Two children were hurt Friday afternoon, when the vehicle they were traveling in crashed into an embankment near Red Oak. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the accident happened at around 3:45-p.m. on Highway 34, at the intersection with L Avenue.

Officials say 75-year old Keith Wayne Rhone, of Rockwall, TX, was driving a 2001 Chevy Suburban eastbound on Highway 34, when he fell asleep at the wheel. The SUV and a travel trailer it was pulling, crossed the westbound lane of traffic and entered the north ditch. The vehicle traveled about 400-feet before hitting an embankment and coming to rest.

Two, unidentified children in the SUV suffered minor injuries, and were transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment. The suburban was a total loss, while the travel trailer sustained about $500 damage.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met Friday morning at the courthouse here in Atlantic. During their session, the Board adopted a resolution calling for the County to enter into a loan agreement for the purposes of planning, undertaking and carrying out a project in the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area. The $555,000 loan agreement will allow for the construction of water and sanitary sewer system improvements in the area. It’s hoped the improvements will draw industry to the area occupied by the defunct ethanol production facility.

The Supervisors also heard an annual report from Cass County Veteran’s Affair Executive Director Mitch Holmes. Holmes said during the past Fiscal year, 444 veterans and dependents were assisted, as compared to 383 in FY 2009-2010. Holmes said 107 veterans signed up for federal VA benefits for the first time. County financial assistance for veterans was also up, more than $3,550 from the previous fiscal year. The aid amounted to slightly more than $29,800.

In other business, the Board agreed to fund the homestead property tax credits for taxes collected July 1^st, 2011 through June 30^th 2012 Fiscal year, at 63-percent. The Cass County Supervisor’s next regular meeting is this Wednesday, August 3^rd, at 9-a.m.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Results from a July survey of business conditions in nine Midwestern and Plains states suggest a slowdown in growth. Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss says uncertainty about the national economy is among the factors hampering business expansion in the region.

The overall index for the Mid-America Business Conditions dropped only slightly, to 54.1 in July from 54.9 in June. But it was the fourth time in the past five months that the index dropped.  The survey of supply managers and executives and the report use a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Any score above 50 suggests growth in an index while a score below 50 suggests that index will decline.

The nine states are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.