The State Fire Marshal’s Office in Iowa has rescinded a burn ban for Taylor County. The ban was officially removed at 2-p.m. Thursday. The field and grass conditions in Taylor County no longer warrant a ban on outdoor burning. The ban was enacted on July 24th.  Burn bans remain in-place until further notice, for: Cass; Audubon; Pottawattamie; Mills; Montgomery; Fremont; Page; Madison; Crawford and Carroll Counties, in the KJAN listening area.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for October’s Harvest Fest, and putting out a call for entries into a barbequed ribs cookout contest. Harvest Fest takes place in downtown Atlantic, with the addition this year of a rib festival on Friday, October 12th.

The smell of barbequed spare ribs will permeate the air during this year’s Harvest Fest, in Atlantic!

The night will be filled with the aroma of hot ribs and sound of music, near the Rock Island Depot.

Registrations for rib cooking teams are being taken until noon on October 3rd. Forms can be found on AtlanticIowa.com or at the following sponsor locations: Atlantic Motor Supply (NAPA), Sears, Cappel’s Ace Hardware, Robinson’s True Value Hardware, and Connect-A-Dock. Competitors can choose to participate in one or several categories. A trophy will be awarded for people’s choice ribs, and cash prizes will be awarded for the top three places in beef brisket and pork butt. Chamber Director Megan Roberts says the event is non-sanctioned, meaning it’s “Perfect for those entry-level, backyard smokers or for those who have a few competitions under their belt.”  Roberts says “It’s a casual event, where bragging rights and a little cash go a long way.”

The new “ribtastic” event will be open to the public from 8 p.m. to midnight on October 12th, and there is no cover charge for the live music. Rib samples and a beer garden will be available. Organizers are encouraging football fans to come out after the game.

Meat smoking will continue throughout the night. Roberts says Saturday, October 13th will feature the same family-friendly activities as in past years and will conclude with a Harvest Feast comprised of the smoked pork butt and beef brisket entries, chips, and apple pie contest entries. The Atlantic Fireman’s Parade will process on Chestnut Street starting at 6 p.m.

Questions about Harvest Fest can be answered by calling the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at (712) 243-3017 or e-mailing chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met this (Friday) morning, to discuss, among other business, how they wish to proceed with plans for the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area, just north of the Atlantic City limits. Late last month, Kathy Schowalter with PlanScape Partners made a presentation to the Board on behalf of Ron Fagen, CEO of Granite Falls, Minnesota-based Fagen, Incorporated, with regard to the possible creation of a 25-million gallon Cellulosic ethanol plant.

Schowalter asked the Board to consider local assistance in the form of: a property tax exemption until production begins; 50% property tax exemption/rebate for ten years after production begins; and assistance with applications for State and Federal incentives.

Board Chair Duane McFadden told KJAN News no decision on the request was made during this (Friday) morning’s meeting, but the Board did discuss their concerns and other matters related to the property, and the next time Schowalter might appear before the board. He said the Board wanted to “Air out” between themselves what they want to do, and the consensus seemed to be that they would like to “Maintain going forward if there is someone who would purchase that site, to keep the development going on, and get the infrastructure built there and create jobs, for the best interest of the County.”

McFadden says CADCO Executive Director Russell Joyce will try and coordinate a time for Schowalter to reappear before the Board. Following Schowalter’s next appearance before the Board, a public hearing will take place on or about October 19^th. Afterward, it’s expected a motion on a proposal for the site will follow. McFadden says the Board is “pretty much united” in having something go forth at the site, given how fast the ethanol scene changes. And, he says Ron Fagen is probably the best qualified to take over the site. That’s because his company was the one who developed the site. He says Fagen probably has the most knowledge in how to use the infrastructure that’s currently in place, to its fullest potential.

Schowalter had said in August, that even with an agreement in-place, the permitting process would likely take up to a year once investors are secured, and construction on the plant itself would take 18-to 24-months.

Thousands of Iowans are getting letters in the mail saying they’ve won two roundtrip airline tickets, but beware before you start packing your bags. The letters may look like a traditional form letter from something called U-S Airlines, or they may resemble two boarding passes. Whichever one you may get, Geoff Greenwood at the Iowa Attorney General’s office, says the offer has several red flags that point to it being iffy.

