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Montgomery County Supervisors receive pipeline/eminent domain update

News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors has received an update on the legal status of the Summit Carbon Solutions proposed carbon-capture pipeline project and the likelihood of eminent domain. Kristina Paradise, with Snyder and Associates Engineers in Atlantic, the Board’s pipeline inspection liaison, told the Board and those in attendance at the meeting this (Tuesday) morning, there are two conditions to the inspection services Snyders would provide that are in the works with regard the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC)’s Order.

The second matter of importance, she said is with regard to timing.

Kristina Paradise w/Snyder & Associates addresses the MC BOS 7-30-25

Paradise said also, with regard to property owner’s requested reconsideration of the mainline placement of the 18-mile pipeline in Montgomery County, is not yet resolved.

She said some counties in Iowa are still working on their pipeline ordinances, while others that have implemented an ordinance, have been sued. Others are waiting on the sidelines to see what will happen in those cases before the implement an ordinance. She concluded with saying there is still a long way to go before any work is started on the pipeline.

Earlier this year, Summit filed for an expansion of their proposed project, including an additional 24.07-miles of pipeline to Corning, or a total 42.14 miles altogether in Montgomery County. The IUC has granted Summit’s request to hold an informational meeting August 27th at Noon in Red Oak. The meeting is a prerequisite to the commencement of easement acquisitions, according to the IUC.

Snyder and Associates, she said, intends to attend every informational meeting Summit will hold.

CAM Cross Country Camp

Sports

July 30th, 2024 by Jim Field

The CAM cross country coaches will host a distance running camp August 5th – 8th at the CAM High School in Anita.  The camp will run from 9:00 am to 11:00 am each day and is open to all area 7th through 12th grade students.

The focus of the camp is to introduce distance running, building skills and have fun.  Everyone, regardless of the sport of interest is welcome to attend as this should be a great overall fitness-enhancing event.

A liability release form, signed by a parent or guardian, is required to participate in the camp.  Forms are available at the CAM High School or by contacting Coach Deb Brown at 402-657-3622.

Creston man charged w/Eluding or attempting to elude law enforcement; 2 women arrested on drug charges

News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say two women were arrested early this (Tuesday) morning, on drug charges. 53-year-old Crystal Alaine Conley, and 38-year-old Heather Layne Green, both of Creston, were arrested at 300 S Lincoln Street, at around 2:15-a.m. Conley was charged with Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drug, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine 1st Offense. Conley was taken to the Union County Jail where she was later released on a $2,300 bond.

Green was charged with Possession Drug Paraphernalia. She was cited and released from the scene, on a promise to appear in court.

Late Monday night, Creston Police arrested 18-year-old Antoine Walter Lillie, of Creston, on charges of Eluding or Attempting to Elude a Law Enforcement Vehicle, and Driving Barred. Lillie was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $7,000 bond.

Des Moines gun owners urged to NOT leave weapon(s) in their vehicles

News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Authorities in Des Moines are alerting residents to a significant increase in gun thefts from vehicles, with reports already at around 50 cases halfway through the year. Typically, the police see around 150 stolen gun reports each year, with about a third of these incidents involving thefts from cars and trucks.

Des Moines police are urging gun owners not to leave firearms in their cars. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek underscored the importance of preventing guns from falling into the hands of inexperienced individuals, particularly children, who may not comprehend the consequences of their actions.

While gun owners might not face legal trouble, having a firearm stolen and used in a crime can cause significant headaches.

Armadillo sightings on the increase in Iowa

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(UPDATED/Radio Iowa) – An armored animal most people would associate with Texas or Oklahoma is being spotted more frequently in Iowa. Armadillos have been making their way north for decades, according to Jim Coffey, an Iowa D-N-R wildlife biologist. Coffey tells K-C-R-G T-V that armadillo sightings are being tracked by the agency.

“Armadillos are not something that’s new to Iowa,” Coffey says. “We’ve had reports for many, many years, but it’s a species that’s not commonly seen and it kind of falls through the cracks.” For the past several years, Coffey says the D-N-R has been logging sightings of these armored critters anywhere they appear in Iowa.

“We’ve been keeping, you know, good records for the last six years that have indicated about 12 to 24 sightings per year, verifiable across the state,” he says. Armadillos can jump up to four feet into the air and they average about 12 pounds as adults. Coffey says the state’s changing climate played a big part in the arrival of armadillos.

Armadillo — National Park Service photo

“As climate change takes impact, we see that some of our northern boundaries are pushed, or the warmer climates are pushed further north,” he says, “then armadillos will be able to utilize that territory as well.” The DNR has no plans to manage the spread of armadillos, since the only threat they pose to the ecosystem is digging burrows to live in. Plus, they can’t survive harsh winters, so armadillos aren’t established in Iowa — at least not yet.

