Officials with the Nishna Valley Trails group are inviting the public to attend an open meeting of the Nishna Valley Trails association, in support of the future development of the T-Bone Trail and other recreational trails in Atlantic and Cass County. The meeting will take place on Monday, October 29 th , 2012 beginning at 6:00 p.m., at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, off 14 th street in Atlantic. The agenda will include a report on conversations with the railroad, updates on trail development efforts, and mapping a vision for the future. For further information, contact Ed or Myra Kail at 712-243-4265.

An Audubon County Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol early this (Friday) morning, likely saved the lives of a Brayton family, when he alerted them to a fire. Deputy Jason Rokke told KJAN News he was rolling through Brayton at around 4-a.m. in his Ford Crown Victoria cruiser, with the window partially down when there was a sudden departure from the routine. He said it was just a normal night when he smelled smoke. The deputy checked nearby houses and found smoke pouring out of attic vents at 307 Reynolds Street, in Brayton. Rokke woke up the residences’ two adults and two children, who were able to escape the home safely.

The deputy said the residents of the home were not aware there was a problem, and were surprised twice by what was going on. He said they were surprised someone was knocking on their door, and more surprised to learn the home was on fire. That surprise quickly turned to relief, when they escaped the home without injury. It’s not clear what caused the blaze, but since it started in the attic, the deputy thinks it may have been electrical-related. Firefighters remained on the scene for about two-hours. The amount of damage to the home is unknown.

The 27-year old Rokke is a 2004 graduate of the Belmond-Klemme High School , and a 2008 graduate of Simpson College. He says he’s glad he was able to live up to the role of a law enforcement officer, which is “To protect and serve.” He said he told the dispatcher “It was one for the books,” and that he was happy the wind was in the right direction, which enabled him to smell the smoke, notify the family. Rokke says “It felt pretty good to do that.”

Rokke has worked for the Sheriff’s Department for the past year and a-half. It’s his first full-time job in law enforcement. Previously, he had served as a security guard for a Des Moines Insurance Company.

An Audubon County Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol early this (Friday) morning, likely saved the lives of a Brayton family, when he alerted them to a fire. Sheriff Todd Johnson says Deputy Jason Rokke was patrolling the Brayton area at around 4-a.m., when he smelled smoke. The deputy checked nearby houses and found smoke pouring out of attic vents at 307 Reynolds Street, in Brayton. Rokke woke up the residences’ two adults and two children, who were able to escape the home safely.

Firefighters remained on the scene for about two-hours. The amount of damage to the home is unknown. The 27-year old Rokke has served with the Sheriff’s Department for about a year. Johnson says he came from Des Moines, where he studied Criminal Justice. Rokke went through the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy soon after being hired by the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department.

(9-a.m. news) – updated 9:56-a.m.

Bail reduction hearings are scheduled for Monday, in the case of two Nebraska people facing arson charges in Atlantic.  Twenty-seven-year-old William Kautter (KAH’-tur) has been charged with arson and six counts of attempted murder. His wife, 29-year-old Elizabeth Kautter, has been charged only with arson.  Prosecutors say the two are responsible for a fire on Dec. 14, 2010, that damaged a home in Atlantic. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says three adults and three children escaped without injury.     Investigators say gasoline was splashed across the front door and porch of the house and then set aflame. The couples’ attorneys declined to comment on Friday.

Officials with the Obama campaign have announced  First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Iowa, where she will speak to grassroots supporters in Iowa City and Sioux City, Monday. With early voting underway in Iowa, the First Lady will speak about what’s at stake in this election for Iowans and ask them to help organize their communities and get out the vote between now and Election Day. Early vote ends on November 5th in Iowa.

The events featuring Mrs. Obama are free and open to the public. Tickets are required due to limited space, and will be available to the public starting on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available for the Sioux City event at the  Sioux City Convention Center beginning today (Friday, Oct. 26th)  from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM, and will continue if tickets are still available on Saturday, October 27, from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM and on Sunday, October 28, from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM.

The tickets can be found at Organizing for America – Sioux City at 520 14^th Street, and at 4106 Morningside Avenue, in Sioux City. Tickets will also be available online at http://OFA.BO/FLOTUS-SC.

w/ Ric Hanson

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WASHINGTON (AP) – Colleges and universities around the country are offering veterans-only courses as a way to cater to military students.  The classes are one way to accommodate a student population that tends to be older, more experienced and further removed from the classroom than the typical undergraduate.  Advocates say the classes can ease the transition from military to civilian life. But not all courses have had staying power, and there’s some concern that veterans-only courses don’t necessarily help re-integrate veteran students into the broader student population.

George Washington University offers a weekend writing seminar for veterans. Wright State University in Ohio offers a psychology class, and a class at the University of Iowa covers everything from reading comprehension to healthy sleep habits.

November is National Home Care and Hospice Month, and it marks 40 years since Cass County Home Care first began providing home health care for patients and their families in southwestern Iowa. CCHC  will commemorate its anniversary with an open house for the public on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1500 E. 10^th Street in Atlantic. Cass County Home Care first opened its doors in November 1972, at Cass County Memorial Hospital.

Over the years its services have expanded to include wound care; physical, occupational and speech therapies; public health; telehealth monitoring; palliative care and hospice care. In 2010, Cass County Home Care became part of Iowa Health Home Care, the largest home health care provider in the state of Iowa, and an affiliate of the Iowa Health System. This past year, Cass County Home Care has been recognized for its quality care and service by being ranked in the top five percent of home health care agencies in the United States by HealthInsight.

Denise Coder, site manager of Cass County Home Care says they are proud to have served the community for four decades, helping patients and their families achieve their goals of optimal health, well-being and independence, in the comfort of their homes. She says the open house event is a way to say ‘thank you’ for all of the support residents of the area have given them over the years.

National Home Care and Hospice Month was designated to recognize the work of home health care professionals, including administrators, nurses, clinicians, therapists, aides, homemakers and companions, who bring comfort and compassion to patients and families. To learn more about Iowa Health Home Care and its services, visit www.yourhealthcareathome.org. For more information about Cass County Home Care and its services, call 712-243-8006.

A deer in the road was partly to blame for a Villisca teen losing control of the vehicle he was driving Thursday night. The 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup driven by 17-year old Cole Louis Sunderman, of Villisca, was traveling north on Union Avenue at around 10:45-p.m., when he swerved to avoid a deer. The pickup got too close to the soft shoulder of the gravel road, and slid into the ditch before rolling over and coming to rest on the driver’s side. The pickup, registered to Denise Sunderman, sustained $2,000 damage. There were no injuries reported, and no citations issued.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says two arrests have been made in connection with burglaries that occurred on or about October 16th, in the Locust Grove Township. Officials said Thursday afternoon, that 19-year old Colton Frank Sederburg, and 42-year old Shantel Leigh Johnson, both of Shenandoah, were arrested following an investigation into the theft of items from the Raymond Welchans residence and Brad MacDonald farm.

The stolen property was recovered from a home at 602 Illinois Street, in Essex, following the execution of a search warrant. Sederburg and Johnson were charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft. They were being held in the Fremont County Jail on $5,000 bond each.

Earlier in the week, 21-year old Michael Lee Glenn, of Shenandoah was arrested in connection with the thefts, following the execution of search warrants at 306 West Washington Street in Randolph, and 1114 West Sheridan, in Shenandoah. Glenn faces a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge.