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

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NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A January sentencing is scheduled for a registered sex offender in Iowa who prosecutors say has sexually abused more children. Story County court records say 30-year-old Michael Ferguson entered Alford pleas Thursday to five counts of lascivious acts with a child. In an Alford plea, a person doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a likely conviction.

Prosecutors committed to dropping a sex abuse charge in exchange for Ferguson’s pleas. His sentencing is set for Jan. 14 at the courthouse in Nevada. The crimes occurred during a camping trip in Colo, Iowa.
Ferguson was convicted of assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse of a teenage boy in 2008.

The Atlantic City Council will hold their first meeting of the month. 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, in their chambers at City Hall. On their agenda, is recognition of the Atlantic High School Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams. The boys and girls, like other AHS athletes, went to State this year. They finished in 7th place, and Taylor McCreedy came in 6th out of the top 15 finishers.

The Council will then act on approving a Resolution approving the CY 2019 Budget for Atlantic Municipal Utilities. The City traditionally passes the AMU budget without issue, since AMU is accountable to the Utility Board of Trustees. AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes and Comptroller Jennifer Saathoff are likely to attend the meeting to answer any questions the Council may have. The AMU Board of Trustees will hold a Public hearing on their CY 2019 budget 4-p.m. today (Monday), at the AMU Business Office. Data from the utility shows the Budget amounts to $10.06-million, which amounts to a $1.16-million increase over the re-estimated 2018 budget.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hear a presentation, Wednesday, from Kris Erickson, City Code Enforcement Officer, with regard to policies concerning dogs and cats. The Mayor and members of the Council recently received an e-mail pertaining to cats, and the Shelter’s policy for those animals. Erickson will address any concerns stemming from that e-mail.

Patrons of the Harlan Community School District have an opportunity to attend a Public Hearing this evening in the Harlan High School Auditorium, with regard to next Tuesday’s (Dec. 11) Special Election on a $28.5-million  bond referendum. The meeting begins at 7-p.m.  On Dec. 11th, voters will head to the polls from 7-a.m. until 8-p.m., to decide the fate of Proposition A: A General Obligation bond which would fund facility updates, and Proposition B – Authorizing an increase in the tax levy by $4.05 per thousand dollars of taxable property value, of which the district will contribute 80-cents per $4.05, leaving a net tax impact of $3.25 per thousand. Proposition C asks for voter approval to extend the PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy), and Proposition D – Extending the Instructional Support Levy (ISL), neither of which school officials say, has no added tax effect.

The tax impact for homeowners with a home assessed at $100,000 would amount to $13.75/month, and $3.97/acre, to landowners, for agricultural property.

School officials say the Harlan Intermediate and High School facilities are between 40- and 50-years old, and are in need of major renovations. If approved, the $28.5-million bond would call for security and system updates at the Intermediate/High School. It also would provide at the Intermediate/High School: More Classrooms/Hands-on space; Auditorium updates; STEM/Science spaces, and updates to the Weight Room.  The bond would fund over 180-thousand square feet of renovations at a cost of 50-percent less than a new building. Safety and Security, Educational Enhancements, and Systems Upgrades are the three main priorities identified as a result of multiple work sessions, and community meetings.

For more information, go to: http://bondissue.org/harlan/

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Farm Bureau is marking its centennial year and opens its annual convention in Des Moines later today (Monday), which is expected to draw about a thousand members from across the state. Bureau president Craig Hill says there will be top-flight entertainment and in-depth agricultural education through a host of speakers and workshops. “We want to talk about how we make things happen in rural communities,” Hill says. “Presenters and panelists will talk about economic development and investment in Iowa.”

