The Atlantic Fire Department responded to a natural gas leak at 709 Elm Street late Sunday night. Fire Chief Mark McNees says a neighbor called in the report at around 11:38-p.m.  Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a broken joint on the line leading to the gas meter. The gas was successfully shut off, and the neighbors at 711 Elm were evacuated after investigation revealed the home at 709 contained a large amount of natural gas. The home was unoccupied for the evening, except for the homeowner’s dog.

Alliant Utility workers arrived and began digging the entrance line as the leak was feared to be underground as well.  Atlantic Municipal Utilities was also called to shut off the electricity to home to avoid any potential ignition sources. After excavating the underground entrance line and discovering no other leak, the neighbors were allowed back in their home. The occupant was located and advised of the situation.

The homeowners advised they had recently replaced a foundation wall. The ground area beneath the gas meter had settled greatly since then and allowed the meter and line to sink into the ground causing the break.

Alliant and Atlantic Fire officials remind residents that any excavation around a gas meter is dangerous and proper backfilling underneath the lines and meter is critical to prevent such settling and possible breaks and leaks.

Fire Chief Mark McNees says “Thankfully disaster was averted in this case. Had this happened later in the evening the result could have been much worse.  It was a dangerous situation for some period of time until the home was ventilated and we were sure there was no more underground leak.”

The Atlantic Fire Department was also assisted by the Atlantic Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. The AFD was on scene for 2 hours.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Figures from a survey of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states have dropped slightly after rising for three months, but they still point to economic growth.  A report issued today (Monday) says the Mid-American Business Conditions Index declined to 50.1 in April from 50.6 in March.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth. A score below that suggests decline.  Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says “continuing weakness in the region’s agriculture and energy sectors remains an obstacle to improving overall growth.”

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say a man from Union County was arrested this (Monday) morning on a drug charge, north of Villisca. 32-year old Jason Michael Merboth, of Creston, was arrested at around 1:45-a.m., following a traffic stop at the intersection of Highways 34 & 71. Merboth was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance.

And, Police in Red Oak, Sunday, arrested, cited, and then released from custody, a 17-year old from Red Oak. Coltan James Wasson, of Red Oak,  was arrested at around 5:20-p.m. at a residence in the 100 block of E. Joy Street in Red Oak. He was charged with Simple Assault and later released to the custody of his mother.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drunken driving deaths in Iowa increased to 123 last year, but the number of driver’s license revocations is down. Officials say the decline is likely a result of having fewer officers on the road, so there are fewer arrests. More people may also be taking cabs instead of driving after they have been drinking.

RED OAK, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Charles Grassley will join a national group in southwest Iowa to talk about taxpayer preferences. The National Taxpayer Advocate Service has announced it will hold a public forum at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Red Oak. Those who attend will get the chance to talk about what how the IRS can better help them comply with their tax obligations.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Center for abused children in Sioux City raising $2 million to expand the facility. The project will triple the space at the Mercy Child Advocacy Center and make the facility more confidential and secure.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers put aside philosophical differences to adjourn the legislative session, because at one point their disagreements came down to less than $15 million. There were lengthy private meetings over less than $500,000 given to family planning facilities like Planned Parenthood. Lawmakers were also at odds over $9.7 million for salaries to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A center for abused children in Sioux City is raising $2 million for an expansion project. The Sioux City Journal reports the project will roughly triple the size of the Mercy Child Advocacy Center to 9,000 square feet. The project will create a stand-alone facility and add two more interview rooms and another examination room.

Plus, it will make the facility more secure and give it a separate entrance. Currently families enter the center through the endoscopy unit at the hospital. The facility serves 40 counties in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota and has seen over 15,000 children since it opened in 1989.

Firefighters from Atlantic responded to a report of smoke in the restroom at the Atlantic City Park Shelterhouse/restroom facility, Sunday afternoon. A person in the men’s restroom saw and smelled smoke a little after 2:30-p.m. Firefighters arrived on the scene and saw no visible flames, but a metal trash receptacle in the women’s restroom showed evidence a fire had started there, and that someone used water to try and put it out. The smoke wafted into the adjacent, men’s restroom.

Ric Hanson/photo

Atlantic Police Lt. Dave Erickson said they would inspect the trash can to try and determine if the fire was intentionally set, or the result of a carelessly discarded cigarette. Crews were on the scene for about 25 minutes.

Damage to the shelter appeared to have been limited to the trash can.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The number of drunken driving deaths on Iowa roads has been increasing over the past few years, but the number of driver’s license revocations is down. The Des Moines Register reports there were 123 drunken driving deaths last year. That’s up from 110 the year before and 114 in 2012.

Last year, 13,938 driver’s licenses were revoked for drunken driving in the state. That number has been steadily declining. In 2014, 14,515 licenses were revoked and in 2012, 17,708 licenses were taken.

Officials with the state Transportation Department and law enforcement say the decline is a result of having fewer officers on the road because of budget cuts and fewer arrests. Also, more people may be getting rides home after drinking.

RED OAK, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Charles Grassley will join a national group in southwest Iowa this coming week, to talk about taxpayer preferences. The National Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service, announced it will hold a public forum at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Red Oak. Those who attend will get the chance to discuss how the IRS can better help them comply with their tax obligations. The forum will be held in the Montgomery County YMCA.

Nina Olson, the national taxpayer advocate, will join Grassley and a panel of small business representatives for the fifth forum in a series held in communities across the country. The forums were created to better understand and reflect taxpayer preferences in a plan that outlines how the IRS will operate in the future.

Two teens were cited Saturday afternoon for reckless driving in Red Oak, after the vehicles they were driving allegedly tore up the mud at the west Coolbaugh Street boat ramp. Red Oak Police say an officer on routine patrol at around 4:45-p.m. came across a 1985 Ford van stuck up to its bumpers in the parking area of the boat ramp. He also saw a Dodge truck in the same area.

17-year old Michael Wade Hamilton, of Stanton, was cited after police determined he had driven the van onto the City-owned property without permission, tearing up the property when he drove into the mud. 16-year old Dawson Wade Culver, of Red Oak, was cited for driving the truck, which he admitted he had driven through the mud, but denied having become stuck in it.

Both teens were given a citation and then released to a parent.