A farm auction held over the weekend in Shelby County over 700 spectators. The land auction of Edwin “Bud” Skalla was held at the St. Mary’s Parish Center in Portsmouth on Saturday morning. The 858 acres of farmland, which was separated into 5 tracts, was purchased for a total of $7.8 million. The tracts were separated between Shelby and Harrison County. Other personal items were also auctioned for a total of $17,000. The money from the auctions will be donated to 13 southwest Iowa catholic churches.

The 92 year old Skalla had bequeathed the land to the churches along with another tract of 292 that was given to St. Mary Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Portsmouth. The portion of land given to Portsmouth was not part of the auction on Saturday. Those churches benefiting in Shelby County are St. Michael’s in Harlan, St. Peter’s in Defiance, St. Joseph’s in Earling, and St. Boniface in Westphalia, St. Mary’s in Portsmouth and St. Mary’s in Panama.

In Harrison County, St. Patrick’s Church in Missouri Valley, St. Anne’s Church in Logan, St. Patrick’s in Dunlap and Sacred Heart in Woodbine. In addition, St. Patrick’s in Neola, St. Rose of Lima in Denison and St. Patrick’s in Council Bluffs are also beneficiaries.

(KNOD/Harlan)

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) released a report on arrests made over the past week. On Saturday, 36-year old Melvin Benny Jurey, of Sidney, was arrested for Felony Assault and Domestic Abuse Assault. And, 26-year old Charles Franklin Liles, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Public Intoxication.

Last Wednesday (Feb. 12th), 24-year old Leanna Mae Jackson and 23-year old Sherika Shana Shelly, both of Omaha, and 23-year old Kamisha Kay Childs, of Raytown, MO., were arrested in Fremont County for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

On Tuesday (Feb. 11th), 36-year old Roger Eugene Straw,of Red Oak, was arrested for Violation of a Protection Order, and on Feb. 4th, 32-year old Christopher Charles Bowers, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Reckless use of Fire and Trespassing.

A thin glaze of ice covered by heavy, wet snow caught some motorists off-guard this morning in western Iowa. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports one person was transported to the hospital following a rollover accident at around 7:30-a.m. on Interstate 29 northbound at the I-80 split. And, an injury accident was reported in Council Bluffs, but no further details are currently available on either accident.  Other, minor accident occurred in some area counties.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Atlantic Police Dept. reports two people were arrested, Friday. 34-year old Heather Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant out of Storm Lake for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and, 19-year old Brooklyn Terry, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Terry and Christensen were booked into the Cass County Jail.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The experts are keeping a close eye on Missouri River conditions as they try to predict whether water levels will be high or low in the coming months. Jody Farhat is chief of the Missouri River Water Management Office of the U-S Army Corps of Engineers. Farhat, who’s based in Omaha, says low river levels and above-normal runoff may balance each other out.
“The drought situation in the basin is much improved from a year ago, however, the main stem reservoirs remain drawn down five to 11 feet as result of the 2012 drought,” Farhat says. “Soil moistures going into the winter were quite wet across much of the upper basin, which creates the potential for above-normal runoff this spring, even if precipitation is normal.”

From one point of view, it’s fortunate that river levels are still quite low since the drought, or else significant flooding might be in the forecast. Bill Doan, an engineer in the Corps’ water management office, says they expect higher-than-normal runoff along the upper end of the Missouri River basin. “The 2014 calendar year runoff forecast is 26.7-million acre feet above Sioux City. This is 106% of normal,” Doan says. “Above Gavins Point Dam, we’re forecasting 24.3-million acre feet. This is, again, 106% of normal.” The figures represent an increase since the January forecast due to several factors: a greater than expected January runoff, a higher precipitation forecast for February and slight increases in the runoff forecast for May through July.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 54-year-old registered Iowa sex offender has been given nearly 30 years in prison for child pornography and enticing a child into sexual activity.  Timothy Koenck, of Fenton, was given 355 months earlier this month after pleading guilty to several charges in September. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Sioux City.

Koenck also was convicted in 2002 of enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography. Koenck must serve 10 years of supervised release after leaving custody.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A program that assigns a volunteer to speak on behalf of a child in Iowa’s foster care system is looking for more participants. Organizers behind the Court Appointed Special Advocate program say they currently have 460 volunteers advocating for more than 900 children in the system. They want to double the number of volunteers over the next two years.

Jim Hennessey, an administrator who helps oversee the program, says judges and service providers believe an increase in volunteers would benefit the children. The volunteer’s main job would be to represent the interest of a child during any judicial proceeding. A volunteer will complete a 30-hour training course and spend an average of 10 hours per month getting to know the child and his or her circumstances.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Daycare oversight in Iowa is under review at the Capitol, as lawmakers in the state House ponder legislation that would expand reporting requirements for in-home child care providers. Under the legislation approved by a subcommittee last week, all home-based daycares in Iowa would have to register with the state, with some exemptions for family members providing care. Currently, home-based daycares with five or less children do not have to register.

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) — Residents of several Iowa cities are being forced to boil their water because of water main breaks. Officials in Evansdale, Brighton, Wilton and Bondurant have all ordered residents to boil their water as a precaution. Boil orders are typically in place for at least several days until tests show the water is safe to consume.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa law that allows retired health care professionals to return to work part time has helped to head off a nurse shortage, but it’s due to expire this summer. The Sioux City Journal reports that some groups argue the law is no longer needed, but Iowa hospitals want the exception extended.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Students in Marshalltown are going to be getting pedometers as part of their physical education classes thanks to a federal grant. The Times-Republican reports the Marshalltown Community School District bought 4,200 pedometers to encourage students to be more active. The district plans to spend $80,000 on the pedometers.