MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — Those with an eye toward healthy living have probably noticed the words “aronia berry” in everything from juices and powdered supplements to baby food. Midwesterners probably know it as chokeberry, the name European settlers centuries ago gave the berry they found tart, astringent and more pretty than palatable.

The native North American plant is in the midst of a transformation, prized for its exceptional health benefits and easy cultivation. The almost black-purple, pea-sized berry gets its more agreeable name from its genus, Aronia melanocarpa.

Now dubbed a “superfood,” research shows the berries packing more antioxidants than blueberries, acai and goji berries. Producers are also taking notice, with thousands of the shrubs being planted by farmers — mostly in Iowa, but also in other upper Midwest states — every year.

w/ Chris Parks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of a Red Oak man on Drug Paraphernalia charges after a traffic stop Saturday (7/12) morning.  At approximately 12:45am officers conducted a traffic stop in the 600 block of East Hammond Street.  During the stop officers conducted a search of the vehicle which was driven by 18-year-0ld Dylan Elwood Taylor of Red Oak.  Officers discovered a makeshift pipe used for smoking marijuana.  Taylor was then cited into court for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor, and was given a court date.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a single vehicle accident involving a concrete truck on Friday (7/11) morning.  At 8:30am a concrete truck owned by Echo Concrete and operated by 37-year-old Gary Johnson was traveling north on Quince Avenue from Highway 34 when the right front tire blew out causing the truck to go in the east ditch.  The driver did not have any injuries.  The truck was able to be pulled out of the ditch without losing it’s load of concrete.

Officials with the Iowa DNR and Shelby County sheriff’s office responded to a report Thursday night of pesticide leaking from a sprayer near 2000th St. and Dogwood, in Earling. They found a small amount of herbicide had reached the side of the road, with an unknown smaller amount flowing to a tributary of Picayune Creek. A United Western Coop employee was spreading the mix of Roundup and Cobra when a hose became plugged and the material spilled.

Estimates vary from between 15 and 100 gallons of herbicide sludge spilled. The co-op excavated about 20 cubic yards of soil Thursday night to prevent environmental damage. The DNR checked the creek Thursday night and Friday morning and found no evidence of dead or distressed fish.

The DNR will continue to monitor the cleanup and consider appropriate enforcement.

(Updated 5:55-p.m.)

Three people were injured and transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, following a collision between a pickup and a passenger car Friday afternoon, on Atlantic’s east side. The crash at the intersection of Highways 6/71 (near the Wal-Mart) was reported at around 4:15-p.m.

Photo’s by Ric Hanson/KJAN News

Atlantic Police Lt. Dave Erickson told KJAN News the accident happened when the driver of a red, 2001 Dodge Ram pickup attempted to turn onto southbound Highway 71 from westbound Highway 6. The vehicle turned directly in front of an eastbound, black 2005 Ford Focus. Initial reports indicated there was only one injury.

Erickson said there ended up being three people transported to the hospital: The female driver of the Ford, and two male occupants of the pickup truck.The driver of the truck was cited for making an improper left turn. The names of the accident victims will not be released until Monday, according to Erickson. Damage from the crash amounted to approximately $12,000.

Atlantic Fire and Rescue, and Medivac were called to the scene. Atlantic Police were assisted at the scene by Deputy Josh McLaren with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, who provided traffic control. Additional details were not available late Friday afternoon.

Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County said today (Friday), a Panora man was arrested on drugs charges last weekend. Russell Gardner faces charges that include Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Hydrocodone, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was arrested Sunday evening and has since bonded out of jail.

Gardner was arrested after the SUV he was driving was stopped by a Guthrie County deputy near the intersection of Highway 4 and 190th Street in Guthrie County, at around 6:35-p.m., Sunday. During the traffic stop the deputy deployed his K9 partner, which hit on the passenger side of the vehicle and after a search, resulted in the recovery of the illegal stash.

