It’s the seasons for ghosts, goblins and haunted houses. To set the mood, a Haunted House will be held in Atlantic each weekend in October, leading up to Halloween. Donna Snyder and Cherie Petty are with the Atlantic Eagles, the organization which, along with the Atlantic JayCees and several area businesses, is sponsoring the event. Snyder says the Haunted House is being at the same location it’s taken place for the past five-years, Barn number 4 at the Cass County Fairgrounds. The house is open this (Friday) and Saturday evening, with additional dates to follow: Oct. 12^th and 13^th, 19^th & 20^th, Oct. 26^th and 27^th, and on Halloween. On Friday evenings, there will be a “Spookless Matinee,” from 7-to 8-pm.

A “Scare Fest” will be held every Friday and Saturday as well, from 8-pm to Midnight. On Halloween, the “Spookless Matinee” will be held from 7-8pm, along with the “Scare Fest,” from 8pm to Midnight. Cherie Petty says it takes a lot of planning, work and volunteers to get the venue prepared for the fun, family event, and even if you’ve been to the Haunted House in years past, there’s always something new. This year is no exception. She says they received several donated props from a haunted house that is no longer in business, so there’s hardly anything left over from the past.

Petty, who has been involved with haunted house activities for five-years, says there are all sorts of eerie sounds, but nothing that will reach out and touch you, but they will “get pretty close.” Donna Snyder says the cost to attend the Haunted House is $7, with discounts available beginning the weekend of October 12 and 13^th, if you bring two, non-perishable food items. The food will be donated to the Atlantic Food Pantry. The following weekend, donations of pet food, toys and treats and other appropriate items, will be used for the Atlantic Animal Shelter. Again, that brings your cost down to $5.

While the price for the haunted house is the same for everyone, kids can attend the “Scare Fest” for just three-dollars.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold a public meeting in Atlantic later this month, to discuss outdoor recreation. The 2-hour meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 18th, in the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce Rock Island Depot meeting room.  The Atlantic meeting is one of a series being held across the state to gather information to develop a new 5-year outdoor recreation plan for Iowa.  The draft plan will be available for public comment in December before it is submitted to the National Park Service.

Michelle Wilson, project leader for the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, says “We want Iowans with an interest in outdoor recreation or who participate in outdoor recreation to attend this meeting and help set a course for the future of outdoor recreation.” Wilson says they want residents to tell the DNR what recreational activities they would like to participate in, what amenities or conveniences would help you participate more often and what should the state focus on when it comes to outdoor recreation.

The plan will serve as a guide for future projects developed by the Iowa DNR.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Walnut City Council, Thursday, approved an agreement with Pottawattamie County for the purchase of three tornado sirens. City Clerk Terry Abell says the cost of the sirens is $71,402. The City’s share of the cost is $20,000. She says the County has a program to upgrade the tornado sirens county-wide. The City will purchase the sirens and other components to make the sirens function.

The sirens will be controlled by Pottawattamie County, and set-off as necessary, when severe weather is imminent. In other business, the Walnut City Council approved a three-year lease agreement with D & B Farms, to allow a billboard sign promoting the Antique City’s various shops to be installed on the company’s property. The lease will cost the City $2,100 per year. And, the Council set the date of October 31^st as the official date for Trick-or-Treating in Walnut. The event will run from 5-until 7-p.m.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green reports four people suffered possible injuries during an accident Thursday evening at the intersection of 10th and Maple Streets. Green says a vehicle driven by Alex Tarr, of Atlantic, was traveling south in the 900 block of Maple Street at around 7:35-p.m. and approaching the stop sign with 10th Street, at the same time  a vehicle driven by Justin Waggoner, of Ada, OK., was traveling west in the 200 block of 10th. When Tarr’s vehicle pulled away from the intersection, it was hit by the Waggoner vehicle. The accident resulted in a total of $12,000 damage. Three people in the Tarr vehicle, and Waggoner, were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital to be checked and treated for possible injuries. Both drivers were cited following the crash. Tarr was cited for Failure to obey a stop sign, while Waggoner was cited for No proof of Insurance.

