The last Monday in May is Memorial Day, a day to remember those members of the military who have died in service to our nation. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order #11, and was first observed on May 30th 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.  Locally, several events are planned to commemorate the day and those who have died. You can check out the complete list by surfing to our web page, www.kjan.com and clicking on the Daily Diary tab.

KJAN will continue a long Memorial Day tradition today, as we bring you a live broadcast of the Atlantic Memorial Day service.  The broadcast begins at 10:00 am from the Atlantic Cemetery.  This is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the featured speakers will be representatives of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

A Memorial Day Service in Adair will be held at Sunnyhill Cemetery at 10:00 am.

The Anita Legion & Auxilary’s Memorial Day Service will be held at Anita Evergreen Cemetery at 10:30 am., and the Anita Congregational United Church of Christ’s “Decoration Day Dinner” will be held from 11-1 pm. Dinner includes: ham balls, baked potato with all the trimmings, corn, green beans, 2 salads, roll & homemade pie. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for kids under 12. Take-outs are available by calling 712-249-2377 or 712-250-0307.

Memorial Day Services will be held in the Arlington Cemetery in Audubon at 10 am.

American Legion Post 322 in Elk Horn’s Memorial Day Schedule is as follows: 9:30 am at the Clay Township cemetery; 10:00 am at Monroe Methodist cemetery; 11:00 am Church Service At Elk Horn Lutheran Church followed by Military Service at the Elk Horn Lutheran Cemetery, with dinner following at the church fellowship hall, for a free will offering.

Exira’s Memorial Day Service will start at 9:45 am, at the Exira Catholic Cemetery, St. John’s West and at Nishnabotna River in honor of the navy following the main program. In case of rain services will be held at Exira Recreation Center.

The Exira Lions Memorial Day Breakfast will be held on May 30th from 7-12:30 pm at the Lions Community Center. They are serving pancakes, biscuits & gravy, eggs, sausage and drink for a free will donation.

The Grant United Methodist Church will hold its annual Memorial Day Dinner from 11:30 am-1 pm on May 30th with a free-will offering. The menu includes: sloppy joe or ham sandwich, baked beans, assorted salads, pies and desserts, and offee, tea or lemonade. All money raised by the dinner supports the Grant United Methodist Women and their work for mission projects at the Grant church. Students in Time to Create will have a fundraising sale of homemade snack mix in decorative tins. Proceeds will benefit the program and its mission projects. From 1-4 pm, Jim and Kathy Wymore will host a jam session, and interested musicians can sign up at the event and a full size Circle of Stars quilt will be auctioned off around 2:30 pm.  Attendees should bring lawn chairs; a port-a-potty will be on site and there will be a concession stand. In case of rain, the event will be held at the Grant United Methodist Church. Proceeds from this event will benefit GCP and its work on the Grant Masonic Lodge and Grant Park. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Memorial Day Services in Griswold will be held at the Griswold Cemetery at 10:00 am. There will be  a P-51 Mustang fly over with guest speaker Father David Smith. A smaller service will be held at Pleasant Cemetery immediately following the service at Griswold Cemetery.

Join the Lewis Town & Country Boosters and the Pancake Man for a breakfast of pancakes & sausages, juice and coffee. Serving is from 7:30-10:30 am at the Lewis Community Center for a free will donation.

Montgomery County Veterans Court of Honor Memorial Day Program will be held at the Evergreen Cemetery in Red Oak. Program will include music by Red Oak High School Band, dedication of 30 burial flags to join the over 1300 flags that will be flying around the Evergreen Cemetery that day, a rifle salute and guest speaker, Lieutenant Colonel Joni Ernst, Iowa Army National Guard.

Elsewhere around southwest Iowa, Memorial Day services will be held today:
10:00 am at the Clarinda Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
10:00 am at the Stanton High School gym.
10:00 am at the Inman Primary School Parking lot in Red Oak.
10:30 am at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Shenandoah.
10:30 am at the Sidney Cemetery.

A Council Bluffs insurance agent was recently selected to become a member of Republican Mitt Romney’s Iowa Presidential Leadership Team. Steve Cates, a former Pottawattamie County Republican Party chairman says he was approached by the Romney team to join the group because of his support of the former Massachusetts governor and businessman’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Cates says Romney is a “Proven leader,” and “Everything he has done has been successful.”
Other members of Romney’s leadership team include Bettendorf resident Brian Kennedy, a former state GOP chair; House Rep. Renee Schulte of Cedar Rapids; Polk County Republican Organization chair Connie Schmett; GOP activist Alan Lucken of Akron; and Rose Kramer of Dubuque, a former state GOP Central Committee member.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Untreated wastewater is being released from an Omaha water station into the Missouri River. The city announced Sunday that it was closing isolation gates at the Monroe Street Lift Station as the river surged. The move will allow the release of some untreated wastewater.

