More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.9MB)
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Jim Field visits with Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning about National Trails Day and the T-Bone Trail Geocache Trail Ride on June 3.
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WASHINGTON, Iowa (AP) – The National Weather Service has confirmed that two tornadoes caused some eastern Iowa storm damage. The service says the first tornado touched down around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday in northeastern Jefferson County and lifted about four minutes later near Lake Darling in Washington County. It was rated EF-1 with winds reaching 110 mph that damaged farm outbuildings and trees.
The second struck around 6:35 p.m. in northeast Washington County and lifted six minutes later. It also was rated an EF-1 twister, damaging outbuildings, power lines and trees. No injuries have been reported.
The Creston Police Department reports 32-year old Jesse Edward Ramey, of Orient, was arrested at around 7:15-p.m, Thursday. Ramey faces a charge of Interference with Official Acts. He was brought to the Union County Jail and later released upon paying a $300 cash or surety bond.
Authorities said also a Creston resident reported Thursday evening, that sometime between the hours of 7:45- and 8-a.m., Thursday, someone damaged two tires on his vehicle parked outside his residence located in the 300 block of N. Division Street. And, a car stereo, four fishing poles, a tackle box, and a power washer were taken from his property. The value of the damaged and missing property was estimated at $850.
The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson
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Cass County Extension Staff and Vo-Ag Teachers from Atlantic, CAM and Griswold schools will be teaching a 24-hour tractor and machinery safety certification course for local youth June 5-16 at the Cass County Fairgrounds. This training is required by law for any 14 or 15 year olds who want to safely operate a tractor over 20 HP and other machinery on a farm, acreage or any other business.
Any youth who want to work in an operation that requires equipment operation must have this certificate. Youth aged 13 must be turning 14 during the summer of 2014 in order to be eligible for the certificate. 24 hours of training, including both a written and driving test, are required for participants to be certified.
While the certificate is required for 14 and 15-year olds to be eligible for employment, anyone age 13 or older, including adults, is welcome to register for the class, as a wide variety of tractor, machinery and general farm safety topics will be taught.
Participants will get some time “hands-on” driving farm machinery, as well as class time with Extension/Vo-Ag instructors and representatives from other local businesses and organizations.
The class dates are June 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 and 16 from 9 AM to 1 PM. A $40 registration fee covers all class materials, including a light lunch for all 6 days of the course. A $40 registration fee covers all class materials, including lunch for all 4 days of the course. Registration forms can be picked up from the Cass County Extension office or any Cass County Vo-Ag instructor.
Forms are also available online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass to print and return. Pre-registration is requested by Friday June 2 to ensure enough materials and food are available for course participants. For more information, call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or email keolson@iastate.edu.
The Sioux City Police Department is investigating after one person died in a crash between a car and a train on the north side of Sioux City Thursday. Lieutenant Mark Kirkpatrick was at the accident scene. “At this point in time we believe the train was stationary — it was not a moving train. And we are still investigating how and why the accident actually happened,” Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick said the man who was driving the car was found dead inside after it struck the train. “Our preliminary indication is that it was traveling at a higher rate of speed. Apparently it did go around the stop arm, because the stop arm is still intact.
The victim’s name has not been released. The accident happened around 9 a-m Thursday.
(Radio Iowa)
The longtime band director of a northwestern Iowa high school is retiring this month and his band’s final march could set a new world’s record. Steve Connell is in his last days as director of the Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band at M-O-C-Floyd Valley Senior High School in Orange City. At this weekend’s tulip festival, all previous band members are being invited to return to march and play. “It’s one of the more unique things that happens in the country,” Connell says. “People who haven’t played their horns for 20 years or 30 years or 40 years get their horns out and without any practice, they line up on the street and march just like they did when they were 18 years old.”
After 42 years of waving the baton, Connell is retiring at month’s end, so this will be his final time leading the marching band comprised of current students and alumni. “Since it’s my retirement, there’s just a lot people who are going to come back,” Connell says. “I’ve probably taught two- or three-thousand kids and a lot of them are coming back to march in this alumni band for the last time.”
Based on the cards, letters, emails, phone calls and social media postings, Connell says this year’s band will be like none other and will include many hundreds, perhaps thousands of his former students. He says it could set a new world’s record for pick-up marching band performances. “We’ve played the same song for probably 40 years now,” Connell says. “Everybody knows the song. We’re doing the same twirling routine. We’re doing the same flag routine. They all know those things. They come back and form on the street. There’s no practice involved. When they march down the street, you would think they’ve been practicing for months.”
That song is known as “Championship” and it was originally used on the CBS-TV program “NFL Today” some four decades ago. Connell says the alumni band is a wonderful tradition that’s been enjoyed for decades. “When you’re 60 years old, not many people can go back and relive that great high school basketball game they had with their friends or that great football championship they had. You just can’t do it,” Connell says. “But you can still get out your horn and relive a high school memory that was important to you and I think that’s what’s bringing people back.”
The big band is scheduled to march down Orange City’s Central Avenue at 6:30 P-M Saturday to close out the city’s annual Tulip Festival.
(Radio Iowa)