The second “Produce in the Park” meeting in Atlantic is set for Thursday, March 17th, in the meeting room at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 102 Chestnut Street. The meeting, which begins at 4:30-p.m., is for vendors of locally grown produce and handmade crafts, and anyone else interested in the community event.

An update on funding and expenses will be discussed. Marketing methods, activities and cooking demonstrations are also on the agenda. Decisions are made by the group in attendance.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is June 2nd. The event takes place every Thursday evening from there on out through the growing season, from 4:30- to 6:30-p.m. in the Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season.

The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

A man and woman from Glenwood were arrested Thursday on warrants for Theft. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 67-year old James Ralph Huseman was arrested on a warrant for 1st degree Theft. 55-year old Patricia Louise Smith was arrested on a warrant charging her with two counts of Theft in the 1st degree. Bonds for Huseman and Smith were set at $10,000, each.

Another candidate has thrown their hat into the ring for the District 4 seat on the Cass County Board of Supervisors. The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports Todd Hansen, a Republican from Atlantic filed nomination papers today (Friday), for the seat left open when Chuck Rieken decided against running for re-election. Hansen joins fellow Republicans Steve Baier and Barry Moore in the District 4 race heading into the June 7th Cass County Primary Election. No democrats have filed for the seat. The filing period opened this past Monday, and closes at the end of the day on March 30th.

As mentioned previously, two Republicans have filed to fill the District 1 seat on the County Board of Supervisors: Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, and Dale Retallic, both of Atlantic. No democrats have filed for the seat. The District 1 seat is currently held by Duane McFadden, who has decided against running for re-election.

Republican Frank Waters is vying for re-election to the Board of Supervisors in District 5, and County Auditor Dale Sunderman as well as Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren have both filed for re-election on the Republican ticket. No democrats have filed for any of those positions.

The Council Bluffs Police Department reports a man who became disoriented and drove his vehicle off an overpass early this (Friday) morning, was not seriously injured. 55-year old Jeffrey L. Porter, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on the Avenue G viaduct at around 3:25-a.m., when his vehicle drifted onto the sidewalk.

Image from the Council Bluffs P-D Facebook page.

The vehicle then proceeded to crash through a section of chain-link fence before plunging nearly 25-feet and landing on its roof. Authorities say Porter was likely saved from serious injury because he was wearing his seat belt. The man was transported to Jennie Edmundson hospital as a precautionary measure, and later released.

Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash.

U-S Senator Joni Ernst (A Republican from Red Oak), will hold a Town Hall meeting in Mills County next week, as part of her 99 county tour across Iowa. The meeting, which takes place 8:30-a.m. March 24th at the Glenwood City Hall, is open to the public.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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SPENCER, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa medical examiner’s office has concluded that the death of a Spencer High School wrestler who collapsed at a December match was likely caused by a congenital heart defect. The Sioux City Journal reports an autopsy on 18-year-old Austin Roberts’ body Dec. 22 determined the cause of death. The medical examiner’s office also listed “probable dehydration” and “other significance” in his death. The manner of his death will be certified as natural causes.

Roberts, at 220 pounds, collapsed at a tournament Dec. 19 in Spencer after taking injury time when he couldn’t catch his breath. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that day. He was ranked sixth in the state in Class 3A at the time of his death.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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In a follow-up to our report Thursday morning, additional details have been released about the arrest of a Glenwood woman who faces 11 felony counts of Dependent Adult Abuse and one felony count of Ongoing Criminal Conduct. According to the Daily NonPareil, 35-year old Tonya Fustos was arrested Tuesday after an investigation was conducted done by State of Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

She was released Wednesday without having to post bond, but is expected to make all of her court dates. Fustos’ next court appearance will be a preliminary hearing on March 30th. If convicted of ongoing criminal conduct, Fustos could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. She could face up to five years in prison on each dependent adult abuse charge.

According to court documents, Fustos, while acting as the director for caregivers for dependent adults, committed a series of financial exploitation violations from August of 2014 to February of 2015. Assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney Shelly Sudmann, who will prosecute the case, said Fustos hired her husband’s painting company to paint the rooms of the dependent adults. Fustos reportedly charged the residents more than $100 for the work.

According to the arrest affidavit, Fustos allegedly directed her employees to use the dependents’ personal funds to pay for the invoices. Sudmann likened the allegations to renting an apartment and being asked to pay for maintenance, even though you are already paying rent. Sudmann also said it did not look like all the billed work was actually done.

At the time of the alleged financial exploitation violations, Fustos worked as a director for Developmental Services of Iowa. She currently works for AmeriHealth Caritas. Fustos has been ordered not to advise clients on their accounts until her case is resolved.

Investigators in Iowa have identified a man killed Sunday during a single-vehicle crash in Adair County. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the victim was 51-year old Douglas Jonathan Rector, of Fair Oaks, Indiana. Rector died after the Chrysler minivan he was driving east on Iowa Highway 92 east of Greenfield, veered off the road. The van entered the north ditch, exited the ditch, became airborne and rolled as it came back in contact with the road.