Just last week there was word of a pending agreement on a key piece of agricultural legislation before Congress and several important players will be able to discuss its status at the convention. “The Farm Bill will be a subject and we’ve got panelists coming from the Senate and House ag committees to talk about the updates on the Farm Bill and its progress,” Hill says. “Trade will be a big issue.” Ambassador Gregg Doud, who serves as the nation’s chief agricultural negotiator, will be at the convention to address the latest trade agreements. Hill says one of Wednesday’s keynote speakers is Iowa-born astronaut Peggy Whitson. “She is just retired from NASA,” Hill says. “She spent 600-some days in space, more than any other human. She’s from Ringgold County, a farm girl that went to space. She’s going to be talking about her experiences and her challenges.”

The convention runs through Wednesday at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines.
www.iowafarmbureau.com

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An economist says a monthly survey suggests the economy continued to expand in nine Midwest and Plains states last month but was hampered by shortages of skilled workers. A survey report issued Monday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped to 54.1 in November from 54.9 in October. The September reading was 57.5. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says that in addition to the hiring problems, the supply managers who responded report mounting harm from tariffs and trade disagreements.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) — Dispensaries opened in Iowa Saturday to sell medical marijuana products in the state for the first time. Patients with approved medical conditions were able to buy the products from five dispensaries in the state. William Rose and his 13-year-old son Christian made one of the first purchases in Sioux City. They choose tinctures or drops that go under the tongue. William says they’ve had a registration card to get a similar product in Colorado for Christian’s seizures. He says the drops have helped. “It stopped them. Entirely. As far as we know. And he’s off that seizure medicine. They helped control his seizures, but it was not good for his body,” Rose says.

Rose says now his family doesn’t need to drive to Colorado every three months to get medical marijuana for his son. Medical marijuana is still federally illegal, and Rose says it was scary crossing state lines with it. “We had to get out a stack of cash, cross through Nebraska and supposedly we’d be okay with our card as long as we followed Iowa’s law,” Rose says. “It’s still federally illegal to be crossing state lines and, you know, for a kid. It was kind of terrifying.” Stephen Wilson manages MedPharm’s dispensaries in Sioux City and Windsor Heights. He says he suspects there’s a lot of anxiety among physicians in western Iowa to certify patients for medical marijuana. “We understand that but it’s important for them to know that they aren’t prescribing medical cannabis. All they’re doing is certifying that they have a qualifying condition.,” Wilson says. Some of those qualifying conditions include cancer, untreatable pain and seizures.

In order for people to apply for the program, they have to be certified by a physician. Then, they need to get a registration card from the state to be able to purchase medical cannabis like capsules, creams and oils. Nearly 15-hundred patients and caregivers across Iowa have state-approved cards that allow them to purchase products at one of five dispensaries.

Police in Red Oak were called to a residence in the 700 block of Skyline Drive at around 9:35-p.m., Sunday, in response to an assault in progress. After they arrived, and upon further investigation, 19-year old Jacob David Berggren, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding air and/or blood flow. Berggren was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held without bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The trial of an Indiana man accused of killing a Fort Dodge woman has been moved to Mason City. The Des Moines Register reports that a judge on Friday approved the move for 26-year-old Phillip Williams’ trial for first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 26-year-old Jessica Gomez. Williams’ attorney requested the change of venue, citing pretrial publicity.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has suspended the law license of an Omaha attorney whose office is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Frank Robak Sr.’s Nebraska license was suspended for at least a year on Friday after a client complained that Robak refused to refund his $5,000 retainer after inadequate work on a case. Robak can apply for reinstatement after one year if he shows that he is fit to practice and submits to monitoring for two years.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Flags in Iowa are flying at half-staff to honor a World War II sailor from Iowa killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags on state property lowered Saturday to honor Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman. The date coincided with a burial service set in Council Bluffs for McKeeman’s remains, which were identified in August. McKeeman, of Council Bluffs, was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked Dec. 4, 1941.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Sunday of a Red Oak man after being called to investigate an incident at 6:04pm in the 600 block of East Hammond Street in Red Oak. When officers arrived on the scene they made contact with 42-year-old Michael Lee Butcher of Red Oak. After investigation officers arrested Butcher for Domestic Abuse Assault (Aggravated Misdemeanor) and Child Endangerment (Aggravated Misdemeanor). He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on no bond.