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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

MidAmerican Energy Company wants customers to observe stars, stripes and safety this Independence Day. Whether swimming at a nearby lake or barbequing with friends and family, the company encourages customers to follow these five tips to ensure a fun and safe holiday.

1. Water and electricity don’t mix. Before you jump into the pool or lake this Fourth of July, be conscious of electrical hazards. Keep all electrical items at least ten feet away from water. Don’t use electric tools such as hedge trimmers when it’s raining, and be sure cords aren’t running through standing water. If an electrical appliance falls into water, never reach in to grab it. First, make sure you are dry and not touching any metal objects, then unplug it or switch off the circuit breaker.

2. Barbeque smart. Each year an average of 8,800 home fires are caused by grilling, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Never use a grill indoors. Gases produced by charcoal or gas grills can be extremely harmful. Also, never leave a grill unattended and always ensure the grill is a safe distance from siding, decks and other flammable materials.

3. Teach children to play safe. Remind children to fly kites only in open areas where there are not any power lines. Make sure they know to never use metal on a kite, climb utility poles or trees with power lines running through them, play on or near electrical boxes, or enter an electrical substation. Call MidAmerican Energy at 888-427-5632 to retrieve lost balls or toys that accidentally get tossed over a substation fence.

4. Call before you dig. Building a deck to host a Fourth of July celebration? Digging a fire pit? Any time you dig, call your state’s one-call system at least 48 hours prior to the excavation – it’s a free service, and it is the law. In all states, call 811 to reach the One Call Center.

5. Look up and stay away. Make sure you know where overhead power lines are located before using fireworks, balloons or ladders. Contact with power lines can be extremely dangerous. Always carry a ladder in the horizontal position, rather than the vertical position, to avoid brushes with power lines. Also, if you are boating or using long-handled pool skimmers, be alert for power lines that could be above you. If you come across a downed power line, stay away and call MidAmerican Energy at 888-427-5632. Always assume downed power lines are energized.

A Red Oak man was taken into custody Thursday afternoon on Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and 5th Degree Theft, charges. Red Oak Police say 23-year old Cody Dean Johnson was arrested at around 1:20-p.m. and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on a total of $1,300 bond.

And, 33-year old Paul Earl Lemburg II, of Red Oak, was arrested just before 1-p.m. Thursday, for Breach of Peace. Lemburg was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.

An Omaha woman faces four charges after a single-vehicle crash. According to the Daily NonPareil, 26-year old Jessica Hauger, of Omaha, is in custody after an incident that occurred Tuesday around 10:15-p.m. Hauger was driving a 2004 Hyundai Elantra westbound on Avenue A near North 35th Street when a police officer attempted to pull her over, according to the Council Bluffs Police Department. Hauger allegedly accelerated at a high rate of speed and got onto the westbound Interstate 480 ramp.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a popular park near downtown Des Moines that was closed due to flooding will reopen soon. City officials for Des Moines say Gray’s Lake Park will reopen Friday morning at 5 a.m.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has vetoed $55.7 million in one-time education funding as well as a bipartisan deal to keep two state mental health institutes open. Branstad announced the vetoes late yesterday afternoon, as he approved a slew of budget bills. The fate of the two mental health institutes — in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda — was hotly debated. After Branstad sought to end funding for the facilities, lawmakers reached a deal to keep the Mount Pleasant center open and to seek a private provider to run the other.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — State and local leaders in Dubuque celebrated the start of construction on the largest phase of an estimated $200 million flood mitigation project aimed at avoiding future property damage and adding green space to a key part of the city. The Telegraph Herald reports the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday marked work that has been underway for several weeks.

WALL LAKE, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa woman is scheduled to be sentenced August 5th after pleading guilty to selling marijuana from the home she shares with her four children. The Sioux City Journal reports that 37-year-old Laura Lawler was convicted Wednesday in Sac County District Court.

A man on a motorcycle who tried to avoid a deer on the road in Mills County, was reported to be in critical condition Thursday night, after his cycle hit the deer on Highway L-45, at around 8:50-p.m.   The Iowa State Patrol says 32-year old Shawn Lee Richter, of Malvern, was flown by LifeNet helicopter to Creighton Medical Center in Omaha, following the crash that happened in rural Mills County, between Glenwood and Tabor.

The Patrol said after Richter’s 1999 Yamaha hit the deer, Richter was thrown from the cycle and came to rest on the road just south of 66303 235th Street. He suffered severe, incapacitating injuries.

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Marc Griggs was recognized today (Thursday) for hitting a major milestone in the fight against drugged driving in Iowa. Griggs, one of 125 certified Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) in Iowa, recently completed his 500th Drug Recognition Expert evaluation—the first ever to accomplish this in Iowa. Griggs has been a certified DRE since 2001 and is a 22 year veteran of the Iowa State Patrol.

GTSB Bureau Chief Patrick Hoye said “His commitment and dedication to keeping motorists safe is certainly worthy of special recognition and we are pleased to be able to recognize his efforts.” The DRE program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB). The GTSB works closely with many law enforcement agencies (police departments, sheriff’s offices and the Iowa State Patrol) across Iowa with the ultimate goal of reducing fatality serious injury crashes.

The latest trends show that impaired driving is not just drunk driving in the U.S. Impaired drivers are under the influence of illegal and sometimes even legal drugs that pose just as much of a threat to motorists as drunk drivers.  In Iowa, approximately 30% of fatalities are impaired driving related. One of the issues for law enforcement is determining impairment for a driver that is under the influence of drugs. The indicators for impairment are different for alcohol and certain drugs. That is where the DRE’s and the DRE program has had a positive impact. Officers receive specialized training that allows them to asses a driver’s condition and then take appropriate action.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A jury has awarded more than $1 million to a former high school baseball player who sued Davenport Assumption High School because he was injured by a foul ball while in a dugout, awaiting his turn at bat. Spencer Ludman filed the lawsuit in April 2013, alleging that the school was at fault because the dugout didn’t protect him. A Scott County jury ruled in his favor on Monday after a trial that began June 22.

Ludman’s skull was fractured on July 7, 2011, while playing for Muscatine High School in a game at Assumption. His attorney Steve Crowley said Thursday that the 22-year-old Ludman now must take anti-seizure medication. Assumption’s attorney, Lori Cole Magerko, says her client probably will appeal.

A Creston man arrested Tuesday for Driving While Barred and OWI/3rd offense, now faces an additional charge. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says 48-year old Joel Alan Weeks was arrested Wednesday afternoon at the Union County Jail, on a Department of Corrections warrant for Parole Violation. Weeks remains in the Union County Jail, where he was being held without bond.