Four people, three adults and a child, were injured Wednesday night south of Atlantic, during a collision between a semi hauling grain, and a minivan. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Corey Larsen says the accident happened on Highway 71 near the intersection with Memphis Road, at around 6:14-p.m.

Larsen says both vehicles were traveling north on Highway 71 when the van attempted to turn at Memphis Road. As the semi was trying to pass the van, the vehicles made contact. Afterward, the minivan spun out and ended up in the west ditch. The semi came to rest on the right shoulder of Hwy 71.

The driver of the semi, 79-year old Don Pelzer, of Marne, was not injured in the collision. The driver of the van, 62-year old Jane Becker, and her passengers, 39-year old John Becker and 40-year old Michael Plagman, suffered minor injuries in the crash. A two-year old male, backseat passenger, suffered from a broken leg, and was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance, before being transferred to a hospital in Des Moines. All of the crash victims are from Atlantic.

No charges were filed pending completion of an investigation. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Atlantic Fire and Rescue, Medivac Ambulance, and the Iowa State Patrol.

With recent rain and the forecast for showers or light rain in the immediate forecast, the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency is asking local fire departments and businesses in the county who possess “Fire Danger” signs, to place those signs in the “High” category, through the weekend. That’s downgraded from Monday’s “Extreme” rating. Officials say another factor in the decision to lower the danger index, is the number of fields left to harvest, has dwindled.

The next update on fire danger conditions will be posted Monday morning.

A man from Ringgold County suffered serious, incapacitating injuries during a rollover accident early this (Thursday) morning, in Union County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 29-year old Daniel Snyder, of Diagonal, was traveling north on County Road P-27 (The High and Dry Road), when a deer ran in front of his 1993 Ford Escort. When Snyder swerved to miss the animal, his car went out of control and entered the east ditch where it rolled onto its top.

The accident happened at around 6:30-a.m. Snyder was transported by ambulance to the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston. A report on his condition was not released. Snyder’s car was totaled in the crash.

The Cass County Health System is seeking the public’s input on how CCHS is meeting the healthcare needs of residents in southwest Iowa. Three thousand surveys are being mailed to a random sample of residents throughout Cass County. Residents can complete the paper survey and return it in the enclosed, postage paid envelope, or follow the instructions and complete the survey online. Surveys must be completed and returned by Friday, November 13, 2015. The survey will take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete.

Survey responses are completely confidential. Essman/Research, an independent marketing research firm in Des Moines, has been retained by CCHS to process the survey results and provide CCHS with an Executive Summary Report.

CCHS CEO Todd Hudspeth says “We appreciate Cass County residents taking time to share their thoughts on healthcare services in general and about the services offered at Cass County Health System.” Hudspeth says “We will utilize this feedback as we develop a strategic plan to guide our progress over the next several years.”

Residents who have any questions about the survey may contact the CCHS Public Relations Department at 712-243-7408 or Essman/Research at 515-282-7145.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green presented an annual review of his department to the City Council during their meeting, Wednesday evening. Green discussed some of his departments needs when it comes to nailing down the specifics on his budget. Among the funds he’s expecting to request at budget time, is $10,000 to equip his officers with body cameras, and $12,000 to replace their aging stun guns, commonly referred to by their trade name, “Taser’s.”

Green says Taser is ending its support for older models of the company’s stun guns, which are only warranted for 5-years. Atlantic’s Tasers, which were purchased by the Cass County Attorney’s Office through the use of drug money received by the County, are eight-years old.

As for equipping his officers with body cameras, Green says they’ve already had three in use over the past year on a test basis, and while his staff are generally in favor of the devices, there are many legal hurdles – especially invasion of privacy — that need to be taken into consideration. The issues were brought up by attorneys, at a recent Police Chief’s convention. In addition to Invasion of Privacy, the angle of perspective, making sure the cameras are turned-on and that audio recorder is activated, are all issues that are in the court and will likely be for years, according to Green.

