The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:07-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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An explosion and fire rocked a popular oil company near Breda, late Tuesday night. Witnesses had reported at around 9:40-p.m., that the blaze at Al’s Corner just off Highway 71, was located a shed to the west of the station building. Multiple fire departments and emergency personnel from the area responded to the scene. The explosion fireball could be seen as far away as Arcadia.

photo submitted to the Breda VFD Facebook page.

Additional information was not available as of the time of this report.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors will meet electronically this (Wednesday) morning, via dial-in (see phone number & Access Code below). On their agenda for 9-a.m. is discussion and/or action with regard to the FY19 & FY20 Zion Audit, Township Clerk wages, MMP (Manure Management Plan) updates, and updates/discussion with regard to COVID-19.

At around 9:15-a.m., the Board will hear from City of Orient Attorney Megan Weeks, with regard to City of Orient Abandoned Property Tax Abatements, followed by action on a Resolution approving the Tax Abatements.

[Join the meeting at (605)-313-6157  Access Code: 526272#]

(Radio Iowa) – Wholesale natural gas prices have increased drastically with the cold that’s spread across the country. Sioux Center Municipal Utilities Manager, Murray Hulstein says they pre-purchase gas to lock in a favorable price, but when you deal with prolonged cold like this — you need to purchase more gas without a preset price.

He says when you need more gas to supplement your contract supply — you are at the mercy of the market.

Hulstein says with this significant price increase — customers can expect the cost of natural gas in Sioux Center to increase significantly and impact utility bills for the time being. Hulstein says the weather has played a role in the supply beyond the need to burn more gas to keep warm. It has also caused issues with getting gas out of the wells.

He says customers can discontinue unnecessary natural gas use, consider a programmable thermostat to avoid heating an unused space, make sure your furnace is running efficiently, including changing filters. Hulstein says there is some help available too through the state’s low-income home energy assistance program, or LIHEAP.

Atlantic Speech & Debate Coaches Trisha Niceswanger and Brandon Baggett says they are “Incredibly proud to announce that on Friday, February 12th, Genevieve Martinez and Troy Roach qualified for the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in the category of Duo Interpretation!” Competitions have been held virtually all year, and the coaches have learned many new ways to make performances possible.

In order to compete as a Duo and follow COVID protocols, Troy and Gen had to record their piece on a split screen, so as not to be side-by-side. This added level of difficulty meant they had to work even more as a team; knowing each other’s movements, timing reactions to lines, and utilizing correct space more than ever. The two students are so in sync that their performances are impressive to watch, whether serious or humorous.

The same Duo qualified last year for Nationals, with a more serious piece with some emotional moments. The piece for 2021 is The Book of Awesome; much more light-hearted, and pointing out the little things in life that keep us going and help us enjoy those moments of awesome every day. Regardless of subject matter, these two Seniors are remarkably talented. They have grown so much individually as well as together the past four years. Both coaches say they are excited to see the future of Troy and Genevieve as they continue on wherever their paths take them.

Additional congratulations should be noted for Troy Roach. He is now a 4 time National Qualifier, a great accomplishment that only few competitors reach. Students who compete in NSDA events earn points for rankings and advance up through levels of honor. Troy has now advanced to the level of Premier Distinction, and is the highest ever achieving student at Atlantic High School. Genevieve is herself a 3 time National Qualifier, highlighting our students’ multi-talents. Troy has qualified in 9th-World Schools, 10th-Congress, 11th- POI but competed with DUO, 12th-DUO outright. Gen competed in 10th-World Schools, 11th- DUO, and 12th- DUO.

Even more honor was bestowed upon Troy as he was selected the West Iowa District Student of the Year. Miss Niceswanger nominated him and wrote up a referral with all his accomplishments in Speech, Debate, and Drama as well as his support of the team over his High School career. Fellow coaches around Western Iowa then voted, so it is an honor to be recognized by those from other schools.

Both students still have Individual Speech events to still compete in this Feb/March, so their time on stage is not over yet. Hopefully more good news will come from these talented performers.

(Atlantic) Officials with Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield say Cass County will be recognized as a finalist for the Healthy Hometown Powered by Wellmark Community Award Presentation planned for 6-p.m. Thursday, February 18th. The ceremony will take place virtually this year due, to the pandemic. A link to the ceremony can be found at http://www.iowahealthieststate.com/events/awards/.

The Healthy Hometown Powered by Wellmark Community award recognizes great work being done by communities to make the healthy choice the easy choice and the winner of the award receives $5,000 to spend on community health initiatives.

Cass County is being recognized for many collaborative projects across the county including Cass County COVID-19 Mobile Food For All, Grow Another Row, and park enhancements made at Schildberg Recreation Area and Sunnyside Park.

