Band members from around southwest Iowa will travel to Harlan this weekend. The Harlan Community High School is hosting All-State band contest starting around 7:30am Saturday. The band contest is different from other contests as it is based on individual performances as opposed to a group. The high school will welcome close to 800 musicians from 75 school districts around the area. Students will audition for band, chorus or orchestra.

This is the fifth time Harlan Community has been a audition site. Along with Harlan, All-State auditions will be held at Fairfield, Indianola, Storm Lake and West Delaware. The final All-State groups will feature 200 orchestra, 600 choir and 300 band members. The selected members for the All-State groups will perform at a musical festival in Ames from Thursday, November 21st through Saturday, November 23rd and finishing with a concert at the Hilton Coliseum at 7pm.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Officials with the Cass County Health System have announced a new logo design will be used throughout the health system.  The new logo was developed to better reflect the integrated care provided by all of the health system affiliates – Cass County Memorial Hospital, Atlantic Medical Center, Eye Associates, Southwest Iowa Surgery, and Southwest Iowa Mental Health Center.  The Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation will utilize the new logo as well.

The current hospital logo was designed by a long-time staff member, Bev Mendenhall in 1987.  Originally used in brown, the logo was updated to blue in 1992, with Southwest Iowa Mental Health Center and the CCMH Foundation using the same design in different colors.  Over the years, Atlantic Medical Center, Eye Associates and Southwest Iowa Surgery all developed individual business logos.  When Cass County Health System was formed in January, 2000, no changes were made to any of the logos. In 2006, a health system text logo was developed, but all the others remained in use, too.

Cass County Health System turned to the Des Moines based branding and marketing agency McLellan Marketing Group for the logo development.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (887.4KB)

Subscribe: RSS

An event scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) is designed to tackle Iowa’s fastest growing form of substance abuse. Dale Woolery, with the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, says there will be around 80 sites in Iowa where people can safely dispose of their old or unwanted prescription medicines. Woolery says the “Take Back” events will keep pills from being flushed or dropped down a drain and potentially harming the environment. “And, we’re getting (these drugs) out of circulation to hopefully prevent the abuse of these medicines,” Woolery says.

The drop-off sites in Iowa are among thousands across the country as part of National Prescription Take Back Day. The event is sponsored twice each year by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Woolery says the drugs taken back in Iowa have been on the rise. “That may mean there’s increasing awareness and better understanding that there is a safer, better way to get rid of our medications. At least we hope so,” Woolery says.

During the last Take Back day in April, Iowans dropped off an all-time high amount of prescription drugs. “Nearly four tons of unused medicines were disposed of at around 100 sites around the state,” Woolery says. Most of the Take Back sites in Iowa will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Take Back locations can be found through a search on the website D-E-A dot gov (dea.gov).

Here are some locations in the KJAN listening area:

• The Audubon Police Dept. (410 N. Park Place)

• Manning Police Dept. (309 Elm St.)

• Hy-Vee Pharmacy in Red Oak

• Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office (200 N. 5th St.)

• Treynor Community Center (11 W. Main)

• Coon Rapids Police Dept. (123 3rd Ave. S.)

• Carroll Police Dept. (rear of the bldg. at 112 E. 5th St.)

• Walgreens in Council Bluffs (535 E. Broadway)

• Carter Lake City Hall (950 Locust St.)

• Medicap Pharmacy (1206 Locust St.) in Glenwood.

(story by Radio Iowa/Ric Hanson-KJAN)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Veteran Iowa Republicans are quietly working to wrest control of the state GOP from libertarian and Christian conservative factions they blame for alienating longtime donors. Led by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, these Republicans tell the Associated Press they want to grow the party by seeking pragmatic solutions over ideological purity. The Iowa GOP has experienced significant infighting since a supporter of then presidential candidate Ron Paul won the state party chairmanship following the 2012 election.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad is suspending the specific hours that drivers can transport propane in Iowa. Branstad announced the emergency declaration yesterday. It goes into effect today and ends November 7th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa business owners can begin applying for a new property tax credit that was part of a tax reform package approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor earlier this year. The property tax credit applies to certain commercial, industrial, and railroad properties. Applications for credit against 2013 property tax assessments must be received by the county or city assessor by January 15th.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City workers are hauling in dirt to historic Floyd Cemetery to fill in a gully and make sure erosion doesn’t expose any graves. City officials tell the Journal the ongoing project involves bringing in soil and extending drainage tubes. The work should eventually slow runoff and erosion.

