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Confrontation outside Marshalltown bar leads to fatal shooting

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Marshalltown police have not yet released the name of the man who was shot and killed early Saturday outside a tavern. Police Chief Mike Tupper says the incident happened about 1-20 A-M near the Center Street Station bar. “There’s a video floating around on social media that a lot of people have seen and it’s been shared with us over and over,” Tupper says, “and I want everybody to know that we do have that video and we are aware of it.”

Police say the man was shot and critically wounded, and later died at the hospital. Tupper says the incident was the result of a confrontation between the victim and another person. “It’s really unfortunate and frustrating for us how quickly people are to go to violence to settle disputes,” the chief says, “and how quickly people are to go to guns to settle disputes. I’m disturbed by that. It’s becoming a bigger problem in our society.”

Tupper says they hope to have an announcement about an arrest later today (Monday). The state D-C-I is helping with the investigation.

Atlantic Councilman to host a community “Meet & Greet” election night

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – After you head to the polls, Tuesday, if you reside in Atlantic’s 4th Ward, you can come to the Venue (at 307 Walnut Street), in downtown Atlantic, to partake in a “Meet & Greet” event with Councilman Shawn Sarsfield, who was elected to the seat last November. The event takes place from 6-until 7-:30-p.m., Tuesday. Sarsfield told KJAN while he specifically hopes to meet with his 4th Ward constituents, all residents of Atlantic are welcome to come and share their concerns and ask questions.

Sarsfield says taking a seat on the City Council in January has been a great learning experience and he’s still learning. He said he decided to run after sharing hours of involvement in many community events.

At-Large Atlantic City Councilpersons Elaine Otte and Gerald Brink will be in attendance at Tuesday’s Meet & Greet.

Atlantic City Councilman Sean Sarsfield (Photo from the City’s website)

Sarsfield says he welcomes people’s opinions on the issues, provided they are expressed in a civil and respectable way.

In addition to the “Meet& Greet,” Sarsfield invites the citizens of Atlantic to attend a City Council meeting, so they can see the process, and have a better understanding of how things work.

Councilman Sean Sarsfield after the meeting, he’ll review his notes, and comment cards from those who fill them out, and then follow-up on their thoughts and concerns, if they leave their contact information.

Heartbeat Today 6-3-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

June 3rd, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Atlantic City Councilman Shawn Sarsfield about an information-gathering meeting Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 6:00 pm at the Venue.

Play

Trump conviction won’t keep his name from appearing on the November ballot in Iowa

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office says a felony conviction won’t impact whether Donald Trump’s name appears on Iowa ballots. Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for President and won Iowa’s Republican Caucuses in January.

Iowa law bars felons from holding office or appearing on a ballot. However, the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office said that only applies to state office, not federal offices. A spokesman said the U.S. Constitution sets the requirements to run for federal offices and do not include any ban on convicted felons.

That’s despite a bill Iowa Republicans passed out of the Iowa House this past session, HF 2610, that would have specifically stated that and limited challenges to candidates appearing on the ballot. Iowa Secretary of State spokesperson Ashley Hunt said The states do not have jurisdiction to identify additional requirements for federal candidates.The bill in question simply clarified that, ensuring Iowa law is in compliance with federal law.”

The Iowa House passed the bill just a day after the U.S., Supreme Court struck down a Colorado ruling that would have removed Trump’s name from the ballot. Iowa’s Secretary of State’s Office echoed that Supreme Court decision, which found states do not have jurisdiction to determine eligibility for federal office.

While the Iowa House passed HF 2610, the Iowa Senate never took up the bill during the last session.

Creston Police report, 6/3/24

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports four people were arrested on separate charges over the weekend.

Two people were arrested Sunday, in Creston: 25-year-old Noah Alexander Young, of Creston, was taken into custody Sunday morning, on two Union County Warrants for Failure To Appear (FTA) on an original charge of Providing False Identification Information, and, FTA on a charge of Disorderly Conduct/Loud Raucous Noise. Young was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $600 cash-only bond; and, 36-year-old Ashleigh Nichole Shinn, of Diagonal, was arrested Sunday afternoon, for Driving while Suspended. Shinn was cited and released on Promise to Appear.

Saturday morning, 26-year-old Juan Angel German Estrada, of Creston, was arrested in Creston for OWI/1st Offense. Estrada was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. Saturday evening, 64-year-old Eric Eugene Thornton, of Creston, was also arrested for OWI/1St Offense. He was also taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Company gets state loan for composting ethanol and chicken waste

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A Bondurant company is getting a state loan to allow it compost material from ethanol plants, chicken growing operations and wood waste at a facility near Earlham. The D-N-R’s Tom Anderson says the J. Pettiecord company recently received a permit to run the operation. “This type of large scale organics composting facility is lacking in Iowa and seen as a critical infrastructure for sustainably managing organics and saving landfill space,” he says. Anderson spoke at the recent state Environmental Protection Commission meeting where one million dollars in assistance was provided to help the composting effort.

“The project will create a environmentally friendly, nutrient rich compost benefiting overall plant growth,” he says. “Finished compost also assists in erosion control measures by promoting deep plant roots and improving water quality by absorbing and retaining storm water and capturing contaminants in the sediment.” The annual goal of this project is to divert five-thousand tons of ethanol plant material and five-thousand tons of poultry waste from landfills while producing 40 to 50-thousand cubic yards of high-quality finished compost material. They also hope to process some 20-thousand cubic yards of wood waste into mulch and compost.

“This project will effectively reduce 20 million pounds of organic waste from Iowa landfills each year,” Anderson says. The E-P-C approved a one-million dollar loan, with 10-thousand of it forgivable. The company is putting in 350-thousand dollars of its money into the project. The company will use the loan to purchase equipment to run the operation. The funding comes from the Solid Waste Alternatives Program and the project was reviewed by a program committee and a C-P-A.

Jazz and big band music will fill the air SW Iowa

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Glenn Miller Music Festival returns to Clarinda for the 47th time this week, with concerts, events, and food to celebrate the famed band leader in his birthplace. Shari Greenwood, executive director of the Glenn Miller Museum, says the festival kicks off Thursday evening with a picnic at the Clarinda High School commons and a concert featuring the U-S Air Force band, Shades of Blue. Greenwood says Friday will be jam-packed, starting with morning events. “We have our stage show, which is introducing the winners of the scholarship competition and our Glenn Miller (Birthplace Society) Big Band plays,” Greenwood says. “Then, in the afternoon at 1, we have Adam Swanson, the four-time world champion ragtime piano player, and after lunch we also have a new band down here, the Louie Pettinelli Experience. Then, of course, Friday night at 7:30 is our Glenn Miller Orchestra in the (high school) auditorium.”

Saturday morning begins with a big band breakfast and pancake feed at the fire station featuring the Northwest Missouri State University jazz ensemble. Other Saturday concerts include Shin Shininger and the Shinsings after lunch, the Moonlight Serenade Orchestra at 3:30 p.m., and the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Clarinda gym at 7:30 p.m., which will also include a swing dance competition. Greenwood says a free outdoor concert Sunday at 1:30 p.m. featuring the Iowa Military Veterans Band will wrap up the festival. “This is a band that has 105 members, so when I said, ‘It’d be great to have this band here,’ my board looked at me like, ‘What are you going to do with 105 members?’ There’s about 65 of them that are coming on Sunday,” she says. “So, we’ve got lots of concerts, other events, free concerts, food. It should be a really good weekend.”

Glen Miller

The festival includes hearing the finalists and awarding the Glenn Miller Music Scholarships on Thursday. Greenwood says $12,000 is given to the top three vocalists and instrumentalists who have applied for the scholarship, which assists high school seniors and first-year college students who plan to make music a central part of their lives. “These kids send in a music selection, a lot of paperwork, information about themselves, and they get graded before the top 10 from each category come to Clarinda to compete,” Greenwood says. “These kids also come on their own dime, so when they get here we try to work on home stays and make sure they have everything they need if they’re not traveling with a parent.”

The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Museum is also open daily and will be free to visit on Sunday.

On the web at: glennmiller.org/festival

Red Oak man arrested for Public Intox.

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a man was arrested early this (Monday) morning on a Public Intoxication charge. 38-year-old Brian Paul Anderson, of Red Oak, was arrested in the vicinity of 2nd & Nuckols Streets at around 12:06-a.m.  He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. Red Oak Police were assisted by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies in handling Anderson’s arrest.

Scientists in IA target ‘low-hanging fruit’ to sequester carbon

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa News Service) – Scientists in Iowa and their partners are going after what they call the ‘low-hanging’ fruit in their effort to sequester carbon and combat climate change. They’re making use of ingredients nature is already providing. It’s called biochar and its made by heating wood and other biomass at high temperatures with no oxygen. Biochar makes Iowa’s rich soil even more fertile, but it also turns that soil into one of the world’s most efficient carbon sinks, allowing it to absorb fossil fuel emissions, while creating healthier soil and sustainable fuels.

