The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office reports the opening of the Interstate 29 off-ramp (exit 147B) to the new southbound frontage road, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, April 29th, weather permitting. Motorists will now be able to access Nebraska Street and Floyd Boulevard using the new southbound frontage road.

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

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In an update to our report Tuesday morning, Creston Police today (Wednesday), said one of two women arrested Tuesday on drug charges, faces more charges. 40-year old Amy Crispin, of Creston, now faces two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense. Crispin, and 21-year old Kami Hilton, also of Creston, were arrested between 2:15-and 2:25-a.m., Tuesday. Hilton still faces a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance with the intent to deliver. Both women were being held in the Ringgold County Jail on $5,000 bond, each.

Creston Police report also, 14-year old Nathan Rains, of West Des Moines, was referred to Juvenile Services Tuesday evening, after he was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana in the 1200 block of N. Walnut Street, in Creston. The teens was subsequently released to the custody of his mother.

And, a Creston woman reported to police Tuesday afternoon, that sometime between 3-and 4:30-p.m., Tuesday, someone entered her apartment at 212 N. Oak Street, and stole an X-Box 1, 2 controllers, an X-Box 1 game, and a charger for the controllers. The culprit may have entered the apartment through a window. The loss was estimated at $500.

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will meet in a regular session this evening at the High School Media Center. Their meeting begins at 5:30-p.m.  During the session, the Board will act on hiring, transfers and resignations, along with approving the 2016-17 Non-Certified staff’s tentative contract agreement.

During the discussion phase of their meeting, the Atlantic School Board will hear presentations with regard to: The Home/School Program; ELL Program, and Spring 2016 Iowa Assessments Board. They’ll also talk more about a proposed Special Election for an income surtax.

During their meeting two weeks ago, the Board agreed they still want to bring an income surtax vote back before patrons of district. Board Secretary/District Business Manager Mary Beth Fast said at the time, that the earliest the surtax could be placed before patrons of the district, is a special election on Sept. 13^th. The Board would need to have a ballot request submitted to County Election Commissioner Dale Sunderman by no later than July 29^th. The next available dates for Special Elections are in December 2016, and February or April, 2017.

Last September, voters rejected a public measure to add an income tax surcharge component to the district’s Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). Business Manager Mary Beth Fast has stated in previous meetings, that the maximum surtax the District could impose, if approved by the voters, is 10-percent. She said even if the District requested a nine-percent surtax, that would generate $300,000 and make for 67-cents difference in property tax relief.

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

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The CAM School District’s Board of Educators is set to meet during a special session Thursday morning in the CAM High School Media Center. The meeting begins at 7:30-a.m. During their session, the Board will discuss and act on several matters, including: Open enrollment applications; Resignations; Contracts; 2016-17 Master Contract, Teacher contracts, Schedule B, Support Staff and Administrative contracts.

The Board will also act on a Resolution adopting the Cass County Hazard Mitigation Plan, and set the date/time for a public hearing on the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), along with the authorizing of bids and setting the date and time for public hearings on the parking lot improvement project and bus lane improvements.

About 200 people who are customers of Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) are or were without power this morning. A person who answered the phone could not say what the problem was, but she did say crews were out trying to get the power restored as quickly as possible. Residents near 8th and Birch, 12th and Chestnut, and the vicinity of Sycamore and Chestnut Streets were in the dark as of 6:45-a.m.

Winds at the time the outages were initially reported, where gusting from 25-to 45-miles per hour. Other utilities were reporting power outages as well:  Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative reported 119 customers were without power in Adams County (as of 7-a.m.), 28 were without power in Taylor County, and anywhere from 3-to 5 customers were in the dark in Cass and Montgomery Counties; Mid-American Energy reported scattered outages in Griswold, Lewis, Carbon, Red Oak and Villisca.

Officials with the Stuart Police Department issued a somewhat tongue-in-cheek statement on their social media page Tuesday, with regard to a drug bust. Authorities said the Stuart Police Dept. K-9 unit was on a routine traffic stop in the 100 block of N. Adair Street, Tuesday, and that while the officer was speaking with the occupants of the vehicle the driver fled on foot, leaving behind a large quantity of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Kyle Styron (photos from Stuart P-D Facebook page)

Officials said also, “On a side note we would appreciate any information the public is willing to share regarding the location of Kyle Styron. We have some items of his that we would like to speak with him about, but for some reason he has been avoiding us.”

If you know where Styron is, you’re asked to call Stuart Police at 641-747-2214.

Authorities in Montgomery County, Tuesday night, arrested three people in connection with a plot to sell a vehicle for cash at a scrap yard. Officials say 23-year old Amanda Joy Huebner, of Red Oak, faces felony Theft in the 2nd degree charge, after she asked 26-year old Sara Ann Billie and 30-year old Lovelle Joseph Ward, both of Red Oak, to take a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee to a scrap yard in Omaha, and obtain cash for the vehicle so Huebner could pay some bills. All three suspects knew the SUV did not belong to Huebner.

Instead of taking the vehicle to the scrap yard, Billie and Ward used it for their own personal use. They brought the SUV to the police department after they spoke on the phone with officers. Billie and Ward were arrested for Operating (a vehicle) with the Owners Consent. Their bonds were set at $2,000 each. Huebner’s bond was set at $5,000.

Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County early this (Wednesday) morning, arrested a man for Driving While Barred. 42-year old Jerry Lee Dawson, of Hastings, was taken into custody at midnight and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on full bond.