(Update 5:42-a.m.: All four truants have been located.; Update 7:25-a.m. w/additional details)

The four students who escaped from the Clarinda Academy Tuesday evening have been apprehended without incident and returned to the authorities at the Clarinda Academy.  The four students were captured shortly after 5:30-a.m. today (Wednesday), near U.S. Hwy 71 & 230^th Street, or a little over a mile south of Clarinda.

The students were caught after two citizen reports were received at the Page Communications/911 Center. The citizens said the four youth werewalking along the highway. The boys were taken into custody by officers of the Clarinda Police Department.

It’s believed they left the facility at around 11-p.m., Tuesday. The Clarinda Academy is a privately run school that offers educational and residential treatment programs for troubled boys and girls. The facility was established in 1992 and offers long-term residential treatment for males and females, as well as shelter care and transitional living services. It has a licensed capacity of 266 students and serves youth from several different states.

Three area Producers that hold niche markets in the Ag Sector, were honored at an event held Tuesday evening, at Sunnyside Park, in Atlantic. The awards were presented during the Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation’s Annual Membership Meeting held at the Sunnyside Park Kiddie Korral. The meeting began with a 6:30-p.m. supper catered by The Downtowner, followed by a brief business meeting. CADCO’s Russell Joyce prefaced the awards and recognition portion of the meeting by acknowledging agriculture’s role in the local and state economy. He said agriculture is the Number One economic driver in the State of Iowa and Cass County.

CADCO Executive Dir. Russell Joyce congratulates Dave Nichols

First up to receive an award during the recognition ceremony, was 77-year old Dave Nichols, with Nichols Farms near Bridgewater, a well-known national and international producer of superior beef genetics for over fifty years. Nichols was inducted last year into the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery, which is the highest honor bestowed on a producer in the livestock industry. And, while he has won numerous awards, three things are more important to him: His faith, his family and his friends.

A-to-Z is a diverse cattle and livestock commercial feed enterprise that specializes in breeding, feeding, and marketing “ Wagyu Beef “ a Japanese breed of beef that has a high end marketability.

Allen Zellmer (Center, holding award) and his family and staff.

Allen and Brenda Zellmer, of rural Atlantic, are the owners of the company.  They started with 36 head on feed and within two years were asked to have over 1,000 head on feed. Currently, the herd numbers are approaching 10,000 head on feed. Zellmer’s beef products end up all over the world, because of the demand for lean protein. And, like Dave Nichols, Alan also spoke of the importance his family and associates plays in the success of his company.

Also honored at the CADCO event, was Kelly and Christie Cunningham of “Milk Unlimited,” of rural Atlantic, a Grade-A dairy that is one of Iowa’s premier dairy operations.

Christie and Kelly Cunningham (Center).

They have 33 employees. Christie Cunningham said 2016 has been a great year for milk production, and they’ve made some new records. Kelly Cunningham spoke of how their product supplies a major dairy in the State.

He said their average cow produces about 10-gallons of milk per day. About five semi loads of milk are trucked to the Andersen-Ericksen Dairy each day, meaning about one-third of the milk the company uses, comes from Cass County. Cunningham said a tanker trailer is filled every 4 ½-to 5-hours, is sent to Des Moines and  turned into an A&E product that will be one the shelves within three days.

Officials with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday evening, released information about a pursuit that took place late Monday night, and is requesting help from the public in finding the suspect who was pursued. The incident began at around 10:45-p.m., a Taylor County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a 1995 Buell motorcycle in Bedford.

The motorcycle sped off south of Bedford on State Highway 148. The deputy pursued the motorcycle at speeds of over 95 miles per hour until he lost sight of it near Hopkins, Missouri. The motorcycle was found abandoned a short while later in Hopkins and was determined to have been stolen from a residence in Atchison County, Missouri. A search of the area did not turn up the suspected driver.

