DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – No one has won the $425 million jackpot in the Mega Millions lottery game. Lottery officials say no one matched all of the numbers in the drawing Friday night.  The numbers drawn were: 19-24-26-27-70, Mega Ball: 12.  The jackpot now is expected to reach $550 million for the next drawing on Tuesday. The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever was a $656 million jackpot in March 2012.

The Mega Millions underwent a major game revamp in October in an effort to grow bigger jackpots in a shorter amount of time. But it also decreased the odds of a person winning the top prize to about 1 in 259 million. It was previously about 1 in 176 million, nearly the same odds as winning the Powerball jackpot.

A holiday tradition that began with a simple Christmas light display more than 40-years ago continues near Red Oak, and features newer technology, this year. Jack Baird and his family have been hard at work preparing for their light and display show for the past couple of months. Speaking on KJAN’s “Heartbeat Today” with Jim Field, Baird said they try to add another element to the show each year, and this year is no different. He said they’re adding a 19-foot tall saluting soldier this year, which has become a daunting task, but one they will have ready by the time the display opens Saturday evening.

The lights will be turned on at the Baird farm northwest of Red Oak, beginning at around 5:30-p.m. Saturday. Jack said there all many different signs on the hills, a church with animated characters and large Nativity Scene, and a more than 20-foot tall lighted ferris wheel. Baird switched the lights from the old incandescent-style to LED’s, which he says proved not only to be brighter and clearer, but a great cost-saver.

As many cities have learned, the use of LED lights could save 90-percent on the cost of electricity. Another advantage, is that they’re tough and will likely last longer.  The 82-year old Baird says the best way to get to the farm from Atlantic, is to take Highway 48 past Elliott, west on H-12 for three-miles, and then south for a little more than a mile. You won’t be able to miss the display, even if you’re still several miles away….just look for a large glow. A star on top of a grain bin is 50-feet in the air, and a Christmas tree on top of a radio tower is about 70-feet high.

The actual physical address is 1233 E Avenue. There is no charge to view the display, but the Baird family does accept donations through a collection box placed near the display. You can view the holiday display every night from this Saturday until New Year’s Day, from dark until 10:30-p.m. Sundays through Fridays, and until 11-p.m. on Saturdays.

Officials with the USDA and Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) have announced AMU was awarded a $300,000 grant from the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant (REDL&G) program. The grant is to establish a revolving loan fund to support area development projects. AMU has added a $60,000 match for the grant, bringing the loan fund balance $360,000. The grant is federally funded for economic development purposes in rural areas. Historically, the grants and loans were available to Rural Electric Coops and phone companies. The last few years they have expanded applicants to municipal utilities.

The application was made by AMU for the purpose of erecting a pre-engineered building to be leased to an expanding business in the AMU district. The business would need to employ at least 25 people, with the promise of expansion. Cass/Atlantic Development Corp. owns development property northwest of Atlantic. CADCO was working with Precision Concrete Services (PCS) who were interested in a building at that site. The AMU Board agreed to loan the grant monies to CADCO who in return would be the general contractor and lessee of that building.

The rent from the building will be used to pay back the loan to AMU, over a period of up to ten years. The plan is that PCS will be the eventual owner of that building. SteveTjepkes, General Manager of Atlantic Municipal Utilities, says “Receipt of the grant and establishment of the revolving loan fund would not have been possible without the work of CADCO and the relationship they built with Precision Concrete Services to put this project together.”  Tjepkes added, “the great thing about this project is the money from the grant and matching funds, as repaid, will be used as a revolving loan fund that can then be re-loaned to foster future economic development activities. It does not have to be repaid to USDA.”

Henningson’s Construction is currently erecting the building northwest of Atlantic, off Hwy 83, north of the railroad tracts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has been boosted to $425 million because of heavy sales. Paula Otto, the Virginia Lottery’s executive director and Mega Millions’ lead director, says sales are 40 percent ahead of projections prompting the game to boost the jackpot for the draw Friday night.  A winner choosing the cash option would take home $228 million.

In New York state, tickets are selling at a pace of $500,000 an hour Friday morning. The state’s lottery spokeswoman, Christy Calicchia says sales are normally between $60,000 and $70,000 an hour.  The winning ticket must match the six numbers drawn. About 32 percent of the possible combinations of numbers have been sold.

Mega Millions is played in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Police in Red Oak report no one was injured during an accident Friday morning at the intersection of Corning and 1st Streets. The accident happened at around 8:30-a.m. Officials says their investigation determined a 1998 GMC Jimmy driven by 53-year old Michelle Solt, of Red Oak, was traveling north on North 1st Street and failed to stop at the stop sign. The SUV collided with a westbound 2002 Mercury Sable, driven by 25-year old Jean Myers, also from Red Oak.

Both drivers, and a juvenile passenger in the Solt vehicle complained of pain, but refused transport to the hospital. The damage amounted to $6,000. Officials say Solt was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign.