One person was injured during a collision Thursday afternoon between two pickup trucks in Adams County. The Iowa State Patrol says 72-year old Donald Hardisty, of Corning, who was wearing a seat belt, was transported by Adams County Rescue to Alegent Creighton Health/Mercy Hospital in Corning, after the 1993 Ford Ranger he was driving crashed into a 1993 Ford F-350, driven by 21-year old Shayne Larson, of Red Oak. The accident happened just before 3-p.m., at the intersection of 150th Street and Corning-Carl Road.

The Patrol says Larson was traveling west on 150th and had come to a complete stop at the intersection, before pulling out into the path of Hardisty’s pickup. Hardistry swerved to avoid a collision but his smaller truck was struck by Larson’s larger pickup. Hardisty’s vehicle entered the west ditch and rolled over before coming to rest.

Corning Fire and Rescue and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.

One Nebraska resident was killed and another injured during a crash Thursday between a van and a semi northwest of the Lewis and Clark State Park, in Monona County. The Iowa State Patrol said the driver of the van, 26-year old Raetahne Thomas, of Walthill, NE, died following the crash that happened on Cherry Avenue, just south of County road K-42. Authorities say she was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the semi, 43-year old Ricky Kellog, of Tekamah, NE, was transported by Onawa Rescue to Burgess Hospital, where he was treated and released.

The Patrol says Thomas’ 2001 Oldsmobile van was traveling north on Cherry Avenue at around 2:50-p.m., as a 1985 Mack semi driven by Kellog, was traveling south. The vehicles sideswiped each other as they rounded a curve. Thomas’ van came to rest in the ditch, while the semi rolled over and came to rest on the road. Thomas was transported to Burgess Hospital, where she died from her injuries.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking public input into the development of a new statewide plan for bicycle and pedestrian transportation at six public input meetings and online. One of the meetings will be held in Atlantic. The Iowa DOT says it is committed to expanding opportunities and further improving conditions for bicycling and walking across the state. Officials say the new Bicycle and Pedestrian Long-Range Plan is a major step forward for the effort.

The plan will build upon the Iowa DOT’s long-range strategy for multimodal transportation over the next three decades, Iowa in Motion – Planning Ahead 2040. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Long-Range Plan has three key objectives: • Align with national best practices, including the federal transportation funding bill called Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) and national guidelines for trail development. • Develop a list of priorities to expand the trails system between and within cities. Help state and local agencies to put the plan in place by providing tools for funding and design.

Upon its completion, the plan will serve as the primary guide for statewide decision-making regarding bicycle and pedestrian programs and facilities, including sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, paved shoulders, and other trail elements. It will also help achieve a better level of statewide coordination and continuity for all levels of bicycle and pedestrian mobility through regional, county, and city plans and programs.

In addition, the plan will serve an important role in improving safety for all road users, reducing crashes, and bringing Iowa closer to achieving the goal of zero fatalities on Iowa’s roadways. A primary goal of the project is to engage citizens during the development of the plan. If you would like to be involved, plan to attend one of the initial public meetings. In southwest Iowa, a meeting will be held Monday, Nov. 25th, from 5 to 7 p.m.  at the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 Office 2210 E. Seventh St., in  Atlantic.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Sioux City are investigating reports of a man who allegedly posed as a law enforcement officer and fondled a girl. Sioux City police say a man approached two girls as they were leaving a neighborhood store on Sunday. The girls say the man displayed a police badge and identified himself as an officer.

Police say the man told the girls that they were suspects in a store theft. He then allegedly reached out and fondled one of the girls before they ran away. Investigators are treating the incident as an attempted abduction. They believe there may be more victims because of the nature of the case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad is suspending the specific hours that drivers can transport propane in Iowa. Branstad announced the emergency declaration Thursday. It goes into effect Friday and ends Nov. 7. The declaration says Iowa residents have extremely low supplies of propane because of a late harvest and high demand for petroleum products throughout the Midwest.

The declaration adds that adequate supplies of propane are necessary for normal agricultural harvesting and residential heating, particularly in rural areas. The suspension does not mean that fatigued or ill drivers should transport propane. Drivers needing rest should be given certain hours before they return to service.