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Creston man arrested on FTA warrant

News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Police in Creston, Tuesday afternoon, arrested a man on a warrant for Failure to Appear on several prior charges. Authorities say 32-year-old Kyle W. Anderson, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on the FTA warrant for charges of Harassment 1st Degree, Carrying Weapons, Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp, 3 counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st offense and 3 counts of Controlled Substance Violations.

Anderson was being held in the Union County Jail on a $3,000 cash-only bond.

(Podcast) KJAN 7:07-a.m. News, 5/26/21

News, Podcasts

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

With News Director Ric Hanson.

Play

Iowa COVID-19 update for 5/26/21: Another LTC facility outbreak; 4 additional deaths; Reg. 4 hospitalizations are up

News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(As of 9:25-a.m.) The Iowa Department of Public Health, today (Wednesday), reports 189 new COVID-19 positive tests and four additional deaths, after three days of no deaths reported. The latest numbers include one additional death in Union County, where the pandemic total is 34. The health department reported 401,304 total positive tests, and 6,039 total deaths since the start of the pandemic, including 2,363 at Long-Term Care facilities. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is unchanged, at 2.8%. The 7-day average is down from 2.7% over the past few days, to 2.5% as of today.

There are 120 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Iowa reports 32 patients in ICU, 24 COVID patients were admitted (six more than on Tuesday), and 17 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are: Eight patients hospitalized with COVID or symptoms of the virus; four people with COVID are in an ICU; There was one persons admitted, and one person was on a ventilator.

There are now three long-term care facilities report active COVID-19 outbreaks. The latest is a facility in Cerro Gordo County. The other two facilities (as previously reported) are in Pottawattamie and Wright Counties. Health officials say there are a total of 22 positive cases among patients/staff at the three facilities, and four persons who have recovered from the virus.

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, 1,472 cases; 54 deaths
Adair, 991; 32
Adams, 353; 4
Audubon, 537; 10
Guthrie, 1,306; 31
Harrison County, 1,935; 73
Madison County, 1,779; 19
Mills County, 1,795; 23
Montgomery, 1,112; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,294;170
Shelby County, 1,370; 37
Union County, 1,370; 34

Tibbetts’ boyfriend grilled in murder trial

News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The boyfriend of murdered University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts spent the most time on the witness stand as the defense tried to paint him as an alternative suspect to accused killer Cristhian Bahena Rivera. Defense attorney Chad Frese questioned Dalton Jack about an affair he had with a woman named Jordan Lamb that led Tibbetts to take off her promise ring. Frese asked Jack if he knew why Tibbetts took off her promise ring and he said it was because of his relationship “our affair I guess you would call it” with Jordan Lamb. Frese questioned Jack extensively about text conversations they had on various issues. He asked Jack if he mentioned to Mollie that he had a temper and Jack said he didn’t remember. He also asked if he told Mollie “that a person can’t tell until you see it in action.” The prosecutor objected to the question as hearsay, and the judge agreed.

Dalton Jack

He questioned Jack about another time when they had relationship issues. “You recall on October of 30, 2017, you and Mollie’s relationship kind of hit a real bump, didn’t it,” Frese said. Jack said he didn’t recall. “That’s when she was moving in with friends,” Frese says. Jack says it did remember that. You told her you were angry … and she was ditching you. That’s the term you used right?,” Frese said. “Yes,” Jack replied. Frese also questioned whether Jack was really away working on a construction crew at the time Tibbetts was abducted while out running. “The details were few and far between as far as the specificity of your activities on the evenings of July 18 and July 17 to investigating agents, right,” Frese asked. “I thought they were pretty clear,” Jack replied. “You couldn’t recall what night you got drunk and what night you stayed in the room, could you,?” Frese asked. “I don’t recall saying that,” Jack said.

Prosecutor Scott Brown followed up trying to make it clear Jack was not a suspect. “Have you ever admitted that you were in Brooklyn, Iowa on July 18th of 2018 near where Mollie Tibbetts was observed running,” Brown asked. “No I have not,” Jack said. “Have you ever made any statements mister Jack placing you on 385th Avenue east of Brooklyn on July 18th in the evening hours?,” he asked. “No I have not,” Jack said.  He also asked Jack about the finding of Tibetts’ body in a cornfield. “Did you take officers to that location to find Mollie Tibbetts?,” he asked. “No I did not,” Jack said. “Did you place cornstalks on her body to conceal her from anyone who may have been looking?,” Brown asked. “No I did not,” Jack replied.

