The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking turkey hunters and others to help them get an accurate count on the number of birds roaming the woods in Iowa. Wildlife biologist Jim Coffey says they have made it easy for you to report what you see. He says they have an area on their website where you can go in and report turkey sightings in the months of July and August. The D-N-R has mailed survey cards to select turkey hunters who are asked to provide the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male, and whether there are young poults (baby turkeys). “That helps us gauge what we are going to predict for next year’s supply of turkeys,” Coffey says.

Coffey says the weather, available nesting areas and other things can all impact the number of turkeys who are born and survive each year. He says by seeing the number of young birds they can get an idea of what hunters can expect. There is a link to an online survey and survey card on the D-N-R’s website at www.iowadnr.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

A man from Warren County was arrested Wednesday night on alcohol and drug charges in Adams County. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 19-year old Andrew Mellencamp, of Prole, was arrested following a traffic stop, at around 10:30-p.m.  He was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Mellencamp was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa school district is hiring more security personnel after receiving special permission to spend $1.1 million beyond state spending limits. The Davenport Community School District received approval Tuesday from the School Budget Review Committee to hire 18 unarmed security supervisors, even as the district works to cut spending in other areas. Davenport’s plan comes as schools across Iowa are working to comply with a new law requiring security plans by next summer.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa City officials are closing a merry-go-round, train and other amusement rides that for 60 years have been part of childhood in the community. The Iowa City Parks and Recreation announced Monday that the rides in Lower City Park will permanently close on Sept. 23. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the department will be offering free rides on weekends in August and September to commemorate the closure.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Franklin County in north-central Iowa. The proclamation issued Tuesday is in response to flooding and severe weather that began in mid-June. The proclamation allows state resources to be used to aid in recovery efforts and activates a program to give some residents grants of up to $5,000 for home and car repairs and other expenses.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — Officials in central Iowa say flooding from heavy rains this past weekend damaged the Clive Library and the Clive Aquatic Center. The Polk County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release Tuesday that the library and aquatic center had closed because of damage from storm water. Both have since reopened. A special flood-debris pickup has also been scheduled for Clive, a suburb of Des Moines, on Friday for residents and businesses in some areas.

The president of Iowa Student Loan says college students and parents should be planning right now on how they are going to pay for college in the fall. Steve McCullough says start by looking for sources of money that aren’t loans. “First of all, take any scholarships or grants that the college can get for you because you don’t have to repay those,” McCullough says. “If you don’t have enough money after that — students should go ahead borrow on their own through the Federal Direct Loan Program for students — because those are the lowest cost loans.”

He says loans should be your last choice. “Before they look at any loans, they should look to see if they’ve got savings available that they could use or even current income that they could use to avoid borrowing,” according to McCullough. “Iowa Student Loan, we are non-profit and part of our missions is to get people to borrow as little as possible, so we have some really good tools on our website that talk to people about their alternatives.”

McCullough says some people will end up having to take out loans. He says the cost of borrowing for parents has recently gone up. He says the Federal Direct PLUS loan interest rate for parents has gone up to seven-point-six percent (7.60%) with a four-point-two-six percent (4.26%) up-front fee. “So, that’s relatively high and higher than people would expect for a federal loan.”

He says his organization offers a lower rate. “Our rates are currently six-point-three percent (6.30%) with no up-front fee if people start paying immediately and seven-point-two-two percent (7.22%) if they elect to defer payment until their student graduates. So, it’s a unique circumstance where the state-based program is actually less expensive than the federal program,” McCullough says.

You can find out more at: www.IowaStudentLoan.org.

(Radio Iowa)

A recent survey of Midwest bankers shows a “significant increase” in farm loan rejections. Creighton University professor Ernie Goss surveys the presidents and C-E-Os of rural banks in Iowa and nine other Midwest states. He found nearly 43 percent of initial farm loan applications had been rejected as bankers react to weak farm income. The financial pinch will be compounded this fall, according to Goss, who expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

“We’re likely to see short-term interest rates, from our survey, maybe growing by as much as three-quarters of a percent by the end of the year,” Goss says. Goss says the overall Midwest economy is growing, but concerns about trade “skirmishes” are slowing that growth. Goss predicts farm equipment sales may soon take a hit.

“For Iowa, you’ve got agricultural equipment manufacturers that are certainly big users of aluminum and steel. They are seeing some price increases and that’s going to really have a negative impact on that industry,” Goss says. “While the industry was doing well for June, I expect that to slow down somewhat because of these tariffs, because of these price increases and also the trade tensions as well.”

Prices remain below “break-even” for a large share of grain farmers and Goss’s survey indicates there’s been a slight “slump” in checking account deposits in rural banks. Two-thirds of the bankers he surveyed indicated their bank has increased collateral requirements on farm loans. The professor’s job index in rural areas of Iowa was in negative territory for June.

(Radio Iowa)

A Central Iowa woman died early this (Wednesday) morning during a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Adair County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 28-year old Sheana Marie Story, of Des Moines, who was not wearing a seat belt, died in the crash that happened at around 6-a.m. on I-80 westbound, about a mile west of the Greenfield Exit.

Authorities say the 2006 Ford Fusion she was driving, drifted off the road and hit a cable barrier on the shoulder and continued into the ditch, rolling end-over-end three or four times before coming to rest facing southwest on its wheels. Story was ejected from her car as it rolled, and came to rest 12 feet away from the vehicle.

The Adair County Medical Examiner declared her deceased at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

Construction work to set bridge beams on the northbound Interstate 29 bridge over Floyd Boulevard in Sioux City, will require closing Floyd Boulevard from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office.

Motorists wanting to go to southbound I-29 will be directed around the work zone by traveling onto I-29, then left on Wesley Parkway, and then left on the southbound on-ramp. Motorists wanting to exit southbound I-29 to Floyd Boulevard will take Exit 149 to Wesley Parkway and utilize surface streets to Floyd Boulevard.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa school district is hiring more security personnel after receiving special permission to spend $1.1 million beyond state spending limits. The Davenport Community School District received approval Tuesday from the School Budget Review Committee to hire 18 unarmed security supervisors, even as the district works to cut spending in other areas. Superintendent Art Tate says the personnel costs will be covered by grants or other funding in future years.

Davenport’s plan comes as schools across Iowa are working to comply with a new law requiring security plans developed in coordination with law enforcement and emergency management officials. Iowa Department of Education director Ryan Wise says Iowa schools are safer than they were five years ago, but more can be done. Schools must have plans finalized by June 30, 2019.