The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.
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The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.
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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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As we mentioned last week following the Cass County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, officials with ZION Recovery Services in Atlantic, confirm the substance use disorder, problem gambling disorder and prevention provider, has purchased a building in Atlantic to re-locate services; the building previously owned by Crossroads of Western Iowa. The building is located at 2307 South Olive Street.
Laurie Cooley, Director of Zion and Southwest Iowa Mental Health Services said in a press release: “We want take this opportunity to acknowledge Cass County Health Systems and Cass County Board of Supervisors for all the support and assistance given to the organizations with the relocating of services.” Cooley said the organizations will continue to keep the community, providers and patients updated on the progress of transitioning substance use treatment/prevention and mental health services to a new site.
Re-locating will occur in several phases during the next few months, with the substance use disorder treatment and prevention services having started to provide services yesterday (Monday, March 2nd). The second phase will be renovations to the back portion of the building in order to relocate mental health, medication management and MAT Clinic to the new location.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has dismissed charges filed against a man accused in the crash deaths of two men in Des Moines. Polk County court records say the judge ruled Monday that probable cause didn’t exist that Alejandro Contreras had committed the crimes of vehicular homicide. He’d already pleaded not guilty to the two counts. The crash occurred around 11:45 a.m. Feb. 20, when a southbound car and an eastbound car that had just entered a roadway collided. Police say two men in the eastbound car died. They were identified as Mauricio Ruiz Quintana and Brayan Martinez Ruiz. They lived in Windsor Heights.
Today: Partly cloudy. High 52. NW @ 10-20 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low 34. W @ 10.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy to Cldy. High near 50. NW winds becoming SW @ 10-15.
Thursday: P/Cldy. High 48.
Friday: P/Cldy. High around 50.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 48. Our Low was 32. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 8 and the Low was -6. The record High for March 3rd in Atlantic, was 79 in 1983. The Record Low was -11 in 2014.
State senators are considering legislation that would crack down on Iowa businesses that sell products used to smoke meth. Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs, says “Metallic and glass devices that are commonly used in one of the biggest problems that Iowa has right now, which is smoking methamphetamines, so we’re trying to define these devices.”
Dawson is also a special agent for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. It is illegal to sell “drug paraphernalia” in Iowa, but Dawson says some Iowa businesses claim these devices are for smoking tobacco or burning incense. The bill would require businesses to have a license to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products, plus ANOTHER license with a yearly thousand-dollar fee to sell these glass and metal pipes. In addition, a new state excise tax would be imposed on every item sold — and those fees would go toward supporting the state’s drug courts.
“On a personal level, I think it’s unconscionable for a business owner to sell these devices full well knowing the destruction that these things eventually create in a people’s lives and then ask taxpayers to pay for it on the back end through the court system, through a variety of other issues,” Dawson says. “U.S. Constitutional case law says I can’t ban the device so what I’m going to try to do is at least make that business owner deploy a conscious business decision that if I’m going to sell these, this is what the cost’s going to be and at least give some relief to the taxpayer on the back end.”
Dawson says some of these pipes are being sold for as much as three-THOUSAND dollars. “These things have proliferated now throughout the state of Iowa,” Dawson says. “We have gas stations selling these devices.” The bill would require retailers to keep these devices out of reach of minors, so they’d have to go behind the counter alongside cigarettes. Dawson says meth is the most common illegal drug in the state now and meth power or rocks is often heated to generate fumes that are inhaled.
“You can’t apply a direct flame to them, otherwise you burn the product,” Dawson says. Glass and metal pipes are commonly used for a key reason, according to Dawson. “How people would smoke methamphetamines used to be back in the day you’d put it on aluminum foil and you’d heat the bottom and they’d use like a pen to smoke it which would create a residue on there, so that would be drug paraphernalia,” Dawson says. “But what people are doing now is they are buying these glass pipes because if they encounter law enforcement they can throw it on the ground and smash it right away and destroy the evidence, which is why it’s becoming more of a preferred use here for people using those illicit drugs.”
Another section the bill is a response to the growing number of products being sold with labels touting hemp or marijuana as key ingredients. Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, says it’s buyer beware today. “It hasn’t been tested, necessarily, and what they’re buying may not be what the container says. I think that’s important,” Bolkcom says.
The bill has cleared the Senate Commerce Committee. It’s scheduled for review this week in the Senate Ways and Means Committee
(Radio Iowa) — A new report says Iowa’s economy loses nearly one-billion dollars annually from parents having problems getting childcare. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation report says childcare breakdowns cause Iowa employers to lose 781 million annually from absences and employees quitting. It also says the state misses out on another 153 million in annual tax revenue.