The Healthy Hometown Award is part of the larger Healthiest State Awards by Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative, a nonprofit organization with the goal to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation.

Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the health and well-being of Cass County residents. Follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty (https://www.facebook.com/HealthyCassCounty/). Reach out to Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or call 712-249-5870 more information.

(Radio Iowa) – Two Republicans in the Iowa Senate have agreed to advance a bill that would prohibit Iowa businesses and health care facilities from requiring that employees get vaccinations. A 97-minute-long subcommittee hearing on the bill was dominated by critics of vaccinations in general. Shanda Burke, a lobbyist for a group called Informed Choice Iowa, says she quit her job as a medical assistant because her employer required flu shots.

The bill also lets parents claim a conscientious objection to having their child meet vaccination requirements for school attendance. Medical groups oppose the bill. Lena Tucker Reinders, executive director of the Iowa Public Health Association, says social media posts are fueling vaccine hesitancy.

Dr. Amy Shriver, a Des Moines pediatrician, says bills that grant exceptions to vaccinations have a dramatic effect.

Senator James Carlin, a Republican from Sioux City who just announced he’s running for the U.S. Senate, chaired the hearing. He says there are legitimate concerns on both sides of the debate.

Health insurance companies would be prohibited from denying coverage based on a lack of immunizations if the bill as currently written becomes law.

(Radio Iowa) – A fifth person associated with the City of Armstrong has been arrested in connection with a long-term investigation of alleged misconduct. Former City Clerk Mary “Kate” Staton was charged Monday with one count each of 3rd degree theft and tampering with records stemming from a multi-year investigation by the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office and Division of Criminal Investigation after discrepancies were allegedly found during a routine annual audit of city records.

Staton turned herself in at the Emmet County Courthouse Tuesday, just days after Police Chief Craig Merrill was taken into custody in Minnesota. Mayor Greg Buum, City Clerk Tracie Lang and former City Clerk Connie Thackery was all arrested last Friday.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An election watchdog group has filed a federal lawsuit in Washington claiming the Iowa-based nonprofit organization Iowa Values violated election laws by failing to register as a political committee while spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the reelection of Sen. Joni Ernst. Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based nonprofit campaign finance watchdog group, filed the lawsuit on Friday. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to declare that Iowa Values became a political committee as of June 2019 and order the group to register, file documents and to provide information on fundraising and expenditures. The lawsuit also seeks a civil penalty against Iowa Values along with court and attorney fee costs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Years of corruption and mismanagement allegedly preceded the arrests of a northwest Iowa town’s mayor, police chief and three current and former clerks who are charged with theft and fraud. Officials in the city of Armstrong stole tens of thousands of dollars in public funds, falsified public records to conceal their wrongdoing and used city property for personal gain. Prosecutors allege in a court document that some of the wrongdoing dates back to 2013 and continued in 2020. The arrests over the weekend stunned the city of 900 people, which is located near Iowa’s border with Minnesota and about 40 miles from the popular Okoboji vacation destination in the state’s northwest corner.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 56-year-old Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to receiving more than $1.2 million in loans in a fraud scheme involving federal programs offering help for coronavirus-related losses. Donald Franklin Trosin, from Champlin, Minnesota, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, to major fraud against the U.S. and money laundering conspiracy. Federal prosecutors said Trosin conspired to launder funds from loans he received from banks in northwest Iowa and Minnesota. Trosin admitted he defrauded the banks out of Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. After receiving the loans, he wired the money to other people in different states.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors have upgraded charges against an Iowa man who led a crowd of insurgents in taunting a police officer up several flights of stairs inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack. Douglas Jensen has been seen frequently in video wearing a QAnon shirt and leading an angry mob toward an officer protecting the Capitol. An updated indictment filed in federal court in Washington D.C. now includes dangerous weapons charges to reflect that Jensen carried a knife in his pocket during the attack. Jensen remains in custody and has a court hearing on Feb. 23.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors have upgraded charges against an Iowa man who led a crowd of insurgents in taunting a police officer up several flights of stairs inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack. Douglas Jensen has been seen frequently in video wearing a QAnon shirt and leading an angry mob toward an officer protecting the Capitol.

FILE – In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Trump supporters gesture to U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington. Doug Jensen, an Iowa man at center, was jailed early Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 on federal charges, including trespassing and disorderly conduct counts, for his alleged role in the Capitol riot. Jensen, 41, of Des Moines, was being held without bond at the Polk County Jail and county sheriff’s Sgt. Ryan Evans said he didn’t know if Jensen had an attorney. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

An updated indictment filed in federal court in Washington D.C. now includes dangerous weapons charges to reflect that Jensen carried a knife in his pocket during the attack. Jensen remains in custody and has a court hearing on Feb. 23.