The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports the City of Atlantic will resume regular testing of its outdoor warning sirens today (Friday, March 17th), at noon. The sirens have traditionally been tested on Fridays from Mid-March through November, during the severe weather season. The regular siren activation is necessary to ensure to proper operation of the system.

The siren testing is occurring before Iowa Severe Weather Awareness Week, which runs from March 27-31. The National Weather Service will conduct a Statewide Tornado Drill on Wednesday, March 29th between 10 and 11 a.m.

Residents should remember Outdoor Warning Sirens are intended to alert persons who are involved with outdoor activities. There is no guarantee they will hear an Outdoor Warning Siren when it is activated. Persons indoors should not depend on Outdoor Warning Sirens as their primary way of being warned.

Atlantic residents will also be notified of this initial siren test through the Cass County Emergency Notification System (ENS).  To register for the Cass County Emergency Notification System, residents can go to the KJAN home page and look for the sign-up link. You can sign up by entering your cell phone, e-mail and/or pager number, city and zip code.

There are also links located on the Cass County homepage (http://www.casscountyiowa.us/) and the Cass County EMA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CassCoEMA). If you need assistance, please contact Mike Kennon at 712-243-1500.

A call to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office early this (Friday) morning about a person pounding on the door of a residence near Hamburg, resulted in the arrest of a Shenandoah man. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports Deputies were notified at around 2:45-a.m. about the incident that was taking place at 3027 300th Avenue.

24-year old Steven Thomas Shane, of Shenandoah, tried to hide from authorities when they arrived on the scene, but the K9 unit was deployed and Shane was arrested a short time later without incident.

Shane was brought to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center, where he was charged with two counts of Violating a Protection Order. He was being held in the jail without bond.

Police in Red Oak, early this (Friday) morning, arrested a Cass County man following a traffic stop. 38-year old Chad Allen Sharp, of Griswold, was taken into custody just after 3-a.m. in the 1700 block of N. Broadway Street, for Driving While Suspended and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Sharp was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa House passed a bill Thursday to overhaul how workers in the state are compensated for on-the-job injuries, though they backed off on some key proposals amid internal concern. The GOP-majority chamber voted 55-38 for the bill, which would revamp standards for hurt workers in Iowa, including reductions to shoulder injury benefits and decreased coverage for injuries tied to a pre-existing condition. The Republican-led Senate will now consider the legislation.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police are looking into who has been targeting a Mason City synagogue with profanity-laced phone messages. The Globe Gazette report that the most recent call came around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. The call to the Adas Israel synagogue rang through to the home of its president, Alan Steckman. Steckman believes it was the same man who left an anti-Semitic voicemail message on the Steckmans’ answering machine on March 5.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Newly unsealed court documents in the case of a 16-year-old girl who was starved to death say medics discovered her in an adult diaper lying on a bare floor. A police affidavit says it appeared Natalie Finn had been on the floor of her mother’s home “in her own waste for some time.” Her parents face several felony charges, including first-degree murder levied against her mother. Prosecutors say the girl was starved and tortured by her parents.

OSAGE, Iowa (AP) — An Osage woman accused of stealing about $2,300 from her mother to gamble at a local casino has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 58-year-old Marilyn Jo Spartz pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor third-degree theft. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a charge of felony theft.

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office reports an Odebolt man wanted by authorities on three counts of Child Endangerment and drug-related charges, has been apprehended in Council Bluffs. 43-year old Stephen (Steve) Ray Campbell was wanted in connection with a March 7th search warrant served at Campbell’s house at 600 West 6th Street, in Odebolt.

Ten of the 13 members of a state senate committee have approved the sweeping gun bill that cleared the Iowa House last week. Republican Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs expects the bill to easily clear the 50-member Senate as well.

“Firearms rights are important rights to Iowans. I mean, one of the reasons why we have a Republican-controlled legislature is because of people valuing those firearms rights,” Dawson says. “That’s why we have this bill before us here today.” Dawson is planning to propose some “technical” tweaks in the bill, but he says the main components will remain intact. That includes “stand your ground” provisions for gun owners, removing the duty to retreat in a public place when faced with danger to life or property. Dawson says Iowa is a state with a pro-gun culture.

“You can talk to a Democrat or Republican out there. It is a deeply embedded personal belief and right here in rural areas and urban areas here in Iowa and we will be passing firearms related this session,” Dawson says. Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, was one of two committee members who voted against the bill. He has several concerns, including the part of the bill that would allow permit holders to carry a gun inside the state capitol.

“We’ve got to vet this very carefully before we do anything,” Boulton says. The bill also includes language that backers say will give citizens grounds to sue cities or counties that establish “guns-free” zones.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowans are offering their ideas today (Thursday) on how to improve the quality of life for older residents through innovation. The Disrupt Aging Innovation Challenge is focused on the need to change perceptions on aging. Ann Black, spokeswoman for A-A-R-P Iowa, says 20 Iowans submitted ideas for the contest and the top six finalists were chosen to present their proposals this afternoon.

“The ideas ranged from coming up with better ways to communicate with older Iowans, there were some website ideas suggested,” Black says. “There’s a project to decrease depression and increase social interaction.” Another idea revolved around the use of solar energy to help rural Iowans in the event of a power outage, while another involves a monitor to ensure a stove is not left burning unattended. The competition zeroes in on a product or service that can positively impact the lives of Iowans 50 and older.

“As we age and are faced with challenges to accomplish things that may have been easier at a younger stage of our lives,” Black says, “there are some very unique ways to innovate and keep people healthy and connected and engaged longer.” The top prize is $1,000 cash and a class scholarship at Des Moines Area Community College, with cash prizes for second and third place, too. Perhaps an even bigger prize, Black says the winners will also have an opportunity to see their ideas become reality.

“Absolutely, that’s a big expectation that their ideas will live on beyond this challenge,” Black says. “There were even some ideas that didn’t make the top six that we’ve heard some people are interested in pursuing.” The contest finalists are presenting 10-minute pitches to judges this afternoon at Edgewater senior living center in West Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement have arrested 26 people in Minnesota, marking the largest ICE operation in the state since the Trump administration vowed to increase immigration enforcement. The arrests are part of a broader operation that also resulted in 32 arrests in Nebraska, 23 in Iowa, four in North Dakota and one in South Dakota.

ICE says the operation was routine and targeted those with criminal convictions. It also targeted immigrants who illegally re-entered the U.S. after prior deportations and immigrants with orders for removal — both low priorities under the Obama administration.

Brad Capoch works at Incarnation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, which caters to the Latino community. He tells the Star Tribune that aside from the shift in priorities, the operation appeared similar to those under Obama’s administration.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Newly unsealed court documents in the case of a 16-year-old girl who was starved to death say medics discovered her in an adult diaper lying on a bare floor. A police affidavit says it appeared Natalie Finn had been on the floor of her mother’s home “in her own waste for some time.”

The girl’s parents, 46-year-old Joseph Finn and 42-year-old Nicole Finn, are facing charges of kidnapping, neglect or abandonment and child endangerment in her death and the suspected abuse of two of Natalie’s siblings. Nicole Finn is also charged with first-degree murder.

A medical examiner found that the girl died from denial of critical care. Prosecutors say she was starved and tortured by her parents.