Officials with the Cass County Health System say Rosanne Bachman, author of Driving to Clarinda and a 1975 graduate of Atlantic High School, will speak at Cass County Memorial Hospital on Thursday, October 23rd. The program will be held in the CCMH Conference Room 2 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Bachman’s program is sponsored by the CCMH Behavioral Health Unit and is free of charge to the public. Reservations are appreciated but not required and can be made by calling 712-243-3250, x3504.

Bachman published her family memoir seven years ago, and since that time has spoken at libraries, churches, book clubs and mental health advocacy organizations about the stigma that surrounds mental illness and how it impedes patients and family members in accessing care. Bachman’s mother, W. Adlyn Reimer, was an Atlantic elementary school teacher who struggled with bipolar disorder much of her adult life. She died in 1998. Bachman’s presentations also reference Lowell Clauson, who taught biology at Atlantic High School for several decades and lived with the Reimer family much of that time. Clauson retired in 1979 and died in 2002 in Denison.

The 45-minute presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing. Books will be available for purchase at the event, but the author will also sign previously purchased books.

Driving to Clarinda is available at barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. It has been awarded Editor’s Choice, Publisher’s Choice and Designers’ Choice designations by publisher iuniverse.com.
For more information, contact the CCMH Educational Services Department at 712-243-3250, extension 3405.

The Creston Police Department reports four people were arrested recently on separate charges.  On Sunday, 32-year old Charles Edward Keeton, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Parole Violation. Keeton was being held in the Union County Jail without bond, while awaiting an appearance before a magistrate.

On Saturday, 31-year old Erin Marie Wallace, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Revoked. Wallace was later released on $1,000 bond. That same day, 47-year old Dan Eugene Willets, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on an OWI/1st offense charge, and, 25-year old old Eric Wayne Shinn, of Creston, was arrested on an Adams County warrant for Theft in the 5th degree.

Shinn was later released on $300 bond, while Willets was released on $1,000 bond.

Nishna Valley Trails President Dave Chase has announced the City of Atlantic was awarded a REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection Fund) grant amounting to $95,810, for the construction of a recreational trail in the northern part of the City connecting the east side of the Schildberg Quarry Recreation Area with the Atlantic Municipal Utilities well-field site east of Olive Street and the Atlantic Ball field complex. Both the Quarry and the well-head site have currently existing trail system.

The trail has been designated as “The Troublesome Creek Connector Trail”, taking the name of the stream that will need to be crossed by a 162 foot single span pedestrian bridge. Construction costs for the trail are estimated at $550,000, with the bridge comprising a large part of those costs. Other grants are being applied for, and local fundraising activities have commenced. Chase said “The engineering work and all necessary permits and easements have been obtained and we hope to see construction later in the summer of next year.”

The award, approved by the Iowa Natural Resources Commission last week, was based on an application filed on the City’s behalf by Nishna Valley Trails, Inc. (NVT). The Atlantic City Council gave its blessing to the application at its August 6th meeting.

Nishna Valley Trails, Inc. is a non-profit recreational trails advocacy group that has been active in the development of trails in the Cass and Audubon County areas since the early 1990s. Chase said “Our application was one of eight funded out of 27 applications filed by cities our size, so you can see that the process is highly competitive.”

Chase also said this project will help with the goal of connecting the T-Bone Trail to the City of Atlantic resulting in a 25 mile trail between Atlantic and Audubon, most of it on the old abandoned Iowa Interstate railroad bed. 20 paved miles have already been completed and the trail has been designated as a portion of the cross-country American Discovery Trail.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man suspected of shooting a Sioux City police officer has died at an Omaha hospital. The Sioux City Journal reports that a Nebraska Medical Center spokesman on Sunday evening confirmed the death of Noah Ironshell.

Police say the 27-year-old Ironshell shot officer Jill Ohm on Oct. 3 as she responded to a Sioux City house about a disturbance and a person who might be suicidal. Police say she was shot in the chin.

Ironshell was found nearly four hours later in the basement of an abandoned home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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AREA COUNTIES: DALLAS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD
515 AM CDT MON OCT 13 2014

…LOCALLY DENSE FOG EARLY THIS MORNING…

WIDESPREAD FOG AND DRIZZLE HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. VISIBILITIES HAVE FALLEN TO ONE HALF MILE OR LESS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA WITH LOCALIZED AREAS LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. THE FOG MAY LINGER THROUGH MID MORNING BEFORE VISIBILITIES IMPROVE.

Police in Red Oak arrested a local woman Sunday evening. 28-year old Sarah Lea Aherns, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 100 block of west Grimes Street, at around 7:30-p.m., Sunday. Aherns was wanted on a Pottawattamie County warrant issued August 25th for a Probation Violation associated with a June 2014 OWI/1st offense charge.

The woman was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

A pre-trial conference is set to take place today for an Atlantic woman facing multiple charges associated with a scheme to get money by making her 5-year old daughter appear to have cancer. The conference for 30-year old Leatha Kaye Slauson will be held at the Cass County Courthouse.

A pretrial conference may be conducted for several reasons: (1) expedite disposition of the case, (2) help the court establish managerial control over the case, (3) discourage wasteful pretrial activities, (4) improve the quality of the trial with thorough preparation, and (5) facilitate a settlement of the case.

Slauson had claimed her 5-year-old daughter Riley was dying from colorectal cancer. Thousand dollars were raised for treatments that were never rendered and the family’s trip to Disney World.

The woman has plead Not Guilty to 20 counts, including one count of drug distribution to a person under 18, two counts of child endangerment causing bodily injury, two counts of administering harmful substances, two counts of assault while committing a felony, two counts of domestic abuse and 10 counts of unlawful possession of prescription drugs, and one count of Theft in the 1st degree. The alleged offenses date back to September 2013.

Earlier this month, Slauson’s lawyer indicated he would file a motion for “Diminished Responsibility” on behalf of Slauson, whom he says is competent to stand trial, but unable to tell right from wrong.

Slauson’s trial is set to begin November 12th, in Atlantic. She remains in the Cass County Jail on $35,000 bond.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney — the 2012 Republican nominee for president — campaigned in Iowa Sunday with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst. “She’s going to be an extraordinary breath of fresh air in Washington,” Romney said. “I can’t wait ’til she goes there and makes ’em squeal, can you? It’s going to be wonderful.” Romney, of course, is referring to Ernst’s primary campaign ad in which she talked about her farm roots and castrating pigs.

Romney campaigned with Ernst in eastern Iowa on May30th, right after he endorsed Ernst as she was competing against five other Republicans for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination. On Sunday Romney was in central Iowa, headlining an Ernst campaign rally at the Iowa Farm Bureau headquarters in West Des Moines. Both Ernst and Romney referred to remarks President Obama made last week about this year’s election.

“He said in this race that his policies are on the ballot,” Romney said. “but Iowa voted for President Obama twice, but Iowa is not going to vote for Bill Bailey and vote for him a third time, that’s for sure.” That “Bill Bailey” reference was Romney’s way of highlighting Michelle Obama’s missteps last Friday when she called Braley “Bailey” seven times before the crowd yelled out Braley’s name. Ernst, who spoke three times as long as Romney did, urged the crowd to vote early and volunteer to seek out other voters.

“Iowa is excited about the opportunity to have not just one Republican United States Senator, but two Republican United States Senators,” Ernst said, to cheers. Romney and Ernst plan to rally with supporters this (Monday) morning in Cedar Rapids.

(Radio Iowa)