A Des Moines man was charged with Failure to Yield from a stop sign, following a non-injury accident Friday afternoon in Audubon County. Sheriff Todd Johnson reports deputies responded to the scene of the crash at the intersection of Highways 71 and 44 at around 2:30-p.m. The accident happened as 67-year old Dale Edward Gust, of Templeton, was traveling north on Highway 71 in a 1995 Chevy S-10 pickup, and 87-year old Edwin Alvin Pitts, of Des Moines, was traveling east on 44.

The Sheriff says Pitts stopped at the posted stop sign, but after failing to see the approaching pickup, then pullled out to cross Highway 71. As he did so, his 2007 Chevy Cobalt was hit by the pickup. The impact caused the car to spin sideways. Damage to the vehicles was estimated at $3,500 altogether.

Iowans shouldn’t expect any relief from the extreme heat this week. National Weather Service meteorologist Miles Schumacher says it’ll be hotter than usual for the first week of July. “It’s going to remain hot all week with mid 90s (for highs) and temperatures staying in the 70s throughout the night,” Schumacher said. A heat advisory covering northwest Iowa runs from noon today until 7 p.m. on Friday. An additional heat advisory is posted for northeast Iowa from noon until 10 p.m. today only.

“One thing we don’t have that a lot of times we have is the extremely high humidity,” Schumacher said. He credits the mostly dry conditions over the past few months for the lack of humidity. The best chance for rain and slightly cooler conditions won’t arrive until late next weekend. “It’s looking like…Sunday and Monday we’ll see some cooler air and temperatures getting back to normal in the middle 80s for highs. It’s looks like we do have a chance for some much needed rainfall by Sunday and Monday,” Schumacher said.

(Radio Iowa)

There’s an up side to all of the hot and steamy weather — far fewer tornadoes. Jeff Johnson, the warning coordination meteorologist for National Weather Service office in Johnston, says June is usually one of the worst months for twisters in Iowa. That wasn’t the case this year. “We really are below normal,” Johnson says. “We haven’t had any so far in the state. That’s unofficial. There could be one out there I’m not aware of but very few tornadoes in June which is our peak month, climatologically speaking. June is when we account for a large percentage of our tornadoes. May and June account for about 70% of our annual total.”

He says Iowa’s seen very few tornadoes in 2012, so far. “Our service area in Des Moines, which is 51 central Iowa counties, I think we’ve had a total of four tornadoes this year, which is really small,” he says. “We had the EF2 that hit Creston on April 14th and that’s been our most significant event but otherwise, very few tornadoes in Iowa this year.”  During 2011, Iowa recorded 50 tornadoes which caused 16 injuries and no deaths. Over the past three decades, Iowa has averaged 47 twisters per year.

(Radio Iowa)

Ann Pross, Center Director for Iowa Western Community College in Atlantic, has issued a reminder to students in the Atlantic area, that this Friday, July 6^th, is the deadline to apply for a locally endowed scholarship for those considering a career in nursing, especially those who desire to serve patients with cancer. Pross said the Don & Lois Sonntag Endowment Fund opportunity will provide much-needed financial assistance to those enrolled in nursing prerequisites or the nursing program.

Iowa Western Community College will make decisions on all applications according to need and scholarship criteria.  The amount awarded to each student will depend on the number of qualified applicants.  The scholarships will be for classes starting August 20th, 2012, and students from Atlantic and surrounding area eligible to apply.  All funds from the effort will be used only for students enrolled in nursing prerequisite courses or the nursing program.

For additional information, contact:  Don Sonntag at 712-249-1906 or Ann Pross, Iowa Western Cass County Center Director at 712-243-5527.

Pilot error may have contributed to the crash of an airplane Friday evening northwest of Griswold.

1976 Cessna 172 registered to Elimar Sudmann

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says witnessed described the actions of the planes pilot, 76-year old Elimar Sudmann, of Atlantic. Witnesses told investigators Sudmann may have been coming around too fast, tried to pull up and make another pass. The witnesses thought he was going too slow. The plane basically dropped from the sky and hit the ground. Danker says that’s indicative of an engine stall. After the nose of the plane dug into the soybean field, the aircraft flipped over, landing on its top facing north. 

The accident happened at around 8:30-p.m., Friday. Danker says Sudmann, and a passenger in the 1976 Cessna 172-M, 59-year old Delbert Thurman, of rural Atlantic, were transported by Griswold Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A medical helicopter later transported Sudmann to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he remained in serious condition, Monday, suffering from a fractured leg and forearm and back injuries. Thurman suffered minor injuries in the crash.

A reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in connection with a fire May 18th, that destroyed a home at 602 Oak Street in Atlantic.

The aftermath of a fire May 18th at 602 Oak Street in Atlantic

The Blaze erupted at the structure owned by Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home, at around 3-a.m. on that date. Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees says the investigation has been going on since the day of the fire, and has included tests conducted by the Atlantic Fire Department, testing by an agent with the property owners’ insurance company, McNees says by digging through the debris, they saw a definite burn pattern and what was used to start the blaze. He says “It’s definitely a case of arson.”

McNees says they’ve taken witness interviews about as far as they can, and are looking for anyone with any new information to step-forward, to move the investigation along. 

John Ticer, Special Agent with the Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office, told KJAN News there are tell-tale signs that often present themselves as clues that a fire is suspicious. He said “burn patterns” are one of those signs.  Ticer says he can’t reveal additional details about how the fire started, such as the type of material used to ignite the blaze.He said they basically just acknowledge it was a set fire. Ticer asked anyone who may have seen anything unusual between the hours of 1-a.m. and 3-a.m. on May 18^th, to contact his office or the Atlantic Police Department

A reward of up to $10,000, available through the Arson Hotline, is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Call the Arson Hotline at 1-800-532-1459 if you have any information or the Atlantic Police Department, at 712-243-3512. You can remain anonymous.

Firefighters in Atlantic were on the scene for nearly six-hours. Witnesses told KJAN News the flames started on the upper floor on the east side of the home, in an area that served as an apartment, above the garage. McNees said young people had often used the vacant house as a “hang out.” No one was injured fighting the blaze.

(8-a.m. News)

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The City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission is set to meet this (Monday) afternoon. During their 5:30-p.m. session in the Council’s chambers at City Hall, the Commission will review the site plans for a building at 406 West 7th Street. In other business, the P&Z Commission will review and discuss the first drafts of a Zoning Ordinance update.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A nine-state Midwest and Plains economic survey index fell for the second straight month in June.  A survey report released Monday for the Mid-America Business Conditions Index says it dropped to 57.2 last month, compared with 57.6 in May. The index was 60 in April. In the survey any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below 50 suggests decline. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the businesses that were surveyed are still benefiting from healthy farm income and exports, but the activity is slowing. Global economic problems are pushing export orders into negative territory.  A quarter of the managers surveyed say the biggest hurdle in the next year is implementation of health care reform.  The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.