Iowa Democrat Kim Weaver, Friday, announced her plan to challenge incumbent Republican Congressman Steve King. Weaver hopes to replace King following the Nov. 2016 General election, as representative for the sprawling 4th District, which includes Audubon, Harrison, Shelby, Crawford and Carroll Counties in the KJAN listening area.

Weaver is a lifelong Iowa resident who grew up in Des Moines and raised her three children, in Sheldon. She began her professional career as a DHS Medicaid worker and currently works for the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, protecting senior citizens in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Weaver, an active AFSCME member, will be canvassing the 4th District, speaking with and listening to constituents. For more information about her campaign, visit www.weaverforcongress.com.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

An investigation by authorities in Montgomery County has resulted in the arrest of a Villisca man on felony, forgery charges. 25-year old Bradley Lee Dumler was arrested at around 11:30-a.m., Friday, on six Class-D Felony Forgery charges, and six simple misdemeanor charges of Theft in the 5th Degree.

Dumler was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 cash only, bond.

A traffic stop by deputies in Montgomery County Friday evening resulted in the driver of the vehicle being taken into custody on drug and other charges. 19-year old Dallas Brady Meyers, of Emerson, was pulled over at around 7:40-p.m. at the corner of E. Prospect and N. 4th Streets, in Red Oak.

Meyers was subsequently arrested for OWI/1st offense – drug related, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Meyers was also cited for failure to have insurance. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 cash bond.

A Red Oak man was arrested early this (Saturday) morning on an alcohol charge. 23-year old Roland Charles Chapin III was taken into custody at around 12:15-a.m. and charged with Public Intoxication. Chapin was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.

Gasoline prices across Iowa are rising after weeks of falling and hitting the lowest point for August in five years. Just last week, the experts predicted we’d likely see gas selling at two-bucks a gallon in Iowa this fall, but Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says equipment problems at an oil refinery near Chicago are causing prices at the pump to rise.

“There was a major refinery issue at a major plant in Indiana and it’s already caused price jumps of 34-to-50-cents at some retail outlets in the Great Lakes states.” It may take several weeks to a month to get the problems resolved at the B-P refinery, the largest of its kind in the Upper Midwest. Gail Weinholzer, at Triple-A-Iowa, says the refinery troubles are having an impact here. “We have seen a slight increase in Iowa but nothing as significant as the folks are seeing in Michigan and Illinois,” Weinholzer says. “We’ve seen prices in Iowa bump up 10 to 20 cents (a gallon) over the last couple of days.”

Crude oil prices are still low, she says, it’s the refinery issues that are causing prices to escalate. Crude oil inventories are 20-percent higher than a year ago. Weinholzer says once the refinery is back online, we should see the cost of filling our tanks start to spiral. “We expect prices to continue to decline into the fall and perhaps even accelerate,” Weinholzer says, “because that’s when we start the switch-over from the summer- to the winter-grade fuels.” The statewide average price for a gallon of self-serve unleaded is now two-66. That’s gone up six-cents a gallon since Thursday. The national average is two-65.

(Radio Iowa)

TREYNOR, Iowa (AP) — A schools superintendent has appealed the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners’ decision to suspend his state license for 30 days. The attorney for Kevin Elwood told the Daily Nonpareil that the appeal was filed Wednesday in Polk County District Court and that Elwood may continue in his Treynor district post during the appeal process.

On August 7th the board suspended Elwood’s license, saying he should not have let his son work unsupervised as a custodian for the district after the son was accused of inappropriate sexual conduct. Elwood was accused of two violations of Iowa code, including failing to make reasonable efforts to protect the health and safety of students.

In September 2013 Elwood’s son, Kreighton Elwood, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one of false imprisonment.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — No endorsements were made, but Jeb Bush got the next best thing Friday from the top three Republicans in Iowa —quality time at the Iowa State Fair. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst welcomed the former Florida governor to the fair early Friday and Governor Terry Branstad joined him to flip pork loins on the sizzling grill at the Iowa Pork Producers tent later in the morning.

