Champions of the Cass County Fair participated in the Best of the West competition, held in Denison on August 3rd.

• Maddy Anderson – Breeding Ewe
• Natalye Scholl – Breeding Doe
• Brock Henderson – Breeding Heifer
• Morgan Will – Market Lamb
• Makenna Potter – Market Goat
• Morgan Will – Market Beef
• 

  Photo provided by Melanie Petty

  Grant Petty – Market Hog

Four out of the six animals shown were crowned either Champion or Reserve Champion during this competition.  Cass County should be very proud of their 4H/FFA members and all of the hard work they put in to show some of the best in Iowa! C

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports 38-year old Rhiannon Leigh Cooney, of Villisca, was arrested Thursday evening. Cooney was taken into custody at the Creston Wal-Mart, for Theft in the 5th Degree. She was cited for the offense and then released.  Authorities said also, 19-year old Jeremiah Lee Whitney, of Creston, was arrested Thursday night at his home, for Allowing an Animal to Run at Large. Whitney was released at the scene on a citation and a Promise to Appear in court.

And, a man residing in the 200 block of N. Maple Street, in Creston, reported to Police Thursday afternoon, that the light bar on his Jeep Wrangler had been stolen from the vehicle, as it was parked outside of his residence. The loss was estimated at $400.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – If your trees are still standing after this week’s derecho, Iowans are asked to check those trees and be on the lookout for the Asian longhorned beetle as August is when it emerges from inside trees where it burrows. Samantha Simon, an invasive species coordinator with the U-S-D-A, says the destructive bug is not native to the U-S and has few-to-no natural predators.  “It likes to attack our 12 types of hardwood trees, including maples, elms, birches and willows,” Simon says. “Once a tree has the beetle, the infested tree doesn’t recover and they die. We’re looking for the public’s help to identify this beetle and to help us eradicate it.”

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Watching for the beetle and the damage it causes is one way for homeowners to protect their own trees. She notes, it’s a distinctive creature. “It measures one to one-and-a-half inches in length,” Simon says. “Its body is black with white spots and its antenna are banded in black and white. It sounds kind of gross but it’s actually really cute.” People can unknowingly spread Asian longhorned beetles by moving firewood, since they can hide inside wood. She asks that Iowans familiarize themselves with the pest and spend five minutes checking their trees for signs of them. “We ask that people take a photo or if they can capture it, if it’s alive, they can put it in a container and put it in the freezer for us,” Simon says. “It’s really important that they report it to USDA and they can do that online at Asianlonghornedbeetle.com.”

You can also call the agency’s hotline: 866-702-9938. The beetle was first spotted in the U-S in New York in 1996 and spread far quite quickly. It’s one of a group of invasive pests and plant diseases that costs the nation some 40-billion dollars each year in losses to trees, plants and crops.

A traffic stop at around today (Friday) at around 4:25-a.m. in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest on a drug charge, of a man from Nebraska. Red Oak Police say officers conducted the traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 34 and 48. Upon further investigation, 18-year old Miguel Angel Morales-Morales, of Omaha, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver, a Class-D Felony offense. Morales was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $5,000 bond.

The latest information (10-a.m. Friday) from the Iowa Coronavirus dashboard shows there are eight new, confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cass County, for a total of 90. Statewide, 678 more Iowans tested positive for the virus, for a total of 50,813. Iowa’s reported positivity rate is 9.4% compared to 8.5% Thursday.

Ten more deaths have been reported since 10-a.m. Thursday, for a total of 964, with 518 of those taking place at a Long-Term Care facility. The website said 676 of the state’s deaths involved Iowans with preexisting conditions. The IDPH says 39,788 Iowans have recovered from COVID-19, 4,564 tested negative Thursday, for a total of 488,834. Altogether, 542,871 Iowans have been tested for the virus.

The IDPH data show the following new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in these area counties: Adair County, 3 (38 total); Adams County,1 (total17); Audubon County, 1 (30 total); Guthrie County 3 (140 total); Pottawattamie County, 27 (1,379 total); & Shelby County has 4 new cases, for a total of 191.

Statewide hospitalization data show: 258 are hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms (compared to 261 Thursday); 75 are in an ICU (there were 88 Thu.); 31 were admitted to a hospital since Thursday (down 7), and 28 people remain on a ventilator.

Southwest/western Iowa hospitals report, over the past 24-hours: 14 people were in a hospital with COVID-19; Five people are in an ICU; There were 3 persons admitted and no one on a ventilator. Long-Term Care (LTC) data today, show: 29 Outbreaks; 892 patients/staff have tested positive; and 524 have recovered.

Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa since 10-a.m. Thursday (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}. Counties with changes have highlighted numbers:

• Cass County: 90 cases (55); 1 death
• Adair County: 38 cases (20)
• Adams County: 17 cases (16)
• Audubon County: 30 cases (19); 1 death
• Guthrie County: 140 cases (108); 5 deaths
• Montgomery County: 62 cases (44); 4 deaths
• Pottawattamie County: 1,379 cases (1,031); 29 deaths
• Shelby County: 191 cases (169); 1 death.

The Iowa DPH website now features an analysis for public school districts with data on average county positivity rates over the past 14 days. That information can be found here.

Police in Creston report a woman driving a 2016 Hyundai suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries during a single-vehicle accident Wednesday evening. Authorities say 38-year old Patricia Ann Hobbs, of Des Moines, was traveling east on Buckeye Street in Creston, with the passenger side rear tire that was blown out and shredded. The vehicle was driving on its rim when it went off the road to the south, where it struck a sign and came to rest. Police say Hobbs was intoxicated and refused chemical testing.

She was transported by EMS ground ambulance to the Creston Hospital. The vehicle sustained about $1,500 damage. The report did not indicate any charges or citations were issued.

Police in Red Oak, late Thursday night, arrested 20-year old Michael Lee Patrick. The Red Oak man was taken into custody following a traffic stop, and charged with  Driving While Suspended. Patrick was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $566 bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County, Thursday, said a man and woman from Glenwood were arrested late Wednesday evening on child endangerment and other charges. 24-year-old Joshua Robert Kisler and 20-year-old Samantha Jo Kisler were taken into custody.

Joshua Kisler

Samantha Kisler

Joshua Kisler was additionally charged with failure to provide proof of financial liability, while Samantha Kisler faces additional charges of possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both suspects were being held in the Mills County Jail, with bond for Joshua Kisler set at $2,000. Samantha Kisler’s bond was set at $3,300.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 47-year old Larry Steven Hutchings, of Emerson, was arrested Thursday night for Driving While Barred, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $4,000.