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Eastern Iowa Deputy wounded responding to a robbery, Sunday evening

News

June 21st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Updated/Radio Iowa) – Residents in Coggin have been told to stay inside and lock their doors as authorities search for a suspect who seriously wounded a sheriff’s deputy during a convenience store robbery. A Linn County deputy responded to an alarm at the Casey’s on Highway 13 in Coggin at about 10:15 Sunday night and was shot several times. He was flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals for treatment. According to a news release from the Linn County Sheriff’s office, the suspect fled in a van, another deputy followed the van, the van crashed on the north edge of Coggin and the suspect started running.

Authorities describe the suspect as a black man in his 30s who weighs about 200 pounds and is somewhere between 5 foot 10 and 6 foot two. The Casey’s store where the incident occurred has reopened this (Monday) morning.

DNR starting recycling campaign

News

June 21st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hoping to increase recycling across the state with a new “I Am a Recycler” campaign. The D-N-R’s Jennifer Wright says it has been ten years since there’s been an education campaign. “We haven’t been very good about consistently sort of marketing and educating our Iowa citizens. So, the I am a recycler campaign is a multi-year environmental education campaign that’s focused on the consistent recycling education, but also will address sustainable materials management,” Wright says.

She says the hope is to get more people to think of recycling as the natural thing to do. “We did some behavior change research. We want Iowans to not just recycle — we want them to become permanent recyclers,” Wright says. So that is the emphasis of this campaign.” Recycling has been around for 40 years — but Wright says it hasn’t hit its full potential yet. The research they did gave them a focus for this campaign. “That demographic was in the age range of the mid-20s to the mid-40s — which seems pretty big. And that demographic is on social media — so we’re looking at this from the sort of a social media perspective, and we are moving it into other multi-media approaches,” Wright says.

Wright says one of the biggest problems they find is the contamination of materials put into recycling bins. “I’ll use a pizza box for example. If it is a clean pizza box you can rip the top off if it doesn’t have any oil or grease or stuck on cheese,” she says. “And some, if they are saturated or dirty we certainly don’t want those in the recycling mix because they are contaminated.” Wright says that is also a key part of the message of the importance of recycling. “It’s about recycling right. Recycling the right things. And citizens of Iowa can go to their local landfill or material recovery facility and find out what is a recyclable material in their area,” Wright says.

The Iowa D-N-R will share information about recycling more and recycling right in the next six months. Wright says you can join in the campaign by snapping a selfie of how you recycle and post the pictures on social media with the tag @IowaDNR and the hashtag #IAmARecycler.

UI professor says $10 billion price tag for statewide water clean-up, flood prevention

News, Weather

June 21st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa environmental engineering professor says it will take ten BILLION dollars to address the state’s water quality issues and reduce the likelihood of flooding. Larry Weber conducts research on flooding AND water quality. “If we could spend $200 million a year and divide $200 million into $10 billion, that’s 50 years,” Weber says. “So like we’ve changed the way soil comes off the land in the last 50 years, we could change the way water and nutrients come off the land in 50 years, but we need the political will to do it.”

Weber says the 2023 Farm Bill could include rules to reduce farm run-off that would apply not just to Iowa farmers, but to all U-S ag operations. “We’ve had a lot of talk,” Weber says. “The talk has been going on now for a decade or more and we’re just simply not making the progress that Iowans should expect to receive.”

Weber says the drought in much of Iowa will have an impact on water quality, too, since corn and soybean plants in dry soil are not absorbing as much of the commercial fertilizer and manure that’s been applied to fields. “When we do get rain and the water starts to flow and our tiles flow again, we will likely see a real large movement of nitrates coming out of our farm system,” Weber says.

Some Iowa utilities that provide drinking water use surface water from rivers, but about 75 percent of Iowans get their drinking water from underground supplies. “That water has taken tens of thousands and in some cases millions of years to accumulate in those deep aquifers, but it too will be stressed,” Weber says. “Those resources, although ample today, will not be endless. We will have to start thinking about what we will do at the end of the turn of the century, especially as these floods and droughts become more prevalent in our state.”

Weber made his comments this weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board will meet outdoors, Monday evening

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Department Board will meet 5:15-p.m. Monday, at the Cedar Park Shelter (204 Cedar Street). On their agenda under action items/new business, are updates with regard to:

  • The Sunnyside Park Bandshell
  • Schildberg Waterless Restroom
  • Sunnyside Pool Update
  • Summer Programs update
  • Recreation items
  • Cedar Park Update
  • and Walkability Maps.

In his report to the Board, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen will provide:

  • A staff update
  • Information on the Schildberg Water Fountain
  • Invasive species
  • and on volunteer work from the Royal Neighbors, Atlantic Rising & Trees Forever.

