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KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Updated) The Cass County Fair Association has released the line-up for evening events set to take place during the 2021 Cass County Fair, in Atlantic. Fair Board President Curtis Bierbaum says among the FREE activities, is the tractor and truck pull beginning at 6-p.m. on Saturday, July 31st.
The Champion Seed Western and Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Series pullers will be making a lot of noise as their machines work to pull a sliding load on their way to the finish line, or at least as far as they can go. The event will include:
– 85 Limited Pro Stock Tractors
– Limited Pro Stock Diesel Trucks
– Pro Farm Tractors
– Pro Street Diesel Trucks
– Super Modified 2WD Trucks
Bierbaum says the adult Team Golf Cart Races Sunday night should be a blast to watch.
He says everything is set to go, and they’re crossing their fingers nothing like COVID interferes with your enjoyment of the Fair.
(Radio Iowa) – Heyl Truck Lines is buying Holiday Express, a trucking company based in Estherville. Heyl Truck Lines is based in Akron. Its president, Bruce Koele, says both companies are family-owned. “We felt our companies matched very well with a lot of the same philosophies,” he says. “Heyl has several terminals in Florida, Texas and also northwest Iowa as well as Okotoks, Alberta, Canada.” The Holiday Express terminal in Estherville will be rebranded as a Heyl terminal.
“Our intentions are to create additional jobs,” he says. “…We’re currently looking for mechanics and technicians and to build the infrastructure and build their shop and become an even more significant player in the Estherville area.” Holiday Express, founded in 1969, has specialized in operating refrigerated trucks that carry food to 48 states. Heyl Truck Lines was founded in 1949 and currently has a fleet of over 400 trucks. Heyl also focuses on temperature controlled commodities, but it ships dry goods as well. Heyl’s purchase of Holiday Express will be final on June 14th.
The Iowa Department of Public Health, Friday morning, reported 97 additional positive COVID-19 tests came back from the labs, for a total of 402,268, and four additional deaths over the previous 24 hours, including one each in Mills and Pottawattamie Counties, where the totals are now 24 and 172 respectively. The statewide death toll for the pandemic is 6,065. Deaths at Iowa’s Long-Term Care facilities stand at 2,368.
Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is down to 2.1%, while the 7-day positivity rate is up slightly, to 1.8%. State health officials say 91 people are hospitalized with COVID-19; 17 patients are in an ICU; Seven additional COVID patients were admitted to a hospital, for a total of 20 admissions, and seven patients are on ventilators, which is four less than reported Thursday. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), the data is unchanged: two patients hospitalized with COVID or symptoms of the virus. There are no COVID patients in an ICU, there were also no new admissions, and no one is on a ventilator, in Region 4.
There are remain three long-term care facilities reporting active COVID-19 outbreaks, with a total of 20 positive cases among residents and staff at those LTC’s, and one person who has recovered. Two of the facilities are in northern and northeast Iowa, the other is in southeast Iowa.
In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,476 cases; 54 deaths
Adair, 993; 32
Adams, 353; 4
Audubon, 541; 10
Guthrie, 1,312; 32
Harrison County, 1,932; 73
Madison County, 1,786; 19
Mills County, 1,795; 24
Montgomery, 1,115; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,323;172
Shelby County, 1,371; 37
Union County, 1,377; 34
(Radio Iowa) – For the third time in a month, a bicyclist in the Quad Cities has been killed by an S-U-V. Davenport police say a bicyclist was hit and killed by a hit-and-run SUV that ran a red light on Thursday afternoon. Police later caught the driver, 33-year-old Bobby Hunt of Davenport. He faces a list of charges, including homicide by reckless driving, in the death of 40-year-old cyclist Alex Marietta of Geneseo, Illinois.
During May, a 13-year-old boy on a bicycle was hit and killed by a Moline, Illinois, police SUV that was responding to a call, while a 60-year-old man on a bike was also fatally struck and killed by an SUV in Rock Island County.