He summed it up with this question. “Mister Jack, did you have anything at all to do with the disappearance or murder of Mollie Tibbetts?,” Brown asked. “No,” Jack replied. The testimony will continue today (Wednesday) in Davenport at 8:30 a-m as the defense continues its case.

Ernst proposal added to bill designed to counter China’s influence

News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Senate has approved a proposal from Iowa Senator Joni Ernst that would ban U.S. tax dollars from funding any of China’s state-run labs. That would including the Wuhan Institute where new reports suggest researchers were seriously ill before the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in 2019. Ernst says China continues to obstruct international efforts to discover Covid-19’s origins. “Refusing to allow independent scientists to review the database of coronaviruses that were being studied in the Wuhan Institute,” Ernst says.

The ban on sending federal funding to China’s research laboratories is now included in a bipartisan bill designed to address China’s global ambitions. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says not another dime of U.S. tax dollars should support research in the communist country. “Providing additional US funds to subsidize any state-run lab in China, especially the Wuhan Institute of Virology, goes against the very purpose of the underlying bill, which to support more research in the U.S. to better compete with China.”

Ernst’s amendment passed on a voice vote late yesterday (Tuesday) as senators considered several amendments offered by Republicans and Democrats.

Lack of biofuels bill remains glaring hole in accomplishments of 2021 session

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation says the state legislative session that ended last week was a great one for agriculture, with one exception. Craig Hill praised the move by lawmakers to shift the burden of paying for the state’s mental health program away from county property taxpayers, since farmers own a significant portion of the state’s land. “There’s only a couple other states that actually pay for mental health service with a property tax,” Hill says. “Shifting, dollar for dollar, costs of mental health services away from property tax to the general fund was a goal that we’ve had.”

Hill says another legislative win this session included more funding for Iowa’s water quality programs. “Those dollars that were appropriated a few years ago to address water quality with our nutrient reduction strategy, we extended those,” Hill says. “We had some new opportunities for beginning farmer tax credits, some expansion there.” Hill says there was a big legislative disappointment in the 2021 session, one that would have benefited corn and soybean growers. “The one that we made progress on but we didn’t complete and that was to expand the use of biofuels, both ethanol and biodiesel,” Hill says. “We’ll be back next session, working away at that one.”

Overall, Hill says Iowa lawmakers did a good job in approving a budget that leaves the state sitting in a good position following the pandemic.

Red Oak Police/Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports

News

May 26th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 1:50-p.m. Tuesday, of 31-year-old Dylan Thomas Griffith, from Red Oak. Griffith was taken into custody in the 300 block of Market Street, for Failure to Appear on an original, OWI charge. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

And, Police in Red Oak, Tuesday afternoon, arrested 56-year-old John Wayne Goodall, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody on an active warrant for FTA on an original charge of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class-C Felony. Goodall was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

Goodall

Mills County man arrested on a Tennessee warrant

News

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

A Mills County man was arrested Tuesday on a warrant out of Tennessee. The Glenwood Police Department reports 57-year-old Jerry Crump, of Glenwood, was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Page County man escorted from courthouse after being unruly

News

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports that on Monday morning, his deputies assisted in escorting an unruly person from the District Court room and the Page Courthouse. The incident took place during a hearing. Palmer says a district court judge ordered 38-year-old Matthew Sherman Olson, of rural Coin, to be removed, during a protection order hearing, because he became agitated and angered over the events, and the outcome of the hearing.

Shortly after Olson was removed from the Courtroom and Courthouse due to his behavior, he allegedly violated the protection order and harassed the protected party. Clarinda Police Department handled the alleged violations as the protected party lives in the city limits of Clarinda. Warrants were issued by a Page County Magistrate for Olson’s arrest.
Olson contacted the Sheriff’s Office and threatened to shoot anyone that came to his door. After several attempts to negotiate Olson’s surrender, the Iowa State Patrol Tactical team was called for assistance.

Matthew S. Olson

A perimeter around Olson’s residence had been set by the Page County Sheriff’s Office with portions of the roadway being blocked by the Page County Secondary Roads Department. This was done prior to the arrival of the Iowa State Patrol Tactical team.

