The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Tuesday of a Red Oak woman for Driving While Suspended.  At 11:15pm officers arrested 55-year-old Wilma Maxine Dykes in the 1600 block of Summit Street.  Dykes was taken into custody and held on $300 bond.

The Atlantic City Council will hold a regularly scheduled session Wednesday at City Hall. The meeting begins at 5:30-p.m., and includes action on a Resolution “Endorsing the use of Regional TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program grant) Funds for the Schildberg Recreation Area Lake #2 Biking Trail.” The resolution states acknowledges the City endorses the trail project, and that with the assistance of the TAP funds, the construction of the multi-use trail will be completed and remain dedicated to public use, and adequately maintained by the City of Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department.

In other business, the Council will hear reports from the Personnel and Finance Committee with regard to their review of options the City can take in finding a replacement for Jamie Arnold, who resigned this month from his position as City Attorney. The committee will also report on changes to the City Council and Mayor’s compensation, noting the Mayor’s salary has not been increased in 18-years, and the Council has not received a raise in 21-years. It’s expected the committee will recommend a Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) be made to fairly compensate city leaders for time spent in their respective positions.

And, a Task Force has reviewed the financing, process and details for the proposed use of and/or accessibility improvements for, the second-floor multi-purpose room in the City Hall building, an open house event for which was held August 8th, during AtlanticFest.

On Monday, August 17th at 4:01 a.m., the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a one-vehicle accident on eastbound I-80 at the 60 mile marker. A 2003 Chevy Impala owned and driven by 20-year-old Conandenon York of Des Moines was eastbound on I-80 when the driver lost control of the vehicle, veering off the interstate and into the south ditch. An 18-year-old passenger in the vehicle Papice Michae Joe of Des Moines was transported to CCMH via Medivac for evaluation. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3,000. York was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

DES MOINES – The emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive and invasive insect of ash trees has been discovered in central rural Montgomery County. Iowa’s growing number of counties with confirmed detection has now reached twenty-seven. Native to Asia, EAB has spread to 25 states since first being identified in Michigan back in 2002. This exotic pest is responsible for the death of tens of millions of ash trees.

EAB is a small, metallic-green beetle that is about ½ inch long. The larvae stage of this wood-boring insect tunnel under the bark of ash trees, disrupting the flow of water and nutrients, ultimately causing the tree to die. EAB infested ash trees include thinning or dying branches in the top of a tree, evidence of woodpecker activity, S-shaped feeding galleries under dead or splitting bark, D-shaped exit holes, and water sprouts (along the trunk and main branches).

“This find marks the westernmost site that we have found EAB in Iowa to date,” said Mike Kintner, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship EAB and gypsy moth coordinator. “This just reinforces the importance of limiting human-assisted firewood movement to reduce the spread of EAB and other injurious tree pests.”

The Iowa EAB Team provides EAB diagnostic assistance to landowners and includes officials from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the USDA Forest Service.

Since larvae of EAB can unknowingly be transported under the bark of a tree, the Iowa EAB Team strongly cautions Iowans not to transport firewood across county or state lines. The movement of firewood throughout Iowa or to other states poses the greatest threat to quickly spread EAB and other plant pests. A statewide quarantine remains in place, restricting the movement of hardwood firewood, ash logs, wood chips and ash tree nursery stock out of Iowa into non-quarantined areas of other states.

At this calendar date, the treatment window for soil-applied preventive treatment measures (soil injection, soil drench, or granular application) and basal trunk sprays has ended. Trunk injection remains a viable EAB management option for the next two weeks, as this method can be done when the tree has a full canopy of leaves (now through the end of August), provided there is good ground moisture. If a landowner is interested in protecting a valuable and healthy ash tree within 15 miles of a known infestation, he or she should have landscape and tree service companies bid on work, review the bids, and treat during the recommended treatment time.

Please contact Iowa EAB Team members to have suspicious looking trees checked in counties not currently known to be infested. The State of Iowa will continue to track the movement of EAB on a county-by-county basis. Before a county can be officially recognized as infested, proof of a reproducing population is needed and an EAB must be collected and verified by USDA entomologists.

