(Radio Iowa) — Despite months of heavy flooding in the southwest Iowa community, Hamburg officials say Popcorn Day is still on for September. The annual town festival dates back to the 1960s. Judy Holliman, a member of the Hamburg Kiwanis — which sponsors the event, says with all of the devastation the community has endured this year, having the celebration is important to restore a sense of normalcy.

“We’ve had the barriers up and we’ve had sand on Main Street,” Holliman says. “We’ve had people leaving, families leaving and businesses leaving. We’ve been asked if we’re going to have Popcorn Day and yes, we need Popcorn Day. We need to have a diversion besides looking at water and looking at sand.” Holliman says community members will work hard over the next six weeks to prepare the town for the celebration on September 7th.

“The mayor, city council and city workers have all said that they are going to take the sand off Main Street and take the barriers down,” Holliman says. “They want us to have a full day of Popcorn Day like we’ve had in the past.” Another event organizer, Elaine Howard, says Governor Kim Reynolds is scheduled to serve as the parade’s grand marshal. Howard hopes Popcorn Day can serve as a thank you to the dozens and dozens of volunteers who helped the community in recent months.

“So many people have wanted to give support to Hamburg,” Howard says. “We just want them to come and join us on Popcorn Day for our celebration. The ‘Not All Heroes Wear Capes’ is very apropos for our parade title. We’ve had such wonderful volunteers that have come in since March 17th and prior to that since we were sandbagging on the 15th and 16th.”

The festival got its start in 1961 when local businessman Art Vogel, the owner of Vogel Popcorn, created a way to thank farmers who grew popcorn for his business.

(Radio Iowa) — An explosion rocked a northwest Iowa feed mill Tuesday afternoon.
No one was injured in the explosion at Deluxe Feeds in Sheldon, but the facility was damaged. According to a statement from Muscatine-based Kent Feeds — which owns the feed mill — “the cause of the explosion is under investigation.”

The facility produces livestock feed that’s shipped to swine, beef and dairy producers in Iowa and three other states. A 37-million dollar expansion of the plant began in 2017 and has not been completed.

Red Oak Police arrested a woman Tuesday evening on a Theft charge. 31-year old Jennifer Rose Latham, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Red Oak Dollar General Store at around 5:24-p.m., on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Latham was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report a motorcycle struck a deer Monday night, resulting in the motorcycle operator being sent to the hospital. 65-year old Steven Johnson, of Malvern, was riding a 2015 Indian Roadmaster northbound on 315th Street at around 9:45-p.m., when his cycle struck a deer a few miles north of Malvern. Johnson was transported by Malvern Rescue to the UNMC in Omaha.

Cass County ISU Extension and Outreach Director Kate Olsen reports the phones at the Extension Service in Atlantic were restored to operational status late Tuesday afternoon. The phones went down at around 12:15-p.m., leaving persons needing information or wishing to contact the Extension, no option but to stop-in or e-mail extension staff.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man already in federal prison on gun convictions has been sentenced to another 20 years for trying to hire a hitman from behind bars to kill two northeastern Iowa people. Federal prosecutors say 45-year-old Jason Harriman was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Harriman was convicted in January of two counts of murder-for-hire. Prosecutors say Harriman began serving a 15-year federal sentence in 2011 on gun charges and made multiple phone and email contacts from prison with someone he thought was a hired killer. The person was actually an undercover federal agent.

Investigators say Harriman met with the agent in prison and agreed to pay the “hitman” $21,000 for the murder of two people — even signing a contract.

WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) — Police in Rhode Island have arrested an Iowa man they say intended to visit singer Taylor Swift’s beachfront mansion in the state and was carrying a backpack containing a baseball bat and items commonly used in burglaries. Westerly Chief Shawn Lacey tells The Sun of Westerly that 32-year-old David Page Liddle, of Des Moines, Iowa, was arrested Friday after residents reported a suspicious man at a boat yard near Swift’s home.

Lacey says Liddle told officers he was looking to “catch up” with Swift because he knew her personally and she had agreed to help his singing career. Security guards at Swift’s mansion told police they had seen Liddle earlier outside the front gate.

Liddle was being held on $10,000 bond.

FAIRFAX, Iowa (AP) — Linn County authorities identified a teen killed when a lawn mower he was operating overturned, pinning him beneath. Authorities say 17-year-old Alexander Wade Prochaska, of Cedar Rapids, died in the accident.

First responders were sent around 8:20 p.m. Monday to a site about a 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Fairfax. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says Prochaska was trapped under the mower, which had overturned while he was trying to mow a ditch.

The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — After initially saying he acted in self-defense, police have charged an off-duty jail employee who brandished a handgun during a fight at a car show at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

The Iowa State Fair Police announced Tuesday that John McCormick is charged with assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, carrying a weapon under the influence and impersonating a peace officer.

The charges came after some witnesses said they were outraged that McCormick created a public safety scare but wasn’t arrested for the July 6 incident at the Good Guys car show. They wondered whether McCormick received special treatment since he works for the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.

McCormick has said he wasn’t the “primary aggressor” in the fight and that he pulled the weapon in self-defense to protect himself and his wife. State Fair Police Commander Doug Phillips said initially that McCormick feared for his life.

Multiple witnesses disputed that account, saying that McCormick instigated the fight with a 69-year-old driver and pulled the concealed handgun and made threats after the man fought back.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday morning at the courthouse in Atlantic. During their session, Engineer’s assistant Dennis Vogl provided information on three projects.  The Iowa DOT has reviewed bid(s) received by Cass County for the projects.  Only one apparent bid was received for each project.

A bid for first project was 114.8% of engineer’s estimate.  County Engineer Charles Bechtold said “Re-advertising the project without any change to the contract requirements would not likely result in a lower bid.  After a short discussion, the Board approved a motion to award a contract for an Olive Street hot melt asphalt overlay project, to Henningsen Construction, Inc. in the amount of slight more than $2-million dollars.

A bid for a second project (a concrete box culvert replacement on Newport Road) was less than engineer’s estimate. The project was awarded to Gus Construction Co., Inc. for $408,131.20. And, the bid for the third project (a HMA overlay on the Lewis Road for 2020), was 102.7% of engineer’s estimate.  The county engineer said “Re-advertising the project without any change to the contract requirements would not likely result in a lower bid.” The Board awarded the project to Henningsen Construction, Inc., for a little more nearly $1.035-million dollars.

In other business, County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall said she had received an offer to purchase a 2019 County Held Tax Sale Certificate for a parcel of real estate.  Per the agreement, the purchaser would pay back taxes, penalty, interest and an assignment fee.  After short discussion, the Supervisors voted to assign a Tax Sale Certificate Theodore Wonio, for all back taxes, penalty, interest and the assignment fee.