(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic firefighters were dispatched at around 4:17-p.m, to a garage fire at 1310 Poplar Street. Atlantic Police reported the structure, which is detached from a residence, was fully engulfed in flames. Residents of the home were safely evacuated. A vehicle was said to be inside the garage.
Cass EMS was sent to the scene as a precautionary measure. Cass County EMA Coordinator Mike Kennon was also on the scene.
Additional information was not immediately available.
DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed HF 2545 into law, a bill which improves educational standards and requires teaching on: World War I, World War II, the Holocaust, Cold War, 9/11, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and amendments, the Emancipation proclamation, and more.
Gov. Reynolds signed the bill at Beit Shalom Jewish Community alongside leaders from around the state and members of the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities. Gov. Reynolds released the following quote in response to signing HF 2545:
“As part of a broader update to our educational standards designed to promote a deeper understanding of both American civics and Western history, this bill specifically requires that students be taught about the Holocaust. It also requires instruction on the broader context of World War II, as well as the significance of ancient Israel. 
“At a time when so many young people today fail to learn the lessons of history, this legislation will help to keep Iowa on a different and better path. It will also ensure we provide our students with the foundation necessary to be active participants in our democracy – the best form of government in the world.”
With a spot in the Big Ten Tournament secured the Iowa Hawkeye baseball team closes the regular seaaon with a three game series against Florida International beginning Thursday night at Principal Park in Des Moines. The Hawkeyes currently reside in sixth in the conference race but could get the fourth seed with some help.
That’s Iowa coach Rick Heller. playing a nonconference seriues allows him to line up his pitching for next week’s Big Ten Tournament. Sophomore Cade Obermueller (Oh-bir-myoolir) will start game two in Omaha next week while junior standout Brody Brecht will throw in the tournament opener.
Heller says one of the benefits of playing in the Principal Park is playing on a natural surface leading into the Big Ten Tournament.
The Wartburg College softball team opens an NCAA Division III regional in Oshkosh, Wisconsin Thursday afternoon against Illinois Wesleyan. Wartburg is 23-16 and coach Jamie Mueller (moo-ler) says a demandng schedule has prepared them for the regional.
Mueller says the schedule has her team battle tested.
Illinois Wesleyan is one of two teams in the regional that Wartburg played during the regular season.
The Knights lost to Illinois Wesleyan 7-1 back in early March in Columbus, Georgia.
Wartburg is one of four Iowa schools taking part in the NCAA Tournamnent. Coe, Central and Grinnell are also in regional play.
Jan Jensen is ready to lead a seamless transition for the Iowa women’s basketball program. After spending the last 24-years as an assistant with the Hawkeyes, Jensen was named head coach after long-time coach Lisa Bluder announced her retirement on Monday.
While it is a change in title it does not change what she does.
The losses from this past season’s team are substantial but Jensen says the expectations for the program are always high.
In the age of the transfer portal Jensen’s first win as head coach was on Monday when she was able to preserve the current roster as well as the incoming recruiting class.
Jensen says Bluder has agreed to remain involved with the program as an advisor.
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Three University of Iowa track and field athletes earned Big Ten postseason honors, the conference announced on Wednesday.
Sophomore Mike Stein was voted the Men’s Field Athlete of the Championships following his record-setting javelin performance at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 10. The Milford, Iowa, native won his first Big Ten javelin title with an 81.19-meter throw on his final attempt.
Stein’s new personal best was also a Big Ten, meet, and school record. Stein is ranked No. 1 in the West Region and No. 2 among NCAA DI competitors.
Seniors Grant Conway and Ali Dorn were recognized as Iowa’s representatives for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
The Hawkeyes prepare for the NCAA West First Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 22-25.
(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), awarded a bid from Hilltop Securities from Dallas, TX, for the sale of $5-million dollars in General Obligation Urban Renewal Bonds, Series 2024. Maggie Burger, with Speer Financial, said the last bond offering was in 2022. The interest rate at that time was 2.55%. There were five bidders for the bonds.
Hilltop Securities, she said, offered an interest rate of 3.3620%, which was lower than anticipated, and comes with a premium.
Burger had some great news for the County Board, with regard to the County’s Bond Rating. She said Moody’s Ratings and Investor Services, rated Adair County as Double-A three (AA3).
Moody’s said Adair County is doing well with regard to its fund balance.
