w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation say travel during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday may be slowed by road construction. Several projects on Iowa’s interstate and state roadways may warrant advance planning on the part of drivers.

Projects in Southwest Iowa include:

• A bridge deck overlay on U.S. 30 west of Missouri Valley in Harrison County has reduced the roadway to one lane. Traffic is being maintained with temporary traffic signals. The open lane has an 11-foot width restriction.
• Staged bridge construction on U.S. 30 northeast of Woodbine in Harrison County has reduced the roadway to one lane. Traffic is being maintained with temporary traffic signals.
• Bridge construction on I-80 over the West Nishnabotna River near Avoca in Pottawattamie County has closed the westbound lanes between mileposts 34 and 40. Traffic has been shifted to a two-lane, two-way pattern in the eastbound lanes.
• Bridge construction has closed northbound I-29 in Fremont County between mileposts 21 and 25. Traffic has been shifted to a two-lane, two-way traffic pattern in the southbound lanes. 
• Asphalt resurfacing in the northbound lanes of I-29 in Fremont County from milepost 10 to 17 has traffic shifted to a two-lane, two-way traffic pattern in the southbound lanes. 
• Bridge deck overlays at two locations on U.S. 71 south of Atlantic in Cass County have reduced the roadway to one lane. Traffic is being maintained with temporary traffic signals. 
• A new bridge deck is being placed on the eastbound I-80 Wiota interchange bridge at milepost 64 and a new bridge over Crooked Creek is being built at milepost 69 in Cass County. Traffic is shifted to a two-lane, two-way traffic pattern in the westbound lanes from milepost 60 to 70. The eastbound ramps at Wiota are closed and a detour is in place for Cass County Road N-28.

Iowa 148 between Massena and Anita in Cass County is closed for highway repair work. Traffic should follow the marked detour.

There are many other ongoing construction and maintenance projects affecting traffic on state, county and local road systems. Details of all current Iowa DOT construction projects can be found at www.511ia.org.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A presentation by an Atlantic resident who recently returned from an Agricultural Advisory position in Afghanistan scheduled to take place this Thursday, May 24^th , has been postponed for one week. Officials with the Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) say the visit to Des Moines this Thursday by President Barack Obama has forced a speaking event at Drake University by rural Atlantic resident and organic farmer Denise O’Brien, to be postponed until May 31^st, at 7-p.m.

O’Brien, who recently returned from a one-year appointment as a civilian agricultural advisor in Afghanistan, will speak about her experiences as an advisor for the USDA Office of Foreign Service Operations/Overseas.

She’s scheduled to speak on the topic 7-p.m. Thursday, May 31st, at 206 Cartwright Hall on the Drake University Campus at 27th St. and Carpenter Ave. in Des Moines.  O’Brien will also display her photos of farming in Nangarhar Province. A question and answer session will follow her presentation. The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a social hour at the Mars Café, 2318 University Avenue, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Officials in Council Bluffs reported late Monday evening that the State Medical Examiner’s Lab in Ankeny was unable to positively identifiy the remains of an adult female and young male who were found near Lake Manawa Sunday. Council Bluffs Police say the task of identifying the deceased is being made more difficult due to the condition of their remains. Officials say the Medical Examiner is continuing to use scientific identification techniques to obtain a postive I.D., but there is no time frame available as to how long that process may take. 

Authorities are seeking to determine whether the bodies are those of 41-year-old Charlotte Schilling and her 10-year-old son, Owen, who have been missing from their home in Plattsmouth, Neb., since May 10th.  Police say Schilling’s vehicle was found near Lake Manawa, which is located just south of Council Bluffs. Schilling’s wallet and cellphone were in the car.

A southwest Iowa teen riding on his father’s tractor was injured late Monday evening during a farming accident about three-miles east of Emerson. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 13-year old Cody Parker, of Henderson was hit in the throat by an unknown piece of debris as a mower operated by his father Joseph Parker, also of Henderson, was mowing a field. The accident happened at around 8:35-p.m, about one-half mile south of 201st Street and about one-half mile west of A Avenue in Montgomery County.

