The Atlantic Police Department says no injuries were reported following two separate accidents Friday. Authorities say Tobin Jensen, of Atlantic, was cited for Having No Proof of Insurance, after the vehicle he was driving struck a vehicle being driven by Scott Rhoads, of Atlantic. The collision occurred at around 6:30-a.m. in the parking lot of the Casey’s Store on southwest 7th Street. Officials say Jensen was backing out of a parking stall and Rhoads was attempting to park, when the vehicles collided. Damage from the incident amounted to $2,550.

The other accident happened at around 3:30-p.m. Friday, at 14th and Roosevelt Drive, in Atlantic, when vehicles driven by Turner Russell, of Atlantic, and Paige Sorensen, of Marne collided, as both were traveling westbound on 14th Street. The rear-end collision happened when Russell was unable to safely stop in-time. Damage amounted to $1,600. No citations were issued.

The Atlantic Police Department reports two arrests occurred Sunday. 36-year old Kevin Milliam, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for failure to serve jail time, stemming from a 5th degree Theft charge. And, 33-year old Jason Cook, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Both men were booked into the Cass County Jail.

The A-PD reports also, 26-year old Tara Williams, of Atlantic, was arrested Friday, on a shoplifting charge (Theft in the 5th degree). And, on Saturday, 32-year old Sonya Mills, of Atlantic, was arrested for Theft in the 4th degree, and Forgery. Bothy women were booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking volunteers to help plant flower beds in the downtown City Park and downtown area. The Atlantic Beautification Team is set to plant flower beds this Thursday, May 16th, at 4 p.m. with the help of their new Adopt-A-Bed Partners and many additional volunteers. Steering committee member Emily Kennedy says they have  secured nearly 20 businesses, organizations, 4-H Clubs and individuals to adopt the flower beds and help volunteers to maintain them, but additional volunteers are still encouraged to sign up to help with the planting,  as they have in the past.

If you would like to lend a hand, contact the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017, or e-mail chamber@atlanticiowa.com. Volunteers will be assigned a bed to plant,  and will need to sign up in advance to find out the location for planting night. Volunteers are also needed to haul flowers, mulch and equipment during the day preceding the planting. Materials used will be preset at each corner, with help needed in getting those items to the proper location.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own shovels, gloves, rakes and any other equipment they like to plant with.

The National Weather Service in Valley, NE, says today’s Grassland Fire Danger Category in eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa, is Very High. The next two days will be hot and dry, leaving conditions for rapid fire development extremely high. If you plan to burn remember to plan ahead and take all necessary precautions as winds and low humidity levels will create conditions for fast and out of control fires.

Home sales and prices rose in Iowa last month. Don Marple is president of the Iowa Association of Realtors, which tracks the numbers. “We’ve seen a 6.1 percent increase in sales from April of last year to this April and we’ve seen about a 3 percent increase in the pricing of homes,” Marple says.

A total of 2,851 homes were sold in Iowa last month. That’s up from 2,688 home sales in April 2012. The median sale price across Iowa rose from $124,000 to $128,000. Marple says home prices in Iowa have been steadily rising, but it’s still a good time for first-time home buyers to enter the market. “We’re always concerned, but the value and the amount of buyers out there are helping with the increase in the values of properties. But, interest rates have been a big help, staying around 3 to 4 percent,” Marple says. “It just makes it very affordable for anyone to be buying now instead of renting,” Marple says.

The number of homes on the market has been declining, which has contributed to the price increases. But, Marple expects more Iowans will be looking to sell their homes in the coming months. “Our inventory is down. Our supply of inventory is down to about 6 months, which is about a 20 percent drop from last year at this time,” Marple says. “But, we did have about 300 more homes on the market (in April) than last year at this time. Spring is getting here, summer’s coming up, people are getting ready to out of school – so, they’ve got their homes ready to put on the market and they want to join in on the action and make a move.”

(Radio Iowa)

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency says due to forecast low relative humidity and high wind conditions, along with the presence of dry fine fuels, the fire danger rating in the County is being upgraded to HIGH. Controlled burns should be avoided for the next couple of days. Notify your local fire chief if outdoor burning is planned.

Officials are asking participating agencies to place their “Fire Danger” signs in the High category. The rating will be re-evaluated on Thursday, May 16th, or before as conditions dictate.

A traffic stop early Sunday morning in Adams County, resulted in an arrest. The Adams County Sheriff’s Department says a Ford truck driven by 50-year old Jackie Trichell, of Corning, was pulled over at around 1-a.m Sunday. Upon further investigation, it was determined Trichell was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. He was being held in the Adams County Jail on a charge of OWI/1st offense, pending an initial court appearance.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Sioux City police officer Kevin McCormick is back on duty and has already visited the spot where he was wounded during a traffic stop.  Sioux City station KTIV says McCormick retraced his route on the west side of the city on Sunday, remembering the garbage cans and chain-link fence and the van he saw on April 29. McCormick says he’s been replaying the incident in his mind.

He’d pulled over a car for a seat belt violation. As he was preparing to leave his cruiser, a man got out of the car and fired eight rifle shots at the cruiser. A bullet that penetrated the cruiser’s windshield struck McCormick above an eye.  Twenty-one-year-old Jamal Dean has been arrested and is being held on a charge of attempted murder.

w/ Ric Hanson

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