A documentary debuts tonight (Monday) on Iowa native Johnny Carson, who was once the king of late night television. Carson was born in Corning in 1925 and his family moved to Norfolk, Nebraska, when he was eight.

Corning native Johnny Carson

Emmy-winning filmmaker Peter Jones worked for 20 years to get permission to do the documentary. Jones says the two-hour film shows Carson at his best — and his worst.

“America, when they see this, may even love Johnny Carson more because they see he is a flawed man, just as everyone is in various ways,” Jones says. “I think they’ll come away feeling, perhaps, a connection to him in a way they didn’t when he was the host of ‘The Tonight Show.'” Carson hosted the program for three decades, from 1962 to 1992, and he died in 2005.

The documentary includes interviews with 45 individuals and family home movies of Carson’s childhood. Jones says it explores the life, career, complexities and contradictions that were Johnny Carson. Jones first proposed the idea to Carson more than 20 years ago and wrote to him every year, asking for an on-film interview. He says every year he got a letter or call from Carson’s assistant, denying his request.

“In 2003, I wrote my annual letter and received a call at my office from Johnny Carson,” Jones says. “He said, ‘I admire your persistence and style but I’m not going to do anything because I’m going to let the work speak for itself.” Jones says he was finally able to convince the Carson family that Johnny would be forgotten if something was not done to preserve his memory. The documentary, “American Masters – Johnny Carson: King of Late Night,” can be seen tonight at 8 on P-B-S.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Authorities in western Iowa are now helping with the search for a missing woman and one of her children from eastern Nebraska. The last anyone heard from 41-year-old Charlotte Schilling and her 11-year-old son Owen was last Thursday when Schilling drove to her son’s school and picked him at 10 a.m. The elementary school is located in Plattsmouth, a town on the Missouri River about 20 miles south of Omaha. Plattsmouth Police Chief Steve Rathman says, so far, there no evidence of foul play or suspicious activity.

“It is a mystery at this point,” Rathman says. “Hopefully, with the agencies partnering together, we can get an answer for the family real soon.” Schilling’s husband and their 20-year-old daughter say the situation is “very out of character,” but police say there’s no evidence of a crime. Charlotte’s car was located Friday at Lake Manawa, just south of Council Bluffs. Schilling had been known to fish in the lake. Rathman says Council Bluffs police searched the land surrounding the lake this (Monday) morning.

“In addition, I had the Plattsmouth Water Rescue go down with their boat and sonar equipment and get out on the lake and check in the lake to see if there was any evidence of suspicious activity or foul play. Both of those searches came back negative,” Rathman says. Schilling’s cell phone and wallet were found in the car’s trunk. Rathman says, right now, investigators have few leads.

“We have investigators out doing follow up interviews. We’re looking for any surveillance videos we can find from gas stations, restaurants or fast food places that the mother and son may have visited so we can get a timeline as to when the last time they were seen and where they were at,” Rathman said.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

Atlantic Firefighters were called to the scene of a barn fire this (Monday) afternoon, about a mile and a-half south of town. The call from the Calvin Knop farm at 58748 630th Street (Highway 71), came in at 2:55-p.m.

Barn Fire south of Atlantic, Monday.

Several sheep were housed in the barn, but they were moved out before firefighters arrived, and buckets were being used to douse the area where smoke was seen. Atlantic Fire Department 2nd Assistant Fire Chief Tim Cappel told KJAN News when the first crews arrived there were no visible flames coming from the building. Upon further investigation, they did discover charred, smoldering wood in the upper floor near a corner of the barn, where  electricity comes into the building.

Cappel said Brown Electric arrived and quickly shut off the power. They were also working to fix the problem with an apparent electrical short. Cappel said there was minimal damage to the structure.

Firefighters were on the scene for about 35-to 40-minutes. There were no injuries, and none of the animals were harmed.

Sheriff’s Officials in Cass County say an Anita teen was injured Friday evening during a single-vehicle accident on Chestnut Street, in Anita. A car operated by 17-year old Shaley Kay Winther was parked in a driveway and began to roll because the vehicle was not in “Park.” Winther attempted to stop the 1994 Pontiac Grand Am, but was knocked down by the vehicle. 

The car traveled through the corner of a yard, across 6^th Street and struck a power pole, which snapped-off and fell on the vehicle. Winther suffered minor injuries and was transported by Anita Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and released. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3000, while the power pole sustained about $1000 damage. 

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, 50-year old Casey Renee Bates, of Red Oak, was arrested Saturday, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear for a Child Support Hearing. Bates was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was being held on $2000 cash bond.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office says three people suffered “possible” injuries during an accident late last week near Shenandoah. Sheriff Lyle Palmer says 16-year old Breanna Studey and 35-year old Shelly Boulton, both of Shenandoah, along with 13-year old Ieisha Jabbar, of Coin, were transported to the Shenandoah Hospital. 

Palmer says Studey, who didn’t have a driver’s license, was driving a 1994 Chevy Blazer eastbound on 220^th Street at around 7:45-p.m. Friday, when she lost control of the SUV and overcorrected, sending it into the east ditch off of “F” Avenue, where the vehicle rolled over. All three of the females were wearing their seat belts. 

The Sheriff’s report says Studey was driving too fast for conditions. She was cited for Failure to possess a driver’s license, no proof of insurance, and failure to maintain control. The SUV sustained $2,000 damage during the crash.