AMES, Iowa – March 27, 2019 –  Flood waters are beginning to recede in southwest Iowa. While roadways may no longer be covered with water, that doesn’t mean they are ready to hold traffic. The Iowa DOT says once the water is no longer on the road, Iowa Department of Transportation crews will begin the process of assuring the roadways are safe to open. The recovery process includes cleaning debris from the roadways and testing for structural damage. Barriers blocking access to roads will remain in place until the road has been deemed safe for traffic.

If you see a barricade, don’t drive around it. While some structural damage to the road surface is very visible, damage to the ground underneath the road may be more difficult to see. Even if the roadway may look clear, the ground underneath the pavement may have washed away. Driving over the pavement may cause it to buckle or fail. Just because a road looks safe, doesn’t mean it is safe. Barricades are in place to protect you from hurting yourself, damaging your vehicle, and potentially causing further damage to the road.

If you are a resident or property owner and need to get to your property, your county emergency management office can help coordinate safe access.

Authorities in southwest Iowa are looking for two suspects who broke into and burglarized Chat Mobility wireless service provider businesses Tuesday, in Clarinda, Emerson and Red Oak. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office posted several photos of the suspects and their vehicle on their social media page. According to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Chat Mobility reported the incident took place around 2 a.m. Tuesday at 404 Howland Street in Emerson. Security camera photos show the suspects were dressed in sweatpants and coats, with their faces covered. No other description of the suspects was available. Phones were taken from the Red Oak and Clarinda locations. In Emerson, the suspects gained entry by breaking a door. It’s not clear how they entered the other sites, but some sort of device was apparently used according to persons with knowledge of the incidents.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Mills County Sheriff’s Office at (712) 527-4871.

Suspects in Emerson Chat Mobility burglary (Photos from Mills County S/O Facebook page)

(Radio Iowa) — A documentary film about Iowa’s sex trafficking underworld will make its debut next week, with plans to show the movie in communities across the state over the coming months. Des Moines filmmaker Vanessa McNeal says people are being bought and sold for sex daily in communities across the state and survivors’ stories need to be told to raise awareness about this horrible crime. “‘Gridshock’ is an investigative documentary that explores the sex trafficking industry in Iowa,” McNeal says. “It primarily focuses on the demand for it, who are the buyers and what type of people are they? How are they doing this and how are they getting away with it? It’s really disturbing, it’s eye-opening and it’s really life-changing.”

McNeal says one Iowa survivor told how she was raped 56 times over the course of 12 hours while her traffickers made $60,000. The filmmaker says Iowans have a hard time believing that kind of depravity and wickedness may be in their neighborhood — or right next door — but for many, she says it is.  “You don’t think that bad things happen here,” McNeal says. “There are men, women and children who are suffering every day in our communities, sometimes in full view, and we have no idea that they’re being trafficked. I owe it to the survivors to have their stories be shared, and in the community, there’s so much work that we need to do on this issue, I knew that I wanted to focus on it.”

McNeal calls herself a “survivor of sexual violence” and adds she’s never experienced sex trafficking. The documentary will premiere April 2nd at the Des Moines Civic Center, with tickets for the debut ranging from 35 to 100-dollars as part of a fundraiser.  “With the VIP there’s an hour beforehand where there will be influential people and food and time to talk with the crew of the film,” McNeal says. “All of the ticket proceeds are going to Dorothy’s House in Des Moines, so, not only do people get to watch this really impactful film, they’re donating to a local restoration home for sex trafficking survivors right here, locally.”

Other dates the film will be shown include: April 8th at Iowa State University in Ames, April 15th and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, April 18th in Davenport, April 25th and 27th at the Dubuque International Film Festival, and May 2nd and 7th at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. McNeal hopes to eventually have the documentary shown on HBO or through Netflix. For more information, visit: www.gridshockdocumentary.com
Link to film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5SanPltXa8

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of an 85-year-old woman who died after a fire at her Waterloo home. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that firefighters found Evangeline “Angie” Glazebrook unconscious inside her home Monday morning. They’d been dispatched following 911 reports from neighbors who noticed smoke. Authorities say she was pronounced dead later at a Waterloo hospital.

