Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports four people were arrested this week. Today (Friday), 18-year old Caleb Jordan Ennen, of Clarinda, was arrested on charges of Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct. On Thursday, 54-year old Brett Allen Morgan, of Clarinda, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Violation of a Domestic Protection Order.

Clarinda Police arrested 22-year old Bradley Joseph Christopher Riley, of Clarinda, on Wednesday, for allegedly violating an Domestic Protection Order. And on Tuesday, 39-year old Corey Allen Jackson, of Clarinda, was arrested on a serious misdemeanor charge of Destruction of Property, in association with an incident at Anchor Homes.

Clarinda Police also took reports about, and/or investigated: five incidents of property being stolen from vehicles; two destruction of property incidents; one incident of trespassing; and incident where the rear glass was broken out of a vehicle, and damage to the front door of a home.

Iowa lost 900 jobs last month, causing the state’s unemployment rate to increase one-tenth of a percent to 4.9-percent. In a report cited by the Des Moines Register, officials with Iowa Workforce Development said Friday, the Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in July and 5.3 percent a year earlier.

IWD says the losses were broad, with trade and transportation cutting 1,300 jobs, professional and business services, down 1,200 positions, leisure and hospitality dropped 900 jobs, and manufacturing, 500. Government gained 3,700 jobs, education and health services climbed 500 and construction added 200 jobs.

Iowa has 19,800 more jobs last month than in August 2012. August is only the second month this year that Iowa has seen employment fall. March marked the other monthly decline at 4,700. IWD Director Teresa Wahlert said despite the monthly loss of jobs, more Iowans were employed. The report showed 1,100 more Iowans had jobs in August than in July, and 27,000 more positions than a year earlier.

Construction is the largest gainer so far this year, up 4,500 jobs, followed by manufacturing and professional and business services, both 4,400 jobs higher.

America reached a dubious record this week for having gasoline prices of at least three-dollars a gallon for one-thousand straight days. Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says unless we fall into a recession again, we’ll likely have prices that high for another thousand days — or more. Weinholzer says, “The record for a thousand consecutive days over $3 was set nationally a couple of days ago, Tuesday to be exact, but it will not be set until next week in Iowa, because Iowa hit the $3 level one week later than the nation did.”

The last time Iowa had gas prices averaging under three-bucks a gallon was December 28th of 2010. Weinholzer says it’s possible we may not see pump prices that low again. “Certainly not within the next couple of years,” Weinholzer says. “There’s no reason to anticipate that, even though in some areas, production is increasing when you look like things like fracking.”

Earlier this year, Iowa spent five days with the average price above four-dollars a gallon — in late May. Even with the rising popularity of ethanol, the growth in the use of electric and hybrid cars, and efforts to produce oil domestically, Weinholzer says key developing nations are just starting to use gas-powered vehicle technology. “You have to keep in mind that probably tens of thousands of people in China and India are buying their very first automobiles every month as we go forward,” Weinholzer says. “As a result, even though there is an increase in some areas of crude oil development, there is a more significant increase in demand.”

Iowa’s current average price for gasoline is three-52 a gallon, three-cents higher than the national average.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An attorney for a teen accused of killing a 5-year-old Atlantic boy is asking that his case be moved to juvenile court.  The Des Moines Register reports that public defender Michael Williams of Sioux City is also asking for a full evaluation of 17-year-old Cody Metzker-Madsen‘s mental health, juvenile court history and family history.  The teen’s family has said he is mentally disabled and has the mental capacity of a preschooler.

A judge has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 30, the same day the teen is supposed to be arraigned.  Authorities believe Metzker-Madsen killed 5-year-old Dominic Elkins, whose body was found at the bottom of a ravine near Logan, on Aug. 31st.

The teen and the boy had lived at the same foster home for nearly three weeks.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

An Atlantic man who was set to stand trial next month on domestic assault charges, will instead appear in court Monday (Sept. 23^rd), to enter a plea of guilty. 46-year old Rex Dean McDermott was arrested on October 13^th, 2012, following an incident which allegedly occurred at a feed dealership, in Atlantic. His sentencing will take place at a later date.

McDermott had initially plead not guilty to a felony charge of Willful Injury causing bodily injury, and a serious misdemeanor charge of Domestic Abuse Assault causing bodily injury/mental illness. McDermott was released on bond a few days after his arrest, and was ordered to have no contact with his alleged victim.  His trial date was continued several times this year, with the last date set for Oct. 22nd.

A series of town hall meetings meant to inform Iowans about the federal health care overhaul begin this weekend. Angel Robinson, with the Iowa Insurance Division, says individuals and business owners can ask questions about the health insurance marketplace that goes live on October 1st. “We are going out to a couple places nearly every week. We are hoping that people will come and will come with their questions, to get educated, to understand, so they’re not surprised by the changes that are coming,” Robinson says. The Affordable Care Act requires everyone to have insurance coverage in 2014 or pay a tax penalty.

