KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Red Oak, Iowa) – No injuries were reported following a collision this (Tuesday) morning, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, the accident occurred at the intersection of N. 8th St. and Hillcrest Avenue, at around 10-a.m.
Authorities say a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country van driven by 34-year-old Bruce Kaimann, of Red Oak, was traveling westbound on Hillcrest Avenue and approaching the yield sign. A 2005 GMC SUV driven by 17-year-old Heath Jackson, of Red Oak, was also approaching the intersection as Jackson was traveling northbound on N. 8th Street.
Police say Kaimann was traveling too fast for the slick road conditions, and was unable to stop before entering the intersection. His van slid into the path of the SUV before being struck on the left rear tire. Damage from the accident amounted to $4,300. No citations were issued due to the poor road conditions, but Police said Kaimann was at fault for driving too fast for conditions. They noted that had the streets not been slick, both vehicles would have been able to stop.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa lawmakers are exploring ways to try to prevent children from accessing pornography online.
Republican Representative Bill Gustoff of Des Moines says there already are two or three bills that outline different approaches. “It’s all like a game of Whac-A-Mole,” Gustoff says. “…We’re going to pass what we can. and then somebody will come up with a way to get around it a little bit and we’ll have to come back and revisit it here and in other states.”
Gustoff is the leader of a subcommittee in the Iowa House that held a hearing on one of the bills today. Chuck Hurley, legal counsel of The Family Leader, told lawmakers efforts to restrict minors’ access to pornography in the digital environment have not yet been successful. “Kids are vulnerable and you all really have an opportunity to do something to protect them,” Hurley said.
Governor Reynolds is making a proposal similar to a Utah law that requires age verification for access to websites with pornographic or indecent content.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department has released a report on arrests that occurred from December 19, 2023 through January 22, 2024. From the most recent to the earliest arrests:
On Monday (Jan. 22nd), 22-year-old Erin Mack, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Shelby County warrant for Violation of Probation.
Last Saturday (Jan. 20), 62-year-old Anthony Germann, of Shelby, was arrested in Atlantic on a Montgomery County warrant for Operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
On Jan. 17th, 60-year-old Kimberly Register, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Gathering where controlled substances are used.
There were two arrested January 15th, in Atlantic: 22-year-old Mym Attan, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication, and, 24-year-old Fitkio Ranu, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct.
On the 13th, Atlantic Police arrested 25-year-old Melvin Helson and 34-year-old Gervin Winnie, both of Atlantic. They were charged with Disorderly Conduct.
On Jan. 12th, 22-year-old ID Kutto, of Atlantic, was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree.
On the 10th of January, 38-year-old Winser Ekiek, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Public Intoxication. And, 29-year-old Christopher Martin, of Atlantic, was arrested for Aggravated Assault. The previous day (Jan. 9th), 40-year-old Daniel Duranceau, of Atlantic, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd.
Others arrested in Atlantic include:
All subjects were booked into the Cass County (IA) Jail. The Jail Roster on Jan. 23rd, showed Jackson Sally, Efrain Sandiego, Christopher Martin, along with Nathan Frazier, Tami Schulz, Jason Wingrove and Kalee Nolte (mentioned in our report on counterfeiting and forgery) remained held in the jail.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Police in Atlantic today (Tuesday) said four Cass County residents are charged in connection with a felony forgery and counterfeiting investigation. 52-year-old Tami Schulz and 31-year-old Nathan Frazier, both of Atlantic, were charged with Ongoing Criminal Conduct. Frazier was charged also with Forgery, while Schulz was additionally charged with Counterfeiting/Forgery.
Authorities say their investigation began when Jason Wingrove, of Anita, was caught on December 30th allegedly attempting to pass counterfeit U-S currency at Walmart, in Atlantic to purchase a new inkjet printer cartridge. During a subsequent police interview with Wingrove, he stated that the counterfeit currency was being produced at the apartment of Tami Schulz, along with Kalee Nolte, of Atlantic, and Nathan Frazier.
On January 2nd, Tami Schulz called the Cass County Communications Center and informed them that she was the person who gave Wingrove the counterfeit money to buy a new ink cartridge at Walmart. On January 14th, Atlantic Police executed a search warrant at Schulz’ apartment at 1200 Elm Street, and after being read her rights, she chose to answer questions officers posed with regard to the fake money.