Omaha’s Public Works department urges people to avoid wading or swimming in the river near the Veterans Memorial Bridge in south Omaha and for several miles downstream until further notice. Officials in Nebraska and Iowa have been monitoring the swollen river. Flood gates were installed Sunday at Lewis & Clark landing to keep water from seeping into downtown Omaha.

The river is expected to crest near Omaha at record levels between 30 and 35 feet in late June after more water is released from upstream reservoirs.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say a Red Oak man was arrested Saturday night northwest of Red Oak, following a pursuit that wound through the western parts of the county. 49-year old John Wayne Strait, of Red Oak, was charged with eluding, failure to have a valid license and/permit, and speeding.

Officials say the incident which led to his arrest began just after 7-p.m., Saturday, when deputies clocked a motorcycle going well above the posted speed limit, near the intersection of Highway’s 34 and 48. When the deputies tried to initiate a traffic stop, the cycle took-off, heading westbound on Highway 34 for about two-miles, and onto the secondary roads.

The chase continued through the rural areas of Montgomery County until it eventually came to an end in the 16-hundred block of 180^th Street, when Strait decided to surrender, and was taken into custody without further incident.

Strait was being held in the Montgomery County Jail in lieu of bond.

It’s been a busy past few days for Deputies in Adams County. The Sheriff’s Department reports five people have been arrested. Saturday evening, 33-year old Monica Currin, of Prescott, was arrested at Lake Binder, on a charge of Driving Under the Influence (DUI), and late Saturday night, 32-year old Nicholas Brule, of Malvern, was arrested at Lake Icaria, for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of drug Paraphernalia. The arrest was made after Brule was allegedly found to have been smoking a controlled substance.

As we reported earlier, early Friday morning, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 37-year old Aaron Andersons, of Corning, on a charge of simple assault, following an incident which allegedly occurred at Lake Binder. And, Thursday night, an unidentified man was arrested for disorderly conduct following an altercation outside of a motel in Corning. The man gave authorities several aliases, and they are still trying to learn his true identity.

And finally, the sheriff’s department reports 33-year old Michael Miller, of Corning, was arrested last Tuesday night, on a charge of Domestic Assault, after he allegedly struck his father.

Each of those individuals were brought to the Adams County Jail, and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

Among the Memorial Day activities taking place around the Nishna Valley on Monday, is the dedication in Avoca, of the Veteran’s Monument, at 2-p.m.. The monument is a part of the Pottawattamie County Eagle Project, and includes a “Pledge of Honor.” Organizers say its designed to recognize those who have served and those who will serve.

Neola artist Russell Christensen was commissioned to design and create the bronze eagle sculpture series to serve as veterans’ memorials in Avoca and 11 other communities in Pottawattamie County. Each community raised $25,000 to help pay for the statue, which stands about 36-inches tall and is perched on a granite pedestal. The effort to bring the bronze eagle to Avoca began with the formation of a committee, in May of 2006.

The Veterans’ Plaza dedication ceremony will take place in downtown Avoca next to the courthouse. The ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. with the USAF Heartland of America Brass Quartet and a community chorus, followed by a 2 p.m. dedication. Among the guest speakers them is Darlene McMartin, Administrator for Pottawattamie County Veterans Affairs.

The ceremony will also include the presentation of the veterans’ plaza to the City of Avoca, and a 21 gun salute by American Legion Post 227, and the playing of “Taps,” by an Air Force bugler.

Officials say they expect a crowd of over 400 people to be in attendance. Following the Veteran’s Monument dedication, everyone is invited to attend a reception at the Avoca Legion Hall.

Sheriff’s officials in Page County are investigating the theft of eight large, coffin-sized American Flags from a cemetery in Coin. The theft was reported today (Saturday), at around 8-a.m.

Authorities say the flags — which were set in-place Friday afternoon for the Memorial Day weekend — were stolen sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Most of the flags are stenciled with the name of a soldier. They were each on a 16-foot section of pole, which are also missing.

The Sheriff’s office is asking anyone who has information about the case to contact them at 712-542-5193. Page County Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thief or thieves.