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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are crediting a Mason City police dog with finding a 2-year-old boy who wandered with his dog from his family’s rural home and through a wooded are near a creek this week. The Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened Tuesday, when the boy’s family reported him and the dog missing. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s deputies searched the property and called in a drone to help search for the boy, but it was Mason City K-9 Kilo who tracked the the boy along a creek to a neighbor’s property.
The boy was found sitting on a cinder block with his dog by his side. Officers say he had taken off his wet shoes, socks and coat, but was not in need of medical attention.
Two semi’s were involved in an accident Thursday morning on Interstate 80 in Cass County, but there were no serious injuries. Cass EMS, Anita Rescue and Wiota Fire were dispatched at around 6:45-a.m. to the crash in the construction zone on I-80 westbound, at mile marker 63, where the road funnels down to one lane. Trooper Ryan Devault tells KJAN News one semi left the road and entered the median, but stayed upright.
(The second semi went out of control and struck the first semi, resulting in a complete lane blockage.)
The impact pushed the first semi into the cable guardrail, causing damage to the DOT guardrail. The driver of the semi that went into the median was trying to drive out of the median mud, when his rig was struck. The driver of the first semi was identified as 42-year old Amos Dorival, of Fayetteville, NC. The second semi was driven by 46-year old Mahdi Guled, of Edmondton, Alberta Canada. One of the drivers hit his head on the steering wheel, but both drivers refused medical treatment at the scene. Trooper DeVault said there’s no reason drivers should be involved in an accident in that area, since it is well marked as a construction zone that funnels down to one-lane ahead.
He says semi’s seem to have the most difficult time navigating through the construction zone. Assisting the Iowa State Patrol at the scene was the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Dept. of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division and Roads Dept., along with the aforementioned rescue units.
(Radio Iowa) – Despite the damp weather we’ve experienced over the past couple of days, open burning bans remain in effect for 18 Iowa counties. State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says that’s not common for this time of year. “Usually it’s less than that, but usually we’ve had more moisture where this year has just been very much a drought statewide,” he says. Burn bans are not issued by the State Fire Marshal’s office. Local fire chiefs and emergency managers in each county determine there’s an elevated fire risk and issue the ban on open burning in a county. The State Fire Marshal’s website lists the burn bans that are in effect.
Most of the 19 counties are in the western half of Iowa. “Having a very dry summer and now a very dry fall we’ve had a lot of counties go with these burn bans,” Wood says, “kind of sounding the alarm for the dangers of their being field fires.” A recent western Iowa field fire was one-and-a-half miles wide at one point. Fire officials advise farmers to have a disc nearby as combines roll through a field. If a fire is sparked, the disc can be used to turn over crop residue and create strips of soil to stop a fire from spreading. On a couple of days this fall, northwest Iowa farmers have been advised to halt the harvest due to high winds that could quickly spread a fire sparked by a combine.
In this area, counties with burn bans still in effect until further notice, include: Audubon, Cass, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, and Pottawattamie.
Officials with the Atlantic Police Department report seven arrests took place between Oct. 1st and 22nd. On Thursday (today), 36-year old Bender Setina, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication. On Wednesday, 18-year old Tanner Glines, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI. On Oct. 16th, Atlantic Police arrested 36-year old Joseph Jensen, of Exira, for Driving While Barred and on an Audubon County warrant for Failure to Appear. And, 22-year old John Roberts, of Stuart, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication.
On Oct. 4th, 47-year old Glenda Harrison, of Athens, GA, was arrested in Atlantic on Felony warrants out of Georgia. And, 57-year old Marjorie Lengyel, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI.
On Oct. 1st, 32-year old Kayla Millam, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, and Child Endangerment. Each of those individuals were booked into the Cass County Jail. They have since been released from custody, according to the latest jail report.
DES MOINES — The state of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Education Thursday (today) announced 43 Iowa colleges and universities have been awarded nearly $4.4 million to increase internet connectivity for students in the 2020-21 school year. Among them is Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs ($186,000), and Southwestern Community College in Creston ($45,861).
The funding is part of the state’s $26.2 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds, and is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. The awards will help colleges and universities address barriers to online and remote learning opportunities for the 2020-21 school year and help ensure students have equitable access to technology needed to continue their education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each college and university submitted an application indicating how it would use the funds to increase connectivity for students. Allocations were based on the financial need of undergraduate students at each of the colleges and universities, as determined by the number of students who receive federal Pell grants. A list of recipients and allocation amounts is available on the Department of Education’s website. Earlier this year, approximately $19.3 million in GEER funding was provided to all 327 school districts as well as accredited nonpublic schools to increase internet connectivity. An additional $1 million in GEER funds was designated for providers of adult education and literacy services.
