The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports five recent arrests, with three of them taking place on Monday (Oct. 31st) including: 31-year old Frank Moises Torres, of Council Bluffs, who was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail on a warrant for Probation. His bond was set at $10,000; 27-year old John Morgan Johnson, of Omaha, was arrested Monday for being a Fugitive from Justice. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond; and, 18-year old Tanner Lee Anthony Bailey, of Carter Lake, was arrested Monday for Possession of Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $2,000.

On Saturday, 25-year old Colby Ryan Malone, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense. His bond was set at $1,000. And, last Thursday, Mills County Deputies arrested 21-year old Mackenzey Lee Sangrait, of Minto, ND, for Possession of Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $1,000.

Sheriff’s official say there was also a non-injury accident Sunday night in Mills County. A 2002 VW Beetle driven by 33-year old Zachary Anderson, of Glenwood, was traveling south on 221st Street near Goode Avenue at around 8:30-p.m., when the car went out of control and entered the west ditch before rolling onto its driver’s side. Anderson fled the scene before authorities arrived, but was later located. He was subsequently cited for leaving the scene of an accident, and Failure to Maintain Control.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports absentee voting is still available for the November 8 GENERAL ELECTION.  IF VOTING BY MAIL: Deadline to request an absentee ballot be mailed is 5 PM on Friday, November 4.

All BALLOTS MUST BE RETURNED whether they are voted or not voted.  A postage paid return envelope is provided with each absentee ballot mailed out.  As of Tuesday, November 1st, 303 ballots mailed out before today had not yet been returned.

IF VOTING AT THE COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE:

Deadline to vote in the Cass County Auditor’s office is Monday, November 7 at 5 pm. The absentee voter may come to the CASS COUNTY COURTHOUSE during the regular office hours of 8 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday thru Friday, and cast a ballot. In addition to regular office hours, the office of Cass County Auditor will be open Saturday, November 5 from 9 AM to 5 PM and open until 5 PM on Friday, November 4 and Monday, November 7.

VOTER REGISTRATION: A voter may register to vote and then vote an absentee ballot on the same day. In order to vote in Iowa a person must be registered in the person’s current county of residence, under the person’s current name, and at the person’s current address.

To register to vote on the day you vote, you must:

Provide proof of Identity (photo ID),

Provide proof of Residency (your current address in Cass County), and

Sign an oath (attesting that the information you give is true)

The address for the Cass County Auditor / Election Commissioner is: CASS COUNTY AUDITOR, COURTHOUSE, 5 W 7TH ST, ATLANTIC, IOWA 50022 (Phone:712-243-4570;   Email: auditor@casscoia.us)

The Atlantic Public Library will host a number of Community Meetings in the coming weeks to share a conceptual design for the new Memorial Reading Garden that is expected to be installed on the east side of the library building. The project will serve to highlight the original library entrance and changing the landscape of the front lawn.

The garden will include seven different levels of Memorial options. Pavers, planters, benches and tables are all available for memorial purchase.

Memorial Reading Garden concept

The Atlantic Rotary Club is also raising money for the garden through raffle ticket sales. The raffle drawing will be held at the Rotary Auction in Saturday, Nov. 19th.

During the Community Meetings, community members are welcome to share their feedback and see how you can be involved in the project. If you have any questions, call Atlantic Public Library Director Natalie Struecker at 712-243-5466, or e-mail atlanticpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

The Community Meetings will take place:

• Nov. 3rd, at 10-a.m.
• Nov. 7th at 1:30-p.m.
• Nov. 9th at 4:30-p.m.
• Nov. 15th at 6-p.m.
• Dec. 8th at 5-p.m.
• Dec. 14th at 2-p.m.
• Dec. 20th at 6-p.m.

The Harlan Police Department reports a Pottawattamie County man was arrested last week on assault and drug charges. 25-year old Hans Cox, of Walnut, was arrested Oct. 26th, when officers were dispatched to a domestic situation in the 600 block of Dodge Street.  Cox was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with domestic abuse assault, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of  drug paraphernalia.

On Oct. 27th, 49-year old Timothy Turner, of Harlan, was taken into custody after Harlan Police were dispatched to investigate a burglary alarm at 706 Victoria.  Upon arrival, officers found Turner on the ground.  Turner was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with intoxication in public, 3^rd offense.

Last Saturday, Harlan Police arrested 28-year old Charlie Hadfield, of Earling, following a traffic stop.  Hadfield was taken to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with driving under suspension. That same day, 62-year old James Todd, of Harlan, was taken into custody when officers were dispatched to the Durant Street Country Store for a subject who had been banned from the property and would not leave.  Todd was taken to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with trespassing.

And, on Oct. 3rd, a Harlan resident reported to police that three of the tires on her car had been sliced.  The case remains under investigation.

The Audubon County Emergency Management Agency says beginning Wednesday, and lasting approximately one week, Audubon County Secondary Roads crews will be replacing a culvert in the 3200 block of Lark Ave. The culvert is located just south of the intersection of Lark Ave. & 320^th Street. The road section runs between Exira Township sections 21 and 22.

A building site at 3225 Lark Ave. will only be accessible from the south. The County Engineer recommends using Kingbird Ave to gain Access.  If you have any questions, please call the county engineer at 712-563-4286.

Open enrollment is underway for Medicare — which is the federal insurance program for people who are 65 and older. Elissa Balch is a spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “It’s an opportunity for Medicare beneficiaries to compare the Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans that are offered in their area to see if there is one that meets their needs in both cost and coverage compared to what they may have currently in 2016,” Balch explains. She says it’s a good idea to check over your plans every year.

Balch says if you are happy with the plan you have, you don’t have to make a change and the plan will roll over to the next year. “But it’s still an opportunity for them to compare pricing,” Balch says. “A lot of people can find a plan for the following calendar year that’s at a lower cost to them.” Balch says there are a lot of resources to help people. “First we have our website, which is www.medicare.gov. There is a tool online for people who are comfortable using the computer where they can go in and input their Medicare information so it looks at what their specific Medicare situation is,” Balch says. She says you can use the site to compare the cost of drug plans.

“It allows them to enter the prescription drugs that they currently take or that they think that they’ll be taking for the following calendar year,” according to Balch. “And then they can do side-by-side comparisons all of the plans that are available to them where they live in Iowa.” Balch says you can also go the state health insurance website.

She says it lists volunteers throughout the entire state which provide one-on-one counseling to help you compare plans for the next year, and they can assist you in enrolling in a plan. Balch says “There are a few plans that are currently offered in Iowa that are not going to be offered in 2017. Those individuals would have received a notice by October 2nd that provided them that information and then gave them the information about needing to find a new plan for 2017. And those individuals do have a little bit more time to make an enrollment with Medicare because they are in a plant that’s not being offered in 2017,” Balch says.

She says all people enrolled in Medicare should have received an update on their plan that indicated if there would be any changes in premiums.

(Radio Iowa)