(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will increase rates for its services by six-percent in the coming budget year. The Board of Regents approved the new rates Thursday. U-I-H-C officials say the increase is especially needed now because of losses the health system suffered during the pandemic. Chief Financial Officer Bradley Haws says shutting down surgeries alone was extremely expensive. “My forecast of a million-and-a-half (dollars) a day was low. That was just the surgeries going away,” Haws says. “So when we forecasted a new number with declining admissions, the number came closer to two-and-a-half-million dollars per day.”
Besides the canceled surgeries and falling admissions, Haws says the added costs of handling COVID-19 dealt a blow to the state’s largest hospital. He says raising rates will help recoup some of those losses. “That impact of a rate increase brings in about $12-almost-13 million of increased revenue,” Haws says. “And so we view that as a vital way to offset, as we talked about, the CARES money and to continue our operation.”
Haws says an infusion of millions of dollars from the federal government was key to stabilizing the facility’s finances over the past year.
(reporting by Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)
The 8:07-a.m. broadcast news from Ric Hanson.
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The Creston Police Department reports the arrest Thursday night, of 36-year-old Steven Marion Bochniak, from Creston. He was taken into custody at his home on charges that include Obstruction of Emergency Communication, and Domestic Abuse/3rd offense. Bochniak was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, pending an appearance before a magistrate.
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Iowa District 21 Republican Representative Tom Moore, from Griswold, Friday (today), issued the third in his series of legislative newsletters, covering a variety of topics, including Broadband, Election Integrity, and the Second Amendment.
Rep. Tom Moore (R-Griswold)
Expanding Access to Quality Broadband
HF 867: $100 Million for Broadband – The Iowa House passed the Administration and Regulation budget containing $100 million for broadband internet expansion. The Iowa House has made it a priority to not just increase broadband speeds, but make sure Iowans in “broadband deserts” get connected to broadband internet. Additionally, the House passed HF848 which set a framework for aggressively building out Iowa’s broadband infrastructure.
Strengthening Election Integrity
SF 413: Election Integrity – Because of the actions taken by the Legislature in the past, Iowa’s election system is safe and secure and in 2020 we had record turnout. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take actions to improve it. This session we passed SF413 to continue to improve our election laws to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. Highlights of the bill include:
Second Amendment
SJR 7: Freedom Amendment – Iowa is one of only 6 states that currently has no language in its Constitution that protects the fundamental right to keep and bear arms. This amendment would add that right explicitly to our Constitution. Iowans will now get the final say on this issue on the ballot in 2022.
HF 756: Firearms Omnibus Bill – Whether you live in a city or in a rural area, your right to keep and bear arms is essential and Iowa House Republicans are committed to protecting it. This bill does not eliminate background checks as many are being misled to believe. It is actually likely to increase the amount and frequency of background checks on gun purchases. Highlights of the bill include:
HF 621: Clarifying Immunity for Firearms Manufacturers – This bill reestablishes that the responsibility for heinous acts relies solely on the perpetrator of the act, not on the manufacturer of the firearm or ammunition. Manufacturers would still be held accountable for defective firearms or ammunition.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has received proposals from four companies to conduct a socio-economic study of the gambling industry. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko says it will be a two-part study. “This is a study that will look at socio-economic behavior — specifically if gambling increases crime, bankruptcies, and a number of socio-economic factors. The study also takes a look at economic factors,” according to Ohorilko.
Part of the study is required by law. “The socio-economic part is required by the statute. It’s required every eight years,” he explains. The economic portion of it was something that the commission had requested simply because of all the changes that have occurred since any type of study like this was conducted.” He says the economic portion will give them an update on the business side of things. “Specifically looking at the overall health of Iowa’s gaming industry. A lot has changed since the last time this was conducted — specifically sports wagering is now new to the state. There is increased competition in the state of Nebraska. So the study will be helpful for the commission and all Iowans in order to understand the market,” Ohorilko says.
He says they hope to choose one of the four companies to conduct the study by their July meeting.