Officials with the Lenox Police Department say they are investigating the theft of a vehicle that occurred over the weekend.

This is a vehicle similar to the one reported stolen.

Police Chief Jon Huggins says the four-door 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix was reported missing from the 700 block of E Temple street. The theft occurred sometime between the hours of 7-p.m. Sunday to 7:45-a.m. today (Monday).

The vehicle has Iowa license plate number 497-TRH. Anyone having information concerning this vehicle is urged to contact the Lenox Police Department.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department today (Monday) released a report on recent accidents and arrests. Officials say Jesse Dady, of Thurman, was traveling south in the 1300 block of 240th Avenue Jan. 28th, when he rounded a curve and lost control of his pickup on a soft shoulder of the road. The 1994 Ford Ranger rolled into a ditch when Dady tried to correct the truck’s course. Dady and two passengers in the vehicle refused medical treatment.

That same day, deputies in Fremont County arrested 26-year old Katherine Elizabeth Lynn, of Shenandoah, for Driving Under Suspension. On Jan. 25th, 27-year old Kain Endicott, of Tabor, was arrested for Revocation of his probation, and, 47-year old Carl Allen Race, of Coin, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension.

More than 600 people enjoyed a prime rib dinner Saturday in Defiance, as part of the Shelby County Cattlemen banquet. The banquet was held at Saint Peter’s Hall, and is the biggest event of the year for the cattlemen as they hand out scholarships to local college students and a few awards. This year the Shelby County Cattlemen gave out more than two-dozen $1,000 scholarships to local students attending a college of their choice.

In the awards category, the “2013 Cattlemen of the Year” was presented to Roger Ahrenholtz and his wife Peg. Shelby County Cattlemen President Tim Graeve said in his speech, Roger could be described in one word, “Passionate.” That was defined as his passion for agriculture and family. Ahrenholtz has a farming and cattle operation along with a grain bin business, which continues to grow with a son and grandson being heavily involved in its operation, along with two full time employees and several other persons lending a hand.

Tom and Marcy Muenchrath won the 2013 Beef Backer award at the Shelby County Cattlemen’s banquet. Tom works as an electrician at his own business Tom’s Electric and Grain Equipment. He employs seven people full-time, and up to 27 people who work during the peak season of operation. The Muenchraths work closely with the Cattlemen industry, and said they were thrilled to win the award.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Long time Harlan City official Orval “Orv” Roecker died late last week, after dealing with health issues over the past few months. Harlan City Administrator Terry Cox says Roecker was a community man. “He loved Harlan and he was on the Council and mayor. I met him in 77 or 78 and had a good relationship with him. I teased him as my adopted father. He loved the community and helped it grow in so many ways. He was just a pure supporter of Harlan. A great personality and could tell a joke on any topic. He’s just a nice person.”

Roecker was also a staple at many community events until his health problems persisted. Cox says Roecker had a good life. Cox said “So it is sad to see him go. He had a good life and the last few years, a lot of his good friends teased him for having more than 9 lives. He was a great gentleman for this community.”

Roecker was Harlan Mayor from 1982 to 1987 after being a council member from 1980 to 1981. He had been on the council in 2002 until October 2012. He resigned from his Harlan City Council position Tuesday, October 4th. Roecker was born February 2nd, 1930 and died Friday, February 1st. His funeral service will take place 11-a.m. Wednesday, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Harlan.

(Joel McCal/KNOD)

w/ Ric Hanson

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A public hearing will be held Wednesday evening during the City Council meeting in Atlantic, with regard to an amendment of the City’s Zoning Ordinance to allow a portion of land in the southeastern part of the City to be rezoned from Low Density/Single Family dwellings (R-2) to Multiple Family (R-4) dwellings. The hearing and first reading of the ordinance, follows discussion pertaining to traffic issues along 19^th Street in the area of a proposed new subdivision.

Local developer Don Sonntag is asking the Council to approve rezoning of a portion of the Southern Heights 2^nd addition along East 19^th Street. During the City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Jan. 29^th, the Commission voted 4-to 3 to approve the matter, and forwarded it to the full Council for its consideration and vote. In approving Sonntag’s request, the Commission agreed that he would not be required to provide for any street connections envisioned in the City’s Comprehensive Plan, or as shown on the original plat.

