A fire early Wednesday morning in north central Page County resulted in the destruction of a hoop barn containing about 200 large round bales of hay, but no one was injured.

Photo by Brian Hamman/Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator.

According to reports, the call from the scene of the fire at 1011 Ironwood Avenue, near Nyman, came in at around 5-a.m., Wednesday.  As the first fire crews approached the property owned by Todd Allen, heavy smoke and fire could be seen from  a long distance away.

Montgomery Co. EMA/photo (Brian Hamman)

When they arrived, one out of three hoop barns were on fire. In the end, despite several hours worth of effort from as many as seven area fire departments, the hoop barn was a total loss, but crews managed to save the remaining two barns.  Fire officials say they believe spontaneous combustion is to blame for the blaze.

The hoop barn fire wasn’t the only hay-related blaze to have occurred Wednesday. Firefighters from Stanton and Red Oak also fought a 20-bale fire at a separate location in Stanton.

Damage to nearby hoop barn. (Brian Hamman/photo)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Officials with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) say small, non-farm businesses in 67 Iowa Counties are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the SBA. The loans are designed to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the drought which began on August 7th, in the primary counties.

The primary counties in the KJAN listening area include: Adair, Adams, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Sac and Shelby. The neighboring counties of Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union, are also eligible for the loans.

Small, non-farm business, small agricultural cooperatives, and most private non-profit organizations of any size, may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2-million, to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met, had the disaster not occurred.  Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching, are not eligible for the SBA disaster assistance.

The deadline to apply for the loans is April 15th, 2013. For more information, go to https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela or call 1-800-659-2955.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa Army veteran has received new Vietnam War medals to replace ones that were stolen from his home in the late 1990s.  U.S. Rep. Steve King presented Dennis Roberts Tuesday with 11 new medals. The medals given to Roberts include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Air Medal. He’s waiting for one more, the Good Conduct Medal.  Roberts received the medals from King during a ceremony in Sioux City. Roberts says the medals will occupy a blank spot on his wall, as a reminder of the days when he served his country. Roberts served in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for a federal drug conviction.  Prosecutors announced Wednesday that 48-year-old Treva Rasmussen of Jewell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location. She was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City. Rasmussen admitted that she participated in the conspiracy from 2010 through November 2011. Prosecutors say she worked with others to make the drug at a home near Stanhope City Park in Hamilton County.  Rasmussen must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after her prison term.

Three Shelby County businesses were awarded $10,000 last week during the Shelby County New Enterprises business plan competition. IC Products, Leah Marie Photography and Panama Diesel presented in front of a panel of judges selected by the Shelby County DevelopSource at the Therkildsen Center last Thursday. After the deliberation, the judges decided to split the $30,000 prize money to all three businesses. David Wahling, owner and operator of IC Products, says he was very appreciative of the money. He said “It was a great deal and many thanks to Shelby County DevelopSource and their sponsors.”

IC Products is a new business focusing on ice cream machines. Wahling says “It’s an alert system when the mix is low, and it gives them an advance warning so it doesn’t create an air lock which creates down time.” IC Products will use the money for office equipment such as computers, a fax machine and furniture. Leah Blankinsop, owner and operator of Leah Marie Photography said her company will use the money towards indoor equipment. She says “We came in from an outdoor photographer so we didn’t have a lot of indoor equipment. We have to have new and updated equipment to be successful.”

Leah Marie Photography has been open in downtown Harlan for the past 6 months. Panama Diesel opened in 2008 and since that time owners Josh and Theresa Kaufman were in the need of expanding their semi parts. Theresa Kaufman said the funds money will help them do just that. She added “We plan to use the money to add an addition to our current building to house parts for resale. Our current supply of parts is taking up a repair bay and we need that space to continue to do truck repairs.”

This was the 2^nd annual Shelby County New Enterprises Business plan competition.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency is telling residents of the county that outdoor burning will not be permitted AT ALL, today. The County is one of several in far western Iowa to be placed under a “Red Flag Warning” for this afternoon and this evening. The warning is in effect from Noon until 7-p.m.  Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert said all Fire Danger indicators will be in the “Extreme” category this afternoon, because any fires that do develop, can move rapidly. He say the amount of “fuel” in the fields and the dry conditions indicate that if fires do develop, they could move into communities, much like they have in the western states of Colorado, Nebraska, and to our south, in Oklahoma.

The county has been in the “High” Fire Danger category for several weeks now, and  Sievert says citizens have been very mindful of the dangers and cooperative. He says his agency has had a lot of cooperation from the public in calling in their need to burn, and connecting them with their local fire chief so they can conduct a burn safely. Seivert encourages people who want to burn – not today, as no burning is allowed – in the future, to call 755-2124 so that officials can ensure the burn is safe and conducted according to standards.

Seivert says officials in Shelby County began preparing for today’s Extreme Fire Danger threat, Tuesday night. He says meeting have taken place with the fire chiefs and fire officers in Shelby and surrounding Counties, as well as elected officials. The parameters that exist today and how they differ from other fire emergencies were outlined during those sessions. Seivert warns of what could happen if a fire does develop during the extremely dry, and windy conditions that are expected today. He says they may be asking citizens to leave their homes and move to a safer location, to get them out of harms way.”

Cass County is not included in a Red Flag warning. Instead we are in an “Enhanced Fire Danger” category. Cass County Emergency Manager Mike Kennon told the Board of Supervisors during their meeting this morning, that citizens here need to be wary of the danger faced by fast growing fires, as well. He says you should refrain from outdoor burning, and issued a reminder the County is and has been under a Burn Ban for quite some time. Kennon says Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman is using a Wildland Fire Dispatch procedures. That means if there’s a grass fire, neighboring fire stations will be dispatched for mutual aid. That includes those from communities in the southern part of Cass County.

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new report shows little progress in the effort to increase the percentage of Iowa high school students who are ready for college-level courses. Iowa City testing company ACT Inc. says only 30 percent of the 23,000 test-takers scored well enough to be considered ready for college-level courses in English, reading, math and science.  The figure has remained stable over the past five years, despite Iowa’s better-than-average ACT scores.

State education leaders have cited the report as evidence that change is needed to prepare more Iowa students for success beyond high school. The results were compiled from 28 states where at least half of the Class of 2012 took the test. Iowa and Wisconsin tied with the second-highest overall composite scores. Minnesota ranked first.

In an update to an earlier story, the Atlantic Police Department says a Council Bluffs woman was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital Tuesday night, following an accident at the intersection of 7th and Hazel Streets. Officials say vehicles driven by Megan Hall, of Council Bluffs, and Leah Jenkins, of Atlantic, were both westbound on 7th Street just before midnight, when Jenkins saw a dark object out of the corner of her eye and hit the brakes.

When Hall couldn’t stop in time, her vehicle struck the back of Jenkins’ vehicle, causing a total of about $2,700 damage. Hall complained of pain and was taken to the hospital by Medivac Ambulance, to be checked out.

Hall was cited by police for following too close, and failure to provide proof of insurance.