Jillian Herink, executive director of the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children, says Iowa has one of the highest percentages of working parents, but at the same time is losing childcare providers at “an alarming rate”. The Iowa Women’s Foundation reports lack of access is growing in part because Iowa has lost 40 percent of its childcare businesses since 2012 and the state’s childcare workers are among the lowest paid occupations.
Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Big 12 leading scorer Ashley Joens of Iowa State mixes toughness with her knack for putting the basketball in the hoop. She grew up playing at home with her sisters, and their father told them no fouls would be called. Joens said that taught her to keep playing even if she gets knocked around. Besides scoring 21 points per game, she’s averaging almost 11 rebounds, shoots 82% from the free-throw line and has attempted a Big 12-high 218 foul shots. The Cyclones play at Kansas on Tuesday night.
UNDATED (AP) — Kansas is the unanimous No. 1 in a week of upheaval in the AP Top 25. The Jayhawks received all 64 first-place votes from the media panel in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. Gonzaga was No. 2, with Dayton, Baylor and San Diego State rounding out the top five. The Aztecs, No. 9 Maryland and No. 18 Iowa were the only teams to hold their place after a week in which nine Top 25 teams lost to unranked opponents. Dayton has its highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in 1955-56 after stretching its winning streak to 18 games. Virginia, Illinois and Wisconsin moved into the poll. West Virginia, Colorado and Texas Tech fell out.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Three Kansas State University football players were arrested over the weekend, including a talented freshman on an outstanding warrant and two others on suspicion of impaired driving. Redshirt freshman running back Jacardia Wright was arrested early Sunday near the university on an outstanding warrant for failing to show proof of insurance. A Riley County police spokeswoman says Wright was freed on bond. Freshman linebacker DeMarrquese Hayes and redshirt sophomore linebacker Nick Allen were arrested in separate incidents Saturday night on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Police say both were freed on bond.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State has promoted safeties coach Joe Klanderman to defensive coordinator after Scott Hazelton left to take the same job at Michigan State. Cornerbacks coach Van Malone has been given the titles of assistant head coach and passing game coordinator. Wildcats coach Chris Klieman announced the moves two weeks before the start of spring practices. Klanderman will continue to coach safeties. Kansas State will hire a new linebackers coach to replace Hazelton, who also coached that position.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska receiver JD Spielman has gone home to deal with an unspecified health matter and probably will miss all of spring practice. Coach Scott Frost stressed the focus is on Spielman’s well-being and providing him with support. Frost anticipates Spielman back for summer conditioning. Spielman led the Cornhuskers with 49 catches and five touchdowns last season. Spring practice begins in a week.
Class 3A Substate 1
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 61, LeMars 46
Class 3A Substate 3
Center Point-Urbana 78, Marion 70, 2OT
Class 3A Substate 4
Mount Vernon 52, Central Clinton, DeWitt 50
Class 3A Substate 6
Pella 62, Oskaloosa 51
Class 3A Substate 7
Norwalk 71, Dallas Center-Grimes 57
Class 3A Substate 8
Harlan 60, Denison-Schleswig 58
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Worries about a new virus that’s infected tens of thousands of people globally are making a mark on the economy of a nine-state region in the Midwest and Plains. A new survey report says the Mid-American Business Conditions Index sank in February to 52.8 from 57.2 in January. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the softer reading and the economic harm from the virus should concern policymakers. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A former secretary for Iowa soil and water conservation districts has been charged with stealing from the organizations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Iowa’s Northern District says Leslie Carey was charged Monday with one count of wire fraud. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports her attorney filed a notice that she would plead guilty. Carey was an administrative aide for the soil and water conservation districts in Black Hawk and Bremer counties from 2007 to 2017. She resigned after an overdrawn account led to a state audit.
CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa man who bought a Powerball ticket that turned out to be worth $1 million claimed his prize Monday. Shane Saxen told Iowa Lottery officials he usually doesn’t buy a ticket until the jackpot’s really high. But this time he decided, “Why not? I’ll get one.” The ticket he bought at a Brew convenience store matched five of the numbers drawn Saturday but missed the Powerball number. The 31-year-old lives in Correctionville and works as a campus security officer at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. He says he plans to invest most of his winnings for retirement.
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — An Oklahoma man has been charged in Iowa with harboring a runaway teenager from Mississippi. Court documents say the 15-year-old and 21-year-old Jared Wright were found Sunday in his car at a high school parking lot in Johnston, Iowa. Authorities say she was unharmed. The court documents don’t list an attorney for Wright. He lives in Lawton, Oklahoma. The documents say police from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, contacted the Iowa department Sunday to say the girl was thought be in Iowa at a store in Grimes. She wasn’t, but she and Wright were found not far away later at the parking lot.