The incident remains under investigation. If anyone has information about the driver of the motorcycle, call the Taylor County Law Enforcement Center at 712-523-2153. The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Nodaway and Andrew County Missouri Sheriff’s Departments and the Iowa and Missouri State Patrol.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa park ranger is being credited for saving two Council Bluffs men whose boat on Lake Manawa filled with water because of high winds. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says in a news release that 72-year-old William Buchholz and 54-year-old James Tanga were fishing on the western Iowa lake around 10 p.m. Monday when winds kicked up. The men were about 100 yards from a boat ramp when the boat became swamped.

Lake Manawa State Park Ranger Aaron Johnson, who had been monitoring the boat because of the weather, went to the men’s rescue. Johnson and Council Bluffs firefighters were able to pull the men, who were treading water, to safety. Authorities say there were life jackets on board the boat, but the men were not wearing them.

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education is expected to act Wednesday evening, on approving the ballot language for the Sept. 13th, 2016 Special Election pertaining to a Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. The levy calls for a combination of a Property Tax on all the taxable property in the School District, commencing July 1st, 2017, AND a Physical Plant and Equipment Income Surtax upon the State individual income tax of each resident in the District on December 31st for each calendar year, commencing with the 2017 calendar year.

The Resolution says the Income Surtax will not exceed 20-percent (to be determined by the Board each year), with the total amount of taxation not to exceed 85-cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in any one tax year, for a period commencing July 1st, 2017, and not to exceed 10-years.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on approving a Retrofit lighting contract for the Washington and Schuler Elementary buildings using energy saving LED lights, the total cost of which amounts to $73,401. The new lights are expected to save the District nearly $13,250 annually in energy costs, and would be eligible for AMU rebates amounting to slightly more than $11,570.

The Board will also discuss and act on approving: Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein’s contract for the 2016-17 school year (the final year of his contract); A June 2017 trip to Washington, D.C. for Atlantic Middle School students. The trip includes visits to several attractions, such as the Lincoln Memorial, MLK, Jr., WWII and Vietnam War Memorials, the Smithsonian Museum, and more. Currently, 26 students and four chaperones are signed-up for the trip.

And, just before their meeting concludes, the Atlantic School Board will discuss Capital Projects and the Atlantic High School Cell Phone Policy. The meeting gets underway at 5:30-p.m. in the Atlantic High School Media Center.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Transportation says it is closing two driver’s license stations and seven maintenance garages because of reduced budget funding from the Iowa Legislature. The driver’s license stations are in Spencer and Carroll. The maintenance garages are in Sabula, Akron, Soldier, Corning, Gowrie, Rock Valley, and Centerville.

The department announced the closings Tuesday. An agency spokeswoman says the changes do not include layoffs, but 67 open positions will be permanently removed. The closings will affect 28 employees, but those workers will be given the option to relocate to other DOT locations.

The department sought $9.7 million in additional dollars from the Iowa Legislature for the budget year that began in July. Lawmakers approved half the money, despite the department predicting it would affect agency services.

A popular new game played on smart phones may be endangering the lives of some Iowa drivers and pedestrians. Pokemon Go uses “augmented reality,” where you switch on your phone’s camera, look at your screen and see virtual creatures you’re trying to catch superimposed over the real world view. Gail Weinholzer, at Triple-A-Iowa, says you should never try to play the game while driving.

“The three most important things you can do while driving are: keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel and your mind on the task of driving,” Weinholzer says. “Obviously, playing this game while driving violates all three of those most important issues.” The game is appealing to people in their teens and 20s and that’s the age group which the motor club says is already at the highest risk for crashes.

“Younger drivers are the most vulnerable drivers, they’re the least experienced,” Weinholzer says. “If they’re participating in these sorts of activities, they’re only enhancing the risk of being involved in a serious or even fatal crash.” Another problem, pedestrian players are wandering into traffic, too engrossed in the game to realize their lives may be at risk.

“We’ve seen an increase in pedestrian fatalities across the United States over the last year and certainly, participating in this game is not going to assist us in reducing those numbers,” Weinholzer says. “It’s important that drivers and pedestrians alike both focus on the tasks they should be involved with.”

