Two men were arrested late Monday night on drug charges, in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, 19-year old Jamie Young, of Humeston, and 19-year old Klay Evans, of Earlham, were arrested at around 11:18-p.m. in the 1500 block of N. Lincoln Street, in Creston. Both were charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Their bonds at the Union County Jail was set at $300 each.

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

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The year 2017 marks significant centennials for American history. Widely known and commemorated is the centennial of the United States’ entry into World War I. Less known is the transfer of the Danish West Indies in U.S. possession, now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands. What led up to the transfer of that territory? How have the two nations cooperated in peace and conflict in the 100 years since?

To explore the larger context of geopolitical relations between Denmark and the United States, the Museum of Danish America is opening a temporary exhibition called Denmark — America’s Smallest and Biggest Ally. Within the story of over two centuries of bilateral relations, this exhibition will focus especially on three parts of Danish-American history that will be unfamiliar to most visitors: the transfer of the U.S. Virgin Islands; the U.S. military bases on Greenland, which is a Danish territory; and the 21st-century involvement of Denmark in U.S.-led coalitions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other sites of present conflict.

The exhibit will officially open on Saturday, September 30 and will remain on view in the museum’s mezzanine level through September 3, 2018. A special preview event is being planned for museum members and all past and present members of the armed forces that Friday evening, September 29, from 5-7pm. Included on the roster of guest speakers is the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington, DC, Lars Bo Møller, and two Danish veterans – flying in from Copenhagen – who are involved in the Danish Wounded Warrior Project.

For more information, visit danishmuseum.org or call 712.764.7001.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 9:30-p.m. Monday, of 24-year old Ozzie Ray Hunter, from Red Oak. Hunter was taken into custody for Driving While Barred. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, pending a court appearance.

Seven motorcyclists from the Sioux City area took off Monday on a 5,000 mile journey with plans to raise $50,000 for the Unity Point St. Luke’s Children’s Miracle Network. Steve Schmidt is taking part in the ride. “What a great cause to help the youngsters of Siouxland,” Schmidt said. “I love to ride and I know a lot of people, so I can help with the fundraising.”

Schmidt, who rides 10-to-15-thousand miles a year on his motorcycle, has been with Security National Bank in Sioux City for 36 years. He and the other riders traveled to the Chicago area on Monday. Today (Tuesday), they’ll make their way to historic U.S. Route 66. “Then we go down through Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, we touch a little bit of Nevada, and then into southern California where it ends in Santa Monica,” Schmidt said.

SXC Miracle Riders

Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew is on the trip. He’s a fan of the band The Eagles and is looking forward to one particular stop. “I’m gonna be standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, so I’m pretty excited,” Drew said. “We’re going through the Grand Canyon, Santa Monica, and some areas I haven’t been to. I’m like a little kid at the candy store.”

The seven motorcyclists will be stopping at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to meet children and share their story along the way, hoping to raise $50,000 for CMN. “That’s what this ride is about – to help Unity Point Children’s Miracle Network with buying some things that will help the nurses and help the parents with their sick children,” Drew said. “That was really the big reason I got involved.”

The seven riders, who are each covering their own expenses on the trip, plan to return to Sioux City on September 29.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission is recommending that the general operating budget for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for NEXT year be the same as THIS year’s budget. That recommendation now goes to Governor Reynolds and she’ll submit her proposed budget to legislators in January. D-N-R director Chuck Gipp expects the hiring freeze in his agency will stay in place. He’s been shifting staff around to deal with vacancies and retirements in the state park system.

“A perfect example was a park in southwest Iowa,” Gipp says. “It was a two-person park. One of those people transferred up to Prairie Rose State Park, where there was a vacancy. That person left at Waubonsie said: “I don’t want to be a one person park,’ so he retired — so we are currently operating that park with a temporary transfer.”

Waubonsie State Park is near Hamburg in the southwest corner of Iowa. It has seven miles of hiking trails and eight miles of trails for horseback riders, plus a small, seven-acre lake. The Environmental Protection Commission is recommending a one-million dollar increase in state spending on state park INFRASTRUCTURE. However, that money would come from the separate “Environment First” fund where state gambling taxes are deposited.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state panel has rejected a petition from two environmental activist groups that sought stricter standards for proposed animal feeding operations. The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission denied the petition Monday from groups calling for it to require cattle feedlots and confined hog operations to require more distance from neighbors and take other actions. Commissioners said the proposed rules were too strict.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police say one man has died and a woman was injured when shots were fired into a Cedar Rapids house. Officers were called to the shooting Saturday night and found a man and woman with gunshot wounds. They were taken to hospitals, where 33-year-old Kenneth Lamont Everett died. Police way 29-year-old Gabriel Chantel Thomas is expected to recover. Police Monday said the shots were fired from outside the home and struck the victims while they were in a bedroom. Police haven’t reported any arrests.

ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) — A memorial ride scheduled for next month will honor an eastern Iowa police officer who was killed in a head-on crash. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that the ride will start in Anamosa on Oct. 15. Proceeds will benefit the family of Anamosa Officer Mitch Kelchen, who was killed in the crash Sept. 2 north of Andrew. The 40-year-old Kelchen was not on duty at the time.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa authorities have arrested a suspect for a shooting that killed a Fort Dodge man. The Fort Dodge Police announced that 27-year-old Levi Gibbs III of Fort Dodge was being held at the Polk County Jail, where he was awaiting extradition back to Webster County. Authorities have charged Gibbs with first-degree murder for the shooting death of 32-year-old Shane Wessels of Fort Dodge.

