(New Sharon, Iowa) – A crash this (Friday) morning in east central Iowa resulted in a death and one injury. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened in Poweshiek County, a few miles north of New Sharon, at around 6:42-a.m. Authorities say a 2003 Chevy pickup driven by 30-year-old Jamal Gant, of Oskaloosa, was traveling north on Highway 146, when the vehicle went out of control on the icy roadway.

The pickup entered the east ditch and rolled over, coming to rest on its top. A passenger in the pickup, 31-year-old Cody T. Roberts, of New Sharon, died at the scene. Gant was transported by Montezuma Ambulance to the Oskaloosa Hospital. The Patrol reports Roberts was wearing his seat belt, but Gant was not.

Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted at the crash scene.

Atlantic, Iowa – Atlantic Fire Department member and Assistant Police Chief Paul Wood was surprised last Saturday (Feb. 10th), when his name was called to receive the “Firefighter of the Year” Award. “(My reaction to getting this award is) surprised, happy, grateful,” Wood said following the banquet “I’m.grateful for the award and grateful to be part of this department.”

Pictured (from left to right) Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel presented the “Firefighter of the Year” Award to Paul Wood on Saturday night during the firefighter banquet.

Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel said there were a lot of things that made Wood stand out as a recipient for the award during this past year. “Throughout the year, we hold monthly fire trainings, which we hope to learn from and hone our skills,” Cappel said during the banquet when presenting the awards. “This person took the time to do a lot of those training sessions, (and) made the time to do a lot of other training besides just the fire end of it. They also made a lot of calls for the fire department during this past year. I have had a lot of great conversations with this individual about fire scenes. This person also makes the time to help out with the volunteering we do in the community. This person also helps me out with fire investigations, writing fire reports, and he takes care of getting fire prevention all scheduled and getting department members lined up to help.”

Wood said he originally considered becoming a member of the department after working with Atlantic Firefighters as part of his role in the police department. “I’m a police officer so I worked with these (firefighters) a lot,” Wood said. “And decided I wanted to become a fireman and joined, and enjoyed it ever since. And I got into the fire prevention (part) several years ago when Dustin McLaren did it, and I took it over from there.”

Wood said he’s been a member of the fire department for 16 years, been a police officer for 20 years, and one of his favorite parts is investigating the cause of fires.The investigations are probably my favorite part -(trying to figure out) how (fires) started,” he said.

In addition to the Firefighter of the Year award, six current and one retired Atlantic Firefighter was recognized for years of service during the department’s banquet held on Feb. 10th.

• ReAnn Cappel was recognized for being a member of the department for five years
• Mitch Peerbolte was recognized for being a member of the department for 10 years.
• Andy Kloewer was recognized for being a member of the department for 15 years.
• Todd Cappel, Shawn Page and Chris Towne were recognized for being members of the department for 25 years.

Pictured is the statue Norm Clark donated to the department.

Retired firefighter Norm Clark presented a statue to the department in memory of his wife.

Retired firefighter Norm Clark also presented the department with a firefighter statue. His wife passed away in November, and he said she always said she was “going to buy something and give it to the department.” So he decided to purchase the statue, and it was “going to be a memorial from my wife to the fire department.”

(Photos and information courtesy of Jennifer Nichols w/the Atlantic News Telegraph)

ReAnn Cappel (pictured with Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel) was recognized for being a member of the department for five years.

Andy Kloewer (pictured with Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel) was recognized for being a member of the department for 15 years.

Mitch Peerbolte (pictured with Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel) was recognized for being a member of the department for 10 years.

Shawn Page, Tom Cappel and Chris Towne were recognized for being a member of the department for 25 years. Pictured are (from left to right) Page, Roger Bissen, past IFA president and current president of the Iowa Fire Chief Association holding Towne’s award since he was not present at the banquet and Cappel.

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope has issued a report on arrests that occurred between January 24th and February 14th:

On January 24th, Fremont County Deputies arrested 45-year-old Tasha Denise Beale, of Franklin, Virginia. She was already being held in the Fremont County Jail in reference to an incident that occurred January 20th, when she was arrested for Assault with Injury on correctional officer. It is further alleged that Beale assaulted a Sheriff’s Office employee, causing minor injury. Beale was released February 15th for time served after a plea of guilty.

