going to work with the legislature and make recommendations,” Branstad says. “I want to protect K-12 school aid from reductions and property tax credits. I don’t want to see those reduced.” With those spending areas OFF the cutting table, state agencies are likely targets for cuts, but Branstad says he does not anticipate state employee layoffs.

During the depths of the farm crisis when he was governor in the 1980s, Branstad ordered mandatory, unpaid furloughts for state workers, as well as an across-the-board cut in state government. When he ran for governor again in 2010, Branstad was a critic of then-Governor Chet Culver’s decision to cut the state budget across the board rather than make targeted cuts. Today (Monday), Branstad again indicated strategic reductions are his goal for dealing with this latest budget dilemma.

The governor and his staff are in the process of crafting a state budget plan for NEXT year that will be submitted to legislators in January. “We’re going to have to make some difficult decisions on the budget,” Branstad says. Branstad has met publicly with state agency directors over the past few weeks to discuss budget priorities. At some point next year, Branstad will resign as governor to become President-elect Trump’s ambassador to China, but Branstad intends to deliver the annual “Condition of the State” speech to legislators on January 10th and make a formal budget recommendation as well.

Branstad’s not commenting on the latest diplomatic skirmish between China and the U.S. — about that drone Chinese military seized and will now return. “First of all, I have not been confirmed yet and I’ve been advised it’s not wise for me to comment on foreign policy at this point in time,” Branstad said. “So I’m focusing on my responsibility as governor.” Branstad made his comments during his weekly news conference at the capitol in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

he state Department of Public Health reports a woman who is 81 years old or older from central Iowa has died from the flu. Department Medical Director Patricia Quinlisk says its the first death in this flu season and an important reminder to get vaccinated. “We just felt like we wanted to remind people in Iowa that flu is a serious disease — and at times it can kill you,” Quinlisk says. Doctor Quinlisk says the number of flu cases thus far has been pretty low, which she says is typical of the season.

“It’s not uncommon that we don’t see much activity until the holidays when people really are around each other and travel,” Quinlisk says, “and then we see it really starting to climb in January, and then by the end of January we are starting to peak.” She says the shot will provide you protection fairly quickly.

“If you’ve not already gotten your flu shot, it’s a really good time to go in and get it and you will have protection over the holidays,” Quinlisk says. Quinlisk says the flu vaccine prepared for this year appears to be dialed in to handle the strains that are out there. “So far the primary strain seems to be what we call the typical seasonal flu strain — which is the A-H-3-N-2. We’ve seen a little bit of the 2009 pandemic strain which hits kids pretty hard. It’s called A-H-1-N-1…,” Quinlisk says. “The good news is that so far the vaccine is matching up really, really well with the strains that we are seeing in Iowa and across the United States, which means that the vaccine this year should give you protection against any flu strain that you come across.”

Doctor Quinlisk says the flu vaccine is readily available this year. She says getting a flu shot is important and you should also remember the three Cs: Cover your coughs and sneezes; Clean your hands frequently; and Contain germs by staying home when ill. Quinlisk says besides a flu shot, handwashing is the single best way to prevent the spread of illness.

(Radio Iowa)

The Union County Sheriff’s Office say a man from Lorimor reported Friday afternoon, that his black, 2006 Hyundai Sonata had been stolen from 307 Kansas Avenue, in Lorimor. The theft happened at around 11:55-a.m.  The estimated value of the vehicle is $9,500.