An on-air recording of the News w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson (technical issues – I apologize for the poor quality sound)

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With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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A Council Bluffs man was charged Friday with two felony counts of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, following an alleged “Suicide by Cop” incident last August, during which he reported lunged at a pair of Council Bluffs Police Officers. According to the Daily NonPareil, 52-year old Michael Hannum faces up to 10-years in prison, if convicted. He’s currently being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Hannum escaped from a federal halfway house when he left the Council Bluffs facility the morning of August 2nd. He was serving the remaining months of a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said Federal charges for the escape are pending in connection with that incident.

Officer Aaron Gutierrez shot Hannum twice, in the abdomen and hip, on Aug. 4th at the Walmart construction site on North 16th Street. The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office said Hannum admitted he had used methamphetamine earlier in the day, and he was depressed when he charged at the officers with the idea of getting himself shot. Authorities found that Hannum had deep self-inflicted cuts to his wrists suffered prior to the shooting.

After a lengthy investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation into the matter, Wilber said he believes the officers acted appropriately during the incident. Gutierrez and fellow officer Jason Burleigh will not be charged.

(information compiled by the National Weather Service)

8:00-p.m. Montgomery County Emergency Management reports trees were down in Red Oak due to high winds, and a lightening strike started a structure fire west of Red Oak.

6:40-p.m. Amateur radio operator reports 1-inch diameter (quarter-size) hail fell in the Rolling Hills area, east of Council Bluffs.

6:28-p.m. Law enforcement in Mills County report baseball-size hail fell along I-29 at the rest area and punched through a vehicle’s windshield. At that same time, quarter-size hail was reported to have fallen in Glenwood.

6:24-p.m. Golf ball-size hail was reported 3-miles west of Pacific Junction in Mills County.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Homeland Security says a tornado touched down near the town of Cherokee, but officials haven’t yet reported whether it caused major damage. Officials said the mile-wide tornado touched traveled about 1 mile south of Cherokee.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa State University student has died after being hit by a vehicle near Jack Trice Stadium soon after the Cyclones loss to Texas. KCCI-TV reports the crash happened just after 11 p.m. Thursday on Highway 30. The Iowa State Patrol says 23-year-old Austin Wonderlich, of Pleasant Hill, was killed after he moved off the highway median.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 Conference says there was no indisputable video evidence showing game officials made a mistake in ruling a Texas running back was down before the ball came loose late in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns’ 31-30 win over Iowa State. The Cyclones appeared to strip the ball from Texas’ Johnathan Gray with about 1 minute to play. The call on the field was that Gray was down and that was upheld by the replay official.

WAPELLO, Iowa (AP) — City officials in Wapello understand the enthusiasm generated at high school football games and have decided to exempt the local high school football field from following the city’s noise ordinance. The Muscatine Journal reports the City Council at its meeting Thursday agreed to allow the stadium to be noisy but asked school officials to try to keep it down.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Homeland Security says a tornado touched down Friday evening near the town of Cherokee, but officials haven’t yet reported whether it caused major damage. Officials said the mile-wide tornado touched down about 1 mile south of Cherokee. It cut a 2- to 3-mile path through farmland but didn’t hit any population centers.

Another mile-wide tornado caused major damage just before 7-p.m. about 5-miles east of Moville, in Woodbury County, according to the National Weather Service. Twisters were also reported north and west of Hinton. A funnel cloud was reported near Anthon at around 6:45-p.m.

About 2,700 homes and business in the Sioux City area were without power Friday night. More than 500 of them were around Sloan, near where the mile-wide tornado touched down. The National Weather Serivce says homes were damaged just west/northwest of North Sioux City, and near the northwest Iowa towns of Pierson and Quimby. The twister near Quimby was reported to have caused major damage, at around 7:30-p.m.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – At least two tornadoes were reported near Sioux City, causing extensive property damage.  A mile-wide tornado was spotted shortly before 7 p.m. Friday in the northwest town of Moville, in Woodbury County, along with pea-sized hail. Early witness reported indicated that the town had seen major damage.

A second tornado was spotted near Jefferson, S.D., about 10 miles northwest of Sioux City. Local firefighters reported considerable damage in the town, according the National Weather Service.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES SAYS TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING IN THE KJAN LISTENING AREA.

Iowa Storm Chasing Network graphic of Tornadic/Severe Storm threat.

IN THEIR HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK ISSUED AT AROUND 12:10-P.M., THE WEATHER SERVICE SAID THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH QUARTER SIZED HAIL AND 60 MPH WINDS POSSIBLE. MORE SIGNIFICANT SEVERE STORMS ARE THEN POSSIBLE LATER TODAY DURING THE MODERATE RISK TIME FRAME. VERY LARGE HAIL…GOLF BALL SIZED OR LARGER…70 MPH WINDS AND TORNADOES ARE ALL POSSIBLE. A STRONG TORNADO MAY OCCUR.

A moderate threat of severe weather, including tornadoes, remains in place for later this afternoon and this evening. The threat has shifted slightly to the south and west toward the Missouri River as well. Large hail, damaging winds, locally heavy rains and tornadoes are all possible. Some tornadoes may be strong and long lived.

Folks with early weekend activities, including high school football games, should monitor the weather closely. Have severe weather action plans in place beforehand being ready to seek shelter on short notice.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Department reports four men were arrested Wednesday on Possession of Stolen Property/Theft in the 1st degree, and two counts each of Possession of Stolen Property/Theft in the 2nd degree. The men, all of whom are from Pacific Junction, were identified as: 19-year old Bragun Michael Michaelsen, 33-year old Timothy Eugene Truhlicka, 31-year old Jason Richard Marasco, and 34-year old Adam Michael Michaelsen.

Bragun Michaelsen was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, while the other suspects were taken into custody at a location on Depot Street in Pacific Junction. Each was being held in the Mills County Jail on $20,000 bond.

Officials report also, the arrest on Thursday (Oct. 4th), of 49-year old Jack William Yost, of Shenandoah,  on charges of OWI/1st offense and Open Container. His bond was set at $1,465.  Earlier that same day, 19-year old Robert James Bailey, of Omaha, NE, was arrested in Washington County, NE, on a Warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $10,000.