Around 400 people attended the Boots and BBQ event last night at the Cottownwood Barn in Kimballton. The event was a Republican Party fundraiser and featured talks from Presidential Candidates Rick Perry and Carly Fiorina.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said he enjoys the process in Iowa and respects how Iowans handle that responsibility. “Iowa is about picking presidents. I mean, this process has made Iowa very unique in the sense of they understand and they take it very seriously, that they are in the business of vetting candidates that want to be the President of the United States.  There are very few states in the country that have that responsibility and Iowans take it very seriously.”

Former Hewelett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina talked about the response to her strong performance in last weeks Republican debates. “Well, I think it’s true that more people know who I am. You know I went into that debate and less than 40% of Republican voters had ever heard my name, and now a lot more know who I am.  But mostly what I hear from people is “keep going, keep speaking directly and telling us what we really need to do”.  I think people really are tired of professional politicians and are ready for a different kind of leadership.”

The event also featured other speakers from leadership around the state.

Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley will hold seven town meetings this week in southwest Iowa. The events take place Wed., Aug, 19th in Adams, Taylor, Fremont and Mills Counties, and on Thursday, August 19th, in Shelby, Cass and Audubon Counties. The events are being held as part of his annual 99-county meetings, which Grassley has held at least once every year since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate.

The schedule for his Town Hall meetings is as follows:

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

8-9 a.m.: Adams County Town Meeting – Corning Nursing and Rehab Center
1614 Northgate Dr., in Corning.

9:45-10:45 a.m.: Taylor County Town Meeting – Taylor County Farm Bureau
Meeting Room, 607 Pollock Blvd. in Bedford.

4-5 p.m.: Fremont County Town Meeting – Tabor Community Center, 626 Main St. in Tabor.

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Mills County Town Meeting – Malvern Community Center, 501 Main St. in Malvern.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

12:45-1:45 p.m.: Shelby County Town Meeting – Shelby County Farm Bureau
908 6th St., in Harlan.

2:45-3:45 p.m.: Cass County Town Meeting – Atlantic Municipal Utilities Basement meeting room, 15 West 3rd St. in Atlantic.

4:30-5:30 p.m.: Audubon County Town Meeting – Audubon County Economic Development, 800 Market St. in Audubon.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Board met Monday night at the Atlantic City Council Chambers.  One of the main topics of discussion was completion of the city wide tree census as part of the Urban Forestry Grant. They are now waiting for the DNR to process the information and report back to the city.  The purpose of the census was to identify problem trees in the city right of way and to be proactive against the threat of Emerald Ash Borer.

Also during the meeting it was announced that Atlantic is participating in the Operation Re-leaf Program in which trees that started their growth in Iowa will be for sale at discounted prices.  It was also announced that Frank Saddlemire donated 12 trees to the department that will be used throughout the city in need areas.

More discussion also took place regarding demolition and reconstruction of the Kiddie Korral Shelter at Sunnyside Park. Demolition has been scheduled following Labor Day.

The meeting also included the closing date of Sunnyside Pool on August 23rd. The board is looking into the possiblity of a dog friendly event on closing day but no plans are complete.

w/ Chris Parks

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Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson reported Monday on two recent arrests.

The Sheriff’s Office arrested 50-year-old Curt Thomas Anstey of Audubon on Friday, August 14th and charged him with Operating While Intoxicated, Driving While Suspended, and No Insurance.  The charges stem from a traffic stop in Audubon and Anstey was taken to the Audubon County Jail and held until being released following an appearance before the magistrate.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office also arrested 38-year-old Kameo Margaret Smith of Exira at her residence on Monday, August 17th on an outstanding Audubon County warrant.  Smith has been charged with Theft in the 4th Degree.  The charge stems from several checks written to a business in Exira and a business in Audubon in late June and early July 2015.  Smith was taken to the Audubon County Jail and held until being released following an appearance before the magistrate.

A Council Bluffs man accused of killing his father has struggled with mental health problems and discussed those problems openly on Facebook. The Omaha World-Herald reports police think the day after  55-year old Robert Schendel died from numerous gunshot wounds, his 21-year old son Sean posted statements on Facebook that he had “never felt more alone” and that “family isn’t forever.” Robert Schendel was found dead in his home, last Wednesday.

Police say Sean Schendel withdrew money from his dad’s bank account and took his minivan to drive to Colorado. Sean was arrested last Friday at a motel in Sterling, Colorado. Authorities say during a police interview over the weekend, he admitted to killing his father. Officials haven’t said what might have led to the shooting.