With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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The latest area news with KJAN News Direector Ric Hanson.
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Republican Congressman Tom Latham — speaking publicly for the first time about his decision not to run for reelection in 2014 — says he made the move for personal, not political reasons. “Last weekend my wife and I decided that, you know, there’s no perfect time, there’s no right time, but for us this is the time,” Latham said. “We will have been married 39 years. Half of that time I was on the road with the family business. The other half I spent on the road in congress, gone, and it’s just the right time for us. It’s a personal decision…I’ve got five grandchildren, a great family. I just look forward to a change.”
Latham, though, was emotional as he talked about his long career in congress. “I love the job. I still get a chill every time I walk across the street in Washington and see Miss Liberty on top of the dome. You know, for a kid from Alexander, Iowa, (with a population of) 168 people, to have that honor — it’s really something, ” Latham said, his voice breaking. “And so it’s an emotional thing. It’s a job I love, but it’s the right time.”
Latham jokes that he’s been fielding lots of phone calls from fellow Republicans who are considering running for the seat. Latham will not endorse a candidate in the primary, but he will help the Republican nominee campaign through the fall election. Latham says he’d consider taking another job after his term is up, including a lobbying position, but he intends to live in the Des Moines suburb of Clive, close to his grandchildren. “It has been the honor of my life to represent now a total of 56 counties in Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Latham said. “Certainly there’s a relief as far as going through an election process, but I expect to stay totally involved to represent the folks here.”
Latham was criticized by some conservatives and Tea Party activists for his recent votes for the budget deals that ended the government shutdown in October and will prevent a shutdown in 2014. Latham says that criticism had no impact on his decision. “You know, my votes are my votes and I’ve always thought in this job that if you do the right thing for the right reasons, you don’t worry about it,” Latham said. “And I was probably, politically, in the strongest position I’ve ever been my career so, no, this is a purely personal decision.”
Latham was first elected to congress in 1994. In 2012 Latham faced off in Iowa’s new third congressional district against incumbent Democrat Leonard Boswell and won by nearly nine percentage points. Latham made his comments late Friday morning during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs Sunday, on Iowa Public Television.
(Radio Iowa)
…A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect from 6-pm this evening to 6-pm Sunday, for Cass, Adair, Adams, Guthrie, Dallas Counties and until 6-am Sunday for Montgomery, Fremont & Page Counties. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 3-pm today until 6-pm Sunday for Madison and Union Counties.
Today: Cloudy w/a 20% chance of snow after 4pm. High near 25. N-NE @ 5-10.
Tonight: Snow. Low around 14. N-NW @ 15-25. Wind chill values as low as zero. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Sunday: Patchy blowing snow and a slight chance of snow before noon, then a chance for flurries. Temperature rising to near 16 by noon, then falling to around 11 during the remainder of the day. N-NW @ 15-25. Wind chill values as low as -5.
Sunday Night: Scattered flurries. Low around -4. NW @ 10-25. Wind chill values as low as -20.
Monday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 7. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -4.
Tuesday: Partly sunny & breezy, with a high near 21.
Police in Red Oak report the arrest on Friday of a man charged in connection with an incident which occurred earlier this week. 29-year old Zachariah Michael Holland, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 10:30-p.m. Friday on a charge of Trespassing, for an incident which allegedly occurred on Wednesday (Dec. 18th).
Holland was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $300 cash bond.
MADDOX M. STARMER, age 2 months, the son of Matt & Melissa Starmer, of Audubon, died Thu., Dec. 19th, at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, in Iowa City. Funeral services for MADDOX STARMER will be held 10:30-a.m. Mon., Dec. 23rd, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.
Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family will be present from 2-until 6-pm Sunday (12/22).
Burial will be in the Diagonal Cemetery, in Diagonal.
MADDOX STARMER is survived by:
His parents – Matt & Melissa Starmer, of Audubon.
His brother – Mason, of Audubon.
His grandparents – Eldon (Linda) Starmer, and Robert (Esther) Trausch.
Other relatives and friends.
BYRON P. LEBECK, 81, of Walnut, died Thu., Dec. 19th, at the Immanuel Medical Center, in Omaha. A funeral service for BYRON LEBECK will be held 1:30-p.m. Mon., Dec. 23rd, at the Peace United Church of Christ in Walnut. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.
The family will greet friends at the funeral home from 1-to 4pm Sunday (12/22).
Burial will be in the Layton Township Cemetery at Walnut.
BYRON LEBECK is survived by:
His son – Rodny (Lorraine) Lebeck, of Walnut.
His daughters – Cheryl Lebeck, of Walnut; Karen (George) Threadgill, of Milan, TN; Jean (John) Romano, of Omaha, & Lisa (Darwin) Holtz, of Avoca.
His sister – Carole (Marvin) Schroder, of Walnut.
His special friend – Rula Sacco, of West Valley City, UT.
10 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild.
ROBERT GREGG, 73, of Linden, died Thu., Dec. 19th, at the Panora Nursing & Rehab Center. No services are planned at this time. Burial of cremains will be held in May, 2014. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora is in charge of the arrangements for ROBERT GREGG.
There is no visitation.
Burial of cremains will be in the West Linn Cemetery at Linden.
354 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013
…A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect from 6-pm this evening to 6-pm Sunday, for Cass, Adair, Adams, Guthrie and Dallas Counties and a WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect from 5-pm Saturday until 6-am Sunday for Montgomery, Fremont & Page Counties…
TODAY…CLOUDY. A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.
TONIGHT…SNOW LIKELY THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES. LOW AROUND 15. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 90 PERCENT.
SUNDAY…CLOUDY. PATCHY BLOWING SNOW IN THE MORNING. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN SCATTERED FLURRIES IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH 15 TO 20. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 20 PERCENT.
SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. COLDER. SCATTERED FLURRIES. LOW ZERO TO 5 BELOW. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. WIND CHILL READINGS 15 TO 20 BELOW.
MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. COLDER. HIGH 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. LOWEST WIND CHILL READINGS 15 TO 20 BELOW IN THE MORNING.
MONDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW ZERO TO 5 BELOW.
TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COLD. HIGH IN THE LOWER 20S. LOW 5 TO 10 ABOVE.
…A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY…FOR: GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-ADAMS-COUNTIES.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
SNOW IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA LATE TODAY AND LINGER INTO SUNDAY. A TOTAL OF 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY. GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. BLOWING SNOW COULD REDUCE VISIBILITIES FURTHER IN ADDITION TO FALLING SNOW.
ROADS WILL BECOME SLICK AS THEY BECOME COVERED WITH SNOW. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CAN BE EXPECTED DUE TO SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW MEANS THAT VISIBILITIES WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO STRONG WINDS BLOWING SNOW AROUND. USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING…ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS.
…A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR: & MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES.
LIGHT SNOW SHOULD DEVELOP BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLICK. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL WILL BE POSSIBLE…ESPECIALLY TOWARD AND AFTER MIDNIGHT. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE WATCH AREA MAY REACH 3 TO 6 INCHES.
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