712 Digital Group - top

KJAN News

KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa,  Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!

NWS Says Drought Concerns to “Ramp Up”

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

Chances for relief from the drought conditions plaguing much of Iowa remain slim, but National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Deitsch says showers and thunderstorms are possible late tonight into tomorrow.

“We have about a 40 to 50 percent chance going across much of the state,” Deitsch says. “Anything that falls will most likely be rather isolated and light, however there is an isolated chance of a severe storm which would obviously drop a little bit heavier amounts of rain.” A slight chance for showers and storms is forecast for Saturday as well. Temperatures, meanwhile, are expected to climb through the weekend.

“We’re looking for highs in the low to mid 90s for the weekend and then approaching the mid 90s for much of the state as we head into Monday and Tuesday,” Deitsch said. After Saturday, chances for rain drop off significantly.

“Drought concerns are really going to ramp up here as we head into next week,” Deitsch said. The new U.S. Drought Monitor map, released this morning (Thursday), shows all of Iowa is considered at least “abnormally dry” – while parts of eastern Iowa are placed in the “severe drought” category.

Two Atlantic Women Honored for Volunteer Work

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

Two Atlantic women have received an award from Governor Branstad for their volunteer work.

Jan Burmeister and Marilyn Burmeister, who are both of Atlantic, each received a 2012 Governor’s Volunteer Award from Branstad during a special recognition ceremony held June 5 in Pleasant Hill.

The Governor’s Volunteer Awards (GVA) program was created in 1982, honoring several hundred volunteers from across Iowa in different categories each year.

The manager of Cass County Home Care Denise Coder says both Jan and Marilyn have provided many years of service helping seniors the community and that their contributions have been extremely valuable.

Jan and Marilyn have been involved with the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) for 10 years.  They were individually nominated for a Length of Service Award by Cass County Home Care for assisting seniors with their Medicare questions.


Jan Burmeister with Gov. Branstad


Marilyn Burmeister with Gov. Branstad

Governor Orders Flags at Half Staff for Fallen IA Soldier

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

Governor Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa to be flown at half staff in honor of a western Iowa Sergent killed in Afghanistan.

Flags will be flown at half staff starting tomorrow at 5 PM until Monday at 8 AM in honor of 25-year-old Sgt. James Skalberg of Emerson.  The governor’s directive applies to all U.S. and state flags under the control of the state.

Skalberg was killed on June 27 by an IED (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan near the vehicle he was driving.  Another soldier was also killed in that attack.

The funeral service for Sgt. James Skalberg will be held on Saturday at 10 AM the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Red Oak.  Sgt. Skalberg is survived by his wife, Jessica and his son, Carter.  The U.S. flag flown over the state Capitol on the day of the funeral will be presented to Sgt. Skalberg’s family at a later date, along with a proclamation honoring him.

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.

Humane Society Threatens to Sue 28 Iowa Hog Operations

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

The Humane Society of the United States is threatening to sue 51 swine operations in Iowa, North Carolina and Oklahoma — 28 of those are here, in Iowa. Peter Brandt, an attorney for the Humane Society, says the practice of confining large numbers pollutes the environment with ammonia. Brandt says while there aren’t any guidelines for just how much ammonia a facility can emit, federal law does require transparency.

“These facilities have got to take their responsibilities under the federal laws seriously,” Brandt says. “The companies that operate these facilities have got to recognize that when you have a golf-course-size lake of manure decomposing, you’re going to be emitting a lot of ammonia and you need to report that.” According to Brandt, the farms the Humane Society is targeting are not filing those reports.

“It’s not a limit on how much ammonia you can emit, but you have to tell people,” Brandt says. “You can’t keep communities in the dark. You can’t keep emergency responders in the dark.” The attorney says because of the Humane Society’s petition, the farms have 60 days to report their emissions. If they don’t, Brandt will file a lawsuit. The Humane Society’s lawyer points to an Environmental Protection rule that requires reporting from any facility that released more than 100 pounds of ammonia within a 24-hour period, and according to Brandt the 51 operations threatened with legal action exceed that.The National Pork Producers Council is reviewing the Humane Society’s notification, but a spokesperson for the group suggests this is an allegation of a paperwork violation rather than a specific allegation of environmental harm.

Road Closure Near Westphalia

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert reports construction work near Westphalia will cause a road to be closed for a few days.

Seivert says Linden Road just south of 1400th Street near Westphalia will be closed beginning today.  He says the road may re-open as early as Friday evening, but if repairs are delayed, it could be closed until Monday at the latest.

Please plan alternate routes, and if you have any questions you may contact the county engineer at 712-755-5954.

 

Reluctant Western Iowa Winner Ready To Seek Votes Now

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

The western Iowa supervisor candidate who asked voters to cast ballots for someone else has changed his mind and now wants all the votes he can get.

