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Scrap yard fire in Atlantic

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Fire Department responded to a report of a possible vehicle explosion this (Friday) morning, at the local scrap metal recycling plant. The call about a fire at Frederiksen Iron Recycling at 607 Sunnyside Lane, came in just after 11-a.m.

Fire department  officials say workers at the facility were working on a car that was being scrapped, when a fire broke out. There were reports a small explosion, possibly related to a fuel tank rupture, could be heard across the street from the business. Workers at the recycling facility typically punch holes in a fuel tank before a vehicle is crushed or recycled, to prevent such a incident.

The fire was quickly extinguished, and no injuries were reported.

Exira Middle School Teacher Suspended Until Further Notice

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Superintendent of the Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School District says a 5th grade teacher has been placed on indefinite suspension, following an incident which allegedly occurred late last month in a classroom. KCCI-TV in Des Moines reports the unidentified teacher was suspended s a result of something he said in front of his fifth-grade class. Parents met with administrators of the school district to discuss the teacher’s behavior, Thursday night.

District Superintendent Dean Schnoes told KCCI the district sent a letter home with parents explaining the situation, but the letter didn’t mention the specifics of the incident.

Schnoes said he “Decided that the individual needed to be suspended until further notice.” Schnoes said a concerned parent called the Exira middle school principal on August 24th.

Aaime Lyle said her daughter told her the teacher threatened to harm himself if the class wouldn’t be quiet. She said her daughter was among 25 fifth-graders in the classroom. Lyle said it was a full week before she learned of the alleged incident from her daughter. According to the girl, the teacher asked the students not to tell.

Schnoes said the students aren’t in danger. He said as part of the investigation, the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office was called in to search for weapons, but none were found. No charges have been filed. The school district also had a counselor talk to the students the next day.

Schnoes said the investigation is ongoing, and even when it’s complete, he said he will likely have to consult with the School Board before the teacher is allowed back in the classroom.

Water releases stable on Missouri River as levees are checked for damage

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Missouri River at Yankton, South Dakota, is now just above 20-feet after maxing out at 26-feet back in early July and remaining there through August. The river dropped below flood stage at Sioux City, Iowa, last week. Dave Becker, operations manager of Gavins Point Dam at Yankton, says releases from the dam have been cut from a record 160-thousand cubic feet per second at the peak down to 90-thousand, where they’re holding.

 

Becker says, “The primary purpose of staying at 90,000 is really so everybody can take a look at their facilities, the levees, the berms, their sandbag walls, all those kinds of things and make sure that everything is in really good condition.” Becker says the lower releases and the pause will allow the inspection of the dam itself in and near the river.

“Everything is going well, thus far,” he says. “I talk to people every day who are assessing their property and their situation. It’s good that we have this pause in here so people can see what needs to be done at this point and possibly react before we start going down further.” The U-S Army Corps of Engineers had to do a lot of re-rocking of river banks close to the dam during the high water as erosion was blasting it away. Becker says there have been no surprises.

“We have not had any catastrophic issues,” he says. “A lot of minor wear-and-tear things will take some time to get fixed up and we’re starting to fix those already.” Thousands of acres of farmland and dozens of homes were flooded for most of the summer in Iowa and Nebraska as the Corps worked to move record amounts of snow melt and heavy upstream rain down the Missouri.

(Radio Iowa)

Intermittent lane closures on I-80 near Walnut to begin Sept. 6th

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Council Bluffs construction office reports road construction work on Interstate 80, between the Missouri River bridge at the Iowa state line in Council Bluffs, and Cass County Road M-56 (exit 51) east of Walnut, will cause intermittent lane closures in both directions beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6th, weather permitting.

This project is expected to be completed by late September.