On January 26th, Fremont  deputies with the assistance of the Fremont County K9 Unit, arrested 38-year-old Aimee Kay Wright, of Nebraska City, NE, on Interstate 29. Wright was arrested for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was released on bond.

The next day (Jan. 27), 46-year-old Violet Ruth Campbell, of Tarkio, MO., was arrested on 250th street in Fremont County, for Operating while Intoxicated 1st Offense. She was released on bond.  52-year-old Michael Jerry Thorne, of Omaha, NE., was arrested that same day for OWI/1st offense.He was also released on bond.

On January 30th, 27-year-old Briana Chyenne Lloyd, of Randolph, was arrested at the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office for Violation of Probation. She was released on bond.

On the 5th of February, deputies with the Fremont County K9 Unit arrested 47-year-old Joshua Joel Moses, of Clarinda, for Child Endangerment, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine). He was released on bond.

This past Tuesday, deputies with assistance of the Fremont County K9 Unit, arrested 45-year-old Robert Alan Herzberg, of Bedford, and 34-year-old Samantha Danielle Hull, of Coin. Herzberg was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Prescription drugs. Hull was charged with two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Unlawful Possession of Prescription drugs, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Deputies recovered approximately 3lbs of suspected marijuana, and items that field-tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine. Herzberg and Hull were both released on a $5,000 cash/surety bond.

Also arrested on the 13th, was 54-year-old Paul Clinten Bolton, of Glenwood, for Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Offense, (methamphetamine). He was released after posting a $5,000 cash/surety bond.

On Valentine’s Day: Deputies arrested 50-year-old Clayton Todd Donelson, of Council Bluffs, for OWI 1st Offense. He was released on a cash bond; 30-year-old Brett Michael Parrott, of Sidney, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Methamphetamine, two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was released on a $1,000 cash bond.

Herzberg

Donelson

Campbell

Bolton

Beale

Thorne

Hull

Lloyd

Moses

Parrott

Wright

(Glenwood) – The State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined spontaneous combustion of oily rags in the shop area, was the cause of a blaze early Thursday morning at Best Finish Auto Sales and Service, in Glenwood.

The fire that broke out at around 3-a.m. Thursday, caused damage to the structure, about a half-dozen vehicles inside the shop, as well as shop equipment, such as tire changing machines.

A dollar amount of the damage was not immediately available. Glenwood Fire received mutual aid from the Council Bluffs, Red Oak, Silver City, Oak Township and Malvern Fire Departments in fighting the flames.

(Cedar Rapids/ISP District 11) – A driver on Interstate 80 near West Branch was pulled over after passing an officer at more than 100 mph with a child, not wearing a seatbelt, in the backseat. The Iowa State Patrol shared an image on Facebook on Thursday, calling the incident “shocking and concerning.” The patrol trooper was driving down I-80 near West Branch in a fully marked patrol car when the driver passed him going 102 mph, according to the post.

“What makes this situation truly alarming?!? The presence of a small child in the backseat, completely UNBELTED! It’s hard to fathom the gravity of this situation,” the post says.

The Iowa State Patrol said the driver was stopped safely and no one was injured.

February 16, 2024 (DES MOINES, IA) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board has approved awards for two companies, which will assist in the creation of 76 jobs and result in nearly $200 million in new capital investment for the state. The projects are located in Fort Dodge and Shell Rock.

Pet food producer to expand Fort Dodge facility 
Nestle Purina PetCare Company is a subsidiary of Nestle S.A. and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Purina manufactures pet care products, including pet food, snacks and cat litter products. The company plans to construct an 80,000-square-foot expansion to their facility in Fort Dodge with the purchase of machinery and equipment to install a new product line. The project represents a $175 million capital investment and is expected to create 50 incented jobs at a qualifying wage of $21.74 per hour. The board, Friday (today) awarded the company tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program.

Feldmeier Equipment to construct new Shell Rock facility
Feldmeier Equipment manufactures stainless steel tanks and pressure vessels and provides custom fabrication services. The company plans to build a new 130,000-square-foot facility to bring additional manufacturing capabilities, which will move product lines from the New York location to Shell Rock. The project represents a capital investment of nearly $23 million and was awarded tax benefits through the HQJ program. It is expected to create and retain 26 jobs, of which 25 are incented at a qualifying wage of $26.64 per hour.