Brett Irlmeier, Chair of the Audubon County Community Foundation, and Nicholas Hunt, Chair of the Cass County Community Foundation, remind residents in their respective counties that the fall grant program is now beginning. The deadline to apply for funds through a grant application process is September 1st. In Audubon County, $39, 770 has been allocated for the fall grant cycle. In Cass County, $27,500 is available.

Of the $39,770 in Audubon County, nearly $2,500 is available from the Leon and Iva Milliman Endowed Fund, for the Exira area. $2,800 is available from the Charles T. and Kathleen K. Manatt Endowed Fund, $690 from the Audubon State Bank/Stephen Garst Endowed Fund, $1,200 from the Audubon Masonic Association Endowed Fund is available for the City of Audubon area, $490 is available for the City of Audubon from the Fred and Evelyn Nissen Endowed Fund for Audubon, and $490 from the Merle and Norma Petersen Endowed Fund for the City of Audubon.

In Cass County, the grant fund is available in-part, thanks to $3,000  from the Griswold Community Development Endowed Fund, and $500 from the Triumph Endowed Fund for Cass County.

In both counties, the grants and program Mission is to participate in funding community betterment projects and nonprofit organizations that have similar objectives. The Goal of both the Audubon County and Cass County Community Foundations grant program, is to improve the quality of life in the county by supporting needs that are not being met in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education and social service. The objective is to fund projects that will have a permanent impact for our county that people can take advantage of for many years.

Only organizations providing services in Audubon County and Cass County are eligible to share the grant funds in each respective county. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and supply a copy of their 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter. Requests for general operational funds will not be considered. Application procedures and grant guidelines can be obtained online at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/auduboncef, for Audubon County non-profits, and at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/casscef, for Cass County non-profit organizations.

Click on the Grant Information tab or contact any board member for additional information. Detailed instructions are provided in a downloadable form, as well as a link to the online application. Only online applications will be considered. The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of  Audubon and Cass County Community Foundation donors.

To inquire about donating to the ACCF, please contact a Board member. Community Foundations in Southwest Iowa are particularly attractive charities because donations to these funds may be eligible for a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit. Contact Dennis Nissen at 800-794-3458 or dennis@omahafoundation.org or Denise Cardos at denise@omahafoundation.org with grant application specific questions. All completed applications will be considered at the October board meeting with notification of results the end of October.

******
Board members of the Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Brett Irlmeier of Audubon, 563-2644; Vice Chair, Jonnie Meislahn of Audubon, 563-2009; Secretary/Treasurer, Thomas R. Nielsen of Audubon, 563-2721; Jay Nelson of Atlantic, 549-2277; Daryl Olsen, DVM of Audubon, 563-2080; and Joseph T. Rasmussen, Esq. of Exira, 268-5357.

Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair, Nicholas Hunt of rural Atlantic, 243-5485; Vice Chair, Gary Maas, of Anita, 762-3434; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic, 243-4154; Royal Bierbaum of rural Griswold, 778-2586; Beulah Follmann of Massena, 779-3457; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic, 243-1800.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst will take a break from campaigning for two weeks to take part in active duty training for the Iowa National Guard. But before lacing up her boots, Ernst has recorded the Republicans’ national radio address.

The Republican National Committee confirms that Ernst recorded the speech Thursday evening just hours before she was scheduled to report for duty. Ernst is a lieutenant colonel and will not campaign for two weeks while she leads an Iowa transportation battalion on its annual active duty training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The address airs Saturday morning.

Ernst is an Iowa state senator who won a five-way primary last month. She faces Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley for the seat being vacated by five-term Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who is retiring.

CHICAGO (AP) – Unseasonably cool temperatures will arrive next week in the Midwest and as far south as Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is not, however, the second coming of a polar vortex, something the National Weather Service says it regrets tweeting earlier this week.

Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters says the weather pattern is similar to those dreaded words, but the key difference is that the chilly air mass isn’t coming directly from the arctic.

Masters says that Typhoon Neoguri in Japan altered the path of the jet stream and allowed polar air to spill out of Canada. That means next week’s temperatures will be as much as 15 degrees cooler than normal in the Midwest and could reach 90 in the normally temperate Pacific Northwest.