A high school student in Colorado, with ties to Atlantic, was recently selected as a Marie Curie Scholar starting this fall at the College of Saint Mary. A surprise scholarship check presentation of $80,000 honored Emma Turner, of Loveland, CO., Nov.9th, at Loveland High School. Emma is the daughter of Darrick & Laura Turner, of Loveland (and formerly of Atlantic), and the granddaughter of Atlantic residents Norman and Sherry Templeman, and Dennis and Jane Turner.

Emma plans to major in biology at CSM. College of Saint Mary’s prestigious Marie Curie Scholars Program, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, provides significant financial support and resources for academically talented young women who study science or math. Marie Curie Scholars may receive up to $20,000 annually for four years in gift aid – and participants also receive free tutoring, have opportunities for undergraduate research, may participate in National Institute of Health and NASA research fellowships, and attend and present at national conferences.

Fall is open enrollment season for many health insurance plans. One option is to simply re-enroll in the same plan you chose for 2016. However, that can be a risky strategy: insurance plans can change their coverage terms from year to year; consumer health-care needs can change, too. Instead, careful consumers will match their needs for the next 12 months to a policy that will provide adequate coverage at the most affordable cost.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a FREE online workshop on Wednesday, November 30, from 6-8 PM. The Smart Choice Health Insurance Education program is research-based, non-political and non-commercial, and will equip consumers with tools they need to make the best possible decision when choosing health insurance plans for themselves and their families.

To register for this free online class register by noon on November 30 at http://tinyurl.com/pvmceb7. For more information, contact Barb Wollan, Human Sciences specialist in family finance, at 515-832-9597 or bwollan@iastate.edu.

A Southwest Iowa Beginner and Young Farmers group will kick off in Montgomery County on December 14, 2016. The Start to Farm: New Farmer Learning Network, organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is a statewide program designed to provide education and support for beginning and early-career agricultural producers.

The SW Iowa group will meet several times throughout the year to discuss farm management and beef cattle production topics. Based on priorities and specific topics determined by the group, they will discuss production techniques, ways to grow and improve business practices, and farm management strategies.

Production topics include: winter nutrition, reproduction management, preconditioning, nutrition management, low-stress weaning, pregnancy checking, body condition scoring and more. Farm Financial topics include: developing farm financial statements, using key financial rations and indicators, managing cash flow, financing capital assets and livestock economies.

Participants will participate in a wide variety of activities, including the opportunity to learn about resources available to get started and tour successful farming operations. They also will become part of a community of Iowa beginning farmers.

There is no registration fee for this program. It will be held in the White 4-H Exhibit Building at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Red Oak, Iowa. The program will begin at 6:30 pm, and it will end at 8:30 pm. The address is 1809 4th Street, Red Oak, Iowa. For more information contact Montgomery County Extension at 712-623-2592, or through their website at www.extension.iastate.edu/montgomery ,or “like” Montgomery County-IA Extension on Facebook.

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

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say one person has died and another has been injured in a crash that occurred during a police chase in Sioux City. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the chase began around 3:45 a.m. Friday, when a deputy tried to pull over a vehicle. The vehicle turned onto another street and accelerated, with the deputy in pursuit. The vehicle soon went out of control and crashed into a wall. The names of those involved haven’t been released.

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

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Deter Motor Company and The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce have announced nominations are currently being accepted for the 16th annual ATHENA Award, in Atlantic.  The award will be presented Saturday, Jan. 14th, 2017 at the Cass County Community Center. It is given to an exceptional individual who has achieved excellence in her/his business profession, has served the community in a meaningful way and has assisted women in their attainment of professional goals and leadership skills.

Athena Award

The ATHENA Award was first presented in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan and has grown to include presentations to more than 6,000 individuals in hundreds of cities across the globe. Locally, past winners include Kathie Hockenberry in 2016, Lanette Plambeck, Pat Markman, Dolly Bergmann, Wendy Richter, Ann Pross, Janell Hansen, Jan Kinison, Carole Schuler, Glenda Farrier, Margaret Slepsky, Denise O’Brien, Leanne Pellett, Judy Marnin, and LaVon Eblen.

Deter Motor Company believes in the values underlying ATHENA’s philosophy of incorporating talent and expertise of women into the leadership of our businesses, our communities and our government. The spirit of the ATHENA Award Program is captured in a quotation from Plato, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.” By honoring exceptional leaders, others will be encouraged to excel.

Those interested in nominating an individual can pick up a nomination packet at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, 102 Chestnut Street, or by visiting www.AtlanticIowa.com. Nominations are due by December 2nd, 2016 at noon at the Chamber Office.

PELLA, Iowa (AP) – A federally mandated study has concluded that Pella Corp. inadvertently released two dangerous chemicals into the ground at its plant in Pella.
The Des Moines Register reports that the study says pentachlorophenol and dioxin have reached the groundwater. Only those two chemicals were found at higher than acceptable levels.

Pella officials say the contaminants do not threaten the city’s drinking water, which comes from the Des Moines River and the Jordan aquifer. The study was a result of a 2010 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency, which required the company to test for 30 different possible sources of contamination. A Pella manager, Jim Nieboer, says Pella will wait for guidance from the EPA on whether Pella must remove the chemicals from the ground.

A 17-year old male was arrested Thursday evening in Fremont County for Possession of Butane Hash Oil (Commonly known as “DAB’s”), as well as Possession of Marijuana. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports the teen was transported to the Fremont County Jail following his arrest, and later brought to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs, where he will await his initial court appearance.

His arrest stems from a traffic stop in the 2500 block of Highway 275 in Fremont County. During the stop, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Dept. K9 unit detected the odor of narcotics, which resulted in a search of the vehicle.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad acted within his constitutional authority when he vetoed funding for two state-run mental health care facilities last year and closed them. Twenty legislators and the largest state employee union sued Branstad claiming a state law requires Iowa to have four mental health care institutes and limits Branstad’s ability to close the facilities by vetoing the money to run them approved by lawmakers.

TAMA, Iowa (AP) – Law enforcement officials say a 23-year-old central Iowa mother who vanished in 2000 is believed to be the victim of a homicide. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says agents have concluded Cora Okonski’s “disappearance was not voluntary.” Authorities are reclassifying Okonski as a homicide victim rather than a missing person, and several agencies are investigating.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines woman has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling more than $82,000 from the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit of Central Iowa over a two-year period. The Des Moines Register reports that 36-year-old Amy Howell was arrested Wednesday and charged with theft, ongoing criminal conduct and forgery. Howell remained in the Marshall County Jail on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Nebraska man has pleaded guilty to amended Iowa charges of indecent contact with a child and has been given a suspended six-year prison sentence and two years of probation. The Daily Nonpareil reports that 50-year-old Michael Robinson, of Omaha, Nebraska, entered the plea Tuesday, the day before his trial was set to begin. Authorities say Robinson inappropriately touched the girl from the time she was about 10 until she was 15.