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(Podcast) KJAN Morning News & Funeral report, 10/24/19

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October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

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

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Official says Marshalltown moving ahead with airport project

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A city official says Marshalltown is moving ahead with plans to build a replacement hangar and terminal at the city airport. Public works director Justin Nickel told the Times-Republican that the Marshalltown Municipal Airport project is expected to cost $2.6 million and be finished by next summer. He says the Federal Aviation Administration will provide $600,000 for the hangar and the Iowa Transportation Department will hand over $470,000 for the terminal and site preparation. The city will pay for the remainder.

Nickel says construction of the replacement terminal is less certain but also says he’d “bet that both are happening.” The larger hangar will help the airport house corporate jets from businesses such as JBS, Lennox and Emerson Process Management. Nickel says the current hangar’s door isn’t tall enough so jets can be parked inside overnight.

Traffic stop leads to an arrest in Adams County

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop on a speeding vehicle Wednesday evening in Adams County, resulted in the arrest of a man from Union County. Sheriff’s officials say Corry Johnston, of Thayer, initially refused to pull over for a deputy who had activated his emergency lights. Johnston turned north onto Mulberry Avenue and then east onto 220th Street before his vehicle finally stopped at the intersection of Mulberry and 220th Streets. Johnston was arrested for Driving While Revoked, and cited for speeding.

Wisconsin-Iowa ferry service closes for the season

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

A Mississippi River ferry service connecting northeast Iowa with southwest Wisconsin has closed for the season. The Pride of Cassville Car Ferry service posted Tuesday on its Facebook page that it was closing because of the continued high water. The Telegraph Herald reports that the ferry usually ends the service in late October. The ferry runs from Cassville, Wisconsin, to a landing east of Millville, Iowa.

It was a short season for the ferry. It didn’t open until June 28, about two months past its normal opening in early May, and the high water frequently interrupted service. Heavier than normal snowmelt in the late winter and frequent and heavy rains through the spring led to flooding that approached record levels in several towns along the Mississippi.

Fugitive from Council Bluffs incident surrenders Wed. night in Omaha

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

A U-S Marshall in Omaha told television station KETV that a fugitive from Council Bluffs, 29-year old Jamie Kennedy, surrendered to authorities Wednesday night, at an apartment near 100th and and Crown Point plazas. Kennedy was taken into custody after 8 p.m. following an hour-long standoff. Officials say tips led investigators to Kennedy’s location at the apartment complex. Additional information was not immediately available.

Fugitive Jamie Kennedy

Kennedy, who used a vehicle to ram a Council Bluffs Police Officer’s vehicle during his initial apprehension attempt late Tuesday morning, abandoned his vehicle in Omaha and was not seen until late Wednesday afternoon. But he once again eluded officers and agents until he eventually surrendered peacefully.

 

Governor willing to consider e-cigarette ban

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The use of electronic cigarettes and “vaping” products are unsafe at any age, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and Iowa’s governor is exploring her policy options to respond to the problem. Governor Kim Reynolds and her top staff will meet today (Thursday) to review ideas — including an outright ban on e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges.

“I think something like eight states have banned, several by executive order,” Reynolds says. “We talked a lot about educating the public.” The board of health in the state of Washington banned the sale of flavored vaping products last week. Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New York and Rhode Island have all approved some form of an electronic cigarette ban. Some of those are being challenged in court. Reynolds told reporters she’s not afraid to use her executive authority to establish a ban in Iowa.

“But we’ll take a look at it and see if that makes the most sense and see if that makes the most sense there are other things we can do in the interim before we move to that step,” Reynolds said, “and maybe it’s a multi-stepped process, see if some of the things they’re recommending works in the short term and if we’re not seeing the results that we think we should, maybe that’s something we can look to in the future.”

A recent federal survey found 28 percent of high schoolers admitted to regularly using e-cigarettes. There have been 41 vaping-related illnesses reported in Iowa. Reynolds says 34 of those patients had used a vaping cartridge that contained T-H-C, which is an illegal drug.

Pizza place robbed in Council Bluffs this morning

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs responded to the reported robbery of a Domino’s Pizza store at 2004 W. Broadway, early this (Thursday) morning. The call came in at around 12:12-a.m. Authorities say one employee told them as he was returning from taking out the trash, two black males wearing ski masks approached him.

