(Radio Iowa) – Around 45 police dogs and their handlers from around the Midwest are in Sioux City doing advanced training with their animals. Sergeant Jay Nix of the Marion County Florida Sheriff’s Office is on the trainers and C-O-O of K-9’s United, a non-profit organization that works with law officers and their dogs. “So our job initially when the foundation started was things like equipment. As we progress through that we realized there was some shortfalls in these guys using some of the training equipment we were providing,” according to Nix. “We realized they did not have good home field advantages — as far as quality training in their hometown, quality training in their agency — there’s a lot of shortfalls in that area.”

Nix has been in law enforcement 21 years and a dog handler for 18 of those years. His group is providing advanced training to establish K-9 units from Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. “We’re providing problem solving from all areas of patrol work — meaning apprehension, criminal apprehension, which is criminal apprehension. biting, tracking, searching, any type of building search, area searches article searches, which is evidence recovery, narcotics detection, explosive detection. Whatever their need is, is what we are providing,” Nix says.

Sergeant Jake Noltze of the Sioux City Police Department is one of the trainees. “It’s humbling, because when we train with the same group we are ‘yeah we know what we are doing and we are doing really well,’ and then you have people who are extremely competent and professional come in and say ‘no, there is a better way,” Noltze says. “And that better way then leads us to be more professional when we deal with the civilian population, so our dogs than are more valuable to the team, to the police department and to the community.”

The training is not free, and was sponsored by a Sioux City company. The four-day training session wraps up today (Thursday) at the Sioux City police training center.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s been one year since Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order restoring voting rights to an estimated 40-thousand Iowans with felony convictions. About five-thousand of them have since registered to vote and voting rights advocates say state officials should try to reach more people. Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, says it’s going to take more work to make sure people with past felony convictions get to the polls.  “There should be an ongoing promotion of this new right just because it’s so new,” Andrews says. “And also because there is hesitancy, and there is concern in terms of trust with a system that may have had you confined for a number of years.”

Eric Harris of Iowa City was able to vote in the 2020 election after having his rights restored. He also plans to do more outreach in his neighborhood to help other former inmates register to vote ahead of this fall’s local elections. ) Harris says, “I think that’d be a good start to get people to be aware that they can vote, and voting is a thing that every American should be able to do and should do.”

The state sends general voting information to all eligible Iowans. And the Department of Corrections sends a letter to people finishing their sentences informing them that they can vote. State agencies have -not- made targeted efforts to contact people who finished their sentence before the executive order was signed.

(By Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol says one person died when a tow truck and an SUV collided on Interstate 35 in rural Hamilton County last (Wednesday) night. A 2007 International tow truck driven by Anthony Nessa of Webster City was traveling northbound at the time. While accelerating, the Nessa tow truck was struck from behind by a 2000 model Suzuki Grand Vitara, driven by James Bergert of Williams. A passenger in the Bergert SUV, 51-year-old Joanna Rizzo of Williams, died of her injuries in the crash. Bergert suffered minor injuries.

The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest this (Thursday) morning, of a man from Nebraska. Authorities say 37-year-old Robert Stanton, of Papillion was arrested for OWI 1st Offense. His cash or surety bond was set at $1,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – An old Rock Island Railroad box car that sat on the tracks near Olsen’s BP in Atlantic for more years than most people can remember, has found a new home in Sioux City. Gary Richter, with Richter and Sons Towing, in Atlantic, was busy overseeing the loading of the rail car onto his flatbed truck Thursday.

Photo courtesy Becky Christensen

Olsen BP owner Keith Olsen has donated the rail car to the Sioux City Railroad Museum. Richter told KJAN News they began the process at around 9-a.m.

The car weighs about 30-thousand pounds, which is why Richter brought out his big boom truck to load the railcar. He estimated it would take about 3 hours to load and lock-down onto the heavy duty trailer. The rail car is not the heaviest piece of equipment they’ve loaded, though.

Making the move from the track to the truck takes a bit of choreography.

Keith Olsen told KJAN News he doesn’t know the entire history of the rail car, but he knows it had been used to store things for more than 60-years.

