Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three people were arrested over the weekend. On Sunday, 25-year old Blaine Alexander Coffey, of Lincoln, NE, was arrested on an OWI/3rd offense charge. Bond was set at $5,000. On Saturday, 53-year old Richard James Garner, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. Garner was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail. And on Friday, 20-year old Zane Christian Carter, of Thurman, was arrested for Driving While Revoked. Bond was set at $1,000.

Authorities in Mills County report also, no one was injured during an accident Thursday, northeast of Mineola. Officials say Kyle Smith of Silver City, was driving a 1999 GMC southbound on 287th Street south of Applewood Road at around 2:21-a.m., when his car went out of control and rolled into a ditch. Smith exited the vehicle and left the scene on Foot.

w/ Ric Hanson

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8:00 A.M………………………………………Beef Show
9:30 A.M……………………..……………….Best of Iowa
10:00 A.M………………………………………..Commercial Exhibits Open
11:00 A.M……………………………………..Watermelon Feed
12:30 P.M…………………………………….Dairy/Dairy Goat Show
1:00 P.M………………………….…………..Meat Goat Show
2:00 P.M………………………………………Skid Loader Rodeo
4:00 P.M………………………………..…….Style Show/Building Awards
6:00 P.M………………………….……………Parade of Champions
7:00P.M……..………………………………………..Grand Champ. Beef Selection
Livestock Released
8:00 P.M……………………………………….Skid Loader Rodeo Finals

Three nationally known politicians will visit Pottawattamie County in the next few weeks to promote Republican Party candidates in this November’s general election. The Omaha World-Herald reports on Wednesday (July 30th), Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will visit the Pottawattamie County Republican Party’s headquarters at 231 S. Main St. in Council Bluffs with doors opening at 9:45 a.m. Speakers start at 10:30. Communications Director Mary Jones urges people to reserve a spot by calling (515) 421-4576 (or email her at marykat47@hotmail.com).

Several musicians with ties to Pilger, Nebraska have organized a benefit show for the tiny town that was struck by two EF4 tornadoes last month. Clint Meyer, an associate professor of biology at Simpson College in Indianola (Iowa), grew up in Pilger. He saw the pictures and videos of the damage done on June 16 and went back to his hometown a couple days later to volunteer with cleanup efforts.

“To be there and notice the scale and the depth of it all, it wasn’t just the row of houses you see in the picture – but the row behind it and the row behind that, several blocks completely destroyed” Meyer said. “There was no way to get a sense of that with just the pictures, so it was a pretty shocking experience to see it.” Two people, including a five-year-old girl, were killed, and 16 more were critically injured. Over half of the buildings and homes in Pilger were destroyed or severely damaged.

“It will never be the same as it was, of course, but the hope is that there will still be a town there that can start finding whatever that new normal is,” Meyer said. “I think the hope is to try and raise awareness that even though the volunteers are gone, there is still a need there.” Meyer plays guitar and sings in the central Iowa based band Monday Mourners. He wrote a song about Pilger, titled “(The Town) Too Tough To Die,” which he plans to premiere at the benefit concert.

Monday Mourners and three bands from Omaha will play the benefit show for the town of Pilger this Wednesday (July 30) at The Waiting Room in Omaha. The show will start at 8 p.m. and there’s a cover charge of $8.

View aerial footage of the damage in Pilger (from the NE State Patrol) at the link below:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vs3EdtV-kwg

(Radio Iowa)

It’s said to be a key factor in creating healthier and more livable communities, and the walkability of Iowa towns and cities is taking center stage this week. Residents, elected officials and municipal leaders will gather Wednesday and Thursday in Des Moines to learn how to improve walkability. Connie Eastman, associate state director of community outreach for AARP Iowa, says walkability benefits all, including those older adults who want to age in place.

“Access to safe streets for all people of all ages to walk, bike or use assistive devices to get from their home, school, shops and recreation can make a big impact, and help them stay where they want to stay as they get older – in their home and in their community,” she stresses.

This week’s walkability events are free and open to the public and will be led by national expert Dan Burden, who’s been called one of the most important civic innovators in the world. Eastman says there are a number of ways that Iowa communities can improve walkability, including many projects as simple as painting a crosswalk at an intersection or adding a curb cut to a sidewalk.

“To help people access that sidewalk, that’s a good thing for a senior who may be using a cane or a walker, a mom who uses a stroller, or a kid who’s on a bicycle,” she explains. “So, by improving streets and helping people be more active, it will in turn improve their health.”