The cameras themselves typically run $400-to $800 a piece, or about $10,000 for a dozen of them for the first year. Additional expenses can include a download docking station, $12,000 for a server, $22,000 for five-years of software support, plus a license for “redaction.” That’s the blurring of faces of the persons not involved in an incident or crime. When the media requests video of an incident under the Freedom of Information Act, the process to redact images takes hours to accomplish because there are thousands of frames of video in a 10-minute recording.

Green says he thinks they can save on costs by using the department’s existing server to handle the digital camera data downloads. He says he hasn’t decided yet which type or brand of camera the department will purchase. He said also “We don’t need them today, but we will need them within the next year or so.” Green also told the Council his department received 7,000 calls over the past year, his officers made 227 arrests that resulted in people being sent to jail, 398 people were charged, 327 traffic citations were issued, 109 written warnings, as well as numerous verbal warnings for traffic and other offenses.

Green said he was proud of the way his officers and reserve officers stepped-up and helped out with the department’s children’s programs over the past year, as well. He says $13,000 was spent on programs that benefit children, such as Shop with a Cop, Family Dreams Christmas, and more.

Green thanked the community for its support during fundraising efforts for those programs, and reminds you they will begin fundraising efforts for their annual programs again, next month.

Atlantic City Councilman Dana Halder says when it comes to budget time, more money should be made available for improvements to the Atlantic Public Library. Speaking at Wednesday evening’s City Council meeting, Halder, who is the Council’s liaison to the Library Board, said the Board had a meeting Oct. 12th, during which roof repairs and a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was discussed.

That brought up the topic of the Library’s budget. Halder said the Library’s 5-year CIP should really be a one-to three-year plan. He says looking back, there’s really been nothing done to the Library in over 20-years. Much of the money gifted to the Library has been placed into Trust and Agency. Those funds he says, have been used for new computers, and roof repair, but Halder says he doubts those who donate large sums of money want it to be used for a roof.

He said the Council will likely see a budget increase request coming from the Library when the Council considers the City’s budget for FY 2016-17, and he hopes they can find room for that increase. He said he feels the Library is “Very underfunded.”

He pointed to the fact it receives more than 650 visits each week, which amounts to 35,000 visits last year. Halder challenged the Council to come up with another City building “That has that much traffic.” On another note, Halder said the Friends of the Library will hold a book sale from 9:30-am to 6-p.m. Oct. 27th through the 29th.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A trial has been rescheduled to January for a woman accused of fatally stabbing a Council Bluffs man on July 4th, last year. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the trial of Jodie Sherman had been set for Tuesday but was rescheduled to begin Jan. 12. Sherman is accused of stabbing 52-year-old Douglas Richt in the throat during an argument after he picked her up in a car. She was arrested shortly after fleeing on foot.

Sherman’s mental competency to stand trial has been reviewed by psychiatric experts. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matthew Wilber told the Nonpareil that Sherman “is definitely competent to stand trial; the question for the jury is whether or not she was insane at the time of the stabbing.”

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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With the political season in full swing, Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones issued a reminder Wednesday to local candidates for office and their campaign supporters, as well as local groups and organizations, about the City’s Ordinance regarding placement of election and other signs. Jones said signs cannot be placed on City Right-of-Ways, such as the green space between sidewalks and the street. Signs can only be placed on the side of a sidewalk that faces toward a house, not the street. He said they’ve had to make calls telling people to remove signs that are not properly located.

Jones, who spoke during a meeting of the City Council, said some areas of town are becoming cluttered with the signs. It’s not only illegal, but unsightly, especially in the area of 10th and Linden Streets.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City woman has been given 25 years in prison for the death of her baby son and the neglect of two other children. Online court records say Rebekah Williams-McCarthy pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of child endangerment and one of neglect of a dependent person.

The 2-month-old boy’s father, Michael Williams, last month was sentenced to 25 years on identical charges. Authorities have said little Leonard Williams was taken to an emergency room on April 29 last year. An autopsy later showed he died of malnutrition and dehydration.