Residents of Le Mars were the first to see new stamps called “Frozen Treats.” U-S Post Office district manager, Mary Alt, talks about the new stamp. “There’s ten different versions, but they are ice cream frozen treats. So they are popsicles, different colors, different scents. It’s a scratch and sniff — so you’ll have a watermelon, a bubble gum, a chocolate, vanilla, a strawberry. But it’s one of our first scratch and sniff stamps,” Alt says.

Ice-cream-stamp

She says the concept for the scratch and sniff stamp started nearly two years ago, and it will be available at postal offices nationwide. She says there’s a simple reason Le Mars was chosen for the unveiling of the new stamp. She says the marketing group in Iowa asked that the stamp be unveiled in Le Mars because it is known as the “Ice Cream Capital of the World.”

Le Mars is home to Blue Bunny ice cream. The stamp was unveiled Thursday at the Le Mars Post Office along with a special postal cancellation mark. The cancellation says “Le Mars Ice Cream Capital of the World.” Alt says the special cancellation will be used through the month of August.

The stamps are the “forever” stamps as issued by the United States Postal Service. Each of the ten stamp designs includes two different treats.

(Radio Iowa)

An Iowa-based hospitality company is making its first venture into Nebraska. Hawkeye Hotels, headquartered in Coralville, is set to break ground on a new hotel on a busy corner of the Old Market area in Omaha. Hawkeye’s chief development officer Raj Patel says the structure was originally going to rise eight stories.

“Through working with city planners and historic preservation committees, we learned six stories would really be a better fit for the neighborhood so we took our height down to six stories,” Patel says. “We also took a lot of design inspiration from around the Old Market and our entire facade is going to be brick.” Patel says “The Moxy” is an affordable boutique hotel line that is designed to bring guests together.

“The room sizes are smaller,” he says. “That’s the trend of hotels is to do more fresh-design rooms but more immersive social spaces where guests can be more encouraged to hang out in the lobby or at the bar.” The 105-room hotel will cater to the design trends and preferences of millennial and business travelers. Patel says it’s an honor to be selected to build in the historic district.

“For our guests and anyone staying at the hotel, you’ll walk out of the front doors and within footsteps you’ll having dining, entertainment, live music,” Patel says. “That’s really a perfect fit for The Moxy brand as well as our company, Hawkeye Hotels, to be able to have that kind of location in Omaha.” Ground will be broken in August.

The hotel will add 40 jobs to the labor market in Omaha. Founded in 1982, Hawkeye Hotels is one of America’s fastest growing privately-owned hospitality firms with over $750 million in assets across the country.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating two separate robberies that took place Friday afternoon. Around 3:10-p.m., officers were dispatched to the bike trail north of Interstate 29 near the 55 mile marker. Upon arrival, they made contact with a woman who said she was robbed at gunpoint while running on the bike path by an unknown black male. The suspect, she said, grabbed her from behind, pointed a handgun at her and threatened to harm her. During the struggle, a round was fired out of the gun. The victim suffered minor injuries. The suspect stole some of her belongings then left the area eastbound towards North 25th Street on the bicycle. The suspect was described as a black male, in his late 20’s or early 30’s, with some facial hair, wearing a black shirt and black shorts, and riding a black mountain bike.

A little less than 90-minutes later (4:30-p.m.), officers were dispatched to 801 N 35th St. for a report of a robbery. Upon arrival, they made contact with a woman who said she was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot by two black males. She suffered minor injuries. Officers in the area located four possible suspects in the neighboring apartment complex (Featherstone Apartments).

Two were taken into custody right away; the other two were taken into custody after a brief negotiation through one of the apartments. After all parties were interviewed, two juvenile males (ages 16 and 17) were placed under arrest for Robbery 1st for today’s incident. Two juvenile males (ages 16 and 17) were arrested for warrants from an incident that took place earlier in the week.

