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

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

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(DES MOINES) –The United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Planning recently gave notice to the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) that the State has been awarded a $200,000 planning grant to help develop policy and programs aimed at addressing reentry and employment readiness for adults being released from Iowa’s prisons. The application was submitted by the Iowa DOC as the primary grantee; IWD was a partner in the submission, and will be a major collaborator in the implementation.

The planning grant will allow for department staff to collaborate with agencies to focus on examination of statewide, multi-agency policies that could be improved to benefit individuals exiting the prison system. The planning will focus on a target population classified as “moderate risk” to “high risk” as identified by DOC risk measurement instruments. These efforts are part of the broader mission of the DOC.

DOC Director Jerry Bartruff said, “I’m really excited for our team to get to work on this new project. We know there is a need to refine some of the policies as well as some practices across our agencies so that we’re preparing incarcerated individuals for success when they return to their community. For every person that we help succeed in reentry- that’s one step closer to our department’s goal of creating opportunities for safer communities.”

Partnering with the DOC in this project, IWD Director Beth Townsend said her agency will play an important role in the success of any policy or practice reforms that need to occur to improve the rate of successful community reentry for the formerly incarcerated. Townsend said “We know that individuals who are gainfully employed as they re-enter the workforce are much less likely to recidivate. We also know that the second largest pool of available workers is comprised of individuals who have been incarcerated. As such, making sure that we are doing everything we can to ensure these Iowans are prepared to contribute meaningfully to Iowa’s workforce is an imperative. This planning grant will help us better align our resources, so we can make that happen more readily.”

The Iowa Reentry and Employment Training Project will run from October 2018 through October 2019, with a final report being submitted to the US DOJ BJP upon completion.

The Atlantic Fireman’s Parade will take place next Saturday, Oct. 13^th, in downtown Atlantic. The event caps-off Fire Prevention Week, which begins Sunday, and concludes next Saturday (Oct. 7th – 13th). Captain Tom Cappel with the Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department, says they began planning for next Saturday’s parade last year, with the idea of tying it in with Atlantic’s 150^th Anniversary, and the A-F-D’s 150^th Anniversary. Cappel says there’s trophies won by the department and other memorabilia on display at the fire station, and you’re more than welcome to come out and take a look at the history of your Atlantic Fire Dept.

Cappel says this Sunday (Oct. 7^th), a breakfast for the public will take place at the Atlantic Fire Station.

(It will be held from 7-a.m. until 1-p.m. For your free-will donation, the meal includes pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, juice and milk or coffee.)

The money that’s raised goes back toward Fire Prevention, including fire truck rides for the kids, and outreach efforts.

(Cappel says part of that effort is reminding people that now is a good time to change your batteries in your smoke detectors and make sure they are working properly. It’s also a good time to check your carbon monoxide detectors.)

The Parade next Saturday, features many new attractions, including a team of Clydesdale Horses.

A Wells Fargo hitch will also be in attendance by the Chamber Office. Other attractions include performances by: bagpipers; The Atlantic High School and Middle School Band; The Isiserettes (Eye-siss’er-etts) Drill Team from Des Moines; three other drill and drum corps. Line-up for the parade starts at 4-p.m. Saturday at 2^nd and Sunnyside Streets, with the parade getting underway at 6-p.m. A Midwest Med-Air helicopter will land near the City Park at around 5-p.m., as part of the festivities.

Other activities scheduled for next Saturday include a Fireman’s Dance from 8-p.m. Until Midnight, at the 4-H Building at the Cass County Fairgrounds. The event is open to the public, and food will be available.

Two robberies at bars early Friday morning in the Guthrie County town of Jamaica are under investigation, and the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help in identifying the suspect. In their social media posts, the Sheriff’s Office, Friday, said the burglaries happened sometime between 2:30- and 3:15-a.m. Friday, at “Tojo’s Bar and Grill,” and the “Just One More” bar. Security footage shows the suspect is a male wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, black gloves, and eyeglasses. Video footage of the suspect is available on the Sheriff’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/guthriecountyso/videos/268701667185094/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARCbkpaAv8fG0cXaCcvfwK8d3z-idnhfMNHGgxjHKmoaK0bCy-6yXuEtsg0XkWo894-jLiwsv0qQuLJo

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett at 641-747-2214.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s governor has ordered flags on state property flown at half-staff this weekend to honor a fallen World War II soldier and firefighters killed in the line of duty. Gov. Kim Reynolds requests that all U.S. and state flags be lowered during daylight hours on Saturday to honor Army Pvt. Donald E. Brown, of Thompson, who killed in action on July 28, 1944, when his tank was destroyed in France. On Sunday, flags will be lowered in observance of the Fallen Firefighters Memorial service.

WASHINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A second man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a gender-fluid Iowa teenager. The Hawk Eye reports that a Washington County jury convicted 26-year-old Jaron Purham on Friday in the 2016 death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson of Burlington. Prosecutors say Johnson was wearing a pink headband and hair extensions when Sanders-Galvez and Purham saw the teen at a store, followed him in their car, then took him to a Burlington home before killing Johnson.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Health coverage offered by the Iowa Farm Bureau through a new option approved by the Iowa Legislature will allow people to be turned away if they have pre-existing conditions. The Des Moines Register reports the farm bureau unveiled details of its coverage, which lowers costs by skirting requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Applicants will be asked if they have been diagnosed or treated for a variety of ailments, and they can be rejected or charged more, unlike standard health insurance.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — Owners of three eastern Iowa wind energy turbines are fighting a court order to tear them down. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that attorneys asked Judge John Bauercamper to put a hold on his previous order to remove the turbines by Dec. 9. The wind towers built in 2015 drew opposition from housing developers and homeowners in nearby Fairbank who believed they would be detrimental to the town.

WASHINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A second man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a gender-fluid Iowa teenager that drew national attention. The Hawk Eye reports that a Washington County jury convicted 26-year-old Jaron Purham on Friday in the 2016 death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson of Burlington. Purham faces a mandatory prison term of life when he’s sentenced Nov. 19.

Purham’s cousin, Jorge Sanders-Galvez, also was convicted last year of first-degree murder in the case. Johnson’s relatives say he identified as both male and female. Prosecutors said Johnson was wearing a pink headband and hair extensions when Sanders-Galvez and Purham saw the teen at a store, followed him in their car, then took the teen to a Burlington home. Police say Johnson was sexually assaulted and tortured before being shot to death in an alley.

Purham has already served prison time in Missouri for his 2016 flight from police who were trying to arrest him in the Johnson case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s governor has ordered flags on state property flown at half-staff this weekend to honor a fallen World War II soldier and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Gov. Kim Reynolds requests that all U.S. and state flags be lowered during daylight hours on Saturday to honor Army Pvt. Donald E. Brown, of Thompson, who killed in action on July 28, 1944, when his tank was destroyed by enemy fire in France.

The 24-year-old’s remains were buried at an American military cemetery in France as an unknown soldier. His remains were disinterred last year and identified through DNA testing. He will be buried with full military honors Saturday in Thompson.

On Sunday, flags will again be lowered in observance of the Fallen Firefighters Memorial service.

The Atlantic Fireman’s Parade is set for Saturday, Oct. 13^th. And, while you may have known about that, what you may not have known, is that another parade will be held in conjunction with that event, and the City’s Sesquicentennial (150^th Anniversary) Celebration. Atlantic resident Steve Livengood told the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, that there are five judged categories for parade entries. The first is “The Year 2068.” He says to think “outside the box” about what the City of Atlantic is going to look like in another 50-years.

Another category is “Civic Organization.” He said they would expect at least 20 members of your organization to participate. The third Sesquicentennial Parade category is “Agriculture,” and how it has affected the City of Atlantic. Livengood said he hopes the entry is more than just a tractor driving down the street.  The fourth category is “Historical People” in Atlantic.

The fifth and final category is “Judges Choice.” The City Council will act as the judges for this year’s Sesquicentennial Parade. Livengood said while they are still looking for some prizes for the parade entries, others have already been made available, including a $50 gift certificate from Fareway. The parade lineup starts at 4:00 p.m. Entries that want to be judged to show up no later than 4:30. Judging will begin at 5:00 and the winners will be given a banner to display on their parade entry before the parade starts.

Livengood encourages everyone to come out and watch the parade, which begins at 6:00 p.m.

Two males who absconded from the Clarinda Academy, Thursday, were apprehended in Adair County late this (Friday) morning. The Page County Sheriff’s Office was notified by PAGECOM, Thursday, that two black male juveniles were missing from the Clarinda Academy, which is located within the city limits of Clarinda. The Page County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Clarinda Police Department throughout the night in attempting to locate these males in patrol and following alleged sightings on the east side of the Nodaway River.

At approximately 8-a.m. today (Friday), Justin Dammann, rural Essex, reported to the Sheriff’s Office that his black / grey 2017 Ford F-350 Super duty pickup had been stolen from his driveway, sometime between 1:30-a.m. and 6:30-a.m. The vehicle was then entered nationwide into the NCIC computer system as stolen. At approximately 9-a.m., the Page County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Adair County Sheriff’s Office that Dammann’s stolen vehicle had been involved in an a hit and run accident in the city limits of Adair, and Deputies were actively looking for the vehicle as well as the two juvenile males.

At Approximately 11-a.m., the Adair County Sheriff’s Office notified the Page County Sheriff’s Office that they had recovered Dammann’s stolen vehicle, and had apprehended the two Clarinda Academy Students. The Adair County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post, that the juveniles were caught in Adair, after the stolen vehicle ran out of fuel. Authorities said “After a short game of hide and go seek on the train tracks, the juveniles were apprehended.” The case is ongoing and charges will be filed.

On a possibly related note, at around 10-a.m. Thursday, Wayne Sederburg, of rural Essex, reported that sometime during the night someone had entered his garage (which is just under one-mile east of Dammann’s residence). Sederburg said that a pair of black winter gloves were found in his car. He said also, that the contents of the car had been thrown around and messed up. Sederburg said that nothing else appeared missing at the time of his report.