Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Monday) announced the creation of a Chronic Absenteeism Advisory Council to address chronic absenteeism in Iowa schools.  Plans to create the Chronic Absenteeism Advisory Council were announced at the 2016 Future Ready Iowa Summit, which began a statewide conversation about how to close the skills gap, one of the biggest challenges Iowa faces. Among those appointed to the Council, was Martha Bruckner, Superintendent of the Council Bluffs Community School District.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of schools days for any reason, excused or unexcused.  In Iowa, that means at least 18 days of school a year, or nearly a month.  Chronically absent students are more than one and a half times less likely to be proficient in reading by the end of third grade according to analysis by the Child and Family Policy Center.  In Iowa, nearly 25 percent of students did not read proficiently by the end of third grade in 2014-2015.  Those numbers reflect the skills gap that could potentially be keeping students from graduating from high school ready for college or career training.

The Council will meet once a month starting in August and make final recommendations to the Administration in November.  The Council includes many educators, school board representatives, non-profit and business leaders as well as state legislators.

Residents in the northwest Iowa town that calls itself the Popcorn Capital of the World plan to cook up a massive popcorn ball later this week to reclaim the title of world’s largest popcorn ball. Shirley Phillips, executive director of Western Iowa Tourism, says Sac City has already set the world’s record three previous times, most recently with a five-thousand pound popcorn ball in 2009.

“The Indiana State Fair built a popcorn ball last year during their fair at 6,500 pounds,” Phillips says. “That certainly surpassed our 5,000-pound record. This year, we’re going to attempt to make an 8-to-10,000-pound and I can tell you, the reason there’s a gap in there is because when we get so aggressive at building a popcorn ball, sometimes we don’t stop when we should.”

It’s anticipated the new record-setting popcorn ball will be 10 to 12 feet tall. A larger building is being constructed in Sac City just to house it, Phillips says, and a small army is being assembled to create the enormous sphere of popcorn on Saturday. “Last time, it took us 12 and a half hours and it took 253 volunteers,” Phillips says. “We’ll take all of the volunteer help we can get that wants to punch and pack popcorn that day.”

The final weight will be verified by an Iowa Department of Transportation scale but she notes, before it comes to that, it’ll be a complicated process to create to world’s largest popcorn ball. “The Noble Popcorn plant here in Sac City makes and sells flavored popcorn and they have these huge cookers that’ll cook 60- to 65-pound batches at a time,” Phillips says. “What they do is mix up the sugar and the syrup — it has to be an edible recipe — to make the flavored popcorn and then it dumps out onto a conveyor belt which we grab in big buckets and we start punching and packing into a popcorn ball shape.”

Sac City first created the world’s largest popcorn ball in 1995, weighing 2,225 pounds. That record was later beaten and another record-setter was created in 2004, tipping the scale at 3,100 pounds. Again, someone built a bigger one and Sac City created its most recent 5,000-pound popcorn boulder in 2004. Phillips says popcorn was introduced to growers in Sac County in 1885.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Creston say three people were arrested over the weekend and a vehicle theft was reported. A resident who lives in the 900 block of N. Walnut Street, in Creston, reported early this (Monday) morning, that someone took her 2000 Ford F-150 pickup parked in front of her home. The pickup was brown, with Iowa personalized license plates that read 1DCYPLE (One disciple). The loss was estimated at $4,000.

Two people were arrested Saturday, in Creston: 23-year old Casey Bird, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Revoked and OWI/1st offense. Bird was later released from the Union County Jail on $1,000 bond. And, 33-year old Jamie Sobotka-Killion, of Creston, was arrested Saturday evening on two charges of Animal Neglect. The woman was later released from the Ringgold County Jail on a Promise to Appear in court.

And, early Friday morning, 30-year old Brandon Clayton, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense. He was later released from custody on $2,000 bond.

A northwest Iowa man is charged with murdering his sister this weekend. Le Mars Police have taken into custody a 33 year old Le Mars man following a fatal stabbing that happened Saturday evening. Thomas Bibler is accused of fatally stabbing his 27 year old sister, Shannon Bogh.

Witnesses to the stabbing identified Bibler of Le Mars as the suspect. Bogh was transported to the Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars where she was pronounced dead. The Le Mars/Plymouth County and Sioux County Special Response Team was called and entered Bibler’s apartment to make the arrest.

Bibler was being held in the Plymouth County Jail on a first degree murder and an assault causing serious injury charges His bond was set at $350,000.

(Radio Iowa)