Officials with the Harlan Police Dept. said Wednesday, two people were arrested on separate charges, recently. On Thursday, September 3rd, 43-year old Pedro Duran, of Waterloo, was taken into custody when the police were notified that there may be a missing, runaway, or endangered juvenile in an 2006 Toyota. The vehicle was located, parked, in the 2200 block of Lincoln Avenue. Duran had exited the car prior to officers making contact with him. The possible missing/endangered juvenile was not in the vehicle. Duran was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with intoxication in public and was issued a citation for open container.

And on Saturday, Sept. 5th, 27-year old Charlie Hadfield, of Earling, was arrested in Harlan, following a traffic stop. Hadfield was charged with driving while suspended. He was cited for the offense, and released.

An accident in rural, northeastern Pottawattamie County Tuesday night, happened when the driver of a pickup apparently fell asleep as he was texting. The Pott. County Sheriff’s Dept. says 18-year old Zaine Klahn, of rural Avoca, was traveling west on Highway 83 at around 11-p.m., when his 2002 Chevy Avalanche left the road and rolled several times before coming to rest in the south ditch, upside down.

Klahn, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected during the crash and was found beneath the vehicle when deputies arrived. He was transported by Walnut Rescue to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The incident remains under investigation, and charges are possible.

A group of concerned citizens packed the Cass County Board of Supervisor’s Board Room Wednesday morning, to express their disappointment in the Board’s vote with regard to the re-appointment of Cass County Assessor Brenda Nelson. The Board was one of three governing agencies (The School Board and Mayors, being the others), to vote 2-1 against re-appointing Nelson as Cass County Assessor for a six-year term beginning January, 2016. The vote not to reappoint her was held during the Conference Board’s meeting last Thursday night.

Before opening up the public comment portion of the Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Board Chair Frank Waters…who is also chair of the Conference Board…announced he would not take comments with regard to the Assessor’s reappointment. That left the audience frustrated, but the discussion still turned toward the Assessor’s matter. One of those who spoke was Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, who called for another meeting of the Conference Board because he wasn’t able to attend Thursday’s meeting. Waters told Jones in essence, he should have been there, and Supervisor Mark Wedemeyer agreed.

One of those in attendance was upset the Supervisors would not take comments on the Nelson matter, and questioned their reasoning. Waters explained they are two separate Boards. He said those comments can be taken at the next Conference Board meeting, which is typically held twice a year and has not yet been rescheduled.

Waters said the Conference Board can hold a special meeting before Nov. 1st, if there are enough written comments to the Board Chair (Waters) requesting the meeting. One of the comments from local realtor Melissa Ihnen, was with regard to the posting of notice about the Conference Board meeting, so members of the public can attend. Wedemeyer explained the notice is posted by Nelson in the entryway to the courthouse, but not made available to the local media unless it is specifically requested.

Afterward, each member of the local newspaper and radio stations, including KJAN, went on record and requested Conference Board Chair Water provide notification of those meetings. If and when another meeting of the Conference Board is scheduled in the near future, we will let you know, here on KJAN.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Nearly 400 Iowans took their own lives last year and all Iowans are being encouraged to take an active role in preventing further deaths. Pat McGovern, the suicide prevention coordinator for the Iowa Department of Public Health, says it starts with trying to reduce the stigma of mental illness and reaching out to those who may be in trouble.

“It is okay to ask someone, ‘Are you suicidal?,'” McGovern says. “A lot of times, that gives a sense of relief to the person who is. They may not have even called it suicide in their own mind, but it’s thinking of suicide as an option. It allows them to know that someone does care, that there is someone who notices me, who sees me for whom I am and is concerned enough to have that conversation or to ask.”

This is Suicide Prevention Week. Last year, 392 Iowans died by suicide, making it the 10th leading cause of death in the state. Since many people know someone who has taken their own life, McGovern says the tragedy is a public health issue. “One risk with suicide is something called contagion, where someone in your social circle or your near community dies by suicide, it puts others at more risk,” McGovern says. “For some reason, we see that, we know about it and it affects us all in different ways.”

Warning signs that someone might be considering suicide include: someone talking about dying, hopelessness or taking their own life, pill hoarding, buying firearms, and dramatic life changes like the loss of a job, a loved one or a move to a new community. Learn more at the website Your-Life-Iowa-dot-org or call toll-free 855-581-8111.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Creston report two arrests on Tuesday. 14-year old Georjiarain McKown, of Creston, was referred to Juvenile Authorities on a charge of Disorderly Conduct. The teen was released to the custody of Juvenile Authorities. And, 28-year old Amber Buchanen, of Creston, was arrested on a 4th degree Theft charge. She was later released from the Union County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Creston Police said also, a resident in the 1100 block of Hillcrest Drive reported a Stihl chainsaw was taken from a garage on his property sometime on Friday, Sept. 4th. The loss was estimated at $299.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in a pursuit early this (Wednesday) morning, in western Iowa. According to authorities in Cass County, the pursuit of a black Ford Escort began at around 2:30-a.m. in Pottawattamie County and made its way into Cass County on Boston Road.

Stop sticks were deployed at 560th and Boston Road in Cass County, but the suspect vehicle managed to make it back into Pottawattamie County. The chase ended between Marne and Walnut at around 2:47-a.m., near 530th and Westgate Road.

Information about the name of the suspect, why he was being pursued, and the charges filed against him, are currently not available. Deputies from Cass, Audubon, Shelby and Pottawattamie County were involved in the pursuit.

New rules has been proposed that may make it easier for more ’emotionally or physically fragile” Iowa students to enroll in an online school. The Clayton Ridge Community School District in northeast Iowa and the CAM Community School District in southwest Iowa are the two, for-profit, online academies available to Iowa’s public school students. Phil Wise of the Iowa Department of Education says under current rules, no Iowa school district has to allow more than one percent of its total student population to enroll in CAM or Clayton Ridge, but the new rule would change that.

“A district can, if it chooses to, exceed the one percent cap if the district determines that it’s in the best educational interest of an emotionally or physically fragile student,” Wise says. Wise says senior leadership in the Iowa Department of Education made the proposal. “Because we had heard, not many, but we had heard of instances where a school superintendent wanted to be able to grant open enrollment, but could not,” Wise says.

The other proposed change would force local school districts to let a sibling enroll in one of Iowa’s online schools if a sister or brother is already enrolled in one of these two virtual academies. “In that case and only in that case is there an entitlement to that open enrollment,” Wise says. There’s a limitation on the total number of students statewide who can enroll in these two online schools.

For the last school year, that limit was 865 students. Only 730 students were enrolled in the two online academies last year, however. A public hearing on the proposed enrollment changes will be held on September 22nd, from 9 to 10 .m., in the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines. A legislative committee reviewed the proposed policy changes Tuesday morning.

(Radio Iowa)

A new report shows a lot of Iowa companies plan to boost their workforces before the end of the year. The fourth quarter Manpower Employment Outlook Survey found 27-percent of the companies questioned about their hiring plans expect to increase staff levels between October and December. Another seven-percent plan to lay off workers, while 64-percent expect to maintain current staff levels.

The figures are weaker compared to the hiring intentions in the third quarter survey, but leaders of Iowa companies are more optimistic about adding to their payrolls than they were one year ago. While 27-percent of the Iowa companies surveyed expect to add workers over the next three months, more than 11,000 employers were surveyed across the U.S. and 21-percent anticipate adding to their workforces.

(Radio Iowa)