(Red Oak, Iowa) – A central Iowa man was arrested Wednesday evening on a drug and a weapon charges. Red Oak Police report 25-year-old Ali Rasheed Muhammad, of Des Moines, was arrested at around 8:53-p.m. in the 100 block of N. Broadway Street. He is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and with being a Person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons. Both charges are serious misdemeanors. Muhammad was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Engineer’s Office reports “Boston Road will be closing 0.1 mile east of Olive Street beginning Monday, August 1^st.  Boston Road will be closed from Olive Street to 630^th Street. Cass County is replacing the existing bridge with a twin 12’ x 12’ x 87’ Reinforced Concrete Box Culvert.  The project should be complete in approximately two (2) months.” 

Orange highlight marks the portion of road to be closed.

(Radio Iowa) – A woman who spent 23 days in the Hamilton County Jail on an attempted murder charge has won an out of court settlement of 425-thousand dollars for what her attorney calls a wrongful arrest. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on September 13, 2019 issued an arrest warrant for 43-year-old Jennifer Sue Pritchard of Fort Dodge for allegedly driving a vehicle while her boyfriend Jacob Adams shot at a camper in rural Stratford. The only thing was, Pritchard was not driving the vehicle and was never in Hamilton County at the time. Pritchard was working at the time in Fort Dodge with witnesses and video footage to prove it.

A lawsuit was then filed in Hamilton County District Court in June 2021 by Pritchard and her attorney, Jack Bjornstad of Okoboji. Pritchard argued that the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office had the evidence exonerating her for ten days before she was given a pretrial release from jail and for more than month before the charges were finally dismissed. The settlement for Pritchard was paid out from Hamilton County’s insurance provider, the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool, plus a $3,000 deductible for the insurance claim was paid out of the county’s general fund.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday night. Authorities say 37-year-old Jennifer Lyn Ham, of Lorimor, was arrested at around 8:30-p.m. at a residence in the 700 block of S. Maple Street, in Creston. Ham was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. She was transported to the Adams County Jail and held without bond until seen by a Judge.

And, a little after 9-p.m., 30-year-old Richie Rodriguez, of Creston, was arrested at Division and Montgomery Streets, on a charge of Failure to Appear on an original Probation Violation charge. Rodriguez was taken to Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a Judge.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Day number two of the seven-day Cass County Fair in Atlantic, includes some great food, entertainment, and the crowning of a Fair King and Queen. The highlighted meal at the Fair is a roast pork sandwich. Today’s schedule include:

• at 2:00-p.m., Part 1 of the Horse Show (Part 2 is on Friday)
• at 5:00-p.m., 4-H/FFA Exhibits Open, & Food Sale
• 7:00-p.m., Little Miss & Mister Contest (On KJAN and KJAN-TV)
• 7:30-p.m., King and Queen Contest (On KJAN and KJAN-TV)
• 8:00-p.m., Senior Recognition.

Here’s the rest of the Fair Schedule (click on the image to enlarge):

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A dozen young ladies and seven young men will find out tonight (Thursday) who is awarded the title of Cass County Fair King and Queen. KJAN will cover the event live (On-air and on KJAN-TV*) from the Cass County Fairgrounds beginning at 7-p.m., with the Little Miss and Little Mr. Contest, followed by the King and Queen contestants taking to the stage at 7:30.

The King candidates include Tristan Becker, Dylan Comes, Brett Dreager, Collin Evans, Logan Evans, Nolan Hensley, and Bryan York.

The Queen candidates are: Elizabeth Anderson, Rachel Becker, Sydney Becker, Mallory Behnken, Natalie Behnken, Cece Hensley, Paige Jensen, Rio Johnson, Payton LaPorte, Emma Mundorf, Keira Olson, and Tristan Swain.

Winners of the King and Queen Contest, along Prince, Princess, Mr. Congeniality, and Miss Congeniality will be announced. The winner of the Queen Contest will represent Cass County at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

*Find the link to KJAN-TV on our home page at kjan.com. Look for this logo:

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents approved the second and final reading of the tuition increase for students at the three state universities during their meeting Wednesday. Brad Berg of the Regent’s staff says there were no changes between the first and final reading. “The base undergraduate resident tuition rates include a 355 dollar increase to a new rate of eight-thousand-711 at the University of Iowa 354 dollar increase to eight-thousand-678 dollar at Iowa State an increase of 331 dollars to eight-thousand111 dollars at U-N-I,” Berg says.

The Regents also approve various mandatory fee increases for the schools. Iowa State University student body president Jacob Ludwig says he’s concerned how it will impact low-income students. “I know a lot of students out there that, you know, are working 30,40 hours a week on top of trying to be a student, and, every cent matters,” he says. The University of Iowa’s vice president of graduate student government, Riley Post says he’s concerned about the economic burden of higher education shifting from the state to students.

“Something’s got to give. Especially now with interest rates rising on student loans, it’s going to make it a very difficult decision for a lot of people as to whether or not they decide to go on and get a post graduate education,” he says. This Iowa Legislature increased university funding by five million dollars — but that was 15 million dollars short of what the Board of Regents requested. Board officials say the tuition hike is needed to keep up with inflationary costs.