AMES, Iowa – July 19, 2016 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is conducting a planning study of Interstate 80. The study will be developed and released through a series of technical reports that identify the existing condition of I-80, the way the system is performing, short- and long-term issues, and strategies to improve the route. Each report will be accessible online as it becomes available on the Iowa DOT’s I-80 Planning Study website at: www.iowadot.gov/interstatestudy.

An online meeting is now available to view on the website. To view the meeting, select the “Public Meetings” tab, and then select “Meeting 1.” The meeting was recorded allowing persons to view it at any time and will be available on the website throughout the duration of the planning study.

The Iowa DOT is asking interested parties to take a few minutes to view the online public meeting and review the information on the website. The website also offers a way for those interested to receive future emails or text messages regarding the study. Use the “Stay Connected” link on the I-80 Planning Study website to sign up.

For information regarding the study, contact the Iowa DOT’s Office of Location and Environment, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, phone 515-239-1225 or email DOT-I-80Planning@dot.iowa.gov. To submit a comment online about this project, go to: http://bit.ly/I80Comment.

The Iowa DOT will be using the hashtag #I-80IowaPlan and you can use that key phrase to find relevant tweets about the planning study. When posting to Twitter or Facebook about the planning study, please use #I-80IowaPlan and reference @iowadot in your post.

DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa remain flown at half-staff in accordance with the presidential proclamation extension issued until sunset, Friday, July 22, to honor police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who were killed in the line of duty on Sunday, July 17th. This directive follows a presidential proclamation that was released by the White House on Monday night.

The governor’s directive applies to all U.S. and state flags under the control of the state. Flags will be at half-staff on the state Capitol building and on flag displays in the Capitol complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

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

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Creston Police say a resident in the 1100 block of W. Adair Street reported Monday, that someone had slashed both passenger side tires on his vehicle, which was parked outside his home. The incident, which happened sometime between 6:30-p.m. Sunday and 9-a.m. Monday, resulted in a loss of about $210.

And, on June 27th, a resident of the 700 block of S. Poplar Street in Creston, reported someone had entered her home by kicking in a door. Nothing was reported missing. The incident happened sometime between June 26th and 27th.

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

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A truck driver suffered minor injuries after the semi he was driving rolled onto its side northeast of Exira, Monday afternoon. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the semi was traveling south on Audubon County Highway N-36, when it entered a curve at a high rate of speed, causing the load to shift. The semi went out of control and entered the west ditch.

The name of the driver was not immediately available. The accident remains under investigation.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A 27-year-old man has been charged with vehicular homicide for the crash death of a western Iowa motorcyclist, in Omaha.  The Douglas County attorney’s office says Nicholas Colabello’s first court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could be contacted to comment for Colabello, who lives in Papillion, NE.

Police say the collision happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Investigators say a westbound car driven by Colabello turned left in front of a motorcycle operated by 31-year-old Dustin Roof, of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Police say Roof was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The county attorney’s office says Colabello’s blood tested out above the legal limit for alcohol.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s late night speech at the Republican National Convention, Monday,  cast Donald Trump as “commander-in-chief” material — and Ernst warned Hillary Clinton “cannot be trusted.”  “Her judgment and character are not suited to be sitting in the most powerful office in the world,” Ernst said. “She has already failed us too many times before.”

Ernst said the policies Clinton pursued as secretary of state in places like Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria had failed to “stop the expansion of terrorism.” “Shockingly, she continues to support a policy that brings captured terrorists into our back yards. All of us up here believe that’s unacceptable,” Ernst said, drawing applause from the crowd.

Ernst blasted Clinton’s decision to use a private email server when she was secretary of state, prompting some in the crowd started chanting: “Criminal”  “With Hillary Clinton, it’s always about her. It should be about you,” Ernst said, to applause. “Donald Trump is focused on you!”

Ernst began her remarks with own biography, praising the “tenacity” she learned from her own mother. “She really encouraged us. You never hear her say: ‘No, you can’t do this,'” Ernst said. “Instead, if something was challenging, she’d say: ‘Joni, we’ll figure out a way. If this is what you want, let’s make it happen.'”

Ernst said she’s working on sharing those same life lessons with her own daughter. Ernst’s husband, daughter AND mother were in Red Oak last (Monday) night, watching the speech on television. Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Andy McGuire issues a written statement, saying Ernst had urged Iowans to support a candidate “who is temperamentally unfit to be Commander-In-Chief of the United States of America.” McGuire called Trump’s foreign policy ideas “reckless” and “erratic.” Ernst’s speech was originally scheduled for “prime time,” but the program ran long and she didn’t begin speaking until after 10 o’clock Iowa time.

(Radio Iowa)

The majority of Iowa’s corn and soybeans are in good shape, according to the latest report from the USDA. The crop report covers activity through Sunday and places 81-percent of the state’s corn crop in good or excellent condition. The USDA rates 80-percent of the soybean crop in good to excellent condition. Sixty-seven-percent of the crop crop has reached the silking stage, which is a week ahead of average and five days ahead of last year.

Soybeans are also ahead of normal, as blooming reached 66-percent and soybean setting pods hit 20-percent. High winds and hail last week damaged some crops over northern, west-central, central, and east-central Iowa. Heavy rains on Sunday also flooded some fields around the state.

(Radio Iowa)

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) – A West Des Moines man has claimed the $1 million Mega Millions prize he won in May. The Iowa Lottery said Monday that 65-year-old Rick Breuss Jr. told officials he delayed turning in his prize ticket because his brother passed away in early June.

Breuss bought his winning ticket at a Kum & Go on Ashworth Road in West Des Moines. It matched five of the numbers in the May 20 drawing but missed the Mega Ball number. The lottery says a ticket sold in California also was worth $1 million. No one won the $187 million jackpot that day.