The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said today (Friday), a Shelby County man was sentenced to prison on a Child Pornography charge. A District Court Judge Thursday, sentenced 55-year old Michael Charles Garreans, of Harlan, to 60 months in prison for possession of child pornography. Garreans’ term of imprisonment is to be followed by seven years of supervised release.

On June 9, 2016, Garreans entered a guilty plea to a federal indictment, charging Garreans with possessing child pornography on or about July 18, 2014. The charge was the result of an investigation into the posting of a video, which contained images of two unclothed minor girls, on a web site being monitored by law enforcement. Law enforcement followed up with a search warrant of Garreans’ residence and located a computer that contained hundreds of images of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Harlan, Iowa Police Department and the United States Marshal’s Service. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(12-p.m. News)

An investigation is underway after fire heavily damaged a livestock feed plant in southeast Iowa. Firefighters were called to the Church & Dwight plant south of Oskaloosa on Highway 23 shortly before 6-a.m. Thursday, morning where a livestock feed dryer caught fire. The fire caused extensive damage to one of two production lines, estimated at $2 million. There were no injuries reported.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 4.2 percent. Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the rate didn’t change even as the number of people with jobs increased, due to an expanded workforce.

The rate was up from 3.6 percent a year ago but remained beneath the national rate of 5 percent in September. The state estimates there were 1.65 million people working during the month.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a Creston woman was arrested Thursday night on an OWI charge. 46-year old Catherine Ann Scadden was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. She was later released on $1000 bond.

Two people in a semi tractor trailer were transported by Medivac Ambulance to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, after their rig caught fire this (Friday) on the Olive Street Exit from Interstate 80 eastbound (Exit 57/Cass County Road N-16). Atlantic Firefighter Gene Schmeling told KJAN News the driver of the semi had pulled-off the road to check on the trailer “Reefer” (the refrigeration unit), when he discovered flames. Atlantic Fire was notified of the incident at around 1:24-a.m. and was back in town by around 4:30.

The truck and its load of beef were a total loss. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and no other details are currently available.

(Updated 11-a.m.)

TEMPLETON, Iowa (AP) – Templeton Rye plans to distill whiskey at its bottling facility in west-central Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that the company is adding distilling equipment and warehouses at its plant in Templeton, in Carroll County, a town of about 360 residents.

In 2015 the company settled lawsuits over labeling the whiskey as “small-batch rye” made in Iowa when it actually was a stock whiskey made by MGP Ingredients in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It’s unclear whether the expansion project means all of the Templeton Rye will be distilled in Templeton.

On Friday (today), the Iowa Economic Development Authority approved the company’s request for around $1.6 million in tax credits and refunds to help the expansion project. The expansion is expected to create 27 jobs.

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

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A Creston woman was arrested Thursday night for 2nd Degree Burglary. Creston Police say 24-year old Courtney Sanson was taken into custody at around 8:30-p.m. at the Union County law Enforcement Center, and transported to the Ringgold County Jail, where her bond was set at $10,000.

The board that governs the three state universities Thursday approved the first vote on a proposed two percent increase in tuition for students who are Iowa residents. It’s part of a plan to set the tuition rate for each of the next two school years, if there is a corresponding increase in state funds. Student government leaders at the schools spoke before the vote and University of Northern Iowa student body president, Hunter Flesch, says they took a poll on campus about the increase.

“The majority of students stated that they would not support this increase because college is becoming significantly more expensive year after year,” Flesch says. “However, many students commented that although this is another increase, the added predictability would make it easier to plan for.” Flesch says the biggest concern is that the tuition increase won’t be matched by an increase in state funding.

“This past year the state largely underfunded the three Regent’s schools from their original request — causing tuition to rise again. If the state decides that higher education is not the top priority for this next legislative session, the money will have to be made up somehow. Leaving all of our non-resident students who won’t have the fixed increase to support the rest of us,” Flesch says. He says that’s a big concern on the Cedar Falls campus where 85 percent of the students are from Iowa.

University of Iowa student president, Rachel Zuckerman, expressed her reservations about the tuition increase. “I’ll start by saving I am generally concerned about the future of higher education costs. Our country is moving in a dangerous direction where costs are spiraling out of control,” Zuckerman says. “I dream of the day where we can stop talking about tuition increases.” Zuckerman says the Iowa schools are part of a national tuition arms race where they have to keep increasing to pay faculty more to keep up with other schools.

“But I believe the money that will be incurred from these increases in necessary for the university to continue operating at our existing level and to remain competitive with other institutions. I would not be supporting an increase if I did not believe it was necessary to maintain the value of a University of Iowa degree,” Zuckerman says.

Iowa State University student body president, Cole Staudt, says the students he represents have both support and concerns about the tuition increase. “I understand why we raise tuition and the state of the economy in Iowa that has such and impact on funding,” Staudt says. “Over the summer we saw the direct impact state funding has on our students as the three universities and the board scrambled to increase revenue in order to provide the quality of education that I expect and we all expect from out public universities.” Staudt also says the impact on out-of-state students is the other key factor in the discussion.

“My greatest concern with what is before us today is the growing divide in resident and non-resident tuition,” according to Staudt. “The simple fact is that resident tuition combined with general fund allocations from the state do not cover the cost of instruction and these costs are passed on to non-resident students.” Staudt says the schools need to have students who are not from Iowa.

“The contributions that non-residents make to the educational experience is valuable. They provide racial an ethnic diversity in a state that is 97 percent white,” Staudt says. Mandatory fees will increase by more than five percent at I-S-U, and Staudt praised a new 24 dollar fee that will go toward providing more mental health services to students. There’s also 130 dollar records fee that he says will save students money over time. The mandatory fees will increase by two percent at the University of Iowa and two-point-six percent at the University of Northern Iowa.

The Regents will have a second reading on the proposed increase at their meeting in December.

(Radio Iowa)