One of the suspects pointed a handgun at the employee, and they entered the business. Once inside the suspects took an undetermined amount of cash and left the business in an unknown direction. Anyone with information is asked to contact Council Bluffs Police Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728 or Crime Stoppers 712-328-7867(STOP)

Iowa early News Headlines: Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019

News

October 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:38 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge says a Des Moines lawyer who interviewed for a position on the Iowa Court of Appeals but wasn’t a finalist may sue Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials, challenging a new law that gives the governor more power over the commission that selects supreme court and appeals judges. Des Moines trial lawyer Thomas Duff filed the lawsuit on Sept. 11.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo man has pleaded guilty to setting his father’s house on fire this summer after the two argued. The Courier reports that 23-year-old Austin Dean Poyner pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge of second-degree arson. He had been charged with first-degree arson after investigators say he used two cups of gasoline in August to light a cardboard box on his father’s back porch afire.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is taking President Donald Trump at his word that he will uphold an agreement made with farm state lawmakers and agriculture groups to maintain the ethanol requirements in current law. Since Trump became president, the Environmental Protection Agency has given 85 oil refineries exemptions from blending ethanol into the gasoline they sell. Reynolds says the president is trying to walk a fine line between oil and agriculture industries and she’ll keeping pushing the EPA.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is raising record amounts of cash for his 2020 reelection. But it’s not spilling over to vulnerable Republicans fighting to hold their seats in a narrowly divided Senate. Democrats outraised the GOP in key battlegrounds like Arizona and Maine during the third quarter. In Colorado, the Republican incumbent was nearly outraised by a former governor who had been in the race only five weeks. Even in states like Iowa and North Carolina candidates posted underwhelming sums.

18-year old from Council Bluffs arrested on Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault & CM charges

News

October 23rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Council Bluffs Police, Wednesday, arrested a man on Attempted Murder, three counts of Aggravated Assault and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, charges. 18-year old Blade John Flynn, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at his home, following an incident that took place in the Golden Corral Restaurant parking lots, at 3103 Dial Drive, just off the South Expressway.

Blade John Flynn

Police say officers responded to the restaurant at around 12:30-p.m. following a reported assault in progress.  Upon arrival officers met with the victims: 19-year old Kylee Fletcher, of Pacific Junction, a 17-year old female from Glenwood, 20-year old Taylor Bower, of Council Bluffs, and 25-year old Elizabeth Heinrich, of Omaha, who informed officers that Flynn used his vehicle to ram their parked vehicle, which all four victims were in.

One of the victims was exiting the vehicle when Flynn struck them, causing the victim to fall to the ground. Witnesses told officers that the suspect’s vehicle, a black Honda Civic struck the victim’s vehicle several times as well as another vehicle, which was unoccupied and parked in the restaurant parking lot. At one point during the incident, two of the victim’s had exited their vehicle and were forced to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by Flynn’s vehicle as he fled the area. The reason behind the incident was said to have been over a personal disagreement between Flynn and one of the female victims.

A short time later officers were able to locate Blade Flynn at his residence, where he was arrested without incident. He was transported to Pottawattamie County Corrections and booked-in on the charges mentioned. The victims were checked by medical personnel, no one sustained major injuries and all were said to be in good condition.

Anyone with any information that was in the area at the time of the incident is encouraged to contact the Council Bluffs Police Investigations Division at 712-328-4728, or Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

Judge: Iowa lawyer may sue over new judicial nominating law

News

October 23rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge says a Des Moines lawyer who interviewed for a position on the Iowa Court of Appeals but wasn’t a finalist may sue Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials, challenging a new law that gives the governor more power over the commission that selects supreme court and appeals judges. Des Moines trial lawyer Thomas Duff filed the lawsuit Sept. 11.

The law signed by Reynolds in May gave her a majority of appointees on the State Judicial Nominating Commission. In a ruling filed Tuesday, a district court judge says Duff has standing to sue because he can argue he was injured by his application being considered by the new commission he claims was unconstitutionally created by the law.

It’s the second such lawsuit filed in state court challenging the law. The first lawsuit filed by Democratic legislators and a commission member was dismissed in June but is on appeal before the Iowa Court of Appeals. It will hear arguments on Nov. 6.