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

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines officials say a proposed $60 million downtown development project would bring retail and office space and high-rise apartment to the area. Television station KCCI reports that the development would be built at 7th Street and Grand Avenue, at the site where an old parking garage was torn down several years ago.

Des Moines city economic development director Erin Olson-Douglas says 665 Grand would be built in phases. The first phase would see a three-story, 18,000-square-foot office building, with a first-floor upscale restaurant, as well as a six- to eight-floor building with 75 apartments. The city urban design review board is set to vote Tuesday on the project’s first phase.

Police in Creston are investigating an incident of vandalism at the Creston High School Track. Authorities say school officials reported Monday that sometime overnight Sunday into early Monday morning, someone drove on the school track and went through a fence. The incident resulted in $3,000 damage.

And, a man residing in the 400 block of New York Avenue, in Creston, reported Monday morning, that sometime between Nov. 1st and 13th, someone had stole an Electronic Computer Module from a Dodge truck that was parked at a property he owns at 200 Russell Stree. Someone also attempted to gain access to the building at this address by pulling away wire and removing a window. The damage and loss was estimated at $350 altogether.

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

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A Judge in Cass County District Court, Monday, sentenced an Atlantic man to four-years in prison following his guilty plea in August on three counts of OWI. The Judge however suspended the sentence for 50-year old Rex Dean McDermott and ordered him placed in a RCF – Residential Care Facility – until space is available at a treatment facility.

McDermott has been in treatment for his addiction, and, according to his lawyer, been sober since his treatment program began.

McDermott will remain under control of the RCF. He was also ordered to pay all fines, surcharges and court costs and complete the drinking-driving school.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet this morning and Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. During their session at 9-a.m. today, the Board will canvass the results of the Nov. 7th City Elections. There were two ties for Write-in votes in Cass County last week. In each case, the Board will draw lots (Or simply pulling a name out of a hat). Their action will determine the third person elected to serve on the Cumberland City Council: Gary Cooper or Darrin Hardisty. Both men had 23 votes last week. Michael Martin and Mike Hill were elected to fill the other two seats.

And, in Wiota, there are three seats on the City Council. Jeff Lillard and Charles Bechtold won two seats. The third will be either Deanna Spry or Lamar Spies, who received two votes each during the election.

Tomorrow is the Board’s normal, weekly session which begins at 8:30-a.m. The only thing to note on the agenda, is an annual report and Fiscal Year 2019 funding request from the Cass County Library Association.

The executive director with the Iowa Turkey Federation in Ames, Gretta Irwin, says production is up and there should be plenty of bargains when you buy the big bird for the holiday.  “Our industry is actually in a little bit of an oversupply and so across the board turkey prices are down a little bit,” Irwin says.  She says the industry has rebounded from the impact of the bird flu epidemic that wiped out thousands of birds, but now is facing some other supply issues. “We’ve seen a little stress on our export markets — not being able to export products into China and some of these other countries — has put a little more surplus of turkey meat here into the U-S,” according to Irwin. “So, consumers are going to have that advantage of going out to buy turkey for a very economical price.”

The U-S-D-A retail report on turkeys released last week shows prices ranged from 39 cents to one dollar, 79 cents-a-pound for frozen turkeys in the Midwest. Fresh turkeys ranged from one dollar, 29 cents to one-99 a-pound for fresh birds. The report noted that retailers are starting to offer special holiday price promotions on turkeys. Irwin says Iowans should be able to find turkeys for under one dollar a pound. The turkey you buy for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner likely won’t be an Iowa grown bird. Irwin says the majority of Iowa-raised turkeys are processed for use as lunch meat and other products, and the industry has been expanding. “We’ve actually moved from number eight in the U-S in turkey production to number seven, so Iowa is now ranked number seven in turkey productions, and we are about fifth in turkey processing,” Irwin says.

Minnesota is the top turkey producer and Missouri is another producer ahead of Iowa in the turkey business. She says it make sense that the turkeys are being raised close to the available corn and soybeans in Iowa. Irwin says a turkey eats a bushel of corn and a third of a bushel of soybeans. You may find out more about turkey recipes and preparing the big bird at www.iowaturkeyfederation.org.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign is taking steps to distance itself from Iowa executive branch officials who worked as foreign agents for Saudi Arabia. Reynolds campaign manager Phil Valenziano says Kim and Connie Schmett have been removed as volunteer co-chairs for Polk County. He says the campaign has donated the couple’s $100 contribution to Tunnel to Towers, a charity that supports victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Facebook has chosen Des Moines as one of 30 cities for a program that helps equip small businesses with digital skills. The Des Moines Register reports that the program will help businesses build their digital presence on the social media giant. Facebook officials say the company has invested $1 billion into supporting small businesses since 2011. In 2016, it offered similar training for small businesses in Iowa City and Altoona, where it operates a $1.5 billion data center.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It turned unusually cold last week but at least it was dry, allowing farmers in Iowa and Nebraska to make progress harvesting corn and soybeans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its weekly crop update that Iowa producers report they have 85 percent of the corn crop harvested, about a week behind the average and Nebraska is at 86 percent, lagging behind the five-year average of 90 percent at this point in the season.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa assistant attorney general plans to challenge the Republican state auditor in next year’s midterm elections. Rob Sand, a Democrat who served with Attorney General Tom Miller between 2010 and earlier this year, announced his candidacy Monday for state auditor against incumbent Mary Mosiman. Mosiman was appointed state auditor in 2013 following the resignation of the previous state auditor. She was elected to a full four-year term the following year.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation Monday extending the transportation of overweight loads of corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage and stover. The proclamation will expire Dec. 1, 2017.

This proclamation allows vehicles transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage and stover to be overweight (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit, but only for the duration of this proclamation.

This action is intended to allow loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code § 321.463 (5) (b), by more than 12.5 percent, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is directed to monitor the operation of this proclamation to ensure the public’s safety and facilitate the movement of the trucks involved in our state’s harvest.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It turned unusually cold last week but at least it was dry, allowing farmers in Iowa and Nebraska to make progress harvesting corn and soybeans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its weekly crop update Monday that Iowa producers report they have 85 percent of the corn crop harvested, about a week behind the average and Nebraska is at 86 percent, lagging behind the five-year average of 90 percent at this point in the season.

The Iowa soybean crop is 97 percent complete about five days behind average and Nebraska farmers report they’re all but finished with soybeans at 99 percent harvested.