To Iowa State University soil science professor David Laird, mixing biochar into the soils is targeting the low-hanging fruit in carbon sequestration.

Last year, carbon sequestration projects removed more than 125-thousand tons of C-O-2 from the atmosphere, 92-percent of which were done using biochar, according to a group called C-D-R which tracks carbon sequestration.

Taking a soil sample for a soil test in a field. Testing carbon sequestration and plant health in Australia.

Once biochar is mixed with the soil, it can improve conditions for root growth and microbial activity in crops, which in turn reduce the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions. Biochar also helps the soil retain water, absorb nutrients and greenhouse gasses. While biochar won’t end climate change on its own, Laird argues it is an important piece of the puzzle given that the liquid transportation fuels the world relies on are notoriously hard to decarbonize.

While using biochar alone won’t help the planet reach a zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, Laird says it is a good first step that not only sequesters carbon but also a move toward creating fuels using biochar that could one day replace the heavy, emission producing liquid fuels.

June 4th (Local) Primary Election Preview

News

June 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Area Counties) – There are very few contested* local races heading into Tuesday’s June 4th Primary Election. Candidates must receive 35% of the total votes cast in that race to be nominated in the primary election. Election results will be posted on the KJAN News page, when they become available. Unless otherwise mentioned, there are no Democratic or Libertarian candidate races in the following counties…

In Adair County, Republican candidate Michael Christophersen in unopposed in the District 5 Supervisor’s contest, and fellow Republican Jerry Walker is unchallenged for his District 3 seat. Republicans Jeff Vandewater, Mandy Berg and Kelly Mitchell are unopposed in their respective bids for Sheriff, Auditor and Recorder. Democrat Matt Wedemeyer is also unopposed in the District 1 Supervisor’s race.

In Adams County, there are no challenges on the ballot for Auditor, where Republican Becky Bissell is running, and Republican Sheriff Alan Johannes is unchallenged. Tony Hardisty is the only name on the Republican ballot for Supervisor in District 2 in Adams County, while Christopher Standley, another Republican, is the lone candidate in District 5.

In Audubon County, Republicans Donald Mosinski and Kent Grabill are running two seats on the Board of Supervisors. Nathan Wahlert’s name will appear on the Democratic ballot.

In Cass County*, incumbent Bernard Pettinger faces a challenge from fellow Republican J. Ford Lillard, in the 5th District Board of Supervisor’s race. Voters using the Democratic ballot will find Phyllis Stakey’s name listed for the Board of Supervisors in District 5. Republicans Stephen S. Green (I), Kathy Somers (I), and John Westring, are unopposed in their respective bids for District 1 Supervisor, Auditor and Sheriff.

In Guthrie County, Democrat Sheriff Marty Arganbright (I) is unopposed in his party during the Primary Election. He’s expected to face-off in November against the lone Republican candidate on Tuesday’s ballot, Matt Harmann. Republicans Mike Dickson (I), and Danielle (Dani) Fink (I), are unchallenged in their bids for re-election. Brian E. Johnson (I) is also unopposed for his District 2 Supervisor’s seat.

In Montgomery County*, where Republican’s Jill Cooper and Alex Burton are on the ballot for the Board of Supervisors in District 5, Cooper has withdrawn her name from consideration due to health concerns, and has thrown her support behind Burton. Donna Robinson chose to not run for re-election. Republican Sheriff Jon Spunaugle and Republican Auditor Jill Ozuna are unchallenged in Tuesday’s election, but incumbent Republican District 3 Supervisor Randy Cooper is being challenged by fellow Republican Bryant Amos.

In Pottawattamie County*, five Republicans are squaring-off for two County Board of Supervisor positions, and hope to move on to the November election. The candidates include Tim Wichman (I), Karis Crilly, Adam Houser, Charlie Johnson and Brian Shea (I). And, Republican Incumbent Melvyn J. Houser faces a challenge from fellow Republican Mary Ann Hanusa, in the Auditor’s race.

In Shelby County*, three Republicans are in the running for two seats on the Board of Supervisors: Alexis Carter, Mike Kolbe and Charles Parkhurst. Two Republicans have are running for County Auditor in Shelby County: Melissa Arkfeld and Taryn Knapp.

(I) = Incumbent