Schulz said Nolte and Frazier were in the process of moving out on January 15th. Officers were able to collect several hundred counterfeit items, including U-S currency, SWITA transportation tickets, a manufactured bank check, and other items related to the counterfeiting operation, including an inkjet printer and cartridges, and photographs of U-S currency. Schulz was able to identify all the items as belonging to Nolte and Frazier. She went on to say Nolte and Frazier would print the counterfeit items and then give them to her to cut out. Schulz said she was aware that it was illegal, and tried to tell Nolte and Frazier the same thing.
On January 17th, Atlantic Police Officer Snyder interviewed SWITA Transportation Director Mark Lander, who confirmed Schulz, Nolte and Frazier had used counterfeit tickets on multiple occasions to obtain transportation. Lander told police they tickets began appearing in mid-December, 2o23. When the fake tickets were discovered, SWITA barred Schulz, Nolte and Frazier from using SWITA transport. The used counterfeit SWITA tickets were seized as evidence.
Police say based on the information they obtained, Tami Schulz, Kalee Nolte, Nathan Frazier and Jason Wingrove were charged. Wingrove and Nolte were charged with Forgery. Nolte was additionally charged with Ongoing Criminal Conduct. The suspects were booked into the Cass County Jail Jan. 22nd and remained held as of today (Jan. 23rd).
(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Monday, of 39-year-old Bradley Fink, from Silver City. Finke was arrested for the alleged Possession of a controlled substance/marijuana – a simple misdemeanor. He posted a $1,000 cash or surety bond, and was released.
(Iowa DNR News) – The paddlefish snagging season on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers opens Feb. 1 and goes through April 30 (sunrise to sunset). The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says anglers fishing for paddlefish must have a valid Iowa fishing license, along with a special paddlefish license and unused transportation tag(s).
Please keep track of your catch and effort and complete the electronic survey after the paddlefish season whether you harvested a fish or not. The information collected will help the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) evaluate the success of the season and determine what potential changes/modifications may be needed.
Paddlefish-DNR photo
If you catch a jaw-tagged fish (numbered band in the lower jaw), call the phone number on the tag and report the tag number, date of capture, capture location and eye-to-fork length. The Iowa DNR and other state fisheries agencies tag paddlefish to better understand and manage populations. Tagging provides valuable information to estimate population size, fish movement and growth.
Ongoing drought conditions and low river levels might affect Missouri River boat ramp access. For more information about Iowa’s special paddlefish season regulations, visit the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/paddlefish.
(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand has released a report of all the property tax levies in Iowa and Sand says it shows the property tax is regressive. “Fairness in taxation is a big issue and knowing now, as we have now proven, that lower income and middle income, middle class Iowans pay a higher rate on their taxes per thousand dollars of valuation than wealthy Iowans, I think that’s an important consideration for policy makers,” Sand says. Sand says the lowest overall levies are in northwest and north central Iowa.”Rates are a little bit higher in central and southern Iowa,” Sand says, “and in most large and mid-sized cities as well.” Sand has released a series of maps showing the tax rates in the 4100 property tax districts in Iowa.
“Until today some people have suspected but we have never known that in fact when compared to median income rates, according to Census data, that property taxes in Iowa are in fact a regressive tax,” Sand says. “What that means is that working class and middle class Iowans pay a higher rate on their property taxes than wealthy Iowans do.”
Sand reviewed property tax rates in 2014, 2017 and 2024. He is not making recommendations for changes in how cities, counties, school districts and other local government entities collect property taxes. Iowans who own property get a notice in August about payments that are due in September and March.
(Radio Iowa) – The dead of winter may be the ideal time to take in a new photography exhibit at the University of Iowa called “Facing the Inferno.” It’s a collection of pictures showing the devastating impact of wildfires snapped by Kari Greer, a contract photographer with the National Interagency Fire Center, based in Idaho. Jessica Smith, spokeswoman for the UI’s Pentacrest Museums, says it’s a spell-binding series of images. “A lot of the photos that Kari has taken over time have been when she was close to these fires, and they may have been published or used in a journalistic way,” Smith says. “In this exhibition, they’ve been divorced from the original content that would have been published with them and reexamined from a point of fine art.”