A recent AAA report showed distraction was a factor in 58-percent of all crashes. It also found six out of 10 moderate-to-severe teen driver crashes involved distraction, four times more than was reported on police records.

(Radio Iowa)

A new convenience store chain is being launched in Iowa. Yesway is the brand name for this new convenience store chain. The Yesway website says there will be a “grand opening” sometime this summer. The Des Moines Register reports Yesway stores will open in Newton, Fort Dodge, Webster City, Waterloo, Clarion, Story City, Belmond, Ottumwa, Centerville, Elkhorn, Harlan, Walnut, Audubon, Missouri Valley, Manilla and Logan. Six of the new Yesway stores are in Mason City. The company hasn’t released a list of its other locations in Iowa.

Yesway is being started by B-W Gas and Convenience which is part of a Boston-based private equity firm. BW ultimately aims to have more than a thousand Yesway stores in “selected regions” of the country. To start, the company is buying 21 Kum N Go stores in Iowa. It acquired 10 Country Store locations in Iowa late last year.

The company’s news release touts “neighborly customer service” and executives promise to “completely upgrade and remodel” all 31 stores the company now owns in Iowa. There will also be some sort of “loyalty program” for repeat Yesway customers. A headquarters for Yesway will be based in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More acres of corn and soybeans were planted than initially estimated this year, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to boost the fall harvest expectations for both major crops.

The agency said in its monthly update Tuesday that farmers are expected to bring in 14.5 billion bushels of corn, which would break 2014’s record of 14.2 billion bushels. Farmers planted 94.1 million acres of corn, about a half-million acres more than first projected.

The soybean harvest is estimated at 3.88 billion bushels on a record 83.7 million acres planted, 1.5 million more acres than projected. Prices for both crops are up compared to earlier this month, because the USDA says soybean exports are higher than expected and corn exports will rise since drought-stricken Brazil produced less than projected.

Swimming, canoeing and floating the river on tubes is a summertime tradition in Iowa. But as relaxing and enjoyable as a river float is, it does come with an element of risk.
Iowa rivers are dynamic systems in a constant state of change and can hide obstacles just beneath the water surface. Todd Robertson, with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Water Trails Program, said river users can enjoy the scenery while keeping an eye downstream to avoid any hazardous surprises.

“We’ve had some reports of trees being blown over during the recent storms and blocking parts of different rivers. We would encourage paddlers and tubers to watch for fallen trees and other hazards that can pull you in and suck you under the water,” he said.  “This is the busy season for floating our rivers. When we have consistent hot weather, there is an increase in the number of paddlers and tubers and we want everyone to be mindful that our rivers are in a constant state of change.”

• Robertson said there are a few tips to keep you safe on the river.
  Wear your life jacket: Life jackets, when properly fastened and cinched, have saved lives. Life jackets are mandatory for any child under 13 in any vessel underway in the state of Iowa.
• Know the weather forecast: Always get off the water if lightening is in the area.
• Recognize and avoid hazards: Most water incidents involve an obstruction – downed trees and branches create a “strainer” effect that can trap boats and people under water, sometimes leading to drowning. A bridge pier or boulder can get a boat pinned on its upstream side. Low-head dams can re-circulate, trap and drown victims. These hazards are most difficult to avoid at mid to high range flows.
• Consider your experience: Novice paddlers and tubers generally have less control as rivers get swifter, and should factor in more caution.
• Beat the heat: Dehydration, heat exhaustion stroke, and heat exhaustion can become serious problems in by mid-summer. Bring plenty of water on river trips, cool off periodically by getting yourself wet or swimming, use sunscreen, and for tubing or paddling trips make sure to choose shorter trips when the river’s flow is low.
• Set the example for your kids: Be vigilant with kids in rivers, make sure they wear their life jackets before getting in the water, and explain to them the other safety points on this list.
• Watch your kids: Even with a life jacket, be aware of common river hazards, and keep a watchful eye on kids in a river at all times, to help them avoid hazards such as woody debris and other objects, or low-head dams.
• Other factors: You can improve your odds by not consuming alcohol, considering weather factors, and being vigilant about what’s around the next bend.