Stargazers in Iowa will have something of a triple-play late tonight (Friday) and early tomorrow (Saturday). We’re being treated to a lunar eclipse, a “snow moon,” and a relatively close fly-by from a comet. Steve Spangler, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, says if you’ve never heard of a “snow moon” before, you’re not alone. “The ‘snow moon’ term is not one that’s in broad astronomical use, in fact, I had to look up in the Astronomical Almanac to see what the definition is,” Spangler says. “It just means a full moon in February, so except under rare circumstances, every year, you’ll get one.”

While that full moon may be big, bright and beautiful, it’ll be covered in darkness early in the evening, but only temporarily. “Eclipses of the moon are due to the moon going into the shadow of the Earth,” Spangler says. “All of the light in the solar system, most of it anyway, comes from the sun. The Earth is an opaque object and it casts a shadow back into space behind it and sometimes, at the time of a full moon, the moon will go through this shadow.”

This is what’s known as a penumbral eclipse, as the moon won’t be completely covered by the earth’s shadow. The peak of the eclipse should arrive at 6:43 P-M Central time. Early Saturday morning, there’ll be another space spectacle to behold as Comet 45-P will be coming into view around 3 A-M. It’ll be in the constellation Hercules but don’t confuse comets with “falling stars” or meteors. There will be no startling “shooting star” streak across the night sky, as a comet typically appears stationary, if you can find one.

“It’d be a good idea to get a star chart so you’ll know where you’re looking, otherwise, it’s not something you’re going to casually notice in the sky,” Spangler says. “You’ll need at least a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope and a star chart to show exactly where it is.” Comet 45-P will be about seven-point-four million miles away from Earth, which is considered very close in astronomical terms.

(Radio Iowa)

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

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Officials with the Creston Police Department are issuing a warning about an ongoing scam. Authorities say the Creston P-D has received recent reports from citizens stating they had received calls from the Police Department’s phone number (641-782-8402), telling the citizen that they have warrants, and that they would be arrested unless the citizen pays a bond over the phone.

The Creston P-D says it does NOT release warrant information over the phone and we would never ask someone to pay a bond over the phone. If you receive a similar, threatening call, it means the Creston P-D’s phone number is being spoofed, and someone is trying to scam you for money.

Other law enforcement agencies have reported the same scam, including the Pottawattamie and Page County Sheriff’s Offices in 2015, and the Atlantic P-D in 2014. Never give your personal information to someone who calls you. If you have any doubt about your status with a law enforcement agency, call that agency directly.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest late Thursday morning of a man wanted on a Union County warrant. 20-year old Jacob Ransom Gryder, of Creston, was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. on the warrant for Failure to Appear in court on an original charge of OWI/1st offense. Gryder was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 cash only bond.

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

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Woodbury County attorney is expected to announce his ruling today (Friday) on whether he’ll charge a Sioux City police officer who fatally shot a South Dakota man during a traffic stop. County Attorney Patrick Jennings has scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the Dec. 7th shooting of 36-year-old Daniel Riedmann, of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.

Police have said Officer Dylan Grimsley and his partner learned during the stop of an arrest warrant for Riedmann and a warning that Riedmann was considered armed and dangerous.

Police say Riedmann ignored the officers’ commands to show his hands and unlock a door of the vehicle in which he was a passenger. Police say Grimsley shot Riedmann when Riedmann reached for something. Police say a loaded handgun was found in the vehicle.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials have confirmed that the state has stopped servicing or tracking the more than 700 self-help computer kiosks installed to replace dozens of unemployment offices closed in 2011 as a money-saving effort.

Iowa Workforce Development spokeswoman Courtney Greene told The Des Moines Register that it’s unknown how many kiosks in the virtual access points program are still dedicated to helping the unemployed. Initially the kiosks were placed in public places such as libraries and homeless shelters.

Greene says improved technology that lets Iowans file for weekly unemployment claims by smartphone has made the kiosks less essential. She says the kiosk system was discontinued as part of the department’s efficiency efforts. It’s unclear when the department ended the program.