Smith says the exhibition captures the striking visual narrative of wildfires through Greer’s lens. “It’s really visually stunning. They range from small candid portraits of firefighters themselves — and they’re really telling, you can just see exhaustion in their eyes and of course they’re covered in soot,” Smith says, “but there’s some others that are more nature-based, focusing specifically on fire itself or smoke.”
Photo from the Kari Greer exhibit
The exhibit opened last week in the Hanson Humanities Gallery at the Old Capitol Museum, and Smith says the collection chronicles the raw intensity of massive wildfires. “There are some of actual damage, like putting a house or some context into a human-impacted space and they’re just gorgeous,” Smith says, “and then you realize what you’re looking at, and then you have a lot of questions and there’s some deeper meaning there.” She says the collection was assembled in the galley to delve into the evolving role of contemporary photographers, and the ecological implications of wildfires on society. “Facing the Inferno” is considered a timely and essential exhibition for everyone. Smith notes, even Iowans who are far from any wildfires experienced smoke and air quality issues last summer.
“We have a staff that’s really thinking carefully about what we want to be in there and it’s usually something that’s quite topical, and something that is going to have strong curricular connections,” Smith says. “So we can be supporting hands-on learning opportunities for our students, getting them out of their textbooks and out of their classrooms and into a space to explore and think about things, and this is a really, really strong example of that.”
Greer will be delivering a free lecture on the Iowa City campus in a few months, likely in late March or early April.
(Radio Iowa) – Teaching a gender neutral version of Spanish, French or any other language would not be allowed in Iowa schools under a bill that’s passed a subcommittee in the Iowa House.
Republican Representative Bill Gustoff of Des Moines says it’s not about pronouns in the English language, but other languages have words in male and female versions. “If that’s part of the language, then teach the language,” Gustoff says, “but don’t rewrite an entire language to remove ‘el’ and ‘la’ and ‘o’ and ‘a’ as endings.”
Gustoff says he introduced the bill because a teacher told him they would be disciplined if they did not teach a gender neutral version of a language. Gustoff says the teacher asked not to be publicly identified and Gustoff is not revealing the district where the teacher works.
Tye Nyhus, a Spanish instructor in Des Moines, says teaching and using gender neutral pronouns in class is important for some students. “Kids that don’t use it will likely not remember it,” Nyhus says, “but those who do will remember the feeling of being seen for a lifetime.”
Europeans have been debating the use of nouns coded as masculine and feminine. The agency that oversees usage of the Italian language has come out against gender neutral terms. In November the French senate voted to ban the use of gender neutral terms in government documents.
(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County District 5 Supervisor Donna Robinson announced at the end of the Supervisor’s regular meeting, today (Tuesday), that she will not be running for re-election this year. Robinson said four-terms is enough, and if anyone wishes to step-up and run for her seat, the filing deadline is March 22nd. March 4th is the first day for candidates to file nomination papers for the June 4th Iowa Primary, with March 22nd as the deadline. Each candidate must garner a certain number of signatures in order to be placed on the primary ballot. Anyone with questions should contact the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office at 712-623-5127. District 5 essentially includes the eastern one-third of Montgomery County.
Montgomery County Supervisor Donna Robinson (Official County photo)
In other business, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors received good news, with regard to the rate the County and its employees pay for health insurance premiums. Alera Group representative Tom Schuetz told the Board
Schuetz said that’s a roughly $40,000 increase.
He said unless there is a huge increase in claims across the board, the County should finish the fiscal year, and allow an additional cushion for the Reserve Fund.
Sagacity Benefits spokesman Steve Preader added the expects and $40-to 60,000 will be available to be added to the Reserve Fund.
The Board took no action on renewing the insurance plan at this time. They wanted more time to look over the information.
In other business, Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert said with all the recent winter weather, she has not had time to contact applicants for the truck driver labor openings, but they hope to do so this week. And, the Supervisors approved a request for program support from West Central Community Action, in the amount of $3,500 for FY2025.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS