The Cass County Auditor’s Office late Friday afternoon updated the roster of candidates who have filed certified nomination papers for the June 7th Primary election. By the end of the day, there were three Republicans running in each of the Board of Supervisors Districts 1 and 4. The latest addition was Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green, who is running for the District 1 Supervisor’s seat. He faces a challenge from Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones who filed nomination papers on  Monday, and Dale Retallic, who threw his hat into the ring on Tuesday. No democrats have filed for the seat, thus far.

Another candidate also threw their hat into the ring for the District 4 seat on the Cass County Board of Supervisors. Todd Hansen, a Republican from Atlantic filed nomination papers Friday, for the seat left open when Chuck Rieken decided against running for re-election. Hansen joins fellow Republicans Steve Baier and Barry Moore in the District 4 race heading into the June 7th Cass County Primary Election. No democrats have filed for the seat. The filing period opened this past Monday, and closes at the end of the day on March 30th.

Republican Frank Waters is vying for re-election to the Board of Supervisors in District 5, and County Auditor Dale Sunderman as well as Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren have both filed for re-election on the Republican ticket. No democrats have filed for any of those positions.

The second Produce in the Park meeting will be Thursday, March 17, 4:30 pm at Atlantic Area Chamber of commerce meeting room, 102 Chestnut Street, Atlantic. Vendors of locally grown produce and handmade crafts, and anyone interested in the community event are invited to attend.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is June 2 to be held every Thursday night, 4:30 to 6:30 in Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season.

An update on funding and expenses will be discussed. Marketing methods, activities and cooking demonstrations are also on the agenda. Decisions are made by the group in attendance.

The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

Official with the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Friday (Today) released the name of a man involved in a stand-off Wednesday night that ended with him being shot by a Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy. The suspect was identified as 45-year old James Scott Champion.  Champion is still recovering from two gunshot wounds to his torso, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.  Crawford County Deputy Lt. Corey Utech has been identified as the deputy who returned fire, when Champion allegedly fired a round just before the stand-off ended. Lt. Utech is an 11 year veteran of the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.

Following the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office Policy and Procedures, Lt Utech is currently on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.  Champion is facing two (2) counts of Assault on a Police Officer with a dangerous weapon (Class D Felony).

The incident began at around 6:20-p.m. Wednesday when a concerned citizen called authorities requesting a welfare check on a male subject residing at the Schleswig Manor Apartments, in Schleswig. When Deputies arrived at the apartment complex, Champion, who was inside the building allegedly pointed a long gun at the deputies and allegedly threatened to shoot them if they didn’t back away.

Deputies evacuated other residents of the apartment complex as a precaution. Despite attempts to negotiate with the man, at around 11:45- p.m. (Nearly 4 1/2 hours after the stand-off began), Champion opened a door and pointed the long gun in the direction of officers before firing a single round.

The investigation is still ongoing by the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports five people were arrested Thursday, on drug charges. Arrested on a felony charge each of Sponsoring a Gathering, as well varying degrees of misdemeanor charges that include Possession of Alprazolam/2nd offense, Possession of Methamphetamine/2nd offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, was 20-year old Angel Nicole Knowles and 25-year old Alicia Arlene Dellaca, both of Atlantic. Knowles also faces a charge of Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense.

20-year old Amanda Lynn Cooper, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana/1st Offense, Possession of Alprazolam/1st Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. And, 25-year old Timothy Alan Brown, of Grant, as well as 20-year old Matthew Henry Paulsen, of Adair, was arrested on charges of Possession of Marijuana/ 1st Offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

All suspects were taken to the Cass County Jail where they were released the following day on their own recognizance.

The Atlantic Police Department says five people were arrested over the past couple of weeks. On Tuesday, 19-year old Andrew Malloy, of Atlantic, was arrested for Operating a Vehicle without the owner’s consent. And, 54-year old Todd Schrader, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense.

On Sunday, 54-year old Brent Meyer, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. On March 3rd, 53-year old Craig Lang, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense. And, on March 2nd, 20-year old Corey Sunderman, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Driving While Suspended.

All suspects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

Firefighters from Afton and Creston responded to a hog building fire Thursday night, in Union County, north of Afton. The first call went out at 11:45-p.m. The structure had already collapsed by the time the first crews from Afton arrived on the scene located off of Pheasant Avenue.

Crews from both departments worked to contain the flames and to prevent a nearby propane tank from exploding. No animals were lost in the blaze. It’s not clear how the fire started. Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours.

The second “Produce in the Park” meeting in Atlantic is set for Thursday, March 17th, in the meeting room at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 102 Chestnut Street. The meeting, which begins at 4:30-p.m., is for vendors of locally grown produce and handmade crafts, and anyone else interested in the community event.

An update on funding and expenses will be discussed. Marketing methods, activities and cooking demonstrations are also on the agenda. Decisions are made by the group in attendance.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is June 2nd. The event takes place every Thursday evening from there on out through the growing season, from 4:30- to 6:30-p.m. in the Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season.

The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

A man and woman from Glenwood were arrested Thursday on warrants for Theft. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 67-year old James Ralph Huseman was arrested on a warrant for 1st degree Theft. 55-year old Patricia Louise Smith was arrested on a warrant charging her with two counts of Theft in the 1st degree. Bonds for Huseman and Smith were set at $10,000, each.

Another candidate has thrown their hat into the ring for the District 4 seat on the Cass County Board of Supervisors. The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports Todd Hansen, a Republican from Atlantic filed nomination papers today (Friday), for the seat left open when Chuck Rieken decided against running for re-election. Hansen joins fellow Republicans Steve Baier and Barry Moore in the District 4 race heading into the June 7th Cass County Primary Election. No democrats have filed for the seat. The filing period opened this past Monday, and closes at the end of the day on March 30th.

As mentioned previously, two Republicans have filed to fill the District 1 seat on the County Board of Supervisors: Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, and Dale Retallic, both of Atlantic. No democrats have filed for the seat. The District 1 seat is currently held by Duane McFadden, who has decided against running for re-election.

Republican Frank Waters is vying for re-election to the Board of Supervisors in District 5, and County Auditor Dale Sunderman as well as Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren have both filed for re-election on the Republican ticket. No democrats have filed for any of those positions.

The Council Bluffs Police Department reports a man who became disoriented and drove his vehicle off an overpass early this (Friday) morning, was not seriously injured. 55-year old Jeffrey L. Porter, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on the Avenue G viaduct at around 3:25-a.m., when his vehicle drifted onto the sidewalk.

Image from the Council Bluffs P-D Facebook page.

The vehicle then proceeded to crash through a section of chain-link fence before plunging nearly 25-feet and landing on its roof. Authorities say Porter was likely saved from serious injury because he was wearing his seat belt. The man was transported to Jennie Edmundson hospital as a precautionary measure, and later released.

Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash.