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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

(Radio Iowa) — A singer and songwriter who recorded nearly four dozen top-40 hits is helping aspiring musicians in a northwest Iowa school district. Barry Manilow announced the winners of his Manilow Music Project on stage in Las Vegas.  “In second place is Sioux City School District from Sioux City, Iowa,” Manilow said. “They get $20,000 worth of musical instruments.”

The Manilow Music Project has distributed 10 MILLION dollars over the past several years to enhance music education in U.S. schools. Sioux City was among the schools that submitted videos for the latest round of awards, hoping to win the top prize of 100-thousand dollars.

“My team and I looked at all of the videos and every school was filled with talent,” Manilow said on stage in Vegas. “The teachers were just amazing. They were so committed, so sincere and so in love with their students, and the students were so in love with the music classes.”

Manilow says the high school he attended in Brooklyn was classified as the “most dangerous” school in the country and he found refuge in orchestra class and wants to ensure the students of today have access to quality musical programs at school. Manilow has performed twice in Sioux City during his more than 50-year career.

(Radio Iowa) — The Des Moines Register reports Casey’s General Stores executives are exploring how automation may help deal with the difficulty in finding part-time employees. Earlier this month, out-going Casey’s C-E-O Terry Handley touted the company’s “e-commerce” initiative. “As we witness the continued evolution of the retail landscape and ever-changing consumer habits, we must continue to adapt,” Handley said.

The ordering platform on the company’s website has been streamlined. Hadley says customers can pay online before they get to the store. “In addition, the system automatically engages cross-sale opportunities to the consumer during every order,” Handley said.

The new Casey’s General Stores smart phone “app” to order pizza and other prepared foods will be available this summer. Casey’s executives also announced on a June 11th conference call with investors that they are spending more on technology and have plans to install ordering kiosks inside stores as well.

“The integration of the new suite of digital platforms for customers will create a seamless customer experience both online and instore that enhances our digital capabilities and facilitates personalized marketing and rewards,” Handley said.

Casey’s operates two-thousand-one-hundred-46 (2146) stores in the Midwest. Forty-one new stores are under construction.

(Radio Iowa) — A farmer from west-central Iowa’s Greene County is taking the helm of the Iowa Soybean Association this fall but it comes with trepidation. Incoming president Tim Bardole (BAR-dole) of Rippey says these are very challenging times for soybean farmers. “It’s going to be a tough year,” Bardole says. “The association is funded from the Soybean Checkoff, a lot of it, and with the low prices, a tough planting season, there’s a lot of unknowns and a lot of budget issues.”

Many commodities have seen poor prices for several straight years and they’re slow to recover, while Bardole says recent tariffs and trade troubles have made matters worse. “We need worldwide free trade,” Bardole says. “The U.S. farmer, even in tough times, we’re very good at producing soybeans and all of the other agricultural products. The U.S. definitely feeds the world.” Bardole took a trip to China earlier this year and saw up-close how that country’s enormous numbers depend heavily on American growers. “I’ve been to Malaysia and the Philippines,” Bardole says. “The world very much depends on U.S. agriculture for the good of their population.”

While foreign travel helps Bardole learn to appreciate what challenges other nations face, he also sees how much they appreciate us. “We have a lot of responsibility to do what we do and to do it very well,” Bardole says. “When you go to these other countries and once they find that you’re a farmer from Iowa, the respect that you get is somewhat overwhelming.”

Bardole will take office in September. He comes from a farming family and his father was the president of the I-S-A in the late 1980s. The Ankeny-based Iowa Soybean Association has 11,000 members.

(Radio Iowa) — The latest crop report shows the corn is planted across the state and beans are not far behind. Just two percent of the corn planting remained going into last week and farmers are now looking for some good warm growing days. Ninety-six percent of the crop has emerged. That’s two weeks behind where we were last year at this time and 15 days behind the five-year average.