Police in Lenox report a local woman was arrested Thursday night on a warrant out of Audubon County. 21-year old Lacee Malson, of Lenox, was arrested at around 9:30-p.m. at her home, by officers with the Lenox Police Dept and deputies with the Taylor Co. Sheriffs Office.

Malson was wanted on an Audubon County arrest warrant for failure to appear. She was transported to the Taylor County Sheriffs office and later turned over to the Audubon County Sheriffs office.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green reports students with the Schuler and Washington Elementary Schools helped to support the Atlantic Food Pantry in large numbers this week. The two schools were involved in a canned food drive between Nov. 25th and Dec. 10th.

Some students showing off one of the boxes their class collected to donate to our canned food drive. (Photo courtesy Officer Devin Hogue w/the Atlantic P-D)

The class donating the most items in each grade level will be rewarded with a matinee showing of Turbo, set to take place this Saturday (Dec. 14th), and each student who attends will also receive a free Kid’s Concession Special, including popcorn, drink and M&M’s.  The movie and treats are being provided free of charge to the students, courtesy the Atlantic Police Department and Reserves, through the Reserves’ Children’s account, which also supports the annual summer camp out and last year’s first ever trip to the zoo with kindergarten and first grade students.

On Dec. 10th, officers with the Atlantic Police Department went to each school, picked up and delivered all the collected items to the Atlantic Food Pantry. All the items were totaled by each teacher and logged by the Police Department to see which classes collected the most.

Schuler Elementary collected a total of 768 items, while Washington Elementary collected a total of 2,358 items, for a grand total of 3,126 donations.  Those items filled four pickup loads. Food Pantry representatives said it was the largest one-time donation they had ever received.

The winning classes were presented with a certificate on Dec. 11th. Steve Green and his officers with the Atlantic Police Department thank all the students who participated in the food drive, along with all their parents and family members who helped them in the effort. The donations will greatly benefit Atlantic and the Cass County Area during the holiday season.

A renovated school building in Shelby County will open its doors today (Friday) to the public. The Historic School near downtown Shelby has been made into the all new Cardinal Lofts. Foutch Brothers out of Kansas City, MO were the architects who took the school from an abandoned building to 1, 2 and 3 bedroom option apartments.

Photo provided from foutchbrothers.com

According to the Foutch Brothers website, (www.foutchbrothers.com), the Shelby School building is comprised of 34 spacious residences and has been modernized with new interiors and several social lounge areas. An onsite gym has been remodeled to a fitness center and daycare is provided for residents.

This isn’t the first time Foutch Brothers worked in Shelby County as the city of Harlan hired them for their Dye Street housing project a few years ago. The Cardinal Lofts will be open to the public today (Friday) from 3 to 8pm and again on Saturday from 10 to 4pm. The lofts are located at 304 Western Avenue in Shelby.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State officials have decided to save some money by shutting down some rest areas along Iowa’s interstates.  Iowa Transportation Department director Paul Trombino told The Des Moines Register that the agency won’t replace two rest areas in Dallas County that will be demolished for an interchange project in 2015. It’s unclear yet what will happen to the 38 other full-service rest areas. Trombino says there will be fewer of them in the future, “there is no question about that.”

The 40 rest areas cost the state about $6.1 million annually to operate. Delia Meier is senior vice president of the Iowa 80 Truckstop near Walcott, and she says she’d be thrilled to have any additional customers who might stop there if some rest areas were to be closed.

A town in Pottawattamie County plans to ring in the holiday cheer with an old fashioned Christmas Celebration this weekend. The Neola’s Old Fashioned Christmas is set for Saturday and Sunday and is full of activities, food and fun for the whole family. Penny Christensen, chairperson for the holiday tradition, says it all starts with a cookie walk on Saturday. “We have a cookie walked at St. Pat’s Hall from 4 until the cookies run out. We also have a soup supper there from 4 to 7. We also have a kid’s Christmas shop and games: A dollar each.”

Santa Claus is a part of the Neola Christmas and will set up shop at the Neola Area Community Center from 6 to 8pm. The Neola Christmas features a couple of unique activities. Christensen says one of the activities is a live box auction. “We have our great box auction which is about 51 businesses from the area, Minden, Underwood and Neola donating boxes with $50 or more inside. The boxes will get auctioned off with only three clues given and nobody knowing what is inside of it. This usually raises about $6,000 which gets distributed to the food pantry, community center, scholarship, bike trail and other different community things.”

The auction will be held inside the St. Patrick’s Hall as well. The other unique item at the Neola Christmas is the animals showing up on Sunday. “We have a real reindeer caribou and sleigh at the Phoenix Theater from 12 to 3 and is free from the public. Bring your camera so you can take pictures of them.” Other activities at the Neola Christmas include local business open houses, community choir performing on Saturday and Sunday and new this year is the Blast from the Past.

Christensen says “And that will be different things from the past such as a butter churner, record player, an old bath tub and other things kids won’t know what they are. Those are going to be brought by the Montgomery County Museum from Red Oak.” The Blast from the Past will set up inside the Neola Area Community Center on Sunday from noon to 3pm.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)