w/ Ric Hanson

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ONAWA, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man has been given 11 years in prison for vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated.  The Sioux City Journal reports Lenley Schofield Jr. had pleaded guilty on Feb. 4th. His agreement with prosecutors included the 11-year prison term. He was sentenced on Monday.

Prosecutors say the 28-year-old Schofield was driving on Iowa Highway 141 near Mapleton in November 2011 when his car veered into an oncoming truck. His passenger, Robert Palmer, later died.  Schofield also must pay $150,000 restitution to Palmer’s estate.

Iowa Senator Charles Grassley will hold two out of 10 state-wide town hall meetings this week, in Greenfield and Guthrie Center, while the senate takes the week off. Grassley will travel to 16 counties to hold the meetings, which will also features a question-and-answer session with students at four high schools, employees at a manufacturing plant in central Iowa, and members of the Des Moines Rotary Club.

Residents will have a chance locally, to listen to what Iowa’s senior senator has to say, and make comments of their own, during an Adair County Town Hall meeting at the Adair County Health and Fitness Center (202 N. Townline Road), in Greenfield, from 6-to 7-pm Wednesday. Another, hour-long meeting will be held Thursday at the Guthrie County Courthouse in Guthrie Center, beginning at 7:45-a.m.  Afterward, Grassley will travel to the ADM High School in Adel, to hold a Q&A session with  students at the school, beginning at 9:45-a.m.

Senator Grassley has held at least one meeting with Iowans in each of the state’s 99 counties since 1980, when he was first elected to serve in the U-S Senate.

ONAWA, Iowa (AP) – A former fourth-grade teacher in western Iowa has been given a year of probation for drug possession.  The Sioux City Journal reports that 44-year-old Karen Bartelson, of Blencoe, had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. Court records say police found methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia in her purse on July 21st.

District Judge Jeffrey Poulson deferred judgment on the charge. That means the charge will be removed from Bartelson’s record if she were to successfully complete probation.  Bartelson was a fourth-grade teacher at Central Elementary School in Onawa when she was arrested. She resigned before the school year started in August.

Officials with the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund have announced applications are currently being accepted for the 4th Annual Trevor Frederickson Memorial Scholarship.  Two $750 scholarships are available to those graduating from Atlantic High School in the spring of 2013.  Applicants must plan to attend a college or vocational school, show involvement in school and/or community activities, supply a copy of their college acceptance letter, provide two letters of reference along with their 7 semester transcripts, and maintain academic achievement of 2.5 or better.  The scholarships will be awarded at the Atlantic High School Class Night held in May. Applications may be obtained from the Atlantic High School guidance office at 1201 E. 14^th Street or the Atlantic High School website: www.atlantic.k12.ia.us.

Trevor Frederickson (Photo courtesy Melanie Petty, Trevor’s mother)

Trevor Frederickson graduated from Atlantic High School in 2006.  He went on to further his education at Southwestern Community College (SWCC) in Creston, where he studied automotive mechanics and played baseball for the Southwestern Spartans.  Because of his affiliation with SWCC, two additional $750 scholarships will be available for students planning on attending the school in the Fall of 2013.

Funds for the scholarships are raised at an annual golf tournament.  Plans are already in the works for the 5th Annual T-Fred Memorial Golf Tournament to be held on Saturday, August 10^th, 2013.  Organizers look forward to another successful tournament so they can continue to grant scholarships for many years to come.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A powerful winter storm system is heading for Nebraska and Iowa, promising a foot or more of snow and high winds.  The National Weather Service says in a winter storm watch that snow will begin falling in western Nebraska on Wednesday evening and then hamper morning traffic in Omaha and other cities as the system heads east.

Accumulations of more than a foot are possible east of a line from Hayes Center in southwest Nebraska north through Valentine in the north. In Iowa, up to a foot is expected in some spots west of Interstate 35.  The weather service says the heavy snow and 15-25 mph winds will make travel hazardous.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors met Monday evening at the Senior Citizen Center, while the City Hall renovations are underway.

An Eaton Corp. brochure picture of a possible version of a park power/water pedestal for the Schildberg Recreation Area.

Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring said he’s been holding discussions with Connect-A-Dock officials, about the possible purchase of power pedestals for the 18 campground pads being constructed at the Schildberg Recreation Area, with the idea being one pedestal would be used for each of the 18 pads.

The Eaton product brochure Herring presented to the Board indicated the units, which have three-different power point receptacles to accommodate varying power demands of campers and RV’s, and can also be used to supply campers and RV’s with water. They would be mounted on a concrete pedestal off the ground, so as to avoid damage from vehicles and even flood water. The power pedestals would operate on a photocell, and be weather-proof. They would cost about $11,000 altogether. The Schildberg Committee will discuss the option, and possible ways to pay for the campground power receptacles, at a future meeting.

In other business, Herring said bid-letting for the Sunnyside Tennis Court reconstruction project will begin this afternoon. As of Monday, there was no sign of the tennis courts, which were removed by crews with the City’s Street Department, in preparation for the reconstruction project. And, Herring said he’s working with Snyder and Associates Engineers for the final design phase of the Parks and Rec Maintenance Building and office. The final design will be presented for approval by the City Council, next month.

Roger Herring said there aren’t too many changes planned so far for the Summer Rec Program in Atlantic, other than he would like to see some management changes associated with the Swimming Program, whereas there would be a manager on site every shift at the Sunnyside Pool. Herring said the managers currently aren’t spending enough time managing the pool, and his time is stretched too thin to respond to every question or problem that arises during the swimming season.

No injuries were reported and no citations were issued, following a rollover accident Monday evening in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Office says they received a call at around 6:20-p.m., indicating a single-vehicle accident had occurred on 250th Street southwest of Red Oak, just east of Evergreen Avenue.

When deputies arrived, the learned a 2003 Chevy Impala driven by 18-year old Carl Ray Mertz, of Red Oak, had gone out of control on the gravel. The car entered the north ditch and rolled onto its top, causing about $2,000 damage.

COUNTIES IN THE KJAN LISTENING AREA: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR & RINGGOLD- 401 AM CST TUE FEB 19 2013...

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA BY SUNRISE THURSDAY AND SPREAD NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL IOWA BY MID TO LATE MORNING…AND TO NORTHEAST IOWA IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO 12 INCHES. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL FALL WEST OF INTERSTATE 35.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY...EASTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTY ON THURSDAY…THEN DIMINISH BY LATER THURSDAY NIGHT. SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR DURING THE PERIOD OF STRONGEST WINDS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL HOURS.

* IMPACTS...CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE RAPIDLY AS THE SNOW MOVES IN. AT THE ONSET…VISIBILITY WILL FALL TO UNDER 1/2 MILES WITHIN 15 MINUTES OR SO. TRAVEL WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY AND THE ROADS RAPIDLY BECOMING ICY AND SNOW CLOGGED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

A Council Bluffs man reportedly upset about the amount of playing time his son received on a basketball team, allegedly assaulted a youth basketball coach Saturday afternoon. Police officials told the Daily NonPareil, 33-year old Donald D. Hastie Jr., was cited for simple assault following the incident which took place at around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, at Thomas Jefferson High School. in Council Bluffs.

Officials say Hastie allegedly pushed 37-year old David Schmitt, of Council Bluffs, when a dispute arose over the lack of playing time Hastie’s son’s received. Authorities say Schmitt fell over some chairs and injured his hand and wrist.