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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Area Emergency Management Directors remind residents that the National Weather Service will conduct a Tornado Drill on Wednesday, March 29th, between 10 and 11:00 a.m. The purpose of the drill is to ensure that Iowans can adequately receive a Tornado Warning.

The test warning will be sent through all communication channels normally used for severe weather dissemination. NOAA weather radios will sound an alert, outdoor warning sirens throughout the County will be activated and a mass message will be sent through the Cass County Emergency Notification System, reminding people of the drill and prompting them to take action.

Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator, says “This is an excellent opportunity for residents, businesses, and schools to review their tornado safety plans and practice their own procedures in the event of actual severe weather.”

To register for the Cass County Emergency Notification System, residents can go to the KJAN home page and click on the Cass County Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) link. Once on the link page, you can sign up by entering your cell phone, e-mail and/or pager number, city and zip code. There are also links located on the Cass County homepage (http://www.casscountyiowa.us/) or the Cass County EMA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CassCoEMA).

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator at 712-243-1500.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new survey suggests that farmland values in Iowa have inched upward in the past six months. A report from the Iowa Realtors Land Institute Chapter No. 2 says the farmland values climbed nearly 1 percent from September to March, hitting $6,545 an acre. The Des Moines Register reports that the increase was the first since September 2013.

The report says, however, that farmland values are still 2.8 percent lower for the past 12 months. The institute’s surveys suggest that the average value of Iowa’s farmland has dropped about 25 percent since March 2013. Iowa farmland values peaked in 2013 but have since fallen along with commodity prices.

The institute surveys about 135 agricultural real estate brokers, appraisers and other professionals.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest early this (Tuesday) morning, of 47-year old Teri Ann Nelson. Nelson, who’s from Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 1:20-a.m., for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. She was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail. And, at around 1:50-p.m., Monday, Red Oak Police arrested 50-year old James Kent Otte, of Red Oak, on an active Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Otte was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Monday evening, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 43-year old Lorena Rene Jennings, of Shenandoah. Jennings was taken into custody at around 7:15-p.m. on a valid Montgomery County warrant for Probation Violation. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, on a $2,000 bond.

Officials with the Shenandoah Police Department report two arrests early this (Tuesday) morning. At around 12-a.m., Shenandoah Police conducted a traffic stop on Highway 59 at Nishna Road. Upon further investigation, 21-year old Dillon White-Vojchechoske, of Clarinda, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension – a simple misdemeanor. White-Vojchecoske was transported to Page County Jail and held on $435 bond.

And, at around 1:40-a.m., Shenandoah Police stopped a vehicle in the 200 block of Willow Street. After an investigation, officers arrested 33-year old Ryan Woods, of Shenandoah, for Operating While Intoxicated (2nd offense) – an aggravated misdemeanor. Woods was able to post a $2,000 bond and was released, pending an initial court appearance.

The Iowa House has waded into the touchy topic of what some people do with racy digital images of their partner after a nasty break-up. The House has passed a bill that makes it a crime to post a sexually-graphic picture or video online or send it to someone else via text or email without the consent of the person pictured.

Representative Greg Heartsill, a Republican from Columbia, says current Iowa law offers no legal remedy to people who are the target of “revenge porn” and this bill would classify that kind of retaliation as criminal harassment. “The days of ripping up a photograph and destroying the negative to get rid of any unwanted images that you’re not particularly proud of — those days are over, ” Heartsill says. “With digital technology, all of these photo images and video images have an indefinite shelf-life.”

Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, was the only “no” vote on the bill. She says bill backers have “good intentions.” “The way it’s currently written, I think that language probably does tread into the area of unconstitutionality,” Wolfe said. “But, I hope I’m wrong.”

The bill now must clear a committee in the state SENATE by Friday to remain eligible for consideration this year.

(Radio Iowa)

Republicans in the Iowa Senate have sent the governor a bill that significantly changes Iowa’s workers compensation system, but not as dramatically as Republicans originally suggested in February. The bill no longer cuts off workers comp benefits at age 67. It does not reduce benefits for shoulder injuries as significantly as the bill’s original version did. Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, calls those changes a start. “It makes a very dangerous bill better,” Boulton says. “It does not solve all the problems.”

Senator Michael Breitbach, a Republican from Strawberry Point, says the bill is necessary because too many lawsuits are being filed and the 1913 law was designed to quickly determine benefits to injured workers and AVOID lawsuits. “I believe this bill returns the law to its intended balance, protecting employees and employers,” Breitbach says, “and ensuring everyone is paid in a timely manner while providing the intended predictability.”

According to Boulton, the end result still is a “wish list” from “corporations and insurance companies.” “It’s about preserving corporate profits at the expense of Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens,” Boulton said. “…I am floored by what this legislation seeks to do to working Iowans. It is unconscionable.” Breitbach shot back: “I think it should scare us the number of claims that attorneys have filed in the last month because they’re afraid we might change the law.”

