The 7:06-a.m. report w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An 18-year-old Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty to kidnappings linked to a dispute over drug dealings. The Sioux City Journal reports  that Isaiah Mothershed entered his plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court. He’s charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of willful injury.

Court documents say two people who went to buy marijuana from Mothershed on July 7 were bound and blindfolded by him after he accused them of helping another person steal his pot. The documents say he used a hot object to burn their faces and struck one of them with a shotgun. The documents say Mothershed then forced them into the trunk of his car, but they escaped later when he stopped and left the car to go into a house.

Police in Red Oak arrested two men on assault charges, Tuesday. 36-year old Philip Michael Eshelman, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 4:30-p.m., in the 2400 block of N. Broadway Street, on a warrant for Assault Causing Serious Injury. And, at around 6:55-p.m., 23-year old Cody Dean Johnson, of Red Oak, was arrested on Trespassing and Simple Assault charges. His arrest stems from an incident that  occurred at around 12:30-p.m. Tuesday where Johnson allegedly entered a home without permission, in the 300 block of 1st Avenue, and hit a resident there.

Johnson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 cash bond, while Eshelman was being held in the jail without bond.

Two people were arrested Tuesday evening on forgery charges, in Montgomery County. According to Red Oak Police, 31-year old Christopher Ivan Long, of Red Oak, was arrested on 11 Felony counts of Forgery. 33-year old Bobbie Jo Bruce, also of Red Oak, was arrested on three Felony counts of Forgery.

Officials say Long committed acts of Forgery from April 27th until July 11th, while Bruce’s acts dated from June 23rd to July 11th. Each of the Forgery incidents were allegedly committed at the United Farmers Mercantile Cooperative, in Red Oak.

The suspects were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 cash bond, each. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in the investigation and arrests.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa says it wants to spend up to $45 million on improvements to Kinnick Stadium and about $85 million on a student-housing project. The university outlined plans for the new projects in a document sent to the Board of Regents. The UI will provide more detail at a regents meeting next week.

The university outlined plans to spend $35 million to $45 million on renovations to the stadium, focused on the north end zone. Improvements would include new suites, restroom upgrades and expanded food options.

The UI also wants to spend about $85 million on a student-housing project near the athletic complex that would be financed through athletic department and dormitory revenue bonds.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has extended a state of disaster emergency through Aug. 30 in response to the bird flu outbreak in the state. The virus has infected more than 31.5 million birds in Iowa, mostly egg-laying chickens, making the state the hardest hit in the nation. Branstad’s declaration activates disaster response programs, allows the use of state supplies and makes other efforts to speed response efforts.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former field hockey coach who was fired at the University of Iowa last year has filed a state civil rights complaint. Tracey Griesbaum’s action is a step toward filing a lawsuit. Her attorney, Tom Newkirk, says he and Griesbaum have exhausted efforts “to get the university to investigate and remedy this without a lawsuit.” Griesbaum has said gender bias under athletics director Gary Barta led to her firing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the federal government expects to pay chicken and turkey farmers $191 million to cover their bird flu losses. That’s in addition to the $400 million spent on cleaning up dead birds and disinfecting barns. The government also is paying to research and stockpile a bird flu vaccine.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A lockdown is still in place at the Iowa State Penitentiary, more than three weeks after a dangerous felon escaped the maximum security lockup in Fort Madison and made it to Illinois. Inmates are mostly confined to their cells and there will be no visitors allowed this coming weekend.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office has tentatively identified the man found in the ditch off of River Road North of Council Bluffs, Tuesday, as 52-year old Albert J. Giramonti, of rural Crescent. Giramonti had been reported missing by his wife on Sunday July 26, 2015 at 4:41 p.m.  Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said it appears Giramonti tried to take the curve on the gravel road too fast, lost control and left the roadway, landing in ditch of high grass.

His body was discovered next to his 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle, by a County Engineer employee who was mowing in the area. Giramonti’s body will be transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny Iowa for an autopsy. The matter remains under investigation.

Authorities are investigating the discovery of a body near Interstate 29 north of Council Bluffs. According to KETV on Omaha, the scene is along River Road adjacent to the interstate. Investigators say a county roads crew found a man’s body next to a motorcycle in a ditch. The medical examiner was called to the scene; the motorcycle has been towed.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department will hold an official Grand Opening for the Buck Creek Dog Park, later this week. It’s a project that’s been three-years in the making. The all-day event will be held Friday morning at the park, located on the northwest side of the Schildberg Recreation Area, in Atlantic. Atlantic Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring says a ribbon cutting ceremony set to take place at 10-a.m., with doggie treats available for man’s best friend, and veterinary services available  twice during the day.

Small dog exercise area

Local veterinarians will be offering discounts on dog vaccination clinics from Noon until 1pm and again from 4-until 6-p.m. Dogs must be vaccinated and have current tags in order for them to use the park. A table will also be set up for people to license their dogs. Herring says if you live outside of Atlantic and want to license your dog, you can do so at no charge, because it’s not a requirement for those living outside the City limits. Licensing your pet will give some peace mind, he says, because if your animal is lost, it can be returned to you faster when it is found.

Large dog exercise area

The dog park is surrounded by fencing and is divided into sections for big and small dogs, with plenty of space for them to run, and, agility/exercise equipment created as part of an Eagle Scout project. The pet must be on a leash until it enters the proper exercise area. Dog owners must also supervise their animals while they are in the exercise area. And, no one under the age of 12 can be with their animal in the park, without adult supervision. Other rules for the dog park are posted on signs located at the entrance to the area.

The exercise equipment includes a tunnel on both sides (of the small and large dog areas) with scrap plastic by Plastics Professionals in Atlantic, and mulch, to prevent the growth of weeds. There’s weaving poles, an A-ramp for dogs to climb, hurdles for small and large dogs, among other things. Herring says within the next couple of months, there will be a parking area installed between the fence and Buck Creek Road. Until then, vehicles may park alongside the grassy shoulder of the road or on a portion of the road itself, if the conditions are too wet or muddy on the shoulder.

Herring reminds dog owners that their animals’ feces must be picked up by owners, even if the droppings are on the grass. The exception would be in tall grass areas. Bag stations are provided around the area for that purpose.

The Museum of Danish America, in Elk Horn, has passed the American Alliance of Museums’ Core Documents Verification, an important milestone in its ongoing efforts to demonstrate excellence and meet standards and best practices. Earning Core Documents Verification means the national professional organization for the museum industry has verified – through a thorough expert review- that the Museum of Danish America has policies in place that reflect standard practices of professional museums.

Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, IA.

Of the nation’s roughly 35,000 museums, only about 1,100 have passed the Core Documents Verification. Museum of Danish America is one of 19 museums in Iowa to have done so. Core Documents Verification is a launching pad for accreditation, the museum field’s mark of distinction and “gold standard” of museum excellence.

Dr. John Mark Nielsen, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Museum of Danish America, said “One reason we undertook this external review was to show that the museum has in place the policies and plans that are essential to good museum management and which provide our staff and board the structure, ethical grounding, and accountability needed to make informed and consistent decisions for the good of our public and for the sustainability of our institution.”

The Museum of Danish America was founded as The Danish Immigrant Museum in 1983. It is the only national institution of its kind with a professionally-trained curatorial staff and is located in the heart of the largest rural settlement of Danes. The Museum of Danish America includes the main museum, the Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park, a separate Genealogy Center, a homesteader’s cabin, and Bedstemor’s House, a house museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

More information can be found at www.danishmuseum.org.