The new U-S quarter featuring Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeast Iowa near Harpers Ferry is now in circulation. The quarter is part of the U-S Mint’s “America the Beautiful” series and Effigy Mounds park Ranger Bob Palmer says it fits the beautiful description very well. “Oh, it’s amazing. In terms of being able to depict Effigy Mounds on something that small — to be honest with you — I was pretty skeptical when this whole process started some time ago,” Palmer says.

He says his skepticism about the quarter quickly changed. “When I saw the coin for the first time I was absolutely blown away that the essence of the Effigy Mounds could be captured on something that’s a little more than an inch in diameter,” according to Palmer. There are some 200 burial mounds at the monument along the Mississippi River Valley, and the coin shows one grouping.

“What it depicts are three mounds, two of what we tend to call bear mounds and then one bird mound. And the orientation of those three mounds represents three mounds that are found up in the south unit of the park,” Palmer says. “So, anyone who is very familiar with the park and very familiar with the various mound groups looks at that and immediately knows what that’s depicting. So, it pretty neat that it’s actually depicting something that is true to life.”

The mounds were believed to have been built by American Indians around one-thousand years ago. President Harry Truman signed the proclamation that created Effigy Mounds National Monument on October 25th, 1949. The quarter was designed by Sioux City native Richard Masters , who is an associate professor of art at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Palmer says there’s been a lot of local buzz since the coin was officially released Monday, and he says it could lead to more attention as people across the country discover the coin.

“I would think that if somebody would take a coin out of their pocket and see Effigy Mounds that might lead to a little more interest,” Palmer says. He says the amount of attention they get remains to be seen, but there is certainly a lot of interest in northeast Iowa. Palmer says they get 80 to 85-thousand visitors to the monument every year — and for those Iowans who have never been there — the scenery itself is worth it.

“This part of the state is very different than the rest of the state,” Palmer explains. “And the Effigy Mounds are primarily found…in southern Wisconsin and the do reach into extreme northeast Iowa. And the geography and topography here more represents what you’d find in Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota and northwestern Illinois. So, it is a place that is special unto itself.”

The visitor center at Effigy Mounds is open year round except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and during extreme weather conditions. The hours vary and you can check them on their website: https://www.nps.gov/efmo/index.htm

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa’s Joni Ernst has joined with seven other Republican senators in urging President Trump to “pursue a principled and tough-minded Russia policy.”Ernst and the other senators cited Russia’s “aggressive behavior” in Ukraine and Syria as well as Russia’s “warfare” in “cyberspace.” The group said “Russia’s cooperation is desirable” on issues like nuclear arms control and attacking terrorism. But Ernst and the seven other Republicans warned Trump against pursuing cooperation with Russia “at the expense of our fundamental interests of defending our allies and promoting our values.”

Ernst has often said visiting the Ukraine as a college student and seeing the Soviet system up close prompted her to join the military. In the letter to Trump, Ernst and the other senators asked him to “condemn” Russian aggression in Ukraine and “take…steps” to stop it. The group of senators also urged Trump to maintain current U.S. sanctions against Russia.

The statement from Ernst and the seven other G-O-P senators comes a few days after Trump’s Super Bowl interview on Fox News. The network’s Bill O’Reilly labeled Vladimir Putin “a killer” and Trump replied that there are “a lot of killers” — then Trump asked: “You think our country’s so innocent?”

(Radio Iowa)

A traffic stop early this (Friday) morning in Adams County resulted in a man being arrested on a weapons charge. The Adams County Sheriff’s Department says deputies stopped a vehicle about three-miles northwest of Lenox, near the intersection of 265th and Quince Avenue at around 12:25-a.m. Upon further investigation, Deputies located a loaded revolver under the passenger seat of the vehicle. 21-year old Bryan Garcia, of Lenox, was taken into custody for Carrying Weapons (Concealed). Garcia was brought to the Adams County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.