Lane restrictions on I-80 between Earlham and Clive begin Sept. 8th

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa DOT’s Creston construction office says Median cable barrier installation work will reduce Interstate 80 to one lane in both directions, between Dallas County roads F-90 and P-58 (exit 106) east of Earlham, and I-35/I-235 (exit 123) in Clive beginning Thursday, Sept. 8th, weather permitting

Eastbound I-80 lanes will be open from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. Westbound lanes of I-80 will be open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Both directions of I-80 will be open from 3 p.m. Fridays until 9 p.m. Sundays. There is a 16-foot width lane restriction in the open lanes. It’s expected the project will be completed Nov. 8th.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles and wear seat belts.

8AM Sportscast 09-01-2011

Podcasts, Sports

September 2nd, 2011 by admin

w/ Jim Field

Play

Heartbeat Today 09-02-2011

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

September 2nd, 2011 by admin

Jim speaks with Clint Hunter from Narconon about how to keep children safe.

Play

Week 2 (9/2) HS Football Schedule

Sports

September 2nd, 2011 by Jim Field

Non-District

Atlantic @ Kuemper Catholic — LIVE on KJAN & KJAN.com, pre-game @ 6:45, kick-off @ 7:30 —
Lewis Central @ Thomas Jefferson
Winterset @ Carlisle
Creston @ Norwalk
Carroll @ Dallas Center-Grimes
Glenwood @ St. Albert
Abraham Lincoln @ Harlan
Red Oak @ Shenandoah
Underwood @ Missouri Valley
Logan-Magnolia @ Clarinda
IKM-Manning @ SCAL-RCL
West Central Valley @ Woodward-Granger
Corning @ Nodaway Valley
Panorama @ Earlham
Woodward Academy @ Clarinda Academy
Riverside @ Griswold
Audubon @ Guthrie Center
A-H-S-T @ Treynor
West Harrison @ Tri-Center
Mount Ayr @ Bedford
Des Moines Christian @ Exira/EHK — Brett Johnson will have live updates —

8-Man, Non-District

Fremont-Mills @ Adair-Casey
Murray @ Harmony
CAM @ Stanton
Essex @ East Union
Lamoni @ Sidney
Lenox @ East Mills
Mormon Trail @ Moravia
Ankeny Christian @ Tri-County
Coon Rapids-Bayard @ Grandview Park Baptist
Ar-We-Va @ River Valley
Boyer Valley @ Kingsley-Pierson
Woodbine @ Whiting
Twin Cedars @ East Greene
Glidden-Ralston @ Newell-Fonda
Charter Oak-Ute @ Remsen Union
South Page @ Seymour
Melcher-Dallas @ Villisca

7AM Newscast 09-02-2011

News, Podcasts

September 2nd, 2011 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

Play

BOB KERREY BRIDGE AND SECTIONS OF COUNCIL BLUFFS TRAILS TO REOPEN

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Council Bluffs entrance to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and major portions of the Council Bluffs Trails System will reopen to the public at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, September 3rd.  These areas have been closed due to flooding.  To ensure these and other sections can be safely used by the public, the City is closing its trails at dark and advising users to be especially cautious when using the trails. 

Although the majority of these trails are in excellent condition, visitors should remain alert to their surroundings and the trail’s surface.  The trails along the Missouri River, Indian Creek and Mosquito Creek were especially impacted by the flood.  Users of these trails may find sections to be worn and uneven.  In other locations, trail users will encounter pipe crossing.  These are necessary to accommodate the pumping which will continue along the levee for some time.  Bicyclists and pedestrians are advised to proceed slowly and with caution in these areas. 

Additionally, the ongoing security, maintenance, inspections and potential construction activities associated with the levees will significantly increase the normal vehicle traffic on the levee trails.  As a result, users must be alert to encountering vehicles along the trails. Although the majority of the Council Bluffs trails will reopen on Saturday, some sections cannot be opened to the public until the river level recedes.  The trail sections that remain closed are: 

  • The Riverfront Trail from Harrahs to the Western Trail Center
  • The Manawa Trail from Redtail Road to the Iowa West Trail Head Park
  • The Big Lake Trail

For further information, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 712-328-4650.