The 2017 Cass County Fair King and Queen Contest was held on Thursday night at the Cass County Fairgrounds. 11 candidates competed for the title of Queen and 8 candidates vied for King.

2017 Cass County Fair Queen Mariah Murphy

Mariah Murphy, daughter of Doug and Kristi Murphy, was crowned the 2017 Cass County Fair Queen. Mariah is a member of the Benton Franklin 4-H club and the CAM FFA. Paige Henderson, Daughter of Mike and Beth Henderson was named Princess. Paige is a member of the Benton Franklin 4-H Club as well. Miss Congeniality was awarded to Sydney Steffen, Daughter of Andy and Jody Steffen.

2017 Cass County Fair King Riley Smith

Riley Smith, son of Don and Amy Smith, was crowned the 2017 Cass County Fair King. Riley is a member of the Griswold Clubsters 4-H Club and the Griswold FFA.  Cody McCreedy, son of Marty and Shelby McCreedy, was named Prince. Cody is a member of the Cass County RAMS and the Atlantic FFA. Mr. Congeniality was awarded to Eric Plagman, son of Mike and Kristy Plagman. Eric is a member of the Benton-Franklin 4-H Club and the CAM FFA.

The night got started with the Little Miss and Little Mister contest which had 16 Miss Contestants and 5 Mister Contestants. After introductions a winner for each title was drawn from a bowl. Leah Ohms was named Little Miss and Cooper Andersen was named Little Mister.

Dennis and Karen Oathoudt were honored as this year’s Cass County 4-H Hall of Fame inductees.  The Benton-Franklin 4-H Club was honored as the banner club of the year and they will receive special seating at the bull ride event on Friday night. Senior recognition awards were also handed out before the crowning of the King and Queen.

All royalty winners received Atlantic Chamber Bucks from Deb Schuler and Lana Westphalen and Gift Certificates from Renew Ag Supply. The Prince received an engraved belt buckle courtesy of Kirchoff Land Improvements. The King received an engraved belt buckle as well courtesy of Marcellus Insurance.  The Princess was given a tiara courtesy of Hanson’s Fine Jewelry and a sash pin from the family of Arlene and Harold Wickey. The Queen received a tiara courtesy of Hanson’s Fine Jewelry, a sash pin in memory of Matthew Rogers by his family, and a trophy from Smith Heating and Plumbing, Inc. Flowers courtesy of Special Occasions were also given to the Princess and Queen.

2017 Cass County Fair Queen Candidates

2017 Cass County Fair King Candidates

KJAN will be bringing you a live broadcast of the Cass County Fair Queen and King contest tonight from the Cass County Fairgrounds. Tune in for the audio or video broadcast at 7:00pm. We’ll have the audio broadcast on AM 1220, FM 101.1, online at kjan.com, and on the KJAN mobile app. Live video coverage will be available on KJANTV. Just head over to the TV page and click play on the embedded video player just before the broadcast.  The Little Miss and Little Mister contest will lead off the night before the King and Queen Ceremony emceed by our very own Jim Field.

A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has concluded a deputy sheriff in Carroll County and a staffer in the sheriff’s office improperly split at least 128-thousand dollars’ worth of fees for gun safety classes. Starting January 1st of 2011, Iowans who proved they had completed a gun-handling course and met all other legal requirements automatically got a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The man who was Carroll County’s sheriff at the time asked Deputy Tom Fransen to start teaching the gun safety classes — but State Auditor Mary Mosiman says the fees for the classes “belong to the county.” The classes were taught in the courthouse in Carroll, county equipment was used, plus the sheriff’s office phone number was listed as the primary point of contact on the materials advertising the classes. Fransen and Shanna Balukoff — a clerk in the Carroll County sheriff’s office — split the fees that were collected over a five-and-a-half year period.

The auditors’ review says the two may have pocketed MORE than 128-thousand dollars in fees because not all receipts in the sheriff’s office were properly recorded. The auditors’ report has been forwarded to state and Carroll County prosecutors as well as the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

(Radio Iowa)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A trucking company linked to a recent deadly human smuggling case in Texas had long promoted itself as a family firm whose hard-working drivers helped keep the U.S. economy running.

