Donations of household items or clothing are still being accepted for a rural Guthrie Center family who lost their home and a family pet to a fire, earlier this month. The fire destroyed the Ron and Lisa Benedict residence located about 11-miles west of Guthrie Center. The blaze began sometime between 7 and 8:45-p.m. June 10^th, when a bolt of lightening entered the home through wiring, while the family was shopping in Atlantic.

Lisa Benedict told the Guthrie Center Times they received a text message from a friend at about 8:45-p.m., saying their house was on fire. Guthrie Center Fire Chief Doug Kent told the paper when the family arrived home, “Literally all they had left was their vehicle and the groceries they had just bought.” Lisa Benedict said the lightning blew up the electrical box and shattered the concrete next to it.

The family’s dog “Shooter,” a Boston terrier/beagle mix died in the ensuing blaze. Also damaged were three pickups parked close to the house. The family was reportedly living on their property in a camper following the fire.
Persons wishing to donate household items or clothing are asked to contact Estel and Marva Lee Sharon at 641-332-2777.

The 35th Annual Women’s Air Race Classic has been scheduled for takeoff in Alliance, NE. Gaylene Jensen, of Heartland Aviation in Alliance said weather and other issues forced the race to start in Alliance instead of Iowa City, Iowa.

Jensen says stops in Brookings and Spearfish, S.D.; Jamestown, N.D.; and Rawlins, Wyo., have been eliminated as well. She says more than 100 women operating 50 aircraft will be taking off from the Alliance Airport starting at noon MDT, today (Wednesday).

The race stops include Great Bend, Kan.; Borger, Texas; Norman, Okla.; and El Dorado, Ark. The race ends in Mobile, Alabama.

You may recall, in 2009, Atlantic served as the terminus, or, end point of the race that began that year in Denver, CO. The Race was won by pilots Kelly Burris of Ann Arbor, MI and Erin Recke of Seattle, WA in a Beechcraft Debonair.

More information is available at www.airraceclassic.org

The City of Atlantic’s Community Development Committee is slated to meet this afternoon, in the Council’s chambers at City Hall. The committee will discuss a nuisance abatement program, and their goals for Fiscal Year 2012. The meeting begins at 12:30-p.m.

The Atlantic CDC will also discuss matters pertaining to the S.F. Martin House. Martin House owner Roger Steffens appeared before the City Council last week to inquire about the possibility of receiving financial assistance from the City to complete exterior renovations on his property. His request followed the Council’s approval of a tax rebate and financial assistance package for the Boulders Inn and Suites project, which was negotiated in May 2010, and renegotiated this Spring, after Boulders developers failed to sign the original agreement in a timely manner.

The exterior of the historic property has become an eyesore in the downtown area, as it has been left unfinished for many years. Mayor Dave Jones last week urged Steffens to seek other sources of assistance, such as grants or loans from SWIPCO and/or CADCO.

Jones said Steffens could also submit a request for proposal (RFP) to the Community Development Committee for their review, but he also said the Council was unlikely to approve any funding at this time. Jones also announced he was accepting names of persons interested in serving as advisors to the CDC on who would be eligible to receive TIF incentives and/or tax rebates for new businesses in the community.

(updates w/victim’s name)

Authorities in Council Bluffs are investigating a shooting incident which took place early this (Wednesday) morning, on the city’s west side. Council Bluffs Police officials say officers were called to 2317 3^rd Avenue at around 12:40-a.m., after receiving word a man had been shot.

Officers and rescue crews found the home’s occupant, 41-year old James Andrews outside, near the rear of the residence. He was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, for treatment of what were described as non-life threatening injuries. Officials say he suffered a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Council Bluffs Police detectives have interviewed a person present during the shooting, but no arrests have been made at this time, and the incident remains under investigation.

Construction is slated to officially begin Thursday morning in Red Oak, for the new Jail/Law Enforcement Center (LEC). The project received a “green light” in Montgomery County last August, when more than 72-percent of registered voters in the County approved a 5.675-million dollar bond issue, designed to replace the current jail, which is more than 100-years old. The new jail will be located in a vacant lot adjacent to the current facility.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new jail and LEC begins at 11-a.m., Thursday, with several local dignitaries on-hand, along with the project‘s architects, and general contractors. The project is expected to be finished in a little over a year.

The completed facility will offer a space for female prisoners, who are currently transported to the jail in Adams County for holding, because the Montgomery County Jail lacks the necessary space to separate female-and male inmates. The county’s 9-1-1 dispatch center will also be housed in the new jail/LEC.

Groundbreaking for the new Montgomery County jail takes place a little more than six-months after a similar event occurred in Greenfield, for a new Adair County Public Safety Center/Jail. A 2.8-million dollar bond referendum was approved by voters in Adair County in May 2010. The facility is in a lot adjacent to the current, nearly 110-year old jail. The new facility in Greenfield, will serve as the jail, as well as home for the Greenfield Police Department, and administrative offices.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is warning drivers to stay away from roads, bridges and ramps that are closed by flooding along the Missouri River because it’s against the law and dangerous. The Department of Transportation on Tuesday reminded  motorists that signs, barricades, fencing and other devices where roads have been closed are there for a reason – to protect the public.

Officials say even if water is not currently flowing over a highway, the road could be damaged or there could be other risks ahead making it unsafe for travel. According to the department, a little as 6 inches of moving water can knock you off your feet, while 2 feet of floodwater can float a car.