(Iowa News Service)

If you were listening to our live broadcast from the Cass County Fair in Atlantic Sunday evening, you would have heard breaking news about the FFA Food Stand. Gary Miller, CAM FFA Advisor told KJAN’s Jim Field during the FFA News and Judging Results portion of our broadcast, that fundraising efforts to replace the aging FFA Food Stand received a big boost, thanks to a surprise donation.

Miller announced Darrin and Melanie Petty, with the Frederickon Foundation, presented FFA officials with a check for $5,000 toward the fund needed to build a new FFA Foodstand. Miller said the Cass County FFA is extremely grateful to receive the funds from the Petty’s, and others who have pledged a contribution to replace the building sometime over the next couple of years.

The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund was started to give back to the community Trevor loved by offering scholarships to graduating Atlantic High School students and support other things that meant a lot to Trevor.

Police in Red Oak report a teenager was cited for Minor in Possession of Tobacco/1st offense and for not wearing his seat belt, following a traffic stop Sunday afternoon. During the routine traffic stop for a seat belt violation that took place at around 4:15-p.m., an officer observed 17-year old Josiah Prokes allegedly smoking a cigarette. The teen was released on the citations and will appear before the magistrate or juvenile court judge at a later date.

The Iowa D-N-R continues adding to the G-P-S information that’s available for the state’s lakes. Fisheries Research Technician, Lewis Bruce, says they now have information on rock or brush piles and other habitat areas in the lakes that you can access online. “What this file allows you to do is download all the coordinates across the entire state onto hand-held G-P-S units, fish finders, anything that you can download G-P-S coordinates into. Once you have those points downloaded, once you go to a lake, those coordinates are going to show up,” Bruce says. He says it helps anglers zero in on the best spots for their favorite type of fish.

“If you’re fishing for say bluegills, it will allow you to find spawning beds. If you’re fishing for walleyes, you’ll be able to look for rock reefs,” Bruce explains. “Basically it’s gonna allow you to hit the water running instead of having to look for all these different sites on the lake.” So, is modern technology giving away all those deeply held secrets about the best fishing spots gained through years of knowledge. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. There’s always going to be those piles that are off on an edge or those locations that everybody kind of hones in on on their own after being on the lake for awhile. It’s going to bring out a lot of points and ultimately will probably spread the fishing out more because there are going to be areas that people weren’t aware of originally,” Bruce says.

There’s now a lot of information available to help you find fish, but Bruce says that doesn’t guarantee that you will be successful. “Just because you are sitting over the structure doesn’t mean they are going to bite,” he says. “It seems like it can be more frustrating sometimes when you have all the technology available. You can see the fish there, you can see your lure there and they are just looking at it.” Bruce says the information should cut down on the time it takes to get into position to catch fish.

“You know, our ultimate goal is to shorten the time between bites and give anglers all the opportunities that they can for catching fish,” Bruce says. “And ultimately we are putting a lot of the angler’s money into fish habitat and they should be the ones to benefit from it.” To find the habitat coordinates, go to the D-N-R’s website at: www.iowadnr.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Newly released records show that a 39-year-old man was shocked with stun guns at least 15 times before his death as Worth County Sheriff’s deputies tried to subdue him. The Des Moines Register filed a lawsuit to obtain the records from the Sept. 22 incident in Northwood after the officers were officially cleared of any wrongdoing. The deputies shocked Michael Zubrod after finding him beating his girlfriend with a hammer and scissors. He also attacked a deputy.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — One small northwest Iowa town is preparing to deal with the loss of 450 jobs this fall when the Tyson Foods plant in Cherokee closes, and business owners are worrying about what it will mean. The Tyson plant is the second-largest employer in Cherokee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa inmate who was sentenced to life in prison has died less than a year being granted compassionate release because she was dying. Friends and family members say Kristina Fetters died Sunday. Fetters was diagnosed with Stage 4 inoperable breast cancer last September, when she was imprisoned at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. The 34-year-old Fetters was 15 when she entered prison for a 1995 first-degree murder conviction in the death of her great-aunt in 1994.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A small plane has to be towed to the airport on a truck after safely landing on an eastern Iowa road. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office said the plane flying from Longmont, Colorado, to an annual air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, when it had engine trouble around 8 p.m. Saturday. So 49-year-old Michael Hickman and his 22-year-old son James had to land the plane on a road north of the Waterloo Regional Airport. No one was injured and the plane wasn’t damaged.