But according to public records and interviews with former drivers, Pyle Transportation was a cutthroat business that flouted laws, yet managed to stay afloat despite financial troubles and tangles with the government.

One of the company’s contract drivers was charged Monday in the deaths of 10 immigrants found in a sweltering Pyle trailer in San Antonio. The firm says it knew nothing about the human smuggling operation.

Federal regulators have launched an investigation into the company’s safety record.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have arrested a suspect in the Sioux City stabbing death of a Nebraska man. Police say 29-year-old Daniel Levering, of Sioux City, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder in the Sunday stabbing and beating death of 36-year-old Vincent Walker, of Winnebago, Nebraska.

Police say Walker was washing his car when he was confronted late Sunday afternoon by three people. Police say the group then assaulted him, with one stabbing him and another hitting him repeatedly with a baseball bat. Walker later died at a Sioux City hospital.

Levering is being held on $1 million bond. His preliminary hearing has been set for Aug. 7 in Woodbury County District Court.

A Nebraska man was sentenced today (Thursday) to 16 months in prison for escaping from a re-entry center in Pottawattamie County. According to the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, 28-year old Keith Wayne Page, of Omaha, will also be required to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

On January 19th, 2017, Page pleaded guilty to the charge. He admitted that he failed to return to CH, Inc., a residential reentry center in Council Bluffs in early September of 2016, after being granted a job-seeking pass. In December of 2016, Page was apprehended in Omaha on a federal arrest warrant.

The United States Marshals Service and the Metro Fugitive Task Force conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says three accidents occurred over the past week. At around 3:30-a.m. Sunday, Deputies responded to a report of a single-vehicle accident on Interstate 80 at the 60 mile marker. Officials say a 2005 Chevy Impala owned and driven by 31-year old Tanner Andrew Peterson,  of Des Moines, was eastbound on I-80 when the car went out of control, crossed the median, crossed westbound traffic, and entered the north ditch. Peterson was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3,500. Peterson was subsequently cited into court for Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense. The incident remains under investigation.

At around 4:15-a.m. Monday, Cass County Deputies responded to a report of an accident involving a car and a horse on Highway 48, in Cass County. Authorities say a 2003 Ford F150 owned and driven by 43-year old Christopher Michael Miller, of Griswold, was northbound on Highway 48 when the vehicle struck a large horse in the roadway. The Miller wasn’t hurt, but the horse died at the scene. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $7,000.

And, on Tuesday, a two-vehicle accident happened at around 12:05-p.m. at the intersection of Main and Mills Streets, in Griswold. Officials say a 2010 Chevy Silverado owned and driven by 56-year old Gene Schmeling, of Atlantic, was westbound on Main Street when a 1995 Ford F150 pickup owned and driven by 51-year old Anita Marie Riley, of Griswold, pulled away from a stop sign on Mills Street and in front of Schmeling’s vehicle, causing a collision. No injuries were reported. Damage to Schmeling’s vehicle is estimated at $1,000; damage to Riley’s vehicle is estimated at $1,500. Riley was cited for Failure to Yield.

Officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office say an Atlantic man was arrested today (Thursday), on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Sexual Abuse 3rd Degree. 29-year old Ryan Charles Juhl was brought to the jail from Clarinda Corrections, pending a hearing and will be taken back to Clarinda Corrections after the hearing. And, 25-year old Morgan Barbara Dvorak, of Atlantic, turned herself in at  the Cass County Jail Wednesday, on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Dvorak was booked and then released on $2,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Drought conditions are getting worse in several states, and extreme heat and weeks with little rain have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock in some areas. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says nearly 11 percent of the continental United States is in moderate drought or worse. The most severe drought area is centered on portions of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The United States Department of Agriculture has designated several counties in those states as areas of natural disaster, paving the way for emergency loans for producers.  Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas also are seeing stressed crops and farm animals. About half of U.S. spring wheat, 15 percent of corn and 14 percent of soybeans are in drought.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says a Defensive Tactics class open to women is set to take place August 7th, 2017 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Harlan High School Wrestling room. Any female over the age of 14 is invited to join in this event. Participants will be asked to sign a waiver prior to the start of the class, and any participants under the age of 18 will need a guardian to sign the waiver upon arrival. Pre-registration is not required.