Concerns about the street connection aspect of the proposal have been raised by the City Attorney and others, with regard to traffic flow on 22^nd and 19^th Streets, especially with regard to the width of 19^th Street, west of Redwood Drive, and the proposed installation of a cul-de-sac, instead of a through street, which some say would be more conducive to better traffic flow and provider easier access to emergency vehicles.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council Wednesday, will act on: Resolutions accepting work on two paving and storm sewer improvement projects; the plans and specs for 2013 Street Improvement Projects and authorization of bids; and the setting of Feb. 20^th, as the date for a public hearing with regard to the issuance of General Obligation bonds not to exceed $2.72-million, for the City’s Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year 2014.

Street improvements make up slightly over 70-percent of the bond amount ($1.91-million), with Storm Water improvements coming in at just under 10-percent ($270,000), and building improvements making up three-percent ($90,000), and equipment just under 17-percent ($450,000).

The Council’s meeting begins at 5:30-p.m. Wednesday.

Nominations are now being taken for this year’s Iowa Character Awards. Amy Smit, spokeswoman for Character Counts in Iowa, says it’s important to recognize our community leaders as well as people behind the scenes who exhibit the six pillars of character “There’s tons of Iowans out there so take just a second to think about the people in our lives that show good character and make a very worthy nomination,” Smit says. There are certain guidelines Iowans should follow as they make nominations.

“We look for people who follow the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship,” Smit says. “We also look for people who do work in their community, who stand up for what they believe and do their best work.” This will be the eighth year for what’s now an annual, statewide awards tradition.

Individuals and organizations can be nominated on the group’s website: www.charactercountsiniowa.org, and follow the links to submit a nomination. The deadline for entries is May 14th. The winners will be recognized at the Iowa Character Awards Dinner this August in West Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

Republican Congressman Steve King plans to use a new leadership position to press for a reduction in food stamps or “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” benefits. “These benefits, call them that — nutrition benefits, are for people that need them, that are needy,” King says, “and they’re not for anyone else.” The monthly benefit for a single food stamp recipient is just under 134-dollars. King is the new chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees operations of the U-S-D-A, including the food stamp program. King won reelection in November by defeating Christie Vilsack, wife of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack — the chief of the U-S-D-A.

King says he’s worked with Vilsack before when the two were serving in the Iowa Senate and when Vilsack was governor and will be able to do so again.  “Tom Vilsack has excellent credentials and he is always well prepared and he thinks things through well,” King says. “And I’d like to think that we have mutual respect for each other’s ability even though we carry different philosophies into the arena.” King is critical of Vilsack’s philosophy on food stamps. “The Department of Agriculture has been advocating to push more and more SNAP benefits out and, in doing so, the argument that came from the secretary was for every dollar’s worth of food stamps you hand out, you get $1.84 in economic activity,” King says. “I completely reject that economic philosophy.”

King says fraud in the food stamp program needs to be addressed. “One of the things we’ll be looking at is food stamps and the qualifications for food stamps,” King says, “and looking at how the (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card has been used for, oh, tattoos and bailing people out of jail and a number of inappropriate uses.” In 2004 the U.S.D.A. quit issuing paper “stamps” and Americans who qualify for food stamps now get a plastic card they can swipe at the store.

A Government Accountability Office audit found that from 1993 to 2010, fraud had been reduced by nearly 75 percent. About 90 percent of American households that receive food stamps live below the poverty line. For a two-person family, like a single mom with one child, the poverty line is 15-thousand dollars in annual income.

(Radio Iowa.)

A rollover accident south of Stanton Sunday morning was blamed on icy road conditions. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a vehicle driven by 70-year-old Carolyn Houston, of Stanton, was south bound on O Ave, just south of 250th St. at around 10-a.m., when the vehicle hit a patch of ice and left the road before sliding into the west ditch. In the ditch, the vehicle came into contact with the embankment of a driveway, causing it to go airborne before landing and rolling over onto the driver’s side. Houston, who was trapped in her vehicle, was extricated by the Stanton Fire Department, using with the “Jaws of Life.” She was transported by Stanton Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, for treatment of minor injuries.

No citations were issued.