Authorities say they do not think the two incidents are related. An investigation continues into both incidents. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (712)328-4765, or Crimestoppers at (712)328-7867, to remain anonymous.

w/ Chris Parks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a Grant man has been located in good condition after concerned family members were searching for him on Friday night. Family reported 76-year-old John Giefing of Grant had left his residence on Friday at 4:43pm and had talked about going to Kansas City, MO. Giefing has Alzheimers and family was concerned about his knowledge of where he was heading. About 7 hours later the Sheriff’s Office reported that Giefing had been located in good condition. The Sherrif’s Office thanked the public for their assistance.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Friday morning of a Lamoni man after a traffic stop. Officers conducted the traffic stop near P Avenue and Highway 34 at approximately 9:55am on Friday. Deputies arrested 18-year-old Samuel J. Hampton of Lamoni on charges of OWI Druggesd, Possession of Controlled Substance (Marijuana), and Possession of Drug Equipment. Hampton was taken into custody and later released on $1,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Rep. Steve King says he asked Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison — a Muslim — about Muslims working in Iowa pork processing plants. In an interview posted Friday by Breitbart News radio, King says he didn’t know whether Muslims would handle pork, so he “talked with Keith Ellison about that, who would be the lead Muslim in Congress.”

King says he learned an imam would need to grant someone a “special dispensation.”
He adds that it would be OK because “as long as they’re preparing this pork for infidels, they’ll send them to hell and it must make Allah happy.” King adds that, “I don’t want people doing my pork who won’t eat it.”

A spokesman for Ellison didn’t immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Cleanup of an oil spill caused by the derailment of nearly three dozen oil tankers in northwestern Iowa has begun. Lyon County Sheriff Steward Vander Stoep says between 30 and 40 semitrailers containing cleanup equipment had arrived at the scene near Doon, Iowa, this (Friday) afternoon.

Tank cars carrying crude oil are shown derailed about a mile south of Doon, Iowa, Friday, June 22, 2018. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP)

BNSF spokesman Andy Williams says 33 oil tanker cars hauling crude oil from Alberta, Canada, derailed around 4:30 a.m. Friday just south of Doon. Williams says some of the tankers were compromised, causing the oil to leak into floodwaters and eventually into the rain-swollen Little Rock River, but officials don’t yet have an exact number of tankers that leaked oil.

Williams says clean-up crews are working to contain the oil as close to the derailment as possible using containment booms, skimmers and vacuum trucks. City public information officer Travis Olson says the wells were shut down as soon as Rock Valley officials were told of the derailment and oil spill north of them early Friday morning.

Olson says Rock Valley’s water towers also will be drained as a precaution. In the meantime, the city is getting its water from the nearby Rock Valley Rural Water system, which Olson says is not in danger of being contaminated by the spill. Olson says the city will use the rural water supply until testing by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirms the safety of the city’s drinking water. He did not know when that testing would be finalized.

Officials with the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) said Friday (today) that Taxi rates will decrease effective July 1st, 2018 through June 30th, 2019.  SWITA taxi service is available in Atlantic, Glenwood, Harlan, Red Oak, Missouri Valley, and Shenandoah. The new rates will be $2 per ride for seniors (60+), and $2.50 per ride for general public.

Additional companion rider rates will remain $1.00.  Previous rates were $3.00 for elderly and $4.25 for general public.  In order to receive the senior rate, individuals must complete paperwork for the Connections Area Agency on Aging, who generously help support the taxi program for seniors.  The Connection forms are available from the taxi driver, except in Atlantic where they are available at the SWITA office.

SWITA’s mission is to break down barriers caused by a lack of transportation options or access to transportation.  The SWITA taxi is a vital piece of that mission, especially for members of the community without access to a car.  Decreasing the cost of a taxi ride is one way that SWITA seeks to promote the use of the taxi and make it accessible to all, and to help southwest Iowa communities grow and thrive.

Mark Lander, SWITA Transit Director said “We have many individuals that utilize the taxi service on a daily basis and love it.  But many others don’t realize that it is available for anyone to ride, or the cost was a barrier.  Reducing the rate was the most obvious and immediate way we could see to make the service more visible and useful to our area residents, and we hope people take advantage of this great value.”

SWITA is the public transportation agency for the eight counties of southwest Iowa; Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby operated by Southwest Iowa Planning Council.  For more information on SWITA please visit the website at www.swipco.org or call the office at 800-842-8065.  SWITA/SWIPCO is an equal opportunity employer, lender, and provider.

City of Audubon officials informed KJAN Friday afternoon that the Boil Water Advisory for the community has now been lifted. All necessary tests have now been completed and passed so the advisory is no longer needed.