After several hours of negotiations and Olson displaying a long gun outside of the residence, Olson exited his residence unarmed and surrendered to Law Enforcement at approximately 7:35 PM. Olson was transported to the Page County Jail where he is currently being held on No bond for the Violation of the protection order. He also currently has a charge of Harassment 1st Degree with a bond of $2000.00. Both of these charges were filed with the court by the Clarinda Police Department. More charges from this incident will be filed today on Olson.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted with this incident by the Clarinda Police Department, the Page County Secondary Roads, the Clarinda Ambulance Service, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards Rural Revitalization Grants

News

May 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today (Tuesday) announced $600,000 in grants for historic preservation projects in or near Creston, Decorah, Elkader, Keokuk and Muscatine. Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grants will help rural communities preserve their history and foster economic development through the preservation of historic properties. The grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service and administered by the State Historic Preservation Office, which is part of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

The City of Creston is receiving a grant amounting to $114,800, for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Station Project.  The city will use funds to rehabilitate the exterior of the 1899 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Station, one of the oldest and largest active train depots remaining in Iowa. The project will address significant masonry deterioration resulting from age and exposure to the weather. Today, the building serves as city hall, a senior meal site, an art gallery and an Amtrak station. The preservation of this building will draw positive attention to the important history of railroads in Creston and Iowa.

The Department of Cultural Affairs created the grant program last fall, after Iowa became one of just eight states to receive funding through the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants program. The federal program was named in honor of an influential preservationist in Vermont and designed to support states, tribes, local governments and nonprofit organizations that own properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

With Tuesday’s announcement, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs expands its support for historic preservation, community development and creative placemaking efforts alongside other programs such as Iowa Great Places, Iowa Cultural & Entertainment Districts, Certified Local Governments, Local History Network and Cultural Leadership Partners. All of these programs help communities leverage local history, art and culture to promote tourism and economic growth.

Here are the other recipients of Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grants:

Recipient: Clayton County; Project: Inn at Motor Mill near Elkader; Grant Amount: $125,000…Clayton County will rehabilitate the circa 1870 stone inn at the Motor Mill Historic Site. Plans include flood-proofing the main floor and installing new mechanical systems. The interior will be rehabilitated to include meeting rooms, office space, and guest rooms for overnight accommodations, a throwback to the building’s original purpose.

Recipient: City of Keokuk; Project: Keokuk Union Depot; Grant Amount: $112,798….The city of Keokuk will restore the windows, doors and exterior masonry of the central tower section of the 1891 Keokuk Union Depot, designed by the renowned Chicago architectural firm Burnham & Root. The brick walls will be cleaned and repointed or reconstructed. Terra cotta decorations will be cleaned or restored, and sandstone window sills will be restored or replaced. The deteriorated below-grade sandstone mudsill will be replaced by longer-lasting reddish-brown granite to reduce future brickwork deterioration. Replacement sashes and doors will be milled to reproduce the originals, finished in their historic colors, and glazed with restoration glass.

Recipients: City of Muscatine and the Muscatine Art Center; Project: 1929 Japanese Garden at the Laura Musser McColm Historic District; Grant Amount: $122,402…The Muscatine Art Center will restore the historic 1929 Japanese Garden at the Laura Musser McColm Historic District. Although Japanese-style gardens were popular in the United States from the 1890s through the early 1940s, most were destroyed during World War II. Spared this fate, the Japanese garden in Muscatine is one of the few remaining from this era in the Midwest. This project will preserve the garden’s historic features and character while improving its function as a public space. The project will repair the garden’s water system, replace vegetation, and provide better access and interpretation. The treatment plan is based on research using historic photographs and other primary sources.

Recipient: Winneshiek County; Project: Winneshiek County Courthouse in Decorah; Grant Amount: $125,000….This project will help preserve the Winneshiek County Courthouse, one of few remaining American Renaissance Beaux Arts-style rural courthouses in Iowa with its central tower intact. Exterior work to the dome will prevent further water intrusion and damage to character-defining interior finishes including ornamental plaster, hand-painted murals, an art-glass dome, and intricately detailed woodwork. Ultimately, the work will allow the courthouse to remain the active center of county government, a showpiece in the Broadway-Phelps Park National Historic District and a significant attraction for tourism.