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Red Oak woman arrested on a warrant Thursday evening

News

December 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Red Oak was arrested Thursday evening on an active Montgomery County warrant for Interference with Official Acts. 33-year-old Brianna Marie Wagoner was arrested at around 6:30-p.m. in the 700 block of N. 5th Street in Red Oak. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

No. 3 Iowa State rallies late to beat Iowa

Sports

December 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State turned up the defense at crunch time to rally for a victory in Iowa City, Thursday night. The third ranked Cyclones held Iowa without a field goal for more than six minutes down the stretch for an 89-80 victory, their first win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since 2014.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger. It was a game the Cyclones trailed by 13 points in the opening half before battling back.

A Nate Heise layup with just over three minutes remaining gave the Cyclones their first lead of the game.

Curtis Jones led ISU with 23 points and Joshua Jefferson had a huge game with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Iowa State made eight of 15 from three point range and scored 52 points in the second half.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. The Hawkeyes were dominated on the glass and the Cyclones had 18 offensive rebounds.

Owen Freeman led the Hawkeyes with 16 points.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Friday, Dec. 13, 2024

Weather

December 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: **Winter Weather Advisory from 4-p.m. today until NOON Saturday for mixed precipitation (snow/sleet/ice)** Mostly cloudy w/a 20% chance of freezing rain after 4pm. High near 27. E winds 15-30 mph. Wind chill values as low as -5.
Tonight: Freezing rain likely through midnight, then rain is likely. Temperature rising to around 34 overnight. E/SE winds @ 15-30 mph. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible.
Tomorrow: Rain likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 38. E/SE winds @ 10-5 mph becoming NE in the afternoon.
Tom. Night: Cloudy, with a low around 28.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44.
Monday: Mostly sunny & breezy, with a high near 44.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 22. The Low was 8. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 49 & the Low was 17. The Record High here on Dec. 13th, was 65 in 1921, and the Record Low was -20 in 1961. Sunrise: 7:37. Sunset: 4:50.

(Update) Winter Weather Advisory for most of Iowa late today through Saturday morning

Weather

December 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING

The Advisory begins at 2-p.m. today for far west/southwest Iowa, and at 4-p.m for Cass and other Counties in the listening area, as well as most of the State.

* WHAT…Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet accumulations under one inch and ice accumulations around one to two tenths of an inch.

* IMPACTS…Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous. Plan on slick, and even
treacherous at times, road conditions Friday night into Saturday morning. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute in southwest Iowa.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Branches and power lines may become ice coated. East-Southeast winds 10-20 mph could cause tree limbs to break or power outages to occur.

Last Map Update: Fri, Dec 13, 2024 at 6:56:26 am CST; Winter Weather Advisory (Counties in lavender); Ice Storm Warning (Counties in purple)

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Be prepared for slippery roads. Slow down and use caution while driving. If you are going outside, watch your first few steps taken on stairs, sidewalks, and driveways. These surfaces could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

For the latest travel conditions, check the Iowa 511 app, www.511ia.org, or dial 511.

Christmas Market Features Local Food, Gifts, Pizza, and Bounce Houses

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 13th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

ATLANTIC, IA (December 12, 2024) – Produce in the Park’s Christmas Market is being held at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA (1100 Maple St. Atlantic, IA 50022) on Saturday, December 21 from noon to 3:00 PM. There is no cost to enter Christmas Market. During the market, kids can enjoy free bounce houses inside the YMCA, and Zipp’s Pizzaria will be selling pizza in the YMCA’s parking lot.

This holiday farmers market is held just days before Christmas so shoppers can celebrate with local foods, decorations, and gifts. Christmas Market will offer lots of local vegetables including fresh greens, potatoes, squashes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach, as well as honey, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and farm-fresh eggs. The holiday market will also offer Christmas cookies, gourmet cupcakes, kringle, and other baked goods and desserts.

In addition to local food, Christmas Market offers shoppers an opportunity to purchase local and handmade holiday decor and gifts. Shoppers can expect to find candles, soaps, crocheted toys, earrings, artwork, lavender products, wood crafts, seasonal hand towels, and more.

