Two Iowa State Troopers who died when their plane crashed into a field near Atlantic a little over 23-years ago, were honored this (Thursday) morning, at ISP State Radio, near Lewis. The bridges located along Highway Six in Cass County, were named for Trooper Pilot Lance Dietsch and Trooper Stanley Gerling.

Maj. Tim Leinen, IA State Patrol, talks about the crash that took the lives of two Troopers in Cass County.

Major Tim Leinen with the State Patrol said prior to today, six Troopers were recognized who lost their lives in the line of duty. The remaining two Troopers will be honored over the next few weeks. In all, 10-State Troopers have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the citizens of Iowa.

Major Leinen was on duty the fatal day Troopers Dietsch and Gerling died. He was working in the Council Bluffs area following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle. Trooper Pilot Dietch was also part of the pursuit. He was one of the Troopers to transport the suspects to jail. Dietsch then drove to Atlantic to take the airplane up during the July 4^th weekend patrol. Leinen says it wasn’t until later he found out what happened.

Leinen says Dietsch and Gerling were killed in an airplane accident on June 30th, 1989, southwest of Atlantic. The pair had been searching for an elderly man who had wandered off, and were about to call off the search when they troopers located him in a soybean field. They began to circle the area when the plane made a sudden turn and crashed vertically into the ground.

Troopers Dietsch and Gerling were the first aircraft fatalities since the addition of the Patrol Airwing in 1956. Dietsch, of Council Bluffs, was 30-years old, and a six-year veteran of the Iowa State Patrol. He was survived by his fiancé.’ Gerling was 34-years old, and in his first year of service to the Patrol. He is survived by his wife and two sons. Leinen recalled the mood of his fellow Troopers when he heard the news about the crash.

Members of Trooper Stanley Gerling’s family pose in front of a sign in his honor at State Radio near Lewis.

He said he heard about an accident on the communications channels. When he came to the Post, he met other Troopers who had come away from a briefing, and they were very somber. He says he still thinks about the crash to this day, and gets very emotional about it, especially when he drives by the location of the crash near Highway Six. The bridges with the men’s names in memoriam, are located west and northeast of Lewis along Highway 6, as it traverses Indian Creek, and Turkey Creek.

(click on the images to enlarge)

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest Wednesday, of 18-year old Tyler Doll. Doll, who’s from Atlantic, was taken into custody on a charge of OWI/1st Offense. He was booked into the Cass County Jail and held, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

(9-a.m. News)

The State Fire Marshals Office and Iowa Department of Public Safety report Burn Bans which had been in place for Carroll and Madison Counties, were lifted this week. The bans on open burning due to the extremely dry summer conditions, were enacted in late July. Recent rains and current climate conditions prompted officials in Carroll and Madison Counties to ask for their burn bans to be rescinded. The ban was lifted in Madison County this (Thursday) morning, while the Carroll County burn ban was lifted Tuesday afternoon. And, as mentioned earlier, a burn ban in Pottawattamie County, was also rescinded, on Wednesday.

A South Dakota State Trooper who is a native of Elk Horn, Iowa, is in stable, but critical condition following a pursuit and crash Wednesday morning in Sioux Falls. Television station KELO reports Trooper Andrew Steen, a graduate of the Elk Horn-Kimballton High School, was injured when he was struck by the suspect’s car near a strip mall in the western part of Sioux Falls. The incident happened a little after 2:30-a.m., Wednesday.

Patrol Captain Kevin Joffer said Steen had been involved in the high-speed pursuit of an unnamed 25-year-old female suspect. The chase wound its way through Sioux Falls, but got intense at a strip mall behind a restaurant.  According to Joffer, that’s where the suspect hit Steen’s patrol car. When the Trooper got out of the vehicle, the suspect ran him over. His fellow law enforcement officers then fired at the vehicle several times, hitting the female driver. She left the scene and but was later arrested and taken to a hospital.

No charges have been filed against the suspect. The incident remains under investigation by the Department of Criminal Investigation and Sioux Falls police. Steen’s parents are Dan and Trish Steen, who live in Gladbrook, IA. His grandmothers are Naomi Steen and Jessie Esbeck.

