Devin Hogue (A-PD Photo)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, today (Friday), announced the next leader of the City’s Police force. Garrett said in a press release, “It is my honor to announce that effective April 1, 2022, Atlantic will have a new Chief of Police and an Assistant Chief of Police. Lieutenant Devin Hogue has been promoted to Chief of Police and Lieutenant Paul Wood has been promoted to the Assistant Chief of Police.

Lieutenant Hogue and Lieutenant Wood have a combined 31 years of experience in Law Enforcement, with 27 of those years serving the City of Atlantic. They bring many talents and abilities to the department and already have the respect of their team. I look forward to working with them as they lead the Atlantic Police Department in this new era. Congratulations to both officers!”

Current Police Chief Dave Erickson has served the City for 25 ½ years, the last 5 ½ as Chief. On Feb. 2nd, he announced his resignation, saying “It’s time to step down and let some of the younger generation take over.” Erickson’s last day as Chief is March 31st.

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Devin Hogue joined the Atlantic Police Department in August of 2011. Prior to joining the APD, he worked at the Shenandoah Police Department and attended the 13th Basic Academy Class through Western Iowa Tech Community College, where he became certified as an Iowa Law Enforcement Officer. Devin attended Simpson College and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Devin was promoted to the position of Lieutenant in 2016. Devin and his wife Jodie have two children, Charlie and Cullen. In the past, he spent several years as a substitute teacher with the Atlantic Community School District and has been very involved with the implementation and trainings surrounding emergency preparedness for the schools. Devin has overseen the many community programs the APD runs throughout the year since joining the department. Devin is a firearms instructor, computer voice stress analyst, and has received training to offer peer support for the department. He has also been the team leader of the Cass County Drone Team since its implementation in 2020.

Paul Wood joined the Atlantic Police Department in November of 2004. Prior to joining the APD, he worked for the Pella Police Department and attended the 187th basic class through the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. Paul attended Western Iowa Tech Community College and earned an Associate’s Degree in Police Science. Paul was promoted to the position of Sergeant in 2011 and to the position of Lieutenant in 2016. Paul has been a member of the Atlantic Fire Department since 2007. He and his wife Sara have two children, Riley and Brady. Paul has served the roles of field training officer, sexual abuse investigator, arson investigator, Taser instructor, and radar instructor for the department.

Two people were arrested on drug charges today (Friday), in Glenwood. According to the police report, 34-year-old Sherman Condrey, and 34-year-old Kristi Stewart, both of Council Bluffs, were taken into custody, on charges that include Possession of Methamphetamine and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Condrey was additionally charged with Poss. of Contraband in a correctional institution, and Poss. of marijuana. His bond was set at $7,300. Bond for Stewart was set at $1,300.

On Thursday, Glenwood Police arrested 44-year-old Clinton Prindle, of Glenwood. He was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant for OWI/1st offense. With bond set at $1,000 (10% allowed by the court).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardeners kicked of their 2022 year with a new slate of officers, new members and a regional award for their outgoing president. At their meeting in late January, the group welcomed new members Lori Anderson and Kolton Hewlett as new members. Both recently completed the Master Gardener training course, consisting of 40 hours of online education delivered in September-November of 2021. After successfully completing the course post-test, Anderson and Hewlett begin their year as Master Gardener interns, who will complete 40 hours of community service activity to become full Master Gardeners.

The Master Gardener class is offered annually through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Cass County is planning to host another session of the course beginning in August of 2022. Also recognized at the meeting was immediate past-president Cathy Booth, who received the Southwest Iowa Exceptional Volunteer Service Award. The award is given to one Extension volunteer in Southwest Iowa; and is a new award in 2022. Cathy was recognized for two terms as president of the Cass County Master Gardeners, including leadership during the pandemic to keep group members active and connected.

In addition, over the last 12 years, Cathy has averaged 95 hours of service reported each year, well exceeding the required 20 hours to maintain her active status. She is also an integral part of the food donation work the Master Gardeners are involved in across the county- growing, transporting and collaborating to connect fresh produce to those who need it.

