The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.
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The area’s top news at 7:07-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson
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The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce invites you to experience the magic of Christmas at Santa’s Cabin one last time this Saturday, December 19th from1:30–to 3:30-pm in the Atlantic City Park.
Share your holiday wishes with Santa before he makes the trip back to the North Pole. Enjoy a stroll down Chestnut Street by horse drawn carriage from 1:30-to 3:30-pm, as well.
Free hot cocoa and popcorn will also be available.
Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say Iowa State Parks will sponsor free, guided hikes in 17 state parks on New Year’s Day as part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes initiative in all 50 states. America’s State Parks First Day Hikes offer individuals and families an opportunity to begin the New Year rejuvenating and connecting with the outdoors by taking a healthy hike on January 1st at a state park close to home. First Day Hikes offer a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family.
Todd Coffelt, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau, said “We are excited to host First Day Hikes as part of this national effort to get people outdoors and into our parks. First Day Hikes are a great way to cure cabin fever and burn off those extra holiday calories by starting off the New Year with an invigorating walk or hike in one of our beautiful state parks.”
Iowa’s state parks boast a variety of beautiful settings for year-round outdoor recreation, and each First Day Hike will offer an opportunity to explore the unique natural and cultural treasures close to home. Staff and volunteers will lead First Day Hikes in Iowa’s 17 participating state parks. Hikes will average one to two miles or longer depending on the location. Details about the hikes can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/firstdayhikes and to see a comprehensive map of First Day Hikes across the country, visit www.naspd.org
Iowa First Day Hikes will take place at the following state parks in the KJAN listening area:
Crawford-Carroll-Sac Counties…A Flood Warning remains in effect until 10:45-a.m. today (Tuesday). Many county roads were closed as of early this morning.
Flood Warnings remain in effect through Wednesday or until the warning is cancelled, for the following rivers in southwest Iowa:
SHARON K. MISKILL, 70, of Griswold, died Mon., Dec. 14th, at home. Celebration of Life services for SHARON MISKILL are currently pending at the Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home, in Atlantic.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a Villisca man was arrested Monday night on charges of Burglary in the 3rd Degree, and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. 25-year old Gabriel Frances Romero was taken into custody at around 9:20-p.m. in the 500 block of E. 3rd Street in Villisca, and brought to the Montgomery County Jail where he was being held on full bond.
EARLY THIS MORNING…CLOUDY. AREAS OF FOG. PATCHY DRIZZLE. EAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.
TODAY…CLOUDY. AREAS OF FOG THROUGH MID MORNING. PATCHY DRIZZLE UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S. EAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 20 PERCENT.
TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE IN THE EVENING…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN BEFORE MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE MID 30S. SOUTH WIND AROUND 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 40 PERCENT.
WEDNESDAY…CLOUDY…BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 30S. WEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.
THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.
FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 20S.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa legislative clerk has admitted to writing a threatening letter addressed to a state legislator and opening an envelope containing the letter and white powder on the floor of the House, prompting a halt in debate and a lockdown of the Capitol. Michael Dekota McRae pleaded guilty to conveying false information concerning a biological weapon. The 28-year-old McRae was a clerk for Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, of Des Moines, in April 2012 when he wrote the letter, which used racial slurs and included threats against himself and the lawmaker. When he opened the envelope on the House floor, a white powder came into contact with McRae and Abdul-Samad. Tests determined the powder was harmless.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ames police are investigating the death of an Iowa State University student as a possible hit-and-run. An Iowa State police officer found 18-year-old Emmalee J. Jacobs, of Urbana, Iowa, about 7 a.m. Monday on a street bordering the campus. The officer started cardiopulmonary resuscitation until medics arrived. She later died at an Ames hospital.
NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Two Newton women have been charged with child endangerment after four children in their care tested positive for methamphetamine. Twenty-nine-year-old Cristy J. Clark and 28-year-old Somer M. Speer were arrested on Wednesday. Newton police say children aged 2, 4, 6 in the care of Clark and a 9-year-old for whom Speer was responsible tested positive for methamphetamine. Police say a couple caring for Clark’s three children living with Speer acknowledged using methamphetamine with the children in the home.
HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — Franklin County authorities have arrested a man suspected of killing his girlfriend at a home in Hampton. Sixty-year-old Ronald Rand was arrested Sunday night after deputies found the body of 51-year-old Michelle Key. Key was from Waterloo.
The value of average Iowa farmland is now estimated to be $7,633 per acre after having dropped in value for the second consecutive year. That’s according to the 2015 Iowa Land Value Survey conducted by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
According to the survey, Per acre value declined $310, or 3.9 percent, since last
year’s survey. Farmland values have now fallen almost 13 percent from the historically high 2013 values. Results from the survey are similar to results by the US Department of Agriculture, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and the Realtors Land Institute.
The $7,633 per acre, and 3.9 percent drop in value, represents the state as a whole, although values are also determined by crop reporting districts (district hereafter) and each of Iowa’s 99 counties individually according to low-, medium-, and high-quality farmland ratings. Farmland values hit a historic peak of $8,716 per acre in 2013, but declined 8.9 percent to $7,943 the following year. The drop in value this year is smaller than that of last year, but now marks the third time values have fallen since 2009.
The 3.9 percent decline may seem less than what many people speculated, but according to Dr. Wendong Zhang, Assistant Professor of Economics at Iowa State
University who led the survey this year, this is not out of line due to a mix of factors, including a lot of cash in hand for many farmers, market expectation of this decline early on, robust livestock returns, and strong recreational demand.
In southwest Iowa, the lowest declines in land value were noted in Adams, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, Page and Taylor Counties, where the decrease ranged from 1.26 to 1.51-percent. For Pottawattamie, Cass, Adair and Audubon Counties, land decreased in value anywhere from 2.12- to 2.65-percent. Harrison and Shelby Counties came in with a decrease of just over three-percent, while Guthrie County had the largest decrease in area land value, at 4.18-percent, followed by Dallas County, with 5.36-percent.
Despite decreasing again, farmland values are still more than twice the reported values from 10 years ago, and almost 14 percent higher than 2011 values. For the third year in a row, Scott and Decatur counties reported the highest and lowest farmland values, respectively. Decatur County reported a value per acre of $3,514, a drop of $73, or about 2 percent, from last year’s report. Scott County reported the highest value at $10,918 per acre, however, values there declined about $700 per acre, higher than this year’s statewide average, and just over 6 percent from last year.
The value of all qualities of farmland fell across the state, with high-quality farmland losing 5 percent ($490 per acre) of its value, medium-quality land falling 3.2 percent ($232 per acre), and low quality farmland falling 0.9 percent ($44 per acre). Statewide averages for high-, medium-, and low quality farmland are now $9,364, $7,127, and $4,834 per acre, respectively.
(Read more at http://www.card.iastate.edu/land-value/2015/ )