Iowa COVID-19 update for 6/20/21: 62 additional cases; 5 additional deaths

News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus Dashboard, Sunday, indicated there were 62 additional, positive cases of COVID-19 over the previous 24-hours, for a pandemic total of 403, 794, and five additional deaths, leaving the statewide total at 6,114. Deaths at Iowa’s Long-Term Care facilities since the start of the pandemic, stand at 2,373.

There were no changes in the Long-Term Care (LTC) facility outbreak data in Iowa, with a total of 29 positive cases among patients and staff, and four persons who have recovered. Iowa’s 14-day and seven-day positivity rates were unchanged at 1.9%, each.

There are a total of 65 Iowans hospitalized with COVID. Health officials report 15 patients are in an ICU; 14 COVID patients were admitted to a hospital, and 11 patients are on a ventilator. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are three people hospitalized with COVID-19, one person was in an ICU. Two people were admitted over the previous 24-hours, and once again there are no COVID patients on a ventilator.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,477 cases; 55 deaths
Adair, 993; 32
Adams, 354; 4
Audubon, 553; 11
Guthrie, 1,316; 32
Harrison County, 1,936; 73
Madison County, 1,788 19
Mills County, 1,807; 24
Montgomery, 1,117; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,365;174
Shelby County, 1,378; 37
Union County, 1,382; 35

Man arrested on drug & other charges, Sunday, in Shenandoah

News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop in Shenandoah, Sunday, morning, resulted in the arrest of the driver of the vehicle, on drug & other charges. According to Shenandoah Police, officers stopped a vehicle driving recklessly at around 2 a.m., in the 100 block of North Fremont Street.

An investigation resulted in the arrest of 33-year-old Kyle Jacob Campbell, of Shenandoah, for possessing contraband, OWI — second offense — driving while suspended, reckless driving and no insurance. Campbell was being held in the Page County Jail on a $7,000 bond.

Some area school board meetings are set for Monday & Tuesday

News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

At least two area school district boards of education will hold their separate, regular monthly meetings, Monday, with the Atlantic School Board set to hold a brief meeting Tuesday morning.

The Griswold Board of Education will meet at 5:30-p.m., Monday, in the Conference Room. Action items on their agenda include but are not limited to:

  • Personnel matters,
  • Approval of a bid to remove tennis and sand volleyball courts
  • Approval of the bus sales
  • Approval of a continued School Business Officer contract
  • Approval of Fuel bids and Tech Support bids
  • and, Approval of a John Baylor Test Prep Program contract.

The Audubon School Board will meet in the High School Board Room at 7-p.m., Monday. Action items on their agenda include but are not limited to:

  • Approval of Student Fees for Fy22
  • Approval of Personnel matters, including the resignations of School Board Secretary John Roberts &  Board member Joni Madsen.
  • The appointment of a new Board Secretary and salary.
  • Approval of a Resolution of Intent to appoint someone to fill the Board Vacancy
  • Approval of Summer Launch contracts, and a Teaching contract for MS/HS Art.

The Audubon School Board will receive updates on building projects and the upcoming school elections during their meeting Monday, as well. And, the Atlantic School Board will meet 9-a.m. Tuesday, June 22nd in the High School Media Center (& via YouTube), to take action on: The resignations of Stacie Schwaller – Asst. Technology Coordination, & Derek Hall – 9th Grade Boys Basketball Coach. They will also act on approving contract recommendations for: Rob Astuni – HS English/Language Arts Teacher; Rebecca Bird – MS Social Studies Teacher; Jon Peterson – MS Language Arts Teacher; & Jesse McCann – HS Special Education Teacher.

 

Four injured in an explosion on a farm in eastern Iowa

News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in eastern Iowa say four people were injured at a family farm near Sigourney. KCRG reports that the explosion happened at about 4 p.m. Friday near the 18000 block of Highway 92. Authorities said three of the victims were children ages 14, 11 and 8. One victim was identified as Patrick Otte, 60. The victims were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with severe burns.

The cause of the explosion is unknown. Multiple law enforcement agencies are assisting with the investigation.

1 person taken into custody following a stabbing incident in Glenwood

News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

A suspect was taken into custody following a stabbing incident early Sunday morning, in or near Glenwood. According to scanner traffic, the incident happened sometime after 12-a.m. K9 officers and their partners, along with a drone were dispatched to help with the search for the suspect, who was apprehended at at gunpoint around 12:30-a.m., and after apparently being shot with a Taser.

Additional details are currently not available.

Man from Sidney arrested in Red Oak various warrants

News

June 20th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak, Saturday, arrested a man wanted on various southwest Iowa county warrants. 33-year-old James Thomas Hume, of Sidney, was taken into custody following a traffic stop Saturday night, near the intersection of Highways 34 & 48, in Red Oak. Hume was wanted on active warrants out of Fremont County, for Violation of Probation on an original  charge of Domestic Abuse, which carries a $5,000 bond.

He also had active warrants out of Mills County, for Violation of Probation and an OWI-1st Offense charge. Red Oak Police transported Hume to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held while awaiting extradition to Fremont and Mills Counties.