The first in a series of meetings to discuss facility issues pertaining to the CAM School District, begins Sunday. CAM Superintendent Paul Croghan says facility improvements have been in the planning and initial stages since before last July. That includes engineering & architect walk through’s of the district’s buildings, and an evaluation of the mechanical and electrical systems.

(He says they’ve also had conversations with financial institutions on ways to fund improvements and how to pay for any improvements. Those discussions led to the decision to hold public forums on what’s at stake and the desire for public input on how to proceed.)

One of the top reasons for looking into building improvements, has to do with keeping students and staff safe.

The public hearings are being held three-days in a row at different times and locations, so all district patrons who are interested in attending, might be able to attend. The first meeting to discuss facility assessments takes place 1-p.m. Tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 9th), at the Cumberland Community Building.

The second CAM CSD meeting is on Monday, February 10th at 5:00 p.m., in the high school commons in Anita. The third, and final meeting is 5-p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11th, in the Middle School Commons area. All school board members may be present at each or any meeting.

(He says the meetings are expected to last 60-to 90-minutes, depending on audience participation.)

The same information will be presented during each meeting. As the process moves forward, there will be additional meetings with more specific information. The next, regular board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the superintendent’s office at the high school building in Anita.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The Marne Community Club is holding its Annual Chili Contest this Sunday (Feb. 9th), at the Marne Community Center. At the same time, the Annual Men’s Pie Baking Contest will be held. Judging for both contests will be “people’s choice.” Anyone interested in entering the Chili Contest should bring a gallon crock pot of chili to the Marne Community Center by 6:00-p.m., Sunday. The same goes for entering the Men’s Pie Contest.

There are no fees for entering. Trophies for both chili and pie winners are on display at the Marne Community Center, and the  1st place winners’ names will be added to their respective trophy.Everyone is welcome to join the fun, either as a participant or a judge! Come to Marne and share a meal. The main course will be, of course, chili. Please bring a potluck salad to share. Pie for dessert! Beverages will be provided.

CORALVILLE, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report prison inmate, 39-year old Justin Lee Dewitt, of North Liberty, died Friday afternoon, at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center. The cause of his death is yet to be determined. An autopsy will be performed by the Johnson County Medical Examiner.

DeWitt was arrested on June 27, 2016, for allegedly attempting to hire a hit man to kill his former business associate, the associate’s wife and two children, then ages 2 and 4. He began serving a 35-year sentence for multiple counts of Attempted Murder and Solicitation to Commit Murder. His sentence began July 27, 2018.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa egg and poultry producers are on high alert as China reports an H-5-N-1 bird flu outbreak has occurred near the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. Iowa Poultry Association C-E-O and executive director Kevin Stiles says avian influenza is always top of mind for Iowa producers. “I don’t think though that necessarily transmitting into the United States via human contact is the first concern,” Stiles says. “We’re mostly concerned just with migratory patterns that we see and what implications that might hold for us looking ahead.” Stiles says Iowa’s poultry producers are better prepared now than they were five years ago as biosecurity is much improved.

“We continue to work with our producers, with the larger egg and poultry community,” Stiles says, “to practice diligence in their biosecurity practices, to make sure they are always on high alert when it comes to any sort of disease threat, but in particular avian influenza.” Since the latest Chinese bird flu outbreak was the H-5-N-1 strain, Stiles says it’s more concerning than if it were another type. “That certainly raises it a little bit higher in our attention, certainly,” he says, “but we also know there are strains and outbreaks of avian influenza in various countries in Europe at the present time, so that also puts us on high alert.”

An outbreak of the similar H-5-N-2 strain of avian flu in 2015 caused more than one-billion dollars damage to Iowa poultry producers as millions of chickens and turkeys had to be destroyed.

(Radio Iowa) — The man accused of killing an Algona woman outside a bank in the Kossuth County town of LuVerne late last year changed his plea from not guilty to guilty during a hearing, Friday. Thirty-five-year-old Valentino Williams of Coralville, Iowa changed his plea during a hearing in Kossuth County District Court. Williams admitted in court to killing 43-year-old Jessica Weishaar outside the bank in LuVerne on the morning of December 4th, 2019. Williams was arrested following a traffic stop along Interstate 35 in rural Franklin County little more than an hour after the shooting. Law enforcement was able to track down Williams vehicle after he was recorded driving more than 80 miles-an-hour by a D-O-T Enforcement officer south of Belmond. As a part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the first-degree Robbery charges against Williams. Judge Nancy L. Whittenburg accepted the plea and handed out the mandatory sentence of life without parole.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 6:25-p.m. Friday, of 42-year old Richard Allen Straw, from Red Oak. Straw was taken into custody for Driving While Suspended. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $566.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35-a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man has pleaded guilty to killing a homeless man last year with a stolen car. The Des Moines Register reports that 22-year-old Donterius Bomar pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the January 2019 death of 69-year-old Charles Childs. Police say Bomar was driving the stolen car when he hit Childs and kept going. Childs was found dead two days later inside a tent at a homeless camp. As part of his plea deal, Bomar could face up to 75 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for April 1.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price says an independent review will determine what went wrong in the state caucus process that led to a dayslong delay in reporting the results, inconsistencies in the numbers and no clear winner. Price said Friday that the independent forensic investigation will determine what went wrong. Almost nothing went right Monday, first when an app used to report the results failed and then when a massive backlog of phone reports and inquiries followed. Pete Buttigieg narrowly leads Bernie Sanders in Iowa’s released results, but The Associated Press has been unable to declare a winner based on the available information.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Will the Iowa caucuses ever wrap up? Now the chairman of the Democratic National Committee is calling for a “recanvass” of the results. Party leader Tom Perez tweeted Thursday that “enough is enough” after three days of technical issues and delays. Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are nearly tied for the lead after the delays. Both candidates have declared themselves victorious in Monday’s contest. The Associated Press said Thursday that it is unable to declare a winner in the contest. The Iowa Democratic Party suggested it may not comply with Perez’s request, issuing a statement that said it would conduct a recanvass if one was requested by one of the candidates.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democrats are recovering from a number of disappointments after Monday’s Iowa caucuses, though one has received less attention than the others. About 176,000 Iowans attended their precinct caucuses. That’s fewer than expected, and 62,000 less than the party’s high-water mark of 2008. The parade of candidates and marquee events that drew thousands of activists and a Democratic base seething to unseat President Donald Trump had given some party insiders the impression turnout could match or top 2008.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price says an independent review will determine what went wrong in the state caucus process that led to a dayslong delay in reporting the results, inconsistencies in the numbers and no clear winner. Price said Friday that the independent forensic investigation will determine what went wrong.

Almost nothing went right Monday, first when an app used to report the results failed and then when a massive backlog of phone reports and inquiries followed. Pete Buttigieg narrowly leads Bernie Sanders in Iowa’s released results, but The Associated Press has been unable to declare a winner based on the available information.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Pete Buttigieg says he raised $4 million since the Iowa caucuses, an impressive haul for a candidate looking to capitalize on his strong showing to continue building a national political brand. The campaign of the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced Friday that it had collected $4 million since Tuesday.

The results from Monday’s caucuses are too close for The Associated Press to call. In figures released by the state party, Buttigieg leads Bernie Sanders by 0.09 percentage points. Both have declared victory. Buttigieg’s fundraising numbers are another sign of strength for a candidate who was unknown in national politics a year ago.