Officials say Red Oak Rescue personnel arrived at the scene and provided treatment to the teen prior to his being transported to the 59 Short Stop. From there he was flown by LifeNet helicopter to Omaha for additional treatment of his injuries, which officials believed were not life threatening.  Red Oak Rescue was assisted by Emerson First Responders, and deputies with the Montgomery and Mills County Sheriff’s Offices.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Efforts to improve the Schildberg Quarry Recreation Area in Atlantic by incorporating a campground at the site received a big boost last week. Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Roger Herring announced the big news of a large contribution during Monday night’s meeting of the Park and Recreation Board. Herring said he had a visit last week from Mark Schildberg, with the Schildberg Foundation. He says a grant they had applied for was approved, to the tune of $10,000. Herring received the check last week, but waited until the Board meeting to break the news. Afterward, he presented the check for the Board members to view and hold for a few moments.

Herring said Schildberg – who is the Vice President and Director of the Foundation — was excited about the prospect of having a campground at the Recreation Area.. Another bit of good news, is that the Atlantic Rotary club provided $7,000 for the project, which Herring says includes grading for the campsite, and the beginning of work on 18 gravel pads for campers. The campground will be located at the southeast corner of the park, at the corner of North Chestnut and Iowa Avenue.

Hopes are for modern restroom and shower facilities to be included in the project, at a later date. Currently all the utilities are in place near the site, including water and electricity. Phase two, the most expensive part of the project, would include the construction of permanent restrooms and shower facilities, within the next couple of years. Herring said also exciting, is that the City of Atlantic Street Department and City Administrator Doug Harris decided it would be in the best interests of the Recreation Area to treat Iowa Avenue, which runs east of Buck Creek Road around the east side of lake, with an oil-type substance to control dust. He says pedestrians walking along the trail should notice and appreciate the fact dust stirred-up by increased traffic in the area will be a lot less noticeable.

The treatment’s ability to control dust, according to Herring gets is “rejuvenated” with each rainfall, and will not wash away. It was applied to the road last week.

An Atlantic woman charged with taking an inappropriate photo of a Salem Lutheran Home resident has entered a plea of guilty to a lesser charge. 35-year old Amanda Sedina had been charged with Invasion of Privacy-Nudity. The State however amended the charge to Simple Assault. As part of the negotiated, voluntary plea of guilty, Sedina today (Monday) was sentenced to 30-days in the Shelby County Jail, with the term suspended. She will serve 6 months informal probation and agreed to pay all court costs and surcharges.

Sedina was arrested in March for allegedly taking an inappropriate picture of a bathing 78-year old female resident at the Salem Lutheran Home, in Elk Horn. The incident was reported to authorities on March 22^nd. Administrator John Doughty says Sedina had worked at the skilled nursing facility as a certified nursing assistant. He said Tuesday that she was fired after the incident.

An Atlantic man suffered minor injuries during a rollover accident Sunday evening southwest of Atlantic. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says 21-year old Steven Matthew Maes was driving a 1996 Chevy Cavalier on 610th Street, about one-half mile south of Jasper Road, when the car crested a hill and went out of control. The vehicle rolled into the west ditch, sustaining $7,500 damage during the accident, which happened at around 6:50-p.m.

The Sheriff’s Office also reports three people were arrested Saturday. 19-year old Joel Alan Gronewold, of Red Oak, was arrested on two District Court warrants for Probation Violation. Gronewold was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held on $10,000 bond. 45-year old Timothy Duane Smith, of Exira, was arrested on a District Court Warrant for Failure to Appear to Serve Jail Time. Smith was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held until his outstanding sentence is served. And, 60-year old John Porch Hartkopf, of Atlantic,  was arrested Saturday on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Hartkopf was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on his own recognizance.