Olsen said he was contacted this past Winter about the metal box on wheels, that’s referred to as a “Tool Car,” after someone saw it and inquired if they could have it for the Sioux City Museum.

(Left) Matt Merke with the Sioux City Railroad Museum, and Keith Olsen, with Olsen’s BP.

He called it “Coincidental Luck.” He said the Siouxland Museum is the third to have contacted him over the years, but was the first to follow through on making the arrangements.

The Sioux City Railroad Museum has a spot all picked out for Atlantic’s box car.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic will not renew its contract with J & M Displays for fireworks next year, following complaints about the show’s brevity and lack of luster. City Administrator John Lund said the firm has acknowledged the City’s decision.

(The City will instead use a local fireworks company. It’s too early to say which of the two local vendors they will choose.)

Mark O’Brien owns Wild Willy’s. In his proposal to the City, O’Brien submitted a bid of $6,000 for a 45-to 60-minute display on July 4th, 2022. The show would be in the Atlantic Sports Complex located across from the KJAN Studios. Dan Vargason sells fireworks for the Iowa Fireworks Company. Vargason proposes an electronically fired display lasting no less than 20-minutes for the sum of $6,000. His show would be at the Schildberg Recreation Area, between the dock and playground, or on a floating platform off the dock.

J&M had offered to give the community a free show (Valued at $6,000), to make up for what was perceived to be a very short show this year. Had the offer been accepted, the display would have been held July 2^nd instead of July 4^th, 2022. John Lund said the City has a chance to replace computer technology, thanks to the Feds.

(The Feds are offering $9,500 to cities for the purchase of specified computer technology, which means Atlantic won’t have to dip into property taxes to make any computer upgrades.)

In other news, the Atlantic City Council heard from Code Enforcement Officer Kris Erickson, who said notices of non-compliance with City Code (with regard to property clean-ups and other violations) issued this year, are much less than they were last year.

She said also, there were around 156 calls about neighbors with violations, like junk on the property. Erickson says 137 complaints were valid. She offers some advice to consider before you call to complain….

Erickson said there are currently 13 violations in progress, which she expects to be corrected by the end of this week, if not by the property owner, by her…with the charges assessed to the property owner. And, she said there are eight abandoned/dangerous property in the City. All eight are in the process of being handled in one form or another. She did not indicate which properties were on the list. And, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, took a few moments to recognize Hannah Richter for her work at City Hall over the Summer. Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Somers…

(Richter will be heading-off to college at Northwest Missouri State.)

A man from Cass County was injured during a single-vehicle accident Tuesday morning, in Guthrie County. According to Guthrie County Sheriff’s Officials, 57-year-old Donald Gerald Wittrock, of Anita, was traveling east on White Pole Road at around 5:30-a.m. west of Menlo, when his 2002 Chevy pickup struck a bull cow that was on the road. Wittrock who was wearing his seat belt – suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, and was transported to Methodist West by EMS ground ambulance. The pickup was totaled in the collision, with damage estimated at $15,000.

The Sheriff’s Office said they contacted farmers around the area, but no one has claimed ownership of the bull, as of the latest report. The incident remains under investigation. And, at around 10:20-p.m., Wednesday, Guthrie County Deputies responded to a rollover accident off of Sage Trail near Panorama Drive. Authorities say a 2017 Subaru Forester driven by 44-year old Michael David Krull, of Panora, was traveling west on Sage Trail, when Krull missed the corner and lost control. His vehicle entered the ditch and rolled on its passenger side. The man suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries but was not taken to the hospital.

Following an initial investigation, Krull was taken into custody for OWI and cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Damage to his vehicle was estimated at $15,000.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, Wednesday, arrested a man on a Page County warrant. Authorities say 35-year-old David Dale Morelock, of Clarinda, was arrested at his residence in Clarinda, on a warrant for Failure to appear on an original charge of Driving while license is suspended or revoked. Morelock was taken to the Page County Jail and held on a $300 bond, pending further court appearances.

David Dale Morelock