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KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(RALSTON, Iowa) Nov. 12, 2014 —High school seniors pursuing a career in agriculture or an ag-related field are invited to apply for the West Central® Cooperative’s 2014 Excellence in Agriculture scholarship.
The Excellence In Agriculture scholarship program awards four $1,500 scholarships for any accredited post-secondary program. Applications are available at any West Central location, from area high school guidance counselors, or online at west-central.com
Scholarship Requirements:
1. Applicant and/or parent must be a voting member, in good standing, of West Central.
2. Applicant must be a high school senior and graduate in the spring of the 2013-2014 school year.
3. Applicant must have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale through his/her junior year.
4. Applicant must pursue a career in agriculture or enter an ag-related field of study at any accredited post-secondary school of his or her choice.
5. Dependents of directors and officers of West Central are not eligible to apply for these scholarships.
Applications must be returned by Jan. 30, 2015. If you have questions regarding West Central’s Excellence In Agriculture scholarship program, please contact Alicia Clancy, Director of Communications, at (712) 667-3334.
About West Central
West Central is a farmer-owned cooperative connecting producers of agricultural products to a global network of processors and end-users. Headquartered in Ralston, Iowa, West Central’s agronomy, animal nutrition and grain businesses span 12 Iowa counties with 27 locations. In 2013, the company was ranked #41 on the USDA’s list for largest farmer-owned cooperatives nationwide based on revenues and assets.
DES MOINES, Iowa – As Iowa’s population continues to age, also growing is the number of elders being exploited financially, although new protections are in place aim to reverse that trend. The Iowa Uniform Power of Attorney Act officially took effect this summer and today marks the start of a statewide awareness campaign.
Attorney and law professor Josephine Gittler, College of Law, University of Iowa, says the Act adds new protections against those who abuse Power of Attorney authority, and makes it easier for Iowans to set up a POA. “The Act allows a person to name someone to act on his or her behalf with respect to financial matters in the event that as they age they become incapacitated, or as a result of Alzheimer’s or some other dementia,” says Gittler.
Financial exploitation of seniors is the most common type of elder abuse, with about one of six adults over age 65 having been preyed on; research indicates women are twice as likely as men to fall victim. Gittler notes, not having decisions on record about who will be in charge if a person becomes incapacitated likely means the courts would have to make the appointment.
“If one doesn’t have a Power of Attorney, then the only alternative may be establishing a court-ordered conservatorship,” says Gittler. “That takes time, and involves expense and the court rather than the incapacitated person decides who gets to make decisions.”
More information on the new Uniform Power of Attorney Act is available through the AARP of Iowa and the University of Iowa College of Law National Health Law and Policy Resource Center.
(Iowa News Service)
DES MOINES, Iowa – After some improvements in the 1990s, the poverty rate for kids in Iowa has been on the rise over the last decade or so, and a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation says a two-generation approach is the best strategy for strengthening those families.
Michael Crawford, director of Iowa Kids Count, said the method includes a focus on high-quality early education for children, while also providing parents with access to job training, career paths and other tools. “The two-generation approach really aims to create opportunities for families by equipping the parents and the kids with the tools they need to thrive,” he said. “That’s the whole idea is, you really can’t look at just the children, you’ve got to look at the parents and the kids both.”
The report on the two-generation approach outlines how the public, nonprofit and private sectors could better coordinate their efforts to reduce poverty among the 10 million low-income families in the United States with young children.
Some specific actions that would help increase the economic opportunity for these families, said Crawford, include an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, along with “increasing and making refundable the Child Tax Credit for low-income families. That’s a way to put some money in the pockets of low-income families, so they can afford day care and helps them with their monthly budgetary needs.”
In Iowa, he said, more than 250,000 children are living in low-income families. The report, “Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach,” is online at AECF.org.
(Iowa News Service)
A former lawmaker from Iowa and retired member of the military has announced on his social media page he’s forming an exploratory committee in preparation for a decision on running as a Democrat for the U-S Senate in 2016. Retired Iowa National Guard Colonel Bob Krause would run against Republican incumbent Senator Charles Grassley, if Krause decides to run. Grassley has already announced his intention to seek another six-year term in 2016.
Krause said he’ll use the next several months to seek out Iowans’ opinions on what is important to them before making any formal announcement. He said that while it is was early in the season to announce, Grassley has already announced his intentions, and, as the underdog, he would need time to spread his message.
Krause said his primary issue would be to address Iowans’ stagnant incomes associated in-part with the minimum wage, and, the falling prices of harvested commodities, such as corn.
The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors say two county roads near Oakland are in such bad shape, they agreed on Monday that repairs on County Roads G42 and M16 should be moved up by three years. The Omaha World-Herald reports the request came from County Engineer John Rasmussen, who wants the 8.5-mile project done next year.
Ramussen said the two stretches of road can’t wait four more years for repairs to begin. One of the roads was used by heavy trucks during the construction of the Menard’s Distribution Center in Shelby, according to Rasmussen, who said also that the current asphalt surface is breaking up.
Police in Red Oak report a traffic stop early this (Wednesday) morning at the intersection of Highways 34 and 48 resulted in the driver of a vehicle being arrested on drug charges. 30-year old David Ray Sturgis, of Red Oak, was taken into custody shortly after midnight. Sturgis faces charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a felony Possession of Contraband charge, and Driving While Suspended.
He was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center in $5,000 bond.
A Council Bluffs elementary school student swapped a loaded round of ammunition for playing cards Friday on a school bus, prompting concern among parents and school officials. Titan Hill Intermediate School Principal Kent Stopak told the Daily NonPareil, the trade happened on a school bus. The child receiving the round of ammunition told his parents when he got home, and the parents reached out to the school Monday morning.
Stopak said he told staff about the incident on Tuesday morning. He said the student who brought the round of ammunition remains enrolled at Titan Hill. Only a single round of ammunition was involved, he said, and no one was threatened — and no student ever had a weapon. Stopak cautioned the incident should serve as a reminder to gun owners to keep ammunition and weapons locked up because children can be curious about them.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say three people have been arrested in connection to a lockdown at a community college campus in Fort Dodge. The Fort Dodge Police Department says the three people each face one count of aiding and abetting second-degree robbery. Court records do not indicate formal charges have been filed. Authorities are looking for a fourth suspect. No shots and no injuries were reported.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An employee union is asking a court to overturn a ruling that bans state workers from wearing pins critical of Gov. Terry Branstad. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees recently filed a motion asking the Polk County District Court to intervene in a ruling issued by the Public Employment Relations Board. The board ruled in October that the pins worn by employees at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center represent “special circumstances” that interfere with prison decorum.
DUNKERTON, Iowa (AP) — Residents and officials in Dunkerton are discussing whether they should retain their tiny police department following the chief’s resignation in August. Police Chief Tim Schultz resigned amid an investigation into the alleged misuse of a city credit card. His departure left Dunkerton with only one full-time officer. The job opening has raised the question whether Dunkerton should contract with the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office for protection.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Officials say the number of human cases of West Nile virus in Iowa is down compared to last year. Iowa Department of Public Health officials say the state had 15 human cases of the mosquito-borne disease as of Oct. 31. There were a total of 44 human cases in the state in 2013.