“People are being notified that they were ‘selected,’ that they ‘qualified’ for an award,” Greenwood says. “They didn’t enter anything and that’s gotta’ tell you something right there. They’re just picking your name out of a hat and suddenly giving you this free trip?” Greenwood says, “If you were to say ‘yes’ to this offer, chances are you’re going to have to go through some hoops and chances are you’re going to have to pay some money before you get these supposedly free airline tickets.”

If you call the 800-number on the letter, Greenwood says you may be subjected to a high-pressure presentation. “We’re in the early stages of looking into this,” Greenwood says. “We don’t have a lot of information yet because Iowans are just starting to let us know about this. We’ll be asking some questions of the company and making sure the company is following consumer laws if they’re trying to do business here in Iowa.” While he’s not saying it’s a scam, Greenwood is saying to be very cautious.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with U-S Cellular have announced voting has started in the company-sponsored “Calling All Communities” campaign to improve education. Returning for its fourth year,the cellular phone provider will give communities the opportunity to help improve the education of students at 18 schools by challenging them to rally community support for the chance to win a share of $1 million. The school that garners the most community votes wins $150,000, while the next 17 schools with the most votes receive $50,000. Individuals can visit their local U.S. Cellular store to pick up a code to vote for their favorite school.

Calling All Communities is open to all K-12 schools — big or small, public or private. Voting concludes Oct. 21st. To vote, simply visit a local U.S. Cellular store to pick up a voting code, then enter it online at uscellular.com. You can check back to track your school ranking, see the top vote-getting schools, get ideas to rally more votes and post photos. With only one vote per person, it is important to get entire communities involved.

Since the program began in 2008, U.S. Cellular has awarded $3 million to 38 schools across the country for them to use however they see fit to impact the education of students. Past Calling All Communities champions have used their winnings in a variety of ways to strengthen the learning experience for thousands of students. Many winning schools outfitted their classrooms with new computers, improved outdated infrastructure and renovated gymnasiums, kitchens and science labs as well as provided scholarships to graduating students.

Among the school districts receiving awarded funds through the program over the past few years, is the Carroll Kuemper Catholic High School, which won $100,000 in 2009.  Getting off to a strong start in the voting has proven successful for schools in past campaigns. Previous winners got out of the gate early and rallied their community together in fun and innovative ways. Using social networking sites – such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter – will help spread the word online, but don’t forget to engage parent teacher organizations, alumni networks, sports teams, the school band or student groups to help get the word out.

The official rules for the campaign are located at uscellular.com/callingallcommunities.

w/ Ric Hanson

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A western Iowa store where a clerk was attacked with a stun gun in robberies just days apart is now under police scrutiny.  Exotic Gifts in Council Bluffs and other stores with similar names in the Nebraska cities of Omaha and Lincoln were raided Thursday by agents with the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau. The Council Bluff store’s clerk was led away in handcuffs during the raids.  Federal authorities would not say what agents were seeking in the raid, but several boxes were seen being removed from the stores.  Only two weeks earlier, the clerk had been repeatedly shocked with a stun gun in back-to-back robberies. Two Omaha men have been arrested on suspicion of burglary in those robberies.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials with the Iowa National Guard say the 132nd Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard will be conducting an Operational Readiness Exercise, beginning this weekend. The exercise, scheduled to take place Sept. 15^th through the 21^st, is designed to increase the unit’s readiness for future domestic and combat operations at the Des Moines Airbase, which is located at the Des Moines International Airport.

F-16 fighter

In addition, increased flight operations will be conducted during the exercise in a temporary Military Operating Area (MOA) designed to provide realistic training. The MOA is situated in northwest Iowa and extends west from Carroll to Charter Oak, north to Sanborn, east to Whittemore, then southwest to Carroll. F-16 aircraft will be flying extended hours of operation, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., and at altitudes as low as 4,500 feet. Given the lower altitudes, aircraft may be visible and audible throughout the temporary operating area.

Authorities in Montgomery County and Mills Counties are investigating the theft and destruction of a vehicle taken from Red Oak.  The father of 29-year old Jessica Appley told KJAN News his daughter was notified about the incident early this (Friday) morning, by the Red Oak Police Department. Officials in Red Oak had been contacted by authorities in Mills County, who indicated Appley’s fire damaged 1999 Chevy Cavalier was located just south of the former Ponderosa Truck stop/Cafe, on Highway 34, east of Glenwood. The vehicle sustained extensive damage, and appeared to have been a total loss.

The incident remains under investigation by the Red Oak Police Department, along with the Mills and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Departments.