Vendors at Christmas Market 2024 will include:
● Food Truck: Zipp’s Pizzaria
● Bridgewater Farm – Lots of produce including greens, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots,
kale, mixed greens, and cilantro, farm-fresh eggs, beef, pork, pasta sauce, salsa.
● The Eye of Nebula – Baked goods including cookies and muffins, canned jellies, crochet
toys, candles, soaps, and skincare products
● Wings of Love Sweetly Crafted – Cinnamon rolls and dessert breads, reusable paper
towels, wipes, and burp cloths, and other various crafts
● Frosting Inc. – Gourmet cupcakes, peanut butter balls, and other baked goods
● KookieNow with Mrs. Phippen – Christmas Cookies in Triple Chocolate Mocha
Peppermint and White Chocolate Peppermint
● Paige’s Pieces – Earrings, signs, car hangers, keychains
● Brun Ko Farm – Chicken, lamb, eggs, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, spring
mix, garlic, honey, Gift Baskets
● Juj’n Juj’n and Mike Souder Original Art – Leather work, artwork
● Ter-Bear Honey – Honey
● The Kringleman Pastries – Danish kringle, Danish letters, eclairs, krispies, cream
horns, and other pastries

● J.W. Lavender Farms at Quakerdale Farms – Lavender plants, bags, and bundles, as
well as pillow sprays, candles, soaps, and more
● Imagine Garden Gift – Holiday decor and gifts
● Dragonfly Creations – Candles, soaps, crafts, and artwork
● RaMakes Home Decor – Seasonal decor, wood products, towels
● She Shed Designs – rustic home decor, purses, signs, dishcloths, repurposed antiques
● A Witch Crafts – artwork and crafts
● Resin for Reason – Resin art, keychains, magnets, jewelry, trays, jars, and more
● Jackalope Custom Design – Car coasters cups pens ornaments
● 6 Sisters Creations – Christmas candy, Christmas crafts, and chalk painting art

As with all Produce in the Park farmers markets, local organizations will be at the farmers market sharing information. Cass County Tourism will have a booth with a “Winter Recreation” theme, and Healthy Cass County will be sharing resources from various community organizations.

All Produce in the Park farmers markets accept SNAP EBT, otherwise known as food stamps, for all qualifying food items.

Christmas Market 2024 is sponsored by Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass County Tourism, Cass Health, City of Atlantic, First Whitney Bank & Trust and Nishna Valley Family YMCA.

Produce in the Park continues to accept vendor applications for Christmas Market, and additional holiday markets planned for winter 2024-2025. Vendor applications can be found online at www.ProduceInTheParkAtlanticIowa.com; printed copies of the application are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce (102 Chestnut St., Atlantic, IA 50022).

Produce in the Park seeks vendors selling handmade or homegrown products, including local foods, as well as beauty products, candles, crafts, art, and decorations. For the latest information on Christmas Market, and all Produce in the Park markets, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/.

(Updated) Iowa A.G. proposes amendment on child testimony in court

News

December 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is proposing a constitutional amendment to give judges authority to allow children to provide closed circuit testimony against an alleged abuser. It’s a response to a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling that said defendants have the right to confront their accusers in the courtroom.

“When a child is testifying in court, they’re between six and 10 feet away from their abuser. Imagine testifying in that scenario. It’s scary even for an adult. How much more for a child who’s been hurt?” Bird said. “…Unless something changes, we will see fewer prosecutions of crimes against children, particularly those that are brutal. Kids will be too scared to testify and those cases will get dropped. Criminals will walk free.”

Deputy Attorney General Susan Krisko prosecuted the case that was overturned by the court’s ruling. A therapist told the judge the 10 year old siblings of a toddler who was severely beaten could not testify against their father in the courtroom. “Without that accommodation, those two little boys would not have been able to come in and we would have had to let that man walk and not prosecute the case. That two-year-old little boy would not have gotten justice,” Krisko says.

Sheriffs and prosecutors joined a statehouse news conference to express support for the constitutional amendment that would allow children to testify via closed circuit in certain cases. Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks recently prosecuted a case involving a 13-year-old girl he calls “A” who’d been molested by her dad for years. “Although we respect the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court and their authority to interpret the Iowa Constitution, we also have a choice,” he said, “and that choice is to enact a constitutional amendment to protect victims like A.”

Iowa Attorney General Brenna bird speaks at a statehouse news conference on Dec. 12, 2024. (RI photo)

Dallas County Attorney Matt Schultz says the court’s ruling creates a real problem for prosecutors pursuing child abuse cases and the constitutional amendment would let voters fix it. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in the outcome of the court decision from this summer. These are real crimes,” Schultz said. “…If the institutions of our government won’t protect those who are most vulnerable — our children, then it’s up to us as a people.”

Wayne County Sheriff Keith Davis — president of the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association — says it’s important to protect children, who are the most vulnerable in these situations. “It’s hard enough to get people to come forward, especially a five year old or a 10 year old when they’ve been a victim of violence, sex abuse,” Davis says. “Even in our small county we see plenty of that.”

