United Group Insurance

7AM Newscast 07-29-2013

News, Podcasts

July 29th, 2013 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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Farmland Leasing meeting to be held Thursday evening in Guthrie Center

Ag/Outdoor

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A meeting and workshop for landowners, tenants and other agri-business professionals is scheduled to take place this Thursday evening (August 1st), in Guthrie Center. The Farmland Leasing Meeting will be held from 6-to 9-pm at the Farm Bureau Hall. The workshop will assist interested persons with current issues related to farmland ownership, management, and leasing agreements.

Each workshop attendee will receive a set of beneficial materials regarding farm leasing arrangements and farmland ownership. Topics to be covered include Iowa Cash Rental Rate Survey and Land Values Survey, comparison of different types of leases, lease termination, impacts of yields and prices, and more.

The meeting is being facilitated by ISU Farm Management Specialist Shane Ellis. The cost is $20 per person or $35 per couple. Pre-registration is preferred, and can be made by calling 641-747-2276.

Non-ethanol gas in Iowa could see price jump

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa motorists who buy gasoline without ethanol could soon see a price jump at the pump.  The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa’s largest pipeline operator, Magellan Midstream Partners, will no longer ship “clear” 87 octane regular gasoline to its Iowa terminals. Instead, the pipeline operator will start shipping 84 octane fuel, which can be blended with more expensive 91 octane fuel to produce the regular 87 octane product. Iowa requires a minimum 87 octane fuel at gas pumps.

The change means that both the new 87 octane and 91 octane fuels without ethanol will likely cost more at the pump. Magellan spokesman Bruce Heine says the change is driven by pipeline customers, including refiners, petroleum traders and petroleum marketers.

Food bank adds donations via text in hopes of boosting lagging donations

News

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Summertime is one of the hardest times of year for food banks as donations drop off dramatically. Brian Barks, spokesman for the Food Bank for the Heartland, says they’re launching a new effort allowing people to “text” donations to the agency. Barks says the signs are clear the economy isn’t getting any better. “Families are having a hard time making ends meet,” Barks says. “If you think, when’s the last time we heard of a company saying we’re adding upper, high-paying jobs? The jobs we’re adding to the economy are lower-level, service-related jobs.”

A recent “Map the Meal Gap” study was compiled by the group Feeding America and Barks says the results were troubling. “The study that’s done each June says 211,000 people in our service area are at risk for hunger,” Barks says. “That number has been pretty much flat the last three years. What that tells us is the issue of hunger isn’t getting any worse but it’s not getting any better.”

It’s hoped the new texting program will lure more people into donating cash to the food bank. They just need to text the word “feed” to 501-501 from a cell phone. “And all you do is type in ‘yes’ and hit ‘send’ and you’ve made a $10 donation,” Barks says. “That will allow us to provide 30 meals to people who need it.”

The Omaha-based facility supplies food items to 325 food pantries, homeless shelters and soup kitchens in 93 counties across western Iowa and Nebraska. Last year, it provided food to 19,000 families in need, in addition to helping emergency shelters, after-school programs, senior housing sites and rehab centers.

(Radio Iowa)

Vilsack says immigration reform crucial for ag industry

Ag/Outdoor

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the ag industry will suffer if congress fails to enact some sort of immigration reforms. “If you know what I know about the impact of the immigrant workforce on agriculture, you recognize that this is something that needs to get done,” Vilsack says. “We have had crops not harvested, crops not raised and crops actually leaving the United States and being grown elsewhere because we have a broken immigration system.”

America’s agricultural industry has been able to keep food prices low, in part, with cheap immigrant labor. In 2006, 77 percent of all agricultural workers in the United States were born in another country. Vilsack cites a recent study in the state of Georgia. “They’ve determined that their state has suffered $320 million annually of economic loss and roughly 3200 jobs that otherwise would have been filled weren’t being filled,” Vilsack says. “So if you start multiplying that by a lot of agricultural states around the country, you can see this lack of a comprehensive immigration bill is having an impact on the agricultural economy.”