In other news, the Atlantic Police Department reports 30-year old Joshua Cooper, of Milan, IL., was arrested Thursday, on a warrant out of Guthrie County,  for Failure to Appear. Cooper was booked in to the Cass County Jail.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa website that lets people search for breath alcohol test results has resumed operation. The site was taken down about a month ago. There were fears that the information on the site could violate a person’s right to a fair trial. The site had included each defendant’s date of birth and case number. Iowa County Attorney’s Association Executive Director Corwin Ritchie says concerns should be eased, now that the dates of birth and case numbers have been removed.

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation criminalist Jim Bleskacek says that in counties where there are very few breath tests, the information made it easy for people to figure out whose breath test results were listed. The test result website address is https://breathalcohol.iowa.gov/.

A student with the Boyer Valley Community School District in Dunlap suffered serious injuries Thursday morning, when the pickup he was driving was hit by a train. According to the Iowa State Patrol, Jason Hoffman, of Dunlap, was driving a 2008 Ford F-150 southeast on Remsen Street just before 8-a.m., when he failed to yield to a westbound train at the Canadian Northern railroad track, in the Dunlap City limits.

The collision forced the pickup into the southwest ditch. Hoffmann was taken by Lifenet Helicopter to an Omaha hospital. Officials say he was wearing his seatbelt. The accident remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Dunlap Police, Dunlap Fire and Rescue, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and employees with the Canadian Railroad.

Police in Red Oak report a woman was arrested on drug charges late Thursday night. According to the police department, 32-year-old Christy Leigh Shackelford, of Shenandoah, was arrested just before 10-p.m. on Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charges. Shackelford was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Authorities in Red Oak Police report also, the arrest Thursday night of 16-year-old Xavier Marinus Smith, of Red Oak, on a charge of Harassment in the 3^rd degree. Smith was taken into custody after he turned himself in to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center. After being booked in to the facility, the teen was released to the custody his mother.

And, a Red Oak man was arrested early this (Friday)  morning following an altercation at a residence on East Corning Street. 36-year-old Julian Ruben Vasquez, faces a charge of Domestic Assault/Simple Misdemeanor. He was being held without bond at the the Montgomery County Jail.

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers plans to hold a half-dozen public meetings in the Missouri River basin in the coming weeks to talk about its operating plans for 2013. Corps spokeswoman Monique Farmer says they want to hear from people who were affected by the Corps’ management of the Missouri River.  “It’s been a year that looked quite different than what we saw last year,” Farmer says. “The conditions changed and we’ve gone into some level of drought conservation. Looking forward, toward the spring of 2013, we see that we will be starting below the base of that annual flood control pool which will mean that we will likely reduce some levels of service.”

Long-range forecasts point to below-normal snowfall in the region for the winter ahead. Farmer says it looks like releases from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton will also be below-normal all winter. Releases during the winter months, December through February, will be at the minimum level of 12,000 cubic feet per second as a drought conservation measure. Farmer says they are working with cities and power plants on several stretches of the Missouri River. “Right now, we are coordinating with municipalities downstream and folks who have industrial interests, to try and determine what areas caused the most problems for them with releases so we can keep an eye out and adjust releases as necessary throughout the winter to try and take heed of some of those areas of concern.”

Farmer says the draft operating plan will be released early next year. One of the meetings is scheduled for 11 A-M on October 31st at the Stoney Creek Inn & Conference Center in Sioux City. Other meetings are planned in: Fort Peck, Montana; Bismarck, North Dakota; Pierre, South Dakota; and in St. Joseph and Columbia, Missouri.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man is recovering after he was rescued when a trench he was digging near Sioux Center collapsed.  KTIV-TV in Sioux City says the accident happened on Thursday.  The Sioux County sheriff’s office says 20-year-old Nathaniel Christensen was working with a crew to dig the trench when the dirt collapsed on top of him.  He was rescued by his co-workers and emergency crews.  Christensen was taken to a local hospital and then flown to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux Center where he was in fair condition.