In addition, $1.5 million in GEER funds will be available for professional development to support effective online and remote instruction at Iowa’s colleges and universities. Applicants have until Dec. 11 to apply. More information is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website
(Radio Iowa) – Shortly after eight o’clock this (Thursday) morning, Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst voted with other Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee for a vote in the full Senate. Grassley gave a short speech after the vote, saying Amy Coney Barrett’s would practice judicial restraint. “She has the temperament and humility that we would expect of a judge,” Grassley said. “…Most importantly, she understands that a judge should interpret, not make the law.”
Grassley criticized Democrats on the committee for boycotting today’s (Thursday’s) vote. “Our colleagues don’t think that they ought to represent their states and that’s what they’re not doing is representing their people when they don’t show up here,” Grassley said. Democrats placed large photos of Americans who’ve benefited from the Affordable Care Act on their chairs in the committee room. During last week’s committee hearing, Democrats argued Barrett would side with conservatives on the court and nullify the Affordable Care Act. Grassley says that’s nonsense. “They claimed her critique of Chief Justice Roberts’ reasoning in the 2012 ACA case dictates how she’d vote in the upcoming case and we all know that that’s bunk,” Grassley said. …She testified: ‘I have no hostility to the ACA.'”
Senator Ernst did not speak in committee, but gave a speech on the Senate floor yesterday (Wednesday) about Barrett. “Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a wise, experienced, compassionate and strong woman and this past week Iowans and all Americans had the chance to see that,” Ernst said. “No matter the question or the topic, she was calm, cool and collected.” Ernst accused Democrats of trying to score political points during Barrett’s testimony last week. “What has become crystal clear to me throughout this process is that Judge Barrett’s academic and professional qualifications are above reproach,” Ernst said.
Ernst says her test for a Supreme Court justice is whether he or she will defend the Constitution. “Far too often politicians in Washington want the Supreme Court to be a super legislature,” Ernst said, “to push policy that can’t make it through congress.” Ernst says the soon-to-be-justice should be viewed as a role model for all women. “I’m struck by the irony of how demeaning to women some of the left’s accusations really are,” Ernst said, “that Judge Barrett, a working mother of seven with a strong record of professional and academic accomplishment, couldn’t possibly respect the goals and desires of today’s women.”
The Republican-led senate is scheduled to take its final vote on Monday to confirm Barrett as a Supreme Court justice.
Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a man from Council Bluffs was arrested at around 1:25-a.m. Thursday (today), following a traffic stop in Crescent. 30-year old Casey Michael Rounds was taken into custody for OWI/2nd offense after he was pulled over on I-680 for a traffic infraction. His bond was set at $2,000. At around 1:50-a.m. Wednesday, 59-year old Lee Jung Hoon Hansen was arrested following a traffic stop in Avoca. He was charged with Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender, and transported to the Pott. County Jail.
Monday night, 49-year-old Tina Marie Gomez, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested on numerous charges after Deputies were dispatched to the Minden Hotel for a female with a possible warrant. Gomez was charged with Providing False ID Information. She was also arrested on a felony charge of Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility. Her previous charges includeFugitive from Justice, Interference with Official Acts, Open Container – as Passenger, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine) 1st Offense, and Theft in the 2nd Degree (Possession of Stolen Property). Her bond on the latest charges amounts to $5,300.
Monday afternoon, 21-year old Angel Lou Griffis turned herself in to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office. Griffis was wanted on a warrant for Hit and Run/vehicle damage only, and Reckless Driving.
The face covering policy for students and staff in the Exira-EHK Community School District will not change anytime soon. Superintendent Trevor Miller says the school Board discussed masks/face shields during their meeting Monday evening, in Elk Horn.
(The district will continue with language that says face coverings are “expected,” because there hasn’t been a major issue with students being exposed, to date.)
Miller said also, the Board discussed the District’s Certified Count numbers.
(He said “Like a lot of districts in rural Iowa, we’re down. Our certified numbers are 401.2” which is down 15.7 from last year. He said “Our largest class graduated and our incoming kindergarten was less so I had estimated us being down 13 students when I did the forecast for the future budgets.”
In other business, the Exira-EHK Board approved the “Chain of Command” document, which Miller says is simply a flow chart of whom to contact if there is an issue or concern.
The District’s Certified Annual Report according to Trevor Miller, showed an increase in the general and LOST/SAVE accounts.
(The general fund increased slightly more than $40,000, while the LOST/SAVE account increased by $65,576.)
The PPEL fund increased by $122,000. Miller said that will be going down, once the new air conditioning units are installed at the main gym in Elk Horn. The work is taking place taking place this week.
More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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(By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer) – OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific’s third-quarter profit declined 12%, but the volume of shipments it handled surged as the economy rebounded from the worst of the virus-related shutdowns earlier this year. The railroad said it earned $1.36 billion, or $2.01 per share, during the quarter. That’s down from $1.56 billion, or $2.22 per share, a year ago. The results fell short of the $2.03 per share that analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected, on average. The railroad said volume was still down 4% in the quarter, but that represented a significant improvement over the second quarter when volume plunged 20%.