The Cass County Master Gardeners are also planning many activities for the upcoming spring and summer. The Spring Garden Seminar returns in 2022, with a theme of “Gardening from the Ground Up!” This event will be held on Saturday, March 19th and registration is now open. The date for their annual spring plant sale has been set for Saturday May 14th, and their summer bus tour will take place on Wednesday June 8th. Additional activities to support garden education, food access and community improvement are also in the works for 2022.

The group uses funds from their plant sales and other activities to fund many projects including scholarships and community grants. Applications are now open for the horticulture scholarships, available to high-school seniors or older students who are completing post-secondary studies in a horticulture related field. Applications for the scholarships are due April 1.

For more information on any of the upcoming events, scholarships or grants, including information on becoming a Master Gardener, contact the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or visit them online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Questions can also be directed to Extension Director Kate Olson by email at keolson@iastate.edu.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors visited with owners of Atlas Atlantic Cinema, Rylea & Devon Anderson, on Thursday, March 10th, 2022, to view the updated theater seating and learn about upcoming projects and events. Rylea & Devon Anderson purchased the Fridley Theater in November of 2019 and in March of 2020 were forced to close due to the pandemic. That did not stop the couple from investing in new seating and brainstorming ideas for the future.

Since re-opening, full time, in May of 2021, Atlas Atlantic Cinema has launched some great additions to keep movie-goers engaged in the happenings at the theater. Earlier this year, the theater launched an app with current show times and events. Also available on the app, is a monthly newsletter Rylea introduced to keep community members informed about upcoming movies, events details, and possible premier setbacks.

Rylea and Devin did not anticipate the wild success of their gourmet popcorn fundraiser when they started taking orders in December 2020. Since then, the couple has successfully completed two “Popcorn Christmas Box” programs and are now working to get the beloved popcorn into the community’s hands on a year- round basis. Atlas Atlantic Cinema’s gourmet popcorn can be found in CoffeeGirl, located at 422 Chestnut Street. The couple hopes to partner with more businesses throughout Cass County to carry the many flavors of popcorn.

“Dinner at the Movies” Night have had some great success in the first three events. Attendees pay $25 to see a new movie the night before it is officially released into theater. Along with admission, attendees are served a home-cooked meal, beverage (soda, Icee, 1/2 bottle of wine, or up to 3 beers), and intermission cookies. The next “Dinner at the Movies” is scheduled for Thursday April 14th, 2022, at 7pm, showing Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

For more information about showtimes or events visit www.atlasatlanticcinema.com, download the app in the App Store or Google Play.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are griping about the cost of gasoline as prices approach four dollars a gallon, but imagine having to keep a fleet of semis fueled with diesel for routine cross-country jaunts. Jeff Arens is general manager of the Le Mars-based Schuster Trucking Company, which has 450 trucks on the roads across the U-S and Canada. “With fuel prices making 15- to 20-cent jumps per day, some of these weeks, you end up pretty upside-down on your cost per mile on things,” Arens says, “especially with a company like Schuster purchasing roughly 125- to 150,000 gallons a week, it can make a big impact at the end of the day.”

All of the company’s routes are under contract and estimating the cost to deliver products to far-away destinations is becoming exceptionally challenging. “Looking at the West Coast where prices today reached over $6.50 a gallon for diesel, if you’re running from Le Mars to California, that’s a three-day run and with the prices changing almost hourly, you eat the difference on what you’re not able to recoup right now.”

Higher fuel prices mean higher prices for the products the company hauls — including with two of its major contracts at Wells Blue Bunny ice cream, or hardware tools for Bomgaars. Plus, it’s more than the diesel. “It effects trucking not just in fuel, but the amount of pieces on our equipment that are based from oil,” Arens says. “There’s the tires, the belts on the engine, the oil the engine’s running on, any of the plastic that is on the equipment, even brake pads and brake shoes are all oil-based products.”

Arens says Schuster is trying to make certain each truck and trailer is aerodynamic to help reduce the amount of fuel needed to run on the highways. “Well-maintained equipment, clean air filters, proper tire inflation, things of that nature, whether it’s a car or a truck, will help your fuel economy,” Arens says. “We’re looking all the time to make sure we’re doing maintenance as best as possible.”