TREYNOR, Iowa (AP) — A schools superintendent has appealed the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners’ decision to suspend his state license for 30 days. The attorney for Kevin Elwood told the Daily Nonpareil that the appeal was filed Wednesday in Polk County District Court and that Elwood may continue in his Treynor district post during the appeal process.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Classes for about 350 elementary students in Fort Dodge will be held this fall elsewhere due to structural concerns recently discovered at the school. The Messenger reports that Duncombe Elementary’s students will start the school year at the former Fair Oaks Middle School building. Issues with the school’s structure were discovered during summer remodeling.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a man was killed and a woman was injured after their vehicles crashed in Des Moines. Investigators say 46-year-old Thomas Heckinger and 48-year-old Teresa Sagastume were taken to the hospital after authorities arrived shortly after 9 a.m. Friday. Heckinger later died, and Sagastume was treated and released. Both drivers were alone in their vehicles.

Officials with Tyson Fresh Meats, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., announced today (Friday), the company is reducing its beef production capacity due to a continued lack of available cattle. The company said effective immediately, it will permanently cease beef operations at its plant in Denison, to better align its overall production capacity with current cattle supplies.The move affects 400 employees.

The 400 workers affected by the end of beef production at Denison are being given an opportunity to apply for jobs at other Tyson locations. Even though they will no longer be on the job, eligible displaced workers will receive 60 days of pay, as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

The company says it’s offering financial incentives to hourly workers who qualify for production openings at the company’s Lexington, Nebraska, beef plant. The by-product rendering system at the Denison plant will continue operations. It will process by-products from other Tyson locations and will employ approximately 20 people.

Steve Stouffer, president of Tyson Fresh Meats, said in a Press Release, “This was a very difficult decision because it affects the lives of our people, their families and a community that has supported this plant for more than 50 years. However, the realities of the beef business have changed and we must continue to change with it to remain successful.

Stouffer said also, “The cattle supply is tight and there’s an excess of beef production capacity in the region,” he said.  “We believe the move to cease beef operations at Denison will put the rest of our beef business in a better position for future success.”

The Denison beef plant has a long, rich history in the meat industry. It opened in 1961 as the first plant operated by Iowa Beef Packers (IBP), a start-up company that grew to become one of the world’s leading beef processors. IBP was acquired by Tyson Foods in 2001 and renamed Tyson Fresh Meats.

Tyson Fresh Meats’ other beef plants are located in Amarillo, Texas; Dakota City, Nebraska; Finney County, Kansas; Joslin, Illinois; Lexington, Nebraska and Pasco, Washington.

(Updated 8/17 11:34am)

The Council Bluffs Police Department said today an accident on Interstate 29 this (Friday) morning, resulted in a separate crash moments later. The first accident happened on I-29 at around 7:44-am. near mile marker 53 (or, near the 9th Avenue exit). Emergency crews arriving on the scene discovered the driver, 25-year old Rachel Nelson, of Council Bluffs, had been ejected from her 1996 Ford Explorer during the crash. The woman was critically injured. A passenger in the SUV, 23-year old Lisa Poulsen, and Nelson’s two children, were all transported to the Nebraska Medical Center.

The two children were treated and release from the hospital, while Poulson was expected to be released later. Authorities say Nelson’s SUV was behind a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup driven by 41-year old Dennis Sullivan, of Council Bluffs, when an aluminum ladder fell out of the pickup. Nelson swerved to avoid the ladder, and over-corrected, causing the SUV to slide sideways off the road to right before it rolled into a ditch. On Sunday, August 16th Dennis Sullivan was cited for Failure to Secure Load/Spilling on Highway. This violation carries a fine of $330.

A second crash in nearly the same area happened almost 15-minutes later (just before 8-a.m.). Authorities say several vehicles which had stopped to help at the scene had parked their vehicles on the interstate roadway. Another vehicle struck two of the parked vehicles. No injuries were reported in the second crash. Due to severity of the first accident and the second accident, it was decided to close Interstate 29 southbound, from Interstate 480 eastbound for the safety of persons on scene and motorists in the area.