A page has been set up on Facebook for those who wish to offer their spiritual support for Steen and his family: www.facebook.com/pages/Praying-for-Andrew-Steen/217674518363787

w/ Ric Hanson

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Harrah’s is planning to decommission its Missouri River riverboat casino and move the games inside its nearby hotel in Council Bluffs.  Harrah’s general manager Bo Guidry told The Daily Nonpareil that the aging boat costs too much to keep running.

Guidry says the hotel’s main floor convention center would be turned into a casino with a new restaurant and bar. Around 20 table games and 600 slot machines would be moved from the boat to the new casino.

The plans are pending approval by directors of Caesars’ Entertainment, which owns Harrah’s, and the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.  Guidry says that, with their approval, reconstruction could begin in January and be finished by summer.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, discussed, but did not take action on a policy addressing Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The Council tabled action on a draft policy during their meeting two weeks ago, because of changes made over the summer by the Iowa Legislature. Councilman Shaun Shouse spoke about one of the changes, which primarily applies to businesses looking to relocate within the State of Iowa.

The City currently does not have a TIF policy in-place for commercial and industrial development. The result has been inconsistencies in how the funds have been awarded, and complaints about how those funds are distributed for some projects and not for others. City Administrator Doug Harris has said without a TIF policy, the use of TIF funds are subject to abuse and waste.

A TIF Task Force put in place by Mayor Dave Jones, met several times with local developers, business leaders and others, to create the draft policy, along with the City Administrator and City Attorney Dave Weiderstein. The Council was asked by local economic development officials last night, to take a more pro-active role in the TIF process, in particular, as it pertains to new housing developments.      Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) President Hal Gronewald said there is a housing shortage in Atlantic, not only in rental properties, but in owner-occupied units.

Gronewald says with federal and state funds becoming harder to come by, it becomes incumbent on the local communities to step up. He says the reality is that potential rentals in relation to current construction costs are not sufficient to attract private capital, without some sort of public assistance. Gronewold said he was pleased to hear the City is getting closer to getting a TIF policy in-place, and he says CADCO has some recommendations they strongly urge the Council to consider, without attaching too many conditions or qualifications. One of the recommendations pertains to tax abatements. He said the City should adopt a uniform policy of tax abatements for both housing and commercial construction.

CADCO also recommends the City seek proposals from outside developers, and devise a credible plan for the city owned property in the 300 block of Walnut Street for some type of downtown housing complex. CADCO says the TIF issue is “Too urgent and pressing to engage in time consuming studies,” and that they are ready to offer as much assistance as necessary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican U.S. Representative Steve King of Iowa has little use for the Humane Society, particularly when it comes to laws designed to give calves, pregnant sows and hens a little more freedom on the farm. The organization’s political arm is devoting most of its campaign budget this year — nearly $500,000 so far — to its effort to see that King doesn’t return for a sixth term. King is running against Democrat Christie Vilsack in a district that has become less conservative due to redistricting.

The Humane Society’s ads focus on his votes regarding dogfighting laws while ignoring their disagreements over laws concerning the treatment of farm animals. King’s campaign says the Humane Society is going after him because he’s an effective advocate for farmers.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, approved a preliminary plat for Namanny Commercial Development, on the city’s west side. City Administrator Doug Harris said the owners of the property plan to sub-divide the 7.86-acre parcel, which is zone as Light Industrial, into four lots.

Councilman Shaun Shouse, the Councils’ liaison to the P&Z Commission, said the Commission found no problems with the preliminary plat, as proposed, and had recommended the Council approve the plans. He said everything was in ordered that is required for a preliminary plat. There won’t be a lot of infrastructure changes involved in the process at this point, and, he said there are several people interested in developing the parcels when they are sold off.

The actual grading and drainage of the lots won’t happen until a site plan is created for the individual lots.

A Montgomery County man was charged with 5th degree theft for trying to get a five-finger discount on potting soil. According to Red Oak Police, 48-year-old Dale Leon Sawtelle, of Red Oak, was observed taking multiple bags of potting soil from a business in Red Oak.  The merchandise was valued at $50. Sawtelle allegedly took the bags to his residence, where they were unloaded onto a chair.  In addition to the theft charge, Sawtelle was also taken into custody for Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $2,300 bond.