(Radio Iowa) — It’s still not known what caused several cars of a freight train to jump the tracks last (Sunday) night in the northern Iowa town of Manly, forcing the closure of a nearby highway. The Manly Police Department responded to the Union Pacific crossing at State Highway 9 last night after the report of some grain cars being derailed. The Iowa Department of Transportation says the roadway re-opened at about 6:15 this morning. No injuries were reported due to the derailment.

A former Colorado resident and his wife, who moved to Iowa to be closer to his wife’s daughter, has erected what’s called the “World’s largest bible,” in Atlantic.

(The hand-made bible is 8-feet wide, 7-feet tall, about 6-feet deep, and it comes in two pieces. Each piece weighs about 200 pounds.)

Ric Hanson/photos 12-16-19

It was first displayed about 9-years ago in Colorado. Albert Morgan’s display can be found at 307 Ridge Road, in Atlantic. Morgan said he normally tries to incorporate Santa, Gingerbread man and other non-secular Christmas decorations, but this year he didn’t have time to do both. Along with the large bible, there’s a church and Angels.

Plans and diagrams for the bible were purchased a few years back, but then a friend helped Morgan modify the plans.

His friend Tim, a Vietnam Veteran, worked on the display for about a year. Half-way through the project, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but he pleaded with Morgan to allow him to finish the project. It’s in honor of his buddy Tim, who now resides in a Missouri Veteran’s home, that Albert alone, worked to move the sprawling display to Iowa and place it in his yard.

This is the first year for the display, in Atlantic. The public is welcome to stop by the Morgan residence at 307 Ridge Road in Atlantic to check out the “World’s Largest Bible.”

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) – Authorities have identified two people who died Sunday in a two-vehicle crash south of Bellevue, NE. The Sarpy County (NE) Sheriff’s Office says 19-year old Gabrielle Ramirez, and 20-year old Beau Dasher, both of Plattsmouth, NE., died in the crash on Highway 75, beneath the Highway 34 bridge. The sheriff’s office says the crash happened just before 1 p.m. Sunday when a car driven by 27-year-old Joshua Martinez, of Plattsmouth, crossed through the highway median and collided with a pickup truck, driven by 20-year-old Christopher Peters, of Council Bluffs.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – Schools in Burlington will be closed Tuesday to allow staff and students to attend the funeral of an elementary school principal who died last week in a car crash. Superintendent Pat Coen says he decided to cancel school so all who wanted to could attend the funeral for Chris Richards, the principal at Black Hawk Elementary. The funeral will be held at the Burlington High School gymnasium. The Hawk Eye newspaper reports Richards was killed Thursday morning when he attempted to turn from U.S. Highway 61 onto another road and collided with a pickup truck.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce say they will be hosting their Annual Dinner Saturday, January 18th, 2019 at The Venue, at 3rd and Walnut Streets. Bailey Smith, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said “The Annual Dinner is a great opportunity for [The Chamber] to reflect on what [they’ve] accomplished, look forward to what [they] will accomplish,” and highlight Chamber Members and volunteers who have invested their time and money back into the organization and the community. The Chamber will be recognizing businesses, organizations and individual leaders in the community. Two people will be recognized and given awards including: ATHENA Award and Distinguished Service Award.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual, business or organization who has made the community a better place to live. They have rendered special services for the benefit of the community and have demonstrated an active leadership role for the betterment of the community through their involvement in business, civic and social service organizations. Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award are due by January 3rd, 2020. You can nominate someone by visiting www.atlanticiowa.com or contact the Chamber at 712.243.3017.

Last year, the Distinguished Service Award was given to Dolly Bergmann for her dedication to tirelessly serving the community any way she can, including: Atlantic Rotary, Trees Forever, Coca-Cola Days Committee, Ambassador’s, Atlantic ATHENA Leadership group and more. The Annual Dinner is sponsored by Deter Motor Company and will begin at 6:00-p.m., with a social, followed by dinner at 6:30-p.m.  You can register for the dinner at www.atlanticiowa.com.

(Radio Iowa) — A Virginia-based company is announcing plans to build up to 85 wind turbines in central Iowa starting next year. Holly McCoy-Nelson, spokeswoman for Apex Clean Energy, says the development will be called the Great Pathfinder Wind Project.  “We are working towards having a buildable project in Boone and Hamilton counties,” McCoy-Nelson says. “They’re in the Stratford area and south, and then north of Boone.” The process is slow going and McCoy-Nelson says they’re working to apply to get energy onto the grid. “We’ve had some delays with that but we would hope to permit this in Boone County, where they have zoning and a permit process, in the first quarter of 2020,” she says.

Apex is working with landowners, community leaders and various stakeholders on the project, which McCoy-Nelson says would provide energy for 78-thousand homes.  “They’ll start some of the construction in 2021,” she says, “and then may have to finish in 2022 depending on whether we can get our power out and onto the grid.”

Apex says the construction project would create up to 200 jobs with another 15 to 20 full-time local jobs for operation and maintenance of the wind farm. The county to the east of Hamilton County is Hardin County, where county supervisors voted unanimously last week to pass an indefinite moratorium on wind turbine building permits. In southwest Iowa, Madison County leaders passed a similar ban in October.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting in Atlantic, Tuesday. The session at 9-a.m. take place in the Supervisors’ Board Room at the Courthouse. On their agenda is: Recognition of Volunteer Service; the appointment of a Brighton Township Clerk; discussion/review of Board and Commission appointments and committee assignments to be made at the Supervisors’ Organizational Meeting on Jan. 2nd, and, regularly scheduled Department Head reports.

Members of the Exira-EHK School Board will meet tonight (Dec. 16th) at 6 o’clock in the Conference Room at the Elk Horn Building. On their agenda, is discussion and/or action with regard to: Negotiations; an At Risk/Drop Out Prevention Application request for a modified supplemental amount equal to, or less than, $107,931; Approval of the second reading of Board Policy 711.10 (with regard to School Bus Passenger restraints), and Approval of Early Retirees’ applications.

Other business will include discussion and action on Personnel matters, early retirement resignations as received from Connie Burns, Geralyn Christensen, Lisa Dreier, Char Bintner, Tami Jacobsen, and Patty Mortensen.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

(A-P) A Sioux City man has died in a shooting near the city’s downtown. Police say 42-year-old Chad A. Thomas was killed in the shooting just after 10 p.m. Saturday. The Sioux City Journal reports police received calls about shots and a short time later a person returning home found an unconscious man on a sidewalk. The man had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at a hospital. The shooting is being treated as a homicide.