Shooting in Des Moines Tues. morning leaves 1 dead & a Police Officer seriously injured

News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A 37-year-old Des Moines policeman was shot in the shoulder by a fellow officer and a suspect was killed this morning after police were called to investigate a domestic situation.

According to a statement from Des Moines Police, it was just after 3:30 a.m. when officers responded to a call that a person was violating a no contact order. About 20 minutes later officers saw the suspect’s vehicle driving nearby, tried to stop it and the suspect fled. Shortly before 4 a.m. the suspect’s vehicle left a Des Moines street. A police spokesman says “seconds later” officers reported shots had been fired and the suspect was shot by officers and died at the scene.

Des Moines Police say the wounded officer, who’s been with the department for four years, is in stable condition.

(This story was updated at 11:24 a.m.)

Living History Farms expanding

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – An education center in central Iowa is taking steps toward becoming a year-round attraction. Living History Farms spokesperson Elizabeth Sedrel says they are building a Cultivation Center to replace the visitors center and give them more space. “New climate controlled year round exhibit space, some administrative offices and some new accessible amenities like a mother’s room, a family restroom and an adult changing station,” she says. “At the same time, we’re going to be renovating our current visitor center into a dedicated Learning Center for school groups for our classes and our day camp.” The farms were built in Urbandale back in 1970 to preserve some of Iowa’s early agriculture history.

“We have three working farm sites representing the indigenous Ioway in 1700, a pioneer family in 1850, and a farm family in the year 1900, We also have a recreated 1876 town of Walnut Hill,” Sedrel says. There are interactive activities at the farms. “At many of the sites they will meet historic interpreters who can explain what they’re doing and how people lived and work the land at that time,” she says. They recently broke ground to get the project underway. “Happily it does not interfere with guests touring the town or any of the farm sites. Once that building is done then we’ll be able to renovate the current visitor center, and we expect to hold a ribbon cutting for the whole new thing including a new picnic pavilion in 2026,” Sedrel says.

They’ve been raising six-point-two million dollars for the project, and Sedrel says they have hit 85 percent of that goal.

Blood test for Alzheimer’s is big step closer to being available in Iowa

News

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association say they’re thrilled with the announcement of a highly-accurate blood test for the disease that’s now much closer to being widely available. Lauren Livingston, spokeswoman for the association in Iowa, says it would mean a significant shift to simpler, more accurate detection and diagnosis, potentially eliminating current methods that are expensive, invasive, and not always accessible.  “Having a blood test that is around 90% accurate to help identify Alzheimer’s disease is a huge breakthrough,” Livingston says. “We’re just so excited to hopefully, in the near future, see this test be available at the doctor’s office.”

The blood tests, once they’re confirmed and F-D-A-approved, could enhance recruitment for Alzheimer’s clinical trials and slash wait times for Alzheimer’s disease assessments, and treatments to slow the progress of the disease. “It would be so much more accessible for people to be able to get a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease,” Livingston says, “versus right now, you can do a memory screening, but often you aren’t able to get an official diagnosis unless you have a test, like a PET scan, which is not available in a lot of rural areas in the state and it also can be very expensive.” The report was released Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, underway in Philadelphia.

The research suggests the blood test could revolutionize the accuracy of diagnosis and provide a cleaner, quicker path to research participation and treatment.  “In Iowa this year, in the legislature, there was a bill that was passed that ensures that all Iowa-funded health insurance does have to cover biomarker testing, like this blood test,” Livingston says, “so it would be covered by Iowa health insurance, so that’s very exciting, too.”

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. In Iowa, more than 62,000 people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and there are nearly 100,000 family and friends caring for their loved ones with the disease.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Tue., July 30, 2024

Weather

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly sunny, hot & humid. High near 96. Heat index values as high as 111. HEAT ADVISORY in effect from 1-until 9-p.m. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Heat Index around 106 this evening; Partly cloudy & humid w/a chance of showers & thunderstorms, mainly after 10pm. Low around 72.
Tomorrow: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 111. South wind 10 to 20 mph.
Tom. Night: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low around 68.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 90.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 90.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 91.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 94. Our Low this morning was 67. We received .59″ early this morning, in Atlantic (@ KJAN). Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 91 & the Low was 61. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on July 30th, was 102 in 1931 & 1947. The Record Low was 39, in 1971. Sunrise: 6:13. Sunset: 8:40.

July 30, 2024 western IA storm report

Weather

July 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

1:50-a.m.: Emergency management officials in Audubon County reported estimated wind gusts of 55-to 60-mph, along with heavy rain, in Hamlin.

1:35-a.m.: Winds at the airport in Atlantic were gusting from 38-to 52-mph; heavy rain was occurring at around 2-a.m.

1:27-a.m.: A personal weather station 2 miles south of Willey (Carroll) County recorded a 60-mph wind gust.

1:12-a.m.: A public weather station recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph in Neola (Pottawattamie County).

12:05-a.m.: The DOT reported a thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph 5 miles NW of Whiting (Monona County).