“This affects everybody. You either have to have coverage or find it or decide you will take the penalty. People don’t always realize that, so we definitely want to talk to them,” Robinson says. Iowans will be able to access a marketplace allowing them to compare health insurance plans and see if they qualify for subsidies to help pay for premiums. More than 20 informational meetings are planned around the state through November 21st.

Locally, meetings on the health care changes will be held:

Nov. 6^th, in Carroll, from 6:30-to 7:30-pm.

Nov. 7^th, in Atlantic, from Noon until 1-p.m., at the Cass County Community Center

Nov. 13^th, in Clarinda, from 6:30-to 7:30-pm at the Lied Public Library.

Details about additional meeting times and locations are available on the Iowa Insurance Division website at http://www.iid.state.ia.us/sites/default/files/page/2013/04/10/consumer_flyer_des_moines_pdf_20635.pdf

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Weather officials say a line of severe thunderstorms and high winds in central Iowa, Thursday, left thousands of customers without power. The National Weather Service says a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect several hours Thursday for various central Iowa counties. At one point, more than 38,000 MidAmerican Energy customers were without power, with a majority in the Des Moines area.

Meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg says winds from the storms reached up to 70 miles per hour, but tornadoes were not expected. The system hit the Des Moines area before heading northeast toward Ankeny, Elkhart, Altoona and Bondurant. Kotenberg says reported damage includes dime-size hail in Johnston and fallen tree limbs in Adel. He says minor flooding is expected in parts of Polk County.

In the KJAN listening area; Emergency Management officials reported a 12-inch diameter tree limb was downed by strong winds just after 3-pm Thursday, in Adair; A storm spotter in the Mills County town of Henderson reported 3.5-inches of rain had fallen by 5:30-p.m, Thursday;

photo by Shane Hunter.

Law enforcement in Ringgold County reported a semi tractor-trailer was blown over on Highway 169 about 2 miles north of Tingley, at around 4:15-pm, Thursday; and, a Ham Radio operator near Redfield reported 6-to 12-inch diameter tree limbs had fallen in and near Redfield between 3:10- and 3:30-pm, and there was significant crop damage in the area.

The group Safe Kids Worldwide has released a study that finds an alarming number of children are not being buckled in when they travel in a vehicle. Lisa Roth, coordinator of the Safe Kids Iowa Coalition, says car crashes are the leading cause of death among children.”This study points to the fact that we have one in four parents who say they’ve driven with their child unrestrained at some point. That’s an alarming statistic for me, simply because we advocate for buckling up kids on every ride, every single time,” Roth says. According to the study, in 2011, 679 children under age 12 died in car crashes in the U.S. A third of those children were not in a car seat or buckled in.

The study notes a common reason a parent let their kid ride unrestrained was because they were only traveling a short distance. “We know that 60 percent of crashes involving kids occur less than 10 minutes from their home. So, that certainly is not a good reason not to buckle up a child,” Roth says. Other reasons parents gave for not buckling up a child include: there was no safety seat in the car, they were holding the child in their lap, they were traveling overnight, or they let the child out of the seat as a “reward.” Roth says parents need to remember their behavior can greatly influence their children’s behavior.

“Kids are always learning by watching their parents, so if a parent isn’t buckled or says it’s okay to unbuckle, that just really sends a powerful message to a child,” Roth says. It’s against the law to leave a child unrestrained in a vehicle. Children who are under the age of one or weigh less than 20 pounds must be in a rear facing car seat. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until at least age six. Children should also remain in the back seat until they are at least 13, because of air bags. Roth notes that most parents in Iowa are buckling up their kids, but many aren’t doing it properly. She’s encouraging parents to have their car seat inspected to make sure they have it installed in the proper manner.

Car seat inspections are conducted year-round at the following sites

*=appointment needed:

Atlantic* – CCMH/Home Care Hospice, M-F, 8am-4:30pm. Call 243-8006. Ask for Nancy Gibson or Kristen Templeton; And, on September 26, 2013 Location: Ann Wickman Child Development Center, 703 Linn St., Atlantic Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Appointment Needed: NO.Sponsors: YMCA/Ann Wickman Child Development Center* A CPS Instructor will be present *

Bedford* – Taylor County Public Health (405 Jefferson St.), M-F, 8am-4:30pm. Call 712-523-3405, or 1-800-425-0051 and ask for Jean Gallagher.

Corning – Alegent Health Family Home Care, M-W, Noon-5:30pm. Walk-ins available.

Creston* – Matura Action Corp. (203 W. Adams St.). Call 641-782-8431. Ask for Trista Grossnickle, Makayla Sickles or Sharon Campbell.

Greenfield* – Adair Co. Home Care (117 NW Hayes), M-F, 8am-4:30pm. Call 641-743-6173 and ask for Michal Thompson or Amy DeVault.

Glenwood* – Mills Co. Public Health, M-F, 8am-4:30pm. Call 712-527-9699 and ask for Kim Frink.

Logan* – Harrison Co. Home and Public Health (116 N.2^nd Ave., in Logan). 8am-4:30pm. Call 712-644-2220 and ask for Sherri. Sponsor:  Harrison County Home and Public Health.

(Radio Iowa)