The process of amending Iowa’s constitution takes a few years, so this fix would not be immediate. Legislators have to approve the language of an amendment twice and 2028 is the earliest it could be presented to voters in a General Election. Legislators COULD schedule a statewide special election on a constitutional amendment sometime in 2027, but the last time that happened was in June of 1999 — and both proposed amendments on that special election ballot failed.

Adair Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal Prison for Firearms Charges

News

December 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a man from Adair was sentenced today (Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024)  to 24 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Act.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, in December 2022, 43-year-old Randy Scott Shuey was found in possession of a silencer attached to a rifle, which also had a high-capacity magazine. In January 2023, law enforcement located a second silencer at Shuey’s residence. Shuey did not register the silencers with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Shuey will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the Adair Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Western Iowa lags in early shotgun deer numbers

Ag/Outdoor, News, Sports

December 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R reports the number of deer taken in the early archery and other seasons was down about five percent leading into the first gun season. The D-N-R’s Pete Hildreth says early gun totals are looking good. “During the first four days of the 2024 gun one seasons. So that’d be December 7th through the 10th, we had approximately 24-thousand-600 deer harvested and reported statewide,” Hildreth says. He says that’s a slight increase.

“That is a four percent increase of the season prior, and about two and a half percent higher than the five year average,” he says. Hildreth is the Conservation and Recreation Division administrator, and spoke during the Natural Resources Commission meeting. He says hunters in eastern Iowa have seen the best success.

“Eastern Iowa is showing strong harvest rates relative to past years, whereas much of western Iowa is lagging considerably,” he says. Hildreth says the lower deer totals in western Iowa are due to the impact of Epizootic Hemmorrhagic Disease or E-H-D on deer. Hildreth says they confirmed another disease in three new counties during the first shotgun deer season. Davis, Wapello and Shelby counties all had deer samples that tested positive for chronic wasting disease for the first time.

There are now 26 of the 99 counties with confirmed C-W-D cases, and 14 of those counties have only one confirmed case. “Unfortunately, nine of those counties with one detection have come online just since 2023, meaning that C-W-D is moving across our landscape, but not necessarily taking root,” Hildreth says.

The second gun deer season starts on Saturday.

Bowl-bound Iowans need to pack patience given the travel forecast

News, Sports

December 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Christmas Eve is a dozen days away and tens of thousands of Iowans are planning to drive or fly to see family and friends for the holiday. Brian Ortner, at Triple-A-Iowa, says the overall travel numbers are something of a surprise.

Dedicated fans of Cyclone and Hawkeye football will be headed to the southeast for bowl games later this month. Iowa State will play Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl on December 28th in Orlando, while Iowa faces Missouri in the Music City Bowl in Nashville on December 30th. Ortner says many of those Iowans will be flying.

Des Moines International Airport photo

New Year’s Eve is said to be one of the deadliest nights to be on the roads due to the increased risk of encountering a drunk driver. Ortner says Iowans would be wise to cement their arrangements now.

Gasoline prices in Iowa are averaging about two-dollars and 70-cents a gallon, that’s about a dime a gallon cheaper than a year ago. The national average is three-oh-two.

Iowa tax revenue prediction down $67 million for next budgeting year

News

December 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The governor’s top budget advisor and two other officials agree state tax collections during the NEXT state budgeting year will drop 67 million dollars more than they predicted two months ago. Iowa Department of Management director Kraig Paulsen is also chairman of the state Revenue Estimating Conference.

“Tax cuts are clearly what are driving the reductions in state revenue,” Paulsen says, “so, to be clear, but for the tax cuts, the state would be seeing revenue growth.” Governor Reynolds has signed a series of tax reductions since she became governor in mid-2017 and the state income tax will shrink to a single rate of three-point-85 percent in January. Paulsen says with over six-point-six BILLION dollars of unspent tax money held in a cash reserve and the Taxpayer Relief Fund, there’s room for more cuts.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the full impact is of things at the federal level…so that may limit some options,” Paulsen says, “but we’re in a strong position to leave more money in Iowans’ pockets.” And Paulsen says there are positive signals in the national economy, indicating taxes paid to the State of Iowa won’t fall precipitously.  “Moody’s state level data is projecting wage and salary growth of 4.11% in FY26 and the National Retail Federation is also projecting sales to be above the 2023 levels with total sales up 2.15% year over year and projected sales growth of up to 3.5% for December.”

Democrats in the Iowa House say every week Iowans are experiencing more layoffs, while Republican lawmakers are planing for more tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. A top Democrat in the Iowa Senate says while state tax revenue is declining, Governor Reynolds is sending hundreds of millions of dollars to private schools and Iowans need more information about how the state money in Education Savings Accounts to cover students’ private school expenses is being spent.