She went on to describe more details with regard to the bond.
In other business, the Adair County Supervisors approved an Attorney Engagement Agreement for Commercial & Industrial Development Regulations. County Conservation Director Dominic Johnson updated the Board on equipment and maintenance activities. County Engineer Nick Kauffman presented a Resolution set May 29th at 9:30-a.m., as the date & time for a Public Hearing to vacate a portion of 277th Lane. The proposal includes about 187-feet of the lane, west of Vinton Avenue, in the southeast part of the County, south of Hebron.
And, the Board authorized Chair Jerry Walker to sign the final vouchers for the N24 Prussia (Township) Reinforced Box Culvert (RCB) Project (in the amount of $214,228), as well as the N26 Lincoln (Township) RCB Project (in the amount of $314,704).
(Radio Iowa) – Dozens of bicycle riders will gather early this evening in downtown Des Moines for what’s billed as the Ride of Silence. Bike Iowa founder Scott Sumpter says the somber event is designed to raise awareness about the cyclists who have been killed or injured on Iowa’s public roadways in the past year. Sumpter says they’ll emphasize the need for greater awareness and respect for cyclists.
“We spend a little time talking about bike safety and then we call out the names of those who have been hit or killed,” Sumpter says. “For every person that has been hit, we have somebody sit down, and for every person that’s been killed, we get somebody to lay down, so it gives a really good visual representation on how many cyclists have been involved in crashes over the course of the last year.”
Cyclists sitting represent those who were injured, while those laying down represent those who’ve died.
This is the 20th annual ride in Des Moines, and the ride itself will be deliberately slow-moving through the capitol city’s streets, according to Sumpter, almost like a funeral procession.
“We take a ride through town and it’s just a really slow pace with lights on,” Sumpter says. “It’s more or less for awareness for the public, awareness for law enforcement, and just showing that cyclists have legal rights to the road just as motorists do.”
Six cyclists were killed by vehicles in Iowa during the past year, along with 353 injured, though Sumpter says the actual number of injuries may be three times higher than that, as police reports aren’t always filed.
“The numbers in the last four or five years have remained about static, about 350 over the course of a 12-month period,” Sumpter says. “Fatalities go up and down. I’ve seen it as high as 10 or 12 and then a couple of years we’ve had like one or two, and this year, we happened to have six.”
Images from last year’s Ride of Silence courtesy of Bike Iowa
All are welcome at the ride. Participants will gather at the southwest corner of the State Historical Museum of Iowa at 6:30 PM for the presentations, with the ride starting at 7. Other Iowa Ride of Silence events will occur in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids and Sergeant Bluff. Rides of Silence are also being held in more than 200 cities across the U.S. and in at least 15 other countries.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – KJAN News Director Ric Hanson, today (May 15, 2024), received recognition from the National Weather Service, for 25-years of service in reporting weather observations. KJAN is the OFFICIAL National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic. Our records (some of which date back to the 1800’s, and were passed-on from previous Cooperative Observers), have been kept at KJAN since the 1950’s.
A Cooperative Weather Observer gathers information with regard to rainfall, accumulated snow, hail and other weather phenomenon. That information is sent daily to the NWS, and is used other media as a reference point, and for historical data.
Ric Hanson (Left) receives a 25-year Service Award from NWS Observing Program Leader Marvin Percha.
DES MOINES, Iowa (via Dave Price, KCRG Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s campaign confirmed Tuesday that Governor Kim Reynolds will speak at the 2024 Roast and Ride campaign fundraiser on June 1st. “I’m honored to be joined by Governor Kim Reynolds at Roast and Ride against this year. Kim stands in stark contract to Biden’s liberal, progressive agenda. And under her leadership, Iowa is moving in the right direction,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst’s campaign previously announced that Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt will also serve as a featured speaker at the event.
The annual Roast and Ride begins at the Big Barn Harley-Davidson in Des Moines. It includes a motorcycle ride to the Iowa State Fairgrounds where the campaign hosts a hog roast fundraiser and political speeches. The motorcycle ride costs $20 with proceeds benefiting Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Iowa. There is no charge to attend the speeches at the State Fairgrounds.
The Roast and Ride has become a popular stop for Republicans considering a presidential run. Last year more than 1,000 people gathered to hear from eight presidential candidates ahead of the Iowa Caucuses. Former president Donald Trump skipped the event.
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