MOVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a 27-year-old man who was killed in a rollover crash near Moville in northwest Iowa. He was identified as Joshua Worrell, of Sioux City.

The Iowa State Patrol says Worrell was eastbound on U.S. Highway 20 when his car left the roadway, ran into a ditch and rolled, coming to rest on its top. The patrol says the accident was reported around 10:50 a.m. Thursday but occurred sometime overnight.

The cause is being investigated.

Police in Creston report the arrest Wednesday night of a local man, on drug charges. Ely Will, of Creston, was taken into custody in the 100 block of north Pine Street by police who were assisted by the Creston P-D’s K9 Unit. Will faces charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver/Methamphetamine. Will was later released from the Union County Jail on $10,000 bond.

And, on Jan. 1st, Creston Police arrested Ryan Douglas Neal, of Orient, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Neal was later released from the jail on $300 bond.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A monthly report shows an improved economic outlook over the next three to six months for nine Midwestern and Plains states. A survey report issued today (Friday) says the overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index jumped to 54.4 in December from 51.3 in November.

The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth, while a score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says drops in grain and fuel prices have helped companies with close ties to consumers.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man has died following a single-vehicle rollover crash in northwest Iowa. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 20. The driver was traveling eastbound when his car left the roadway, entered a ditch and rolled.

The name of the driver has not been released. The crash remains under investigation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man accused of fondling an 8-year-old girl has pleaded not guilty.
The Sioux City Journal reports 45-year-old David Winne entered his plea Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court to one count of indecent contact with a child.

Winne is accused of touching the girl over her clothes while she was sitting on his lap at his home last year. A complaint in the case says Winne also asked the girl to touch herself. Court documents say Winne told authorities he did not remember the incident.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines reports significant travel concerns are expected Saturday evening into Sunday morning over much of central Iowa. A two part system, with the first looking to pass over Missouri overnight tonight into Saturday will provide the potential for a wintry mix over south-central to southeast Iowa Saturday morning. The second and stronger piece of energy will bring the main snow band across central Iowa late Saturday afternoon and into Saturday evening.

With the sharp cold front Saturday evening, strong northwest winds combined with falling snow will likely lead to areas of blowing snow and visibility restrictions late Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Temperatures are forecast to quickly plummet with the strong push of cold air Saturday night and may result in roads becoming icy and causing significant travel concerns. Generally 1 to 4 inches of snow is forecast over central Iowa by late Saturday night with the higher amounts along and south of Interstate 80 and east of Interstate 35.

Again, the snow amounts are not the major concern, it is the falling snow coupled with the very strong winds Saturday night into Sunday morning. Bitter cold temperatures and wind chills are expected all day Sunday into Sunday night and the cold will persist through much of the work week. Another clipper system looks to bring accumulating light snow to northern Iowa Monday night into Tuesday.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is describing 2014 as a year of big challenges, big issues and big accomplishments for farming. The former Iowa governor says one of the biggest challenges for farmers and ranchers was the effect of supply and demand on markets and prices. A smaller supply of pork and beef led to higher prices and some consumers turning to other food choices.  “And a bumper crop of other commodities brought the prices from fairly high levels down to levels that could potentially trigger some of the safety net programs at USDA in terms of the Farm Bill,” Vilsack said.

Those other commodities that dropped in price included two of the biggest crops in Iowa — corn and soybeans. One of the bigger accomplishments and challenges of 2014 was implementing the new Farm Bill. Vilsack believes the USDA did a remarkable job of instituting so many of the complex provisions of the new law.  “Starting with the Disaster Assistance Program….now 465,000 producers receiving over 4.2 billion dollars of assistance. The development of the dairy margin protection program. The new safety net programs. The agricultural risk coverage program. New crop insurance opportunities for specialty crops,” Vilsack said.

One of the good things about the Farm Bill, according to Vilsack, was the way it got passed. “It underscores what can happen when people are willing to compromise, when people are willing to find middle ground as we were able to work with Republicans and Democrats on both sides in the House and in the Senate to try to ultimately get this bill done and the President signed the bill in February of 2014,” Vilsack said.

The Ag Secretary believes President Obama’s executive action on immigration this past November could help farmers keep the workers they need. Vilsack estimates it will impact up to 400 thousand individuals who are working in agriculture. As for 2015, Vilsack says trade will be critically important for creating new and expanded opportunities for U.S. agriculture and rural America. Those opportunities include, Vilsack says, gaining access to huge, growing and lucrative Asian markets that represent one third of all world trade.

(Radio Iowa)

VAN METER, Iowa (AP) – Thieves have emptied an ATM they yanked out of a bar in Van Meter. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the owner of Legends Field House discovered the crime on Wednesday morning when he found a broken window, glass on the floor and an empty space where the ATM had stood.

Police say an item had been thrown through the window so two men could get inside. A security recording showed them hooking a tow strap to the ATM before it was pulled off its mounts and out a door.
The empty ATM was found Wednesday afternoon near the spillway at Saylorville Lake.

Disagreements between the residents of the Hamburg and Farragut school districts will require intervention from the Green Hills Area Education Agency. The Omaha World-Herald reports a mediator will help the districts reach an agreement on whole-grade sharing, which is linked to their facility plans. The districts have indicated that buildings will need to be closed next year.

About 40 parents, students and residents attended an emotional joint school board meeting last week. Hamburg Superintendent Terry Kenealy told the paper several speakers supported the current grade-sharing deal, while several wanted to change the configuration. But school board members were unable to arrive at a resolution for both boards to consider, so the issue will be referred to the Green Hills agency for mediation.

The two districts tried to reorganize in December, but the effort failed by seven votes in Hamburg despite passing in Farragut. Both districts also face accreditation and financial concerns, leaving further uncertainty about the future. They must go before the School Budget Review Committee this month and the Iowa Department of Education in February.

The outcome of those meetings will decide whether the Farragut and Hamburg districts will continue or be dissolved. If they continue to operate, the districts have suggested that Marnie Simons Elementary School in Hamburg and the shared Nishnabotna High School in Farragut will be their remaining open buildings.