The Associated Press says Brian Ashley, of Correctionville, won the June 5 Republican primary for Woodbury County’s District 5 supervisor. He’d dropped out of the race in May, citing ailments. But 53 percent of the voters cast their ballots for him anyway.

The 72-year-old Ashley said Wednesday that his health has improved and his family has urged him to take on the incumbent Democrat, Larry Clausen, this fall.

Clausen says he’s happy that Ashley’s health is good enough to run for the four-year term.

Man Hospitalized After Motorcycle Versus Deer Accident in Crescent

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

The Iowa State Patrol reports a motorcycle versus deer accident Saturday in Crescent caused a Honey Creek man to be hospitalized with incapacitating injuries.

Shortly after 9:00 Saturday morning, 78-year-old Judson Bock of Honey Creek was riding a 2012 Jonway motorcycle south on County Road L-20 approaching Heritage Lane in Crescent when a deer entered the roadway.  He hit the deer after he tried to avoid the collision by swerving to the right. 

Bock sustained incapacitating injuries and was transported to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha by Crescent Rescue.  An update on his condition is not currently available.

The State Patrol says Bock was wearing his helmet at the time of the crash.  The Pottawatamie County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Iowa State Patrol at the scene.

USDA Cuts Estimates For Corn Crop Yields

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

The hot, dry weather that’s plaguing much of the nation’s Corn Belt is leading the U-S-D-A to reduce its estimated corn yield for the season. The agency’s chief economist Joe Glabuer (GLAU-bur) says the yield estimate was cut by about 12-percent, taking it down to 146-bushels per acre nationwide.

Glabuer says, “I don’t think that anyone is going to be surprised at the estimate in and of itself just because we saw from June 1st, about 13-percent in drought conditions and now 60-percent of the crop in drought.” Iowa corn growers pulled in an average of 172 bushels per acre last year, but the new estimates show it’ll be closer to 160 bushels per acre this year. The head of the U-S-D-A says worries are growing as crop conditions in the Midwest worsen due to the hot, dry weather. U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says a bad crop year would mean reversing course on an ag economy that’s done very well in recent years.

Vilsack says they’re always concerned with the momentum slowing down after seeing agriculture, as well as ag machinery and ag manufacturing doing so well. Vilsack says the country continues to export at a very rapid rate, so the world wants what we produce. He says one out of 12 jobs in the economy is connected to agriculture and he wants to keep that going. Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, says if farmers didn’t buy crop insurance, they won’t be able to rely on a disaster program this year.

He says the reality is, there’s no disaster programs and he hopes farmers have crop insurance. Vilsack says the crop insurance won’t cover everything, but at least it will be something. He says there will be low-interest loans through the USDA, but their capacity to help is very limited absent a “food, farm and jobs” bill being passed in Congress. This week’s U-S-D-A report showed only 46-percent of Iowa’s corn crop rated as good to excellent, a drop from 62-percent last week. The soybean crop is also suffering, falling from 59 to 48-percent good to excellent.

DNR Seeks Comments About Changes to Fishing Laws

News

July 12th, 2012 by admin

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is considering presenting a proposal to the 2013 legislature which would change Iowa code related to re-defining the definition of bait and to limit an angler when trolling and bait casting to one hook on each of the trolling spoons or artificial baits when used on one line.

The proposal to re-define the definition of bait would specifically identify what types of bait an angler may use.  Included in this definition is a clear recognition of what live fish may be used as bait.  The proposed definition will continue to allow anglers to use the baits that are now most commonly used.  According to the proposed definition an angler would no longer be allow to use any live fish that is not listed as bait.

Inconsistency was found in Iowa code language in determining the legality of the Alabama rig, also known as an Umbrella rig.  The proposal to limit an angler when trolling and bait casting to one hook on each of the trolling spoons or artificial baits when used on one line will correct the inconsistency in code and clearly make the Alabama rig illegal.  One hook includes all hooks that are attached as a part of an artificial bait or lure.

The DNR will be accepting comments on the proposal until July 31, 2012.  Three meetings have been scheduled to obtain public comment.  Written comments can be sent to Martin Konrad, Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, IA 50319-0034, by email to martin.konrad@dnr.iowa.gov or fax at 515-281-6794.  Persons who wish to convey their views orally should contact the Fisheries Bureau at 515-281-6976 or at the Bureau offices on the fourth floor of the Wallace State Office Building.

At the public meetings, persons may present their views either orally or in writing. Participants will be asked to give their names and addresses for the record and to confine their remarks to the subject of the amendments.

Any persons who intend to attend the public hearing and have special needs, such as those related to hearing or mobility impairments, should contact the DNR and advise of specific needs.

Comments received during the commenting period will be used by the DNR to determine if this proposal should be presented to the 2013 legislature.

–Press release from Iowa DNR

8AM Newscast 07-12-2012

News, Podcasts

July 12th, 2012 by admin

w/ Brett Johnson

Play