The Courier says its archives show Glazebrook was a Waterloo teacher who retired in 1995. Investigators say the blaze started in the kitchen, but the exact cause hasn’t been determined yet.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a man was arrested Tuesday night for OWI/1st offense. 50-year old Joseph L. Askern, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 8:20-p.m. after a deputy was dispatch to a location in rural Underwood, for a reported disturbance. Askern’s bond was set at $1,000.

There were also several inmate transfer’s from various area jails in Nebraska to the Pott. County Jail, Tuesday. Among them:

• 49-year old Anthony Wayne Coleman, who was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for Operating a Motor Vehicle without consent.
• 18-year old Joan M. Arias-Felix, who was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for Violation of Probation.
• 21-year old Kody Kyle Johnson was transported to the Pott. County Jail from Nebraska, on a felony warrant for Theft in the 2nd degree.
• 26-year old Bailey Jo Schovanec was transported from Nebraska to the Pott. County Jail on warrants charging her with two counts of Burglary in the 3rd degree/vehicle-1st offense; and Illegal Enterprise/conduct; Possession of Burglary tools; Theft in the 2nd degree; and two-counts of Theft in the 5th degree.
• 43-year old Fednol Garly St. Cyr was brought to the Pott. County Jail to answer to a warrant for Perjury/contradictory statements.
• And, 29-year old Simon Buombiey Jacob was brought to the Pott. County Jail from Nebraska, on warrants for Assault and Criminal Mischief in the 3rd degree/damage or vandalism of property amounting to more than $500 but less than $1,000.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The Adair County Board of Supervisors are set to meet 9-a.m. today (Wednesday), in the Adair County Secondary Roads Office Building. Among the items on their agenda, is discussion with regard to: an Adair County Disaster Declaration; a running event from Dexter to Stuart; follow-up with Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, with regard to the sheriff’s department radios, and the awarding of a contract for a deck overlay project at W-28 Lincoln.

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 (4.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Police in Creston report two separate arrests took place, Tuesday. At around 9-p.m., 49-year old Mary Ann Giles, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Giles is being held in the Adams County Jail on a $1,000 bond. And, at around 6:25-p.m., Creston Police arrested 40-year old Miahcahla Marie Phillips, of Creston, on a Union County Warrant for Violation of a Protection Order. Phillips was being held in the Adams County Jail while awaiting a magistrate appearance.

As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa, a Statewide Tornado Drill will take place beginning at 10-a.m., today. The event will unfold as follows:

• 10:00-a.m.: Test Tornado Watch from 10-a.m. to 11-a.m.  Emergency Alert Systems (EAS) will sound, and Weather Radios in all 99 counties will activate.
• 10:15-a.m., there will be a test Tornado Warning. At that time, sirens will sound throughout communities in Iowa, not only as part of the drill, but to test the sirens for actual severe weather. The National Weather Service recommends using the time to prepare for the real thing.
• 10:35-a.m.:  The test Tornado Warning will expire.
• 11:00-a.m.: The test Tornado Watch will expire.

This test will not activate the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on your mobile device, but some counties, including Cass, will activate their respective Emergency Notification System. If you haven’t already registered for the Cass County ENS, go to links located on the Cass County homepage (http://www.casscountyiowa.us/) or the Cass County EMA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CassCoEMA). If you need further assistance, contact Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator at 712-243-1500.

In 2018, there were 69 tornadoes in Iowa. 48 is the average number of tornadoes in the state. The peak months for tornadoes are May and June, but in Iowa, every month experienced a tornado. The majority of tornadoes occur during the afternoon and evening hours.  Now is the time to plan and prepare for where you would go during a tornado at home, at work or school and while commuting. Plans may vary based upon your unique circumstances.