Atlantic Parks and Rec Department Director Seth Staashelm, Monday evening, provided the Parks and Rec Board with updates on various matters pertaining to the Schildberg Rec Area, Sports Complex and Sunnyside Shelter. With regard to the Schildberg Rec Area, Staashelm said the campground sites are being utilized and reservations have been made for other pads.

There are 15 campers currently in place, three more spots are reserved for monthly campers and two more spots reserved for Coca-Cola Days. He hopes to have the remaining pads filled later this week, and they are working on acquiring a dumpster.

The fishing dock at Schildberg is almost finished, but Staashelm says they are working on seeding and other finishing touches. They are also waiting for the dock shelter engineering so the roof can be installed on the shelter, which will be named in memory of Richard McCauley, thanks to a donation from Pat McCauley.

Plans are also still in the works for a playground at Schildberg, but the costs are currently outside the budget, even though the prices have come down since the seasonal playground use time is winding down. Staashelm says they budgeted $50,000 for the project, but with shipping, the final price tag is more along the lines of $60,000.

He says wants to do more number crunching before presenting the final project concept to the Board next month. In other business, the Grand Opening for the Fishing Dock at Schildbergs will be for the Atlantic Ambassadors and to thank donors this Thursday, at 10-a.m. Once the roof is on, they will have a public grand opening. Staashelm said also, a “Bikers helping bikers Fun Run” will be held beginning 9:30-a.m. Oct. 14th, with motorcyclists raising funds to benefit the Schildberg Rec Area, which is used by pedestrians…and bicyclists. Even though motorcycles are the primary participants, all vehicles are welcome for your free will donation.

The group will leave the Allen Place (1406 E. 19th Street) at 10:30-a.m. Oct. 14th and proceed west from Atlantic on Highway 83 to Avoca. From there, they will head west on G-18 to Minden, west to Highway 191, south to G-30 at Underwood, from Underwood west on G-30 to L-34 north to Beebeetown “Twisted Tail.” Afterward, they will depart Beebeetown north on L-34 to F-58, and turn east toward Persia. From Persia they will hear north on Highway 191 to Highway 44, and from Portsmouth east to Kimballton, from Kimballton south to Atlantic’s Schildberg Rec Area. The complete ride is about 119 miles.

More information will be released as the date grows closer.

The Iowa Department of Education released its new plan today (Monday) to meet the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Department of Education director, Ryan Wise, says they put a lot of effort into the plan and got input from all across the state. “We’ve said from the beginning this is about ensuring opportunity for all students and that is really state and locally driven, and that we would carry that through the entire process,” Wise says. The new federal legislation replaces the old No Child Left Behind, and Wise says it does something the old plan didn’t

“That is really a focus on ensuring that state and local districts are going beyond single-point in time measures on just math and English language arts — and really ensuring that schools are providing a well-rounded education for all students,” Wise says. The Department’s chief of the Bureau of School Improvement, Amy Williamson, says the plan sets out goals for districts.

We wanted to make sure that we set these goals knowing that we wanted a high bar for all students. And we wanted to address the fact that there are achievement gaps between some groups of students and all students,” Williamson says. “And we wanted to make sure that we are aggressive in closing those gaps.” She says the new plan focuses on helping districts that don’t meet their goals instead of punishing them.

“When those criteria aren’t met, we can actually step up the support that we provide for schools,” Williamson explains. “And the way that we would do that is to implement more state approved improvement strategies that are evidenced based. And to direct more of the teacher leadership and compensation resources that districts receive toward implementation of the evidence-based strategies.” Williamson says they will use assessments to set the goals for the schools and those goals will increase over time. The plan is being submitted to the federal government today (Monday) and federal officials have 120 days to look it over and respond.

(Radio Iowa)

State regulators have unanimously rejected a petition seeking tougher environmental standards for livestock confinements. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement sought the changes. Members of the group voiced their anger after the Environmental Protection Commission’s vote. Regulators determined they lacked the authority to adjust the so-called “master matrix.” Those are the rules that govern where livestock confinements may be built.

Commission member Joe Riding of Altoona — a former legislator — says the law establishing those standards was passed 15 years ago and it’s time for the legislature to revisit the issue. “Bringing the stakeholders together,” Riding says. “I don’t care how messy it might be.” Commissioner Barbara Hovland of Mason City says it’s up to legislators to review the law.

“I am a firm believer that they created it and they need to start discussing it,” Hovland said. A lengthy period of public comment came before the commission’s eight-to-zero vote. Farm groups like the Pork Producers argued the proposed changes would create a moratorium on new construction of livestock confinements. Farm Bureau member Brianne Streck of Moville says she and her husband “work hard to raise livestock the right way.”

“The supporters of this petition would like to make you think that I am the face of evil,” Streck said. “…Changing the master matrix to give others the ability to pick and choose where and how we can raise livestock would be detrimental to young farmers like me and, more importantly, the rural communities that live and thrive on us.” Backers of the petition argued Iowa is making little progress in cleaning up polluted waterways and it’s time for tougher rules on livestock manure. John Lichty of West Des Moines is a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.

“Why is there even a question? Why is it farmers first, the rest of us go to hell — excuse my language,” he said. “I’m not against farmers, but…it’s all about profit. Money first, the heck with the rest of us. That’s all I’ve got. This is disgusting.” In 2002, the Iowa legislature passed statewide standards for livestock confinements, including the required distance between a confinement and a neighbor’s house.

A state construction permit is required for confinements of a certain size. The Des Moines Register recently reported the Department of Natural Resources reviewed images from satellites and found five-thousand previously unknown confinements in Iowa. About 13-hundred of them were large enough to require some form of state oversight.

(Radio Iowa)