Earlier this month, Governor Terry Branstad said he was “pleased” Republican legislators were preparing a workers comp system adjustment and he’s expected to sign the bill into law. Branstad has accused lawyers of “tilting” workers comp and making it more of a “long term disability” system rather than temporary financial help while a worker recovers from an injury.

(Radio Iowa)

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge says Gov. Terry Branstad doesn’t have to testify under oath in a lawsuit filed by a fired Division of Criminal Investigation agent who blames Branstad for destroying his career. Judge William Kelly, a Branstad appointee, rejected Larry Hedlund’s request to depose Branstad in Hedlund’s wrongful termination lawsuit. Kelly ruled in favor of the Iowa attorney general’s office, which is representing Branstad and argued the governor was too busy to face a two-hour deposition.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A House panel has approved a bill that would toughen Iowa’s regulations for texting and driving. A subcommittee of the House Transportation Committee unanimously agreed Monday to support the legislation. It’s now eligible for a full committee vote. The bill would allow a law enforcement officer to pull over a driver specifically for texting. It’s a secondary offense under current law, meaning an officer must have another reason to initiate a traffic stop.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has passed a bill that would ban local governments from increasing the minimum hourly wage, effectively cutting pay for some workers. The GOP-controlled Senate voted 29-21 Monday for the measure, which already passed in the Republican-majority House. The bill now heads to GOP Gov. Terry Branstad, who supports it.

HARLAN, Iowa (AP) — Remains of an Iowa soldier who died in the Korean War are being returned for burial in Arlington National Cemetery. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday that the remains of Army Sgt. Donald Noehren, of Harlan, Iowa, will be buried April 3. The agency says the 23-year-old Noehren was reported to have died at a prisoner camp on Jan. 22, 1951. DNA analysis of remains recovered in 2005 later helped confirm his identity.

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board, Monday evening, received an update on several projects and proposals. Director Seth Staashelm said the Sunnyside Pool Steering Committee looked at several pool renovation and or construction concepts provided by Waters Edge Aquatic Design out of Lenexa, KS., and came to the conclusion a $4.5-million dollar pool renovation would be the best out of four plans presented by the company, using some elements of each plan.

The concept plan chosen by the Sunnyside Pool Steering Committee, will be available to the public for viewing later this week on the Parks and Rec website, and by other means. There will also be tri-fold handouts a traveling display with 3-D renderings of the pool layout and design. The information will be made available during local events such as Produce in the Park, AtlanticFest and other activities or events. The plan to be presented is by no means the final picture of what the pool will look like, at least this point in time.

A $3.7-million bond vote for the project isn’t likely to happen until July 2019. If a bond is approved, Staashelm says it would cost the taxpayers about 81-cents per $1,000 assessed residential property valuation and $1.30/$1,000 for commercial properties. If the bond is approved, construction on the project wouldn’t start until 2020.

Staashelm said his first priority right now is the Schildberg Recreation Area project, which is still in the running for an Enhance Iowa grant. He said there’s still a gap in local fundraising that must be met before he meets with the Enhance Iowa Board
He says they still need to raise $25,000.

He’s counting on larger, corporate donations and more private donations to help out. Staashelm says he’ll next meet with the Enhance Iowa Board April 5th. No (additional) work can begin on the project until the award is granted. All the campground pads are in and water/electrical hooks are installed as well for the pads. The campground will hopefully be open by Memorial Day, especially for construction workers involved in the Rec Area Project. A resident camper will oversee the grounds during the camping season.

On a side note, there will be a Healthy Cass County Walk from 11:30-a.m. to 1:30-p.m. April 6th, and an Earth Day event at the Schildberg Rec Area April 22 from 11-until 2. For more information call the Atlantic Parks and Rec Department or see their website.

The level of the Missouri River is rising, but it’s according to plan. Dave Becker, operations manager at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, says more water is being released to prepare for the start of boating season downriver in a few days. “We started increasing our flows on March 19th to build up for those navigation flows,” Becker says. “We were at 17,000 (cubic feet per second) and we’re at 26,000 and working our way up to 28,000 and the plan is for us to keep it at that flow for a while to help support navigation.”

The barge season begins next weekend (April 1st) at the mouth of the Missouri, north of St. Louis. Becker says they will adjust the flows based on other incoming stream flow below the dam.”If there’s other streams that are providing a lot of water in the river like the James, the Big Sioux, any of those downstream, if they’re really supplementing some of that water for navigation, we might not need to do that so much,” Becker says. “That is a flexible thing.”

The river has risen about three feet at Sioux City and around four feet at Omaha. Both rises are well below flood stage. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported earlier this month it has more than 95-percent of the flood storage available behind the six, main stem dams.

(Radio Iowa)