The Audubon County Emergency Management Agency reports the Audubon County Engineer’s office was forced to immediately close a bridge in the 1900 block of 220th Street, following an inspection that determined the bridge was unsafe. The bridge is located just east of Highway 71 on 220th Street (just east of Agriland FS), in Audubon County.

The closure will be in effect until plans can be made to make repairs. Persons living in the 1900 and 2000 blocks of 220th Street who normally access their properties from the west, will only be able to do so using 215th Street and Lark Avenue from the north and east, or Highway 44 and Kingbird Avenue from the south and east. Addresses in the 2200 and 2300 blocks of Kingbird Avenue will have to be accessed by Highway 44.

Police, Fire and Ambulance services should plan alternate routes for emergency response to nearby residents. If you have any questions, call the Audubon County Engineer’s Office at 712-563-4286.

A delegation of Japanese feed buyers will arrive in Iowa this morning (Thursday) for a three-day trade visit to the Hawkeye State. Dennis Friest, of Radcliffe, is a member of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the U.S. Grains Council. He says the delegates will visit the DuPont Pioneer headquarters in the Des Moines area and several farming operations.

“They’re going to stop out at my farm for a few hours and make some more visits in southwest Iowa,” Friest says. “We try to work with these buyers to show them what we do and the quality of product that we grow here and keep our markets open, overseas markets.”

Other stops include the Poet ethanol plant in Jewell, the Ag Partners coop in Ellsworth, the Green Plains ethanol production facility in Shenandoah and a farming operation in Randolph. With a population of 127-million, Friest says Japan is an important market for ag products.

“Japan is the second-largest corn market for the United States, importing over 10-million metric tons of corn,” Friest says. “They’re also the 10th largest dry distiller grains market. They’re a huge customer and have been for many years.”

The Japanese delegation represents people involved in corn processing, the feed and corn trade industries as well as a hog and poultry industry journalist. Learn more at: www.iowacorn.org.

(Radio Iowa)

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Changes now give the parents of prospective and current college students more time to file the information for the  Free Application for Federal Student Aid  or FAFSA. Iowa College Aid spokesperson, Elizabeth Sedrel says “The FAFSA is really the gate toward any financial aid that you might get for college. It’s required for the Pell Grant, for some federal loans and even for about half of the state grants and scholarships that are available in Iowa,” Sedrel says. “So this is your first step. If you are looking to get help paying for college, FAFSA needs to be the first thing you that you do.

The filing window opened at the start of this month and Sedrel says you should get it done as soon as you can. She says if you fill it out now you won’t be rushed to get it done before the holidays, and she says for many colleges the deadline to apply for financial aid is March 1st. In the past you had to wait to file FAFSA until January 1st, and you needed current tax information “Now with the window opening earlier, they are letting you use what they call prior, prior year taxes,” Sedrel says. That means you can use your 2015 tax information to file.

Some students may think their parents make too much money for them to qualify for any aid.  Sedrel says that shouldn’t keep them from filing. “Everyone should file. No one should assume that they are not going to qualify for aid. Something like 85 percent of the people who file find out that they are eligible for some kind of aid to pay for college,” Sedrel says. “And it doesn’t cost anything to file the FAFSA, and for most people it takes under a half hour — so you are really out nothing if you should turn out to be in that very small minority who doesn’t get any aid. But for most people it turns out to be worth it.”

She says go to FAFSA-dot-gov (FAFSA.gov) to file and if you have questions or want some tips,  you can go to the Iowa College Aid website at Iowa-College-Aid-dot-gov (iowacollegeaid.gov).   New and returning college students need to file. Sedrel says you have to file FAFSA for every year in which you hope to get aid to help pay for college.   Sedrel says FAFSA is free just like the name says and you should avoid any websites that want to charge you to file.

(Radio Iowa)

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 24-year old Zachary Thomas Marchese, of Council Bluffs, was arrested by Red Oak Police Wednesday evening. Marchese was taken into custody in Red Oak at around 7-p.m., on an active Pottawattamie County warrant for violation of the State’s Sex Offender Registry/1st offense. Marchese was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

And, Red Oak Police arrested 55-year old Ronald Dean Kammerer, Jr., of Red Oak, at around 5:45-p.m., Wednesday, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Kammerer was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, pending an appearance before a Magistrate.

Candidates in two of Iowa’s congressional districts debated on live television last (Wednesday) night. The first district debate featuring Republican Congressman Rod Blum of Dubuque, and Democrat Monica Vernon of Cedar Rapids, was held in Cedar Rapids. Security issues were at the forefront of the debate in Council Bluffs featuring third district Congressman David Young, a Republican, and Jim Mowrer of Des Moines, his Democratic challenger. Young questioned Mowrer’s willingness to allow Syrian refugees into the country and Mowrer shot back.

“Do you want to send them back?” Mowrer asked. Young replied: “I want to protect America, Jim,” Young said. “What is your experience protecting America, congressman?” Mowrer asked. Young replied: “My first solemn oath when I was sworn in is to protect and defend the constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic. I’m not going to take a chance and when ISIS says they want to infiltrate our refugee system, I’m going to take it seriously.” Mowrer said: “I lived it. I know what it takes to keep America safe.”

Mowrer says while being a veteran is not a requirement for being a member of congress, he has a “unique perspective” because he is a veteran. The two candidates discussed border security as well. Young is co-sponsoring a bill written after police say a Council Bluffs woman was killed by a speeding drunk driver who was in the country illegally — and who has vanished after posting bail.

“It’s hard for me to believe that he wouldn’t support Sarah’s Law,” Young said, touting the “bipartisan” legislation. Mowrer said: “We need to fix our immigration system top-to-bottom. We have to pass comprehensive immigration reform.” Young said he favors “piece meal…targeted approaches” to immigration problems, rather than “10-thousand page bills.”

Iowa Public Television hosted the third district debate in Council Bluffs. The first district debate in Cedar Rapids was co-sponsored by The Cedar Rapids Gazette and K-C-R-G television.

(Radio Iowa)

There’s no snow in the forecast just yet, but 19 years ago on this date, many Iowans were digging out from one of the heaviest October snowfalls in the state’s history. The major winter storm spread across much of southern and central Iowa on October 26, 1997. National Weather Service records show the heaviest snowfall accumulations included 11.3 inches at Knoxville in Marion County and 13 inches southwest of Mineola in Pottawattamie County.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses lost electricity as snow laden trees fell onto power lines. On this morning 19 years ago, temperatures plummeted to just nine-degrees above zero in Atlantic and Guthrie Center — the coldest Iowa temperature recorded so early in the season since 1972.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines hospital says it’s taking action after learning of accusations that a former pharmacy technician there watered down powerful pain prescriptions of hospital patients. Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines says the pharmacy tech is no longer employed there. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that from late August to early October, more than 730 patients were given watered-down drugs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa department that processes unemployment checks will receive a $500,000 grant from the federal government to improve fraud detection and to modernize outdated computer systems. The U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday it is distributing more than $30 million in grants to 39 state agencies including Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa church is dropping its lawsuit against the state and the city of Des Moines over an antidiscrimination law that church officials believed could force them to abide by transgender bathroom rules. The Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed a voluntarily dismissal Wednesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa has filed a lawsuit against a contractor that it blames for shoddy construction work that damaged the historic Old Capitol building. UI hired Knutson Construction to restore and improve the campus icon after a 2001 fire destroyed parts of the building. In a lawsuit this month, the university says it discovered construction deficiencies, including a leaky roof and deteriorated wood siding.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports absentee voting is still available for the November 8 GENERAL ELECTION.  Absentee ballots may be voted in the Cass County Auditor’s office through Monday, November 7, 2016 at 5 pm.

IF VOTING AT THE COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE: the absentee voter may come to the CASS COUNTY COURTHOUSE during the regular office hours of 8 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday thru Friday, up through the day before the election and cast a ballot.  In addition to regular office hours, the office of Cass County Auditor will be open Saturday, October 29, 2016 from 8 AM to 5 PM and Saturday, November 5, 2016 from 9 AM to 5 PM.  A voter may register and vote and an absentee ballot on the same day.

IF VOTING BY MAIL: A written request may be mailed or hand delivered to the County Auditor’s office.  (Absentee request forms are available at the auditor’s office and on the Secretary of State’s web site: sos.state.ia.us).  A ballot along with instructions on how to complete the ballot will be mailed to the requester.  For the ballot to be counted the completed ballot then must be returned either by personal carrier to the office of County Auditor before close of polls on November 8 or returned by mail postmarked no later than November 7.  Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 5 PM on Friday, November 4.  All BALLOTS ARE TO BE RETURNED whether they are voted or not voted.  A postage paid return envelope is provided with each absentee ballot mailed out.

VOTER REGISTRATION: In order to vote in Iowa a person must be registered in the person’s current county of residence, under the person’s current name, and at the person’s current address.

The county election commissioner recommends that persons not currently registered or who have moved since last registering and are planning to vote in the November GENERAL ELECTION, pre-register in the office of the County Auditor as soon as possible.  You may register or re-register and vote absentee on the same day.  Last day to pre-register in the office of the County Auditor is Saturday, October 29, 2016.

The address for the Cass County Auditor / Election Commissioner is:

CASS COUNTY AUDITOR, COURTHOUSE, 5 W 7TH ST, ATLANTIC, IOWA 50022

(Phone:712-243-4570;   Email: auditor@casscoia.us)