Firefighters in Carroll were sent on an odd rescue mission Wednesday. The owners of a can and bottle redemption center reported to work just after 10 a.m. to find a person was stuck in the chimney in the building. After he was busted out by firefighters, 29 year old Jordan Kajewski claimed he’d been playing a game of hide-and-seek with someone. Carroll Police Captain Mark Heino isn’t buying it.

“He was arrested on a charge of trespassing,” Heino said. “It’s hard to imagine why he would be in there for anything other than a nefarious purpose.” Carroll Fire Chief Greg Schreck says Kajewski was not injured, but he was trapped in the chimney for over 8 hours. “Employees at the redemption center heard him about 10:15. I think we were called at about 10:16 a.m.,” Schreck said. “There was a small hole in the chimney where at one time probably a furnace or wood-burner attached and we could see his elbow and his face in there and were able to talk to him and he was conscious and cooperative. I’m sure he was relieved to get out.”

(Photo via KCIM/Radio Iowa)

There was yet another shocking discovery when Kajewski was freed — he was naked. Heino hasn’t learned why Kajewski ditched his clothes. “I don’t know. Presumably, in an effort to make himself skinnier, though I’m really not sure…I just know when we extracted him, he was nude,” Heino said. Schreck said Kajewski’s clothes were in the chimney. “I don’t know if he got hot while he was in there and he was able to get them off, but it was a fairly confined space for him, so not exactly sure how that happens,” Schreck said. Heino says he’s seen some odd things in his 38 years of police work.

“Over the course of a long career, you run into some very strange situations from time to time, but yeah, this would rank up there with one of the more strange,” Heino said.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha nonprofit has been awarded more than $1.4 million by the federal government to provide housing for the homeless in one Iowa and two  Nebraska counties. The Omaha World-Herald reported Wednesday that the Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless received the grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide supportive housing for the homeless in Pottawattamie County (in Iowa), Douglas and Sarpy Counties, in Nebraska.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man accused of using counterfeit money at several local businesses has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports 38-year-old Fernando Morales pleaded guilty Monday to one count of forgery with a habitual offender enhancement. Six counts of forgery and one count of fourth-degree theft and one count of commission of a specified unlawful activity were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Court documents say Morales passed counterfeit bills at six businesses from Aug. 26 to Sept. 27.

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

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, heard a presentation from Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring. The nearly 20-minute video program covered his last five-years of service to the City, including all the changes that have been made to the Parks and other positive impacts. Herring referred to it as “A trip down memory lane.”

June 30th marks Herrring’s retirement from the Director’s seat after his five-year stint. He choked-up a bit toward the end after he thanked everyone who he’s worked with over the years, including the various City Departments, the Parks and Rec Department Board, and City Council. He said he especially is proud of all that’s been done at the Schildberg Recreation area, and that he loves the beauty of the area, and the Trumpeter swans.

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones congratulates Roger Herring for his years of service.

Herring said being asked to speak at the Atlantic High School commencement ceremony was a “real compliment” to his experience. Prior to working for the City, he served for many years as AHS Principal. He offered the seniors some advice. He said “Go out in your community and do something [make a difference.]”

Afterward, Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones presented Herring with a “Key to the City,” mounted on a plaque, and City Administrator John Lund brought out a specially created cake. The plaque “With great thanks, the citizens of Atlantic for his dedication in transforming our parks and recreation system.” It’s the first time since February 1992 the Key has been awarded to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the community.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Villisca teen for theft on Wednesday at the Corning Dollar General Store.  At 12:07pm dispatch received a call stating that a young girl had taken a tube of eyeliner from the Corning Dollar General Store and walked out and threw the wrapper on the sidewalk.  Deputies reviewed video of the incident and found 18-year-old Faith Elaine Ferguson of Villisca with the stolen eyeliner.  The packaging numbers were matched from the box and eye liner.  Ferguson was arrested, charged with Theft and held on $300 bond.

The Iowa Department of Transportation says it’s working across the state this spring and summer to determine how many cars, trucks, and other vehicles are using the state, county, and city roadways. This year’s efforts are concentrated in southwest Iowa, but occasionally crews will work elsewhere in the state. Citizens in the area can expect to see Iowa DOT employees and vehicles in their communities all hours of the day.

Many employees will spend peak hours between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. at one location counting the morning, noon, and evening traffic. They count and classify vehicles, record vehicle turning movements, and gather other data necessary to plan the future of Iowa’s roadway system.

Other employees will be placing and checking portable traffic recorders in the same general areas. When the recorders are set, they usually record data for one or two days and are checked periodically. Employees responsible for the recorders work various shifts, including hours outside of a traditional business day.

Another data collection method involves verifying or collecting railroad crossing information.  Rail crossing characteristics such as the number of tracks, the types of warning devices including signs, lights, horns, and control gates present are entered into a hand-held field computer.  This information is then used in rail crossing planning, engineering, and safety purposes.

Other statewide work scheduled for this summer includes the installation, upgrading, and maintenance of permanent, automatic traffic recorders and weigh-in-motion equipment. Officials say the work is critical to the future of the state’s transportation system. The information gathered allows transportation officials to better predict traffic trends, thus allowing them to plan improvements that will give Iowans the most benefit for each dollar spent.