Georgia enacted a state law in 2010 that made it harder for employers to hire illegal immigrants and directed police in Georgia to be more aggressive in checking for undocumented residents. A University of Georgia study found farmers in Georgia were 40 percent short of the fieldhands they needed to harvest crops in 2012. The immigration reform plan that recently cleared the U.S. Senate would grant legal resident status to current farm workers who entered the country illegally. Advocates say a separate guest worker program outlined in the bill will increase the flow of temporary farm workers into the U.S.

(Radio Iowa)

Last Full day of the Cass County Fair is today (Monday, 7/29)

News

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Fair is beginning to wind down, in Atlantic. Today marks the last full day of activities, and it begins at 8-a.m. with the Beef Show, followed by the Best of Iowa at 9:30, where contestants select a recipe using an Iowa product or products, as the main ingredient. The recipes are prepared in front of a judge, and are evaluated on the presentation, the number and use of Iowa products, and the finished product. All finished products will be arranged on a tasting table for the public to sample, and the Union Leaders 4-H Club will provide cookbooks for sale, listing all the recipes. Awards will be presented following the contest.

Other scheduled events include: The Watermelon Feed, beginning at 11-a.m.; The Dairy/Goat show at 12:30; Meat Goat Show at 1-p.m.; Skid Loader Rodeo at 2-p.m., and the Style Show along with building awards, at 4:30.

The evening wraps-up with the Parade of Champions at 6, followed by the Grand Champion Beef Selection at 7, and the finals of the skid loader rodeo, at 8-p.m.

On Tuesday, the Livestock sale gets underway at 8-a.m., along with the release of the static exhibits.

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Mon., July 29th 2013

Podcasts, Weather

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Freese-Notis (podcast) weather forecast for the KJAN listening area, and weather information for Atlantic from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson…

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Monday State Baseball Tournament Schedule/Results

Sports

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

CLASS 2-A Quarterfinals: @ Principal Park, Des Moines

Roland-Story 2, Mount Vernon 1

2:00 pm:  Beckman Catholic vs. Columbus Catholic

6:00 pm:  Kuemper Catholic vs. Spirit Lake

8:00 pm:  North Polk vs. Albia

NWS Forecast for the KJAN listening area: 7/29/13

Weather

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

400 AM CDT MON JUL 29 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS BEFORE NOON. LIGHT SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…CLOUDY. SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING…THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. WARMER. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

TUESDAY...CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING…THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. PARTLY SUNNY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. EAST WIND AROUND 5 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.

TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 60S. EAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 80S. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S.

Iowa Speedway prepares for US Cellular 250 on Aug. 3rd

Sports

July 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The NASCAR Nationwide Series makes its second stop at the Iowa Speedway this weekend with Saturday night’s US Cellular 250. Iowa Speedway CEO Doug Fritz says Brad Keselowski will be the first reigning sprint Cup champion to compete at the track. Fritz says Keselowski has been to Newton before, as well as other Nascar stars, but never before in the track’s 8-year history have they had the current Nascar Sprint Cup Series Champion.

Fritz says the drivers in the Nationwide Series enjoy competing against the big names in the Sprint Cup Series. They include Brian Vickers, who recently won the New Hampshire Nascar Sprint Cup Series race, along with Nationwide regulars Trevor Baine, a past Daytona 500 Champ, along with Sam Hornish, Jr., the current Nationwide Series points leader and past champion of the Indy 500.

Fritz says as of Sunday morning, there were still tickets available for Saturday night’s race, but he anticipates a sell out. After that, it’s general admission and standing room only on race day. Tickets for both Friday’s practice sessions and Saturday’s qualifying laps and race can be obtained at www.iowaspeedway.com, or 1-866RUSTY-GO.  He says fans will have an opportunity to meet the drivers this weekend. An autograph session with all the Nationwide drivers takes place from 2:30-until 3:10-p.m., Saturday.  Parking lots open both days at 10-a.m. for tailgating.