Orville Schuster started Schuster Grain in 1956 with one truck hauling grain in and around Sioux City, eventually expanding to include refrigerated and dry van services. After 60 years, the company now hauls a wide range of products, from frozen Bomb Pops to ball-peen hammers, across much of North America.

Adair County, Iowa — The severe storms that passed through southern Adair County last Saturday (March 5^th), caused extensive damage in Orient, where school officials with the Orient-Macksburg School District had to cancel classes, due to severe damage from hail ranging in size from tennis- to baseball-size.Video after the event showed the street and grass in Orient completely covered with hail.

On Sunday, the District said 9^th through 12th grade students could still attend classes at Nodaway Valley Monday, but there was no transportation provided by O-M. Monday night, district officials said on social media, “ After extensive evaluations have been completed… it has been determined that we will not have school until we are sure that the building is safe and all alarm systems are in working order. “

Tuesday, they reported on the same media platforms, that they were “…still unable to enter the building safely. There will be no school until after Spring break.” Spring Break for the District began today (March 11th), and concludes on Wednesday, March 16th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department, Friday (today), issued a report on arrests that took place from Feb. 25th through March 6th.

• On March 6th, 40-year-old Christina Burnsworth, of Atlantic, turned herself in on a Cass County Warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree.
• On the 5th, 21-year-old Kyle Gehling, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation on an OWI/1st offense charge. He was released from the Cass County Jail March 7th.
• On March 4th, 38-year-old Mark Thomas Shaver, of Anderson, California, was arrested the Atlantic for Assault on Person in Certain Occupations (two counts), and Interference with Official Acts. He remains in the Cass County Jail.
• On the 3rd, Officers with A-PD arrested 29-year-old Renson Berdon, of Atlantic, for Domestic Abuse Assault. He remains in the Cass County Jail.  35-year-old Christopher Castillo, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Barred. Castillo was cited into court and released.
• The Police Department says on March 2nd, 32-year-old Brandon Pahl, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance (marijuana), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on a Cass County Warrant for Theft 2nd Degree (bad checks). He remains in the jail.
• And, on March 1st, 31-year-old AshelyFuentes, and 31-year-old Derrick Behlers, both of Atlantic, were arrested for Theft 5th (shoplifting).

On February 25th, AP-D Officers arrested 26-year-old MJ Williams, of Atlantic, for OWI/1st offense. Unless otherwise mentioned, each of the defendants were booked into the Cass County Jail and later released.

(Pottawattamie Co.) The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office Friday (today), reported on three arrests that took place, Thursday:

• Sheriff’s Deputies in Pott. County took custody of 32-year-old Joshua Steven Kercheval, of Omaha. He was transferred from Douglas County, Nebraska, Corrections to the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.
• 57-year-old Jeffrey Dale Ketzeback, of Council Bluffs, was transferred Thursday from Douglas County Corrections to the Pottawattamie County Jail, where he was being held on a warrant for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender. Bond was set at $2,000.
• Thursday evening, 30-year-old Macaulay Cy Brock turned himself to the Sheriff’s Office. Brock was wanted on a warrant for Criminal Mischief 3^rd Degree.

Whether you just drove your new vehicle off the lot or your car has been in the family for a long time, regularly checking for recalls can keep you safer behind the wheel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration makes checking for recalls quick and easy. Simply go to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and type in your vehicle identification number (VIN). To find the VIN, look on the lower left of your car’s windshield or inside the driver’s door frame for a 17-character combination of numbers and letters. Your VIN is also located on your car’s registration card, and it may be shown on your insurance card. Here’s a video to help you find your VIN.

When you type in your VIN number, the site searches a database for recalls issued in the past 15 years for major automakers, motorcycle manufacturers, and some medium/heavy duty truck producers. If your vehicle has a recall, the site will give you information on how to get repairs completed at no cost to you. The site also allows you to download apps for your phone that will alert you of recalls to vehicles you have entered into the recall system.

A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Most decisions to conduct a recall and remedy a safety defect are made voluntarily by manufacturers prior to any involvement by NHTSA, but most recalls are registered on the NHTSA site.

So far in 2022, there have been 41 deaths in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of four since last Friday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf