Two members of the Atlantic Rotary Club, President Brian Harris, and Ruth Sears, Thursday (today), presented Atlantic Police Lt. Devin Hogue with a grant check for $3,000, which will help defer the cost of a drone used for emergency situations.

Atlantic Police Lt. Devin Hogue (center) receives a check for $3,000 from Atlantic Rotary President Brian Harris. (also pictured from left to right): Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel; Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren; Cass Co. EMA Director Mike Kennon; Rotary member Ruth Sears; Atlantic PD Officer Brock Thompson. (Photo submitted)

Lt. Hogue has headed-up the effort to acquire a drone equipped with FLIR, a Forward-looking Infrared camera, otherwise referred to as a thermal imaging camera, which detects heat signatures.

Hogue said the total cost of the program, including the drone, camera, and training, is just shy of $20,000. After Hogue, other law enforcement and Emergency Management officials saw a demonstration of what a drone can do, he spearheaded the effort to acquire the funding.

Other grant funds in addition to those provided by the Rotary, are currently pending. The FLIR feature of the drone, Hogue says will help in many situations.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon if a law enforcement or emergency manager needs a drone, time is of the essence. He says drones from Montgomery and Shelby Counties were used last week in locating cattle that had gotten loose along the interstate, and a drone would have been helpful back in July 2015, when there was an anhydrous ammonia leak at West Central Cooperative.

Hogue said the drone will be purchased from HTS Ag in Harlan. The Autel Evo II dual is expected to arrive hopefully, by the first of the year. By then, the determination will be made who the most qualified pilots are.

He said they hope to show the public the capabilities of the new tool, sometime in the coming months.

Hogue says they’re happy to get the program underway, and very appreciative of the funds they’ve received thus far, including $8,000 from the Cass County EMA.

An Autel Robotics EVO II drone. (Photo via Autelpilot.com)

One person complained of pain and possible injury, but was not hospitalized, following an accident that took place at around 1:15-p.m. Wednesday, north of Panora. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says a 2011 Nissan SUV driven by 56-year old Michael Mobley, of Panora, was traveling north on Highway 4 and had signaled, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass, so he could turn left onto Chimra Road. A 2004 Chrysler Town & Country van driven by 16-year old Johnathan Michaelson, of Yale, was also traveling north on Highway 4. When he became distracted by a passenger in the van, he failed to notice in-time, the vehicle in front of him was stopped on the highway.

The teen was unable to maintain control of the van, which ran into the rear of the SUV. Mobley complained of pain afterward. Neither Michaelson nor his two male juvenile passengers from Jamaica and Yale, were hurt. All of the occupants of the combined vehicles were wearing their seat belts.

A Guthrie County Deputy cited Michaelson for Failure to Maintain Control. Damage from the collision amounted to $3,300 altogether.

(Des Moines, IA; 9-a.m. News) – Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) officials Thursday (today) said the state’s safe haven procedure was recently used for the 46th time since the law went into effect. A baby girl, born Sept. 27, was released to the custody of DHS. Specific details are withheld in order to protect the identity of the parents and the children. Through Iowa’s Safe Haven law, parents, or their authorized representative, can leave infants age 30 days or younger at a hospital or health care facility without fear of prosecution for abandonment.

Janee Harvey, DHS Division Administrator of Adult, Children and Family Services says “The purpose of this law is to protect the lives of newborns who are in danger of abandonment. We want to ensure Iowans know that Safe Haven is an available option if they cannot care for their newborn safely. We recognize that these decisions are often made in the midst of crisis, and the protocols are built accordingly.”

Safe Haven prioritizes the health and physical safety of the infant(s), as well as the anonymity of the parent or authorized individual who relinquishes custody of the child. The Safe Haven law was approved in the wake of a high-profile case in 2001 involving a teen mother in eastern Iowa who killed her home-delivered newborn. Infants who are safe haven babies are placed with currently-approved foster or adoptive families. All states have Safe Haven laws, although provisions differ.

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City again has daily air service to Colorado. The first flight from Denver arrived at Sioux Gateway Airport on Wednesday afternoon, rolling in under an arch of water sprayed by two airport fire trucks to welcome the United Express SkyWest plane. Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott says he hopes travelers from both communities will support the new service. “I want to especially thank SkyWest Airlines for having the confidence in our market in these critical times that are difficult to imagine traveling,” Mayor Scott says. “This is one of those deals where we either use it or we lose it. It’s important that we fly out of Sioux City and it’s important that we use this airline.”

Dave Bernstein, president of the airport board of directors, says early indications are that the local support is there. “Our understanding is the booking numbers are good,” Bernstein says, “and I think folks are pleased, especially given the current environment.”  Thirty-six passengers arrived from Denver on the first flight. Twenty-six departed Sioux City about an hour later on the 50-passenger jet.

American Airlines announced plans to end all flights to Sioux City earlier this year, but in August reversed course and said it would keep flying routes to Chicago and Dallas.

(8-a.m. News) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a traffic stop at around 3:45-p.m. Wednesday at 14th and Garfield Streets, resulted in a pursuit and an arrest. Officers tried to stop a 1997 Chevy K1500 pickup, after observing of the vehicle fail to obey a stop sign. When the pickup also failed to stop for officers, the chase was on. The driver of the vehicle – identified as 44-year-old Anthony Wayne See, of Shambbaugh – stopped at 20^th & Garfield, after traveling through residential areas at speeds more than 70 miles per hour.

Officers arrested See for driving a vehicle while barred, possession of methamphetamine, felony eluding of a police vehicle, failure to obey a stop sign, speeding and littering. He was being held in the Page County Jail on $12,000 bail, pending a court appearance. Clarinda Police were assisted during the pursuit and arrest, by a Fremont County Deputy Sheriff.

All reports will be forwarded to the office of Page County Attorney Carl Sonksen for review and the filing of formal charges in Page County District Court.