With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson….

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If you can’t devote a full week of your life to riding a bicycle across Iowa on RAGBRAI, you can get a taste of the long-distance biking festival — and more than a taste of bacon — during a new event this summer. Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says the Bacoon (bay-COON) Ride will be a one-day, 72-mile excursion starting and ending in the central Iowa town of Waukee.  “We’re going to try to take advantage of every town along the Raccoon River Valley Trail,” Wyatt says. “There will be event specials and special things for registered riders along the way.”

The ride is scheduled for June 28th. Along the oval-shaped trail, riders will go through the towns of: Waukee, Ortonville, Adel, Redfield, Linden, Panora, Yale, Herndon, Jamaica, Dawson, Perry, Minburn and Dallas Center. Much like the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, Wyatt says each community along the Bacoon Ride will be rewarding cyclists with treats, except instead of pie, this event will all be bacon-oriented.

 “We’re starting the morning with bacon-flavored donuts,” Wyatt says, “and there should be everything from a hog roast and bacon cheeseburgers and all kinds of different food opportunities along the way.” Proceeds from the ride will benefit the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, RAGBRAI’s Dream Team and other Iowa charities. Learn more at: bacoonride.com

(Radio Iowa)

The deadline is approaching for Iowa high school students who want to apply for a seat on the State Board of Education. The department’s Mike Cormack says the student must be a 10th or 11th grader. He says they are looking for talented young people who are interested in providing a voice for students on the board. Applications are taken and then the governor appoints a student to serve on the board.

“The state student board member operates like any other board member, they get the same access to materials that the overall state board has, they participate in all the meetings,” according to Cormack. The only difference for the student is they are a non-voting member. Cormack says the lack of a vote does not mean the student doesn’t get to give their input. Cormack says he serves as a non-voting member for the department for the state athletic association and says he still has a lot of influence on what happens. The deadline to apply for the spot is January 31st.

“Application materials are available on our Department of Education website. Also, there’s been information sent to high schools around out state,” Cormack says. The student’s term can be one or two years depending on the student’s year in school. Find out more at www.educateiowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Blizzard conditions were expected in parts of Iowa on Sunday before the entire state plunges into bitter cold on Monday. Wind chills between 25 degrees below zero and 40 degrees below zero are expected Monday morning with the coldest weather in northern Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are considering whether to adopt national science standards for what’s taught in the state, but critics say doing so would intrude on local school decisions. Supporters say the guidelines have an important emphasis on in-depth instruction and hands-on experiments.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Court records show a 31-year-old man arrested in Iowa and charged with entering the United States illegally has already been deported eight times. Jose William Lopez-Martinez was caught in September in Black Hawk County. He is a citizen of Honduras.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad and state lawmakers are billing an effort to enhance services for veterans as a way to attract new residents to Iowa. But it’s tough to gauge if this push will really have an impact on the state population.

Authorities in Montgomery County report a Villisca man was arrested Sunday afternoon on drug charges.  Kim Eugene Beedle, of Villisca faces a Possession of methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver charge, for allegedly having over five grams of the substance. Beedle was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are considering whether to adopt model science standards for what’s taught in the state, but critics say doing so would intrude on local school decisions. The Des Moines Register reports Iowa was one of 26 states that helped develop the national guidelines for science classes called Next Generation Science Standards. The guidelines emphasize in-depth instruction and hands-on experiments. Many experts say that’s a good approach.

But some teachers worry about sacrificing the breadth of lessons. Jill Jennings served on a state committee that reviewed the standards. She says she’s concerned that these national guidelines take control over what’s taught away from local school boards.

If the state adopts the Next Generation Science Standards, they would replace Iowa standards that have been in place since 2008.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County are asking for your help in solving a burglary. Authorities say the incident took place sometime between Friday (1/24) and Sunday (1/26) at the Villisca Senior Center, located at 312 S. 3rd Avenue, in Villisca.

The facility was broken into and U-S currency was taken from the office. If you have any information about the crime, contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107, or your local Crime Stoppers.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Parts of Iowa are likely to experience blizzard conditions Sunday before the entire state plunges into bitter cold on Monday.  The National Weather Service says northeast Iowa received 1-to-3-inches of snow Sunday morning. And much of the state could see another inch or two Sunday afternoon and evening.

The snow itself isn’t significant, but forecasters warn that strong winds expected to arrive Sunday afternoon will blow the snow around and make travel dangerous.  Then temperatures will fall Sunday night. Wind chills between 25 degrees below zero and 40 degrees below zero are expected Monday morning with the coldest weather in northern Iowa.

The cold will shock many Iowa residents. In Des Moines, the temperature was 40 Sunday morning. A day later, wind chills of 30 degrees below zero are expected.

One person was killed and two others injured during a collision Saturday night in Dallas County. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver of a 2002 Chrysler Sebring from Des Moines died in the crash at around 9:35-p.m. south of Waukee, near 3400 Ute Avenue. The individual was not wearing a seatb belt. Two people in the other vehicle who were wearing their seat belts, both of whom are from Minburn, were hurt and transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.

The accident happened as the Sebring was traveling north on Ute Avenue and crossed the centerline of the road before collided with a southbound 1997 Chevy pickup. The names of the victims have not yet been released. The accident remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard and Winter Storm Warnings for parts of eastern northern and central Iowa today (Sunday). Temperatures are also expected to plummet late Sunday, with lows coming in around 15 below zero in the northeast to near zero in the south.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man who pleaded guilty in 2009 to criminal transmission of HIV will have his case heard before the Iowa Supreme Court. The HIV-positive man had a one-time sexual encounter in 2008 with another man during which they used a condom. Iowa law makes it a felony for someone with HIV to engage in intimate contact with another person. The man argues he did not intentionally expose his partner because he practiced safe sex.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — The Muscatine County sheriff has refused to publicly disclose how he determined that no rules or policies were broken when a mentally ill jail inmate was repeatedly shocked with a stun gun last fall. Now, members of the sheriff’s own political party are calling for an independent investigation. The Muscatine County Democratic Central Committee plans to meet next week to discuss next steps.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn’t announced whether she will run for president in 2016, but her supporters in the early voting state of Iowa are getting organized anyway. Top Iowa Democrats gathered Saturday in Des Moines for an event aimed at building support for a potential Clinton White House bid. Craig Smith, senior adviser to the Ready for Hillary group, says he wants to make sure Iowa support is in place should Clinton decide to run.