The report shows still about five percent of the soybeans still remain to be planted. Eighty-one percent of the beans that have been planted have emerged. That’s also two weeks behind last year. The corn condition improved slightly this week — with 62 percent rated good to excellent. Sixty-three percent of the beans rate in good to excellent condition — up from 61 percent last week.

One person died, another was injured during a collision Monday evening, southeast of Ames. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 63-year old Gayle Lawton, of Collins, was traveling south on 580th Street at around 5:05-p.m., and had stopped at the intersection with Highway 30, before proceeding across the road.

Lawton failed to yield, and was struck by a westbound Cadillac Escalade, driven by 44-year old Amanda Christine Wierson, of  Collins. Gayle Lawton was transported to Methodist Hospital by Life Flight, and later died. Wierson was transported by private vehicle to Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames. The Patrol says Wierson was wearing her seat belt.

The accident remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:33 a.m. CDT

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Construction is expected to begin next year on a multi-million dollar trail connecting Sioux City and Le Mars. The Sioux City Journal reports that the estimated cost of building the 16-mile PlyWood trail is $18 million. Lesley Bartholomew with the PlyWood Trail Committee says the trail connecting Plymouth and Woodbury counties should be completed by 2025. The committee is seeking state and federal grants to complete the project.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake University says it is selling or leasing more than four acres of land on the east edge of its Des Moines campus to a developer for construction of apartments, townhomes, commercial space and a parking garage. Drake President Marty Martin said Monday the proposed development valued at more than $63 million will help create a “walkable, vibrant hub of retail and restaurant options” for the private university located northwest of city’s central business district.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A court challenge to a 2017 law that changes voting in Iowa has begun. The trial that began Monday in Polk County District Court in Des Moines is focused on portions of the law that require a voter to show an ID at the polls before voting, require an ID number on absentee ballots and allow election officials to throw out absentee ballots if election workers were to decide the voter’s signature doesn’t match those on file. A lawsuit says the law makes it too hard for some people to vote.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Pennsylvania congressman Joe Sestak has become the latest Democrat to enter the presidential race. The retired Navy admiral who calls himself “Admiral Joe” on his campaign website joins a crowded Democratic field seeking the nomination to challenge President Donald Trump. He was launching his longshot candidacy Sunday afternoon at a veterans’ museum in Waterloo, Iowa.

Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst, a native of Red Oak, will serve as the Grand Marshall of the Red Oak Junction Days Parade this Saturday. The parade will begin at 10:30-a.m.

Later in the day, Senator Ernst will be speaking at the dedication of the Cedar County Freedom Rock in Cedar County as part of her 99 County Tour for 2019.

Both events are open to the public.

Four Glenwood residents  were arrested on separate charges over the past four days, in Glenwood. The Glenwood P-D reports 52-year old Sherry Harvey was arrested Saturday for Public Intoxication/2nd offense. And, 32-year old Ryan Miller was arrested Saturday for OWI/1st offense.

On Friday, Glenwood Police arrested 29-year old Thomas Cash for Driving While Barred, and 27-year old Samantha Teegarden was arrested for Driving While Revoked.

Each of those individuals have since posted a cash or surety bond, and were released.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce hopes you’ll lend a hand and help make the City RAGBRAI ready, beginning 9-a.m. Saturday, July 6th. Starting at the Atlantic City Park, individuals will walk the route through town picking up trash, spraying and pulling weeds, sweeping off road shoulders, etc.

Trash bags, trimmers, Roundup, shovels, rakes, etc. will be needed. Participating people/businesses that donate product and/or their time will be mentioned on Around Atlantic, Atlantic RAGBRAI and Atlantic Chamber Facebook pages.

If you can help and/or donate items needed, please contact Nick Harris at nicholasj7@yahoo.com, call 402-981-8876 or message Around Atlantic on Facebook.

RAGBRAI (The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa), begins Sunday, July 21st in Council Bluffs. The riders and their entourage will stay overnight in Atlantic before departing the next day on their way to Winterset.