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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
Governor Terry Branstad says he hopes some other Iowa city is able to land a new Prestage Farms pork plant after Mason City took itself out of the running. “I think they made a mistake,” Branstad says. “…First of all, Iowa is a leading pork producing state. It makes sense to process those pigs in Iowa.” The Mason City Council cast a tie vote on a development deal with the company in early May, rejecting the proposed 240-million dollar pork processing plant.
Branstad says he “was impressed” with Prestage when he met with the company’s executives. “It’s a family-owned business. They’ve had a great reputation in North Carolina,” Branstad says. Critics raised environmental concerns about wastewater from the plant and the odor from hog confinements that likely would be built or expanded to supply the plant. Others cited extra costs for the community, including the hiring of new school staff to teach the children of plant employees who do not speak English.
The C-E-O of Prestage says as the company examines other locations, he’ll be better prepared to deal with critics of the project, who he calls “kooks”. “What I’m concerned about is South Dakota and other states would like to have them,” Branstad says. “We hope that we could get this in Iowa because I think it would be good for the Iowa independent pork producers and good for the Iowa economy.”
Prestage Farms officials say “dozens” of cities in Iowa and elsewhere have expressed interest in their project. The Prestage Farms C-E-O says he’s open to building anywhere in the upper Midwest, but Iowa is still his “preference.” Mason City officials initially offered a more than 11-million dollar package of local incentives to land the deal. A petition drive is underway in the community to try to get the city council to reverse its rejection of the project.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement led the lobbying effort against the deal and the group vows to organize in other Iowa cities where Prestage might consider locating.
(Radio Iowa)
Police in Creston say a resident of the 100 block of N. Division Street reported Tuesday, someone stole his red, Brinkman Smoker Grill. The theft occurred sometime between Midnight and 3-a.m., Tuesday. The grill was valued at $20.
The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson
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PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) – An Iowa woman has been convicted of trespassing and criminal mischief for smashing windows at a defense contractor’s building near Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha. Mike Pilmaier is a former Bellevue police officer, and he told the jury Tuesday that he found Jessica Reznicek, of Des Moines, near a baseball bat outside the Bellevue offices of Northrop Grumman on Dec. 27. Pilmaier says Reznicek told him she used it to smash windows and had gone to the building to get documents that she thought belonged in the public’s hands.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Reznicek testified that she felt compelled to act because Northrop Grumman had weapons contracts with the U.S. government. Three other people were with her that night, but their charges have been dropped.
Police in Red Oak say an 85-year old woman was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon, after she allegedly assault a peace officer. Lois Marilyn Nelson, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 3:25-p.m. on the simple misdemeanor charge and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $1,000.
Red Oak Police said also, 36-year old Allison Mary Ruhl, of Red Oak, was arrested Tuesday afternoon, on a Montgomery County warrant for Violation of Probation. Ruhl was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.
And, at around 10:30-p.m., Tuesday, Red Oak Police arrested 23-year old Angela Georgia Bradfield, of Oklahoma, on a charges of Driving While Suspended and Failure to hold SR-22 insurance. Bradfield was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police say the credit and debit card information from a “significant” number of customers at two local banks has been stolen by devices known as skimmers. Police said Tuesday that they are cooperating with the FBI to locate anyone connected with the skimmers, which were installed on the exterior of an ATM at an Iowa-Nebraska State Bank branch and an ATM at a Pinnacle Bank branch.
Detective Jeff Harstad says the skimmers were found May 14 and May 21. Sgt. Chris Groves said some of the stolen card numbers were used to make fraudulent charges, but most of the charges were made outside of Siouxland. Authorities have not disclosed the exact number of customers who have been affected.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police say the credit and debit card information from a “significant” number of customers at two local banks has been stolen by devices known as skimmers. The Sioux City Journal reports that police said Tuesday that they are cooperating with the FBI to locate anyone connected with the skimmers, which were installed on the exterior of an ATM at an Iowa-Nebraska State Bank branch and an ATM at a Pinnacle Bank branch. Detective Jeff Harstad says the skimmers were found May 14 and May 21.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Millions of tiny wasps that are natural parasites for the emerald ash borer have been released into wooded areas in 24 states as the battle against the tree-killing borer is now biological. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has researched and approved for release four species of parasitic wasps that naturally target the larval and egg stages of the ash borer, which has killed an estimated 38 million ash trees in urban and residential areas.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A development group wants to build a 29-story high-rise in downtown Des Moines. Blackbird Investments, a Des Moines-based developer, wants to build the proposed $60 million tower on an empty lot where half of the former Younkers department store was destroyed in a 2014 fire. The high-rise plan calls for 220 condos or apartments, roughly 150 hotel rooms and ground-level storefronts.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A downtown Des Moines bridge will close for a year as engineers work on raising it to meet flood rules. KCCI-TV reports that the city will spend $2.5 million to raise the historic Red Bridge over the Des Moines River by four and a half feet. Des Moines’ city engineer says the Army Corps of Engineers updated its flood rules for the river in 2011, and the bridge is now too low.
Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports two people from Nebraska were arrested on drug charges, Tuesday afternoon. Deputies conducting a traffic stop in the 2100 block of Waubonsie Ave., near Bartlett, arrested 35-year old Craig Casey and 33- year old Anh Phan, both of Omaha, and both of whom were found to be in possession of Methamphetamine. Casey and Phan were transported to the Fremont County Jail, where Casey’s bond set at $1,000 cash and Phan’s bond set at $5,000. Deputies were assisted by the Fremont County K9 Unit.
Earlier in the day, Tuesday, deputies in Fremont County arrested 30-year old Isaac Hayes, of Hamburg, for driving revoked. Hayes was transported to the Jail and held on $1,000 bond.
Police in Council Bluffs report six people were injured, one critically, during a rollover accident Tuesday evening in the 3400 block of Veterans Memorial Highway (VMH). Two others escaped injury during the crash. The accident happened at around 6:22-p.m., as 29-year old Anna Sanchez, of Omaha, who was driving a 2004 Ford Explorer was eastbound on the VMH, approaching 35th Street.
Sanchez told police a red Isuzu Rodeo with a spare tire on the back pulled out in front of her. To avoid striking the Rodeo, Anna attempted to swerve around the vehicle. The Explorer began rotating clockwise and entered the south ditch facing nearly westerly. The vehicle rolled at least one time before coming to rest on its roof.
Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue and Bluffs Police responded to the scene, where there were a total of eight accident victims, all of whom are from Omaha. One of the victims, 16-year old Rosa Sanchez, suffered critical injuries. Seven-year old Gendri Ramirez Sanchez suffered a non-life threatening injury. Both were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
The driver, and three other passengers ages three, 15 and 17, suffered minor injuries ranging from a bumps and bruises to a broken arm.
The Council Bluffs Police Traffic Unit is conducting an investigation into the crash. Anyone with information regarding the Isuzu Rodeo is asked to contact police at 712‐328‐4948 or 712‐328‐STOP.
Firefighters from Harlan and Westphalia battled a garage fire Monday evening, in Harlan. The blaze at 1711 6th Street was reported at around 5:25-p.m. Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen said there was significant damage to the structure, but no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.