(Radio Iowa) — Iowa farmers who are interested in growing hemp won’t be able to get the ball rolling until the partial federal government shutdown ends. President Trump signed the Farm Bill into law last month, which included the Hemp Farming Act. It removed the plant from the Controlled Substances Act and made it legal to grow the plant. Stuart Titus, president and C-E-O of Medical Marijuana Inc., says the legalization of industrial hemp for Iowa farmers holds much promise. “I’m very excited about hemp being a rival for corn, wheat, soybeans,” Titus says. “Certainly a hemp futures market should develop very soon on the Chicago Board of Trade.”

Farmers who want to grow hemp have to first fill out some paperwork for the U-S-D-A and pass an F-B-I background check, both of which are on hold due to the government shutdown. Still, Titus predicts the versatile hemp plant will quickly become a popular crop in Iowa. “We believe a lot of farmers are very interested to help fallow lands or use hemp as a rotational crop as it really seems to add nutrients back to the soil,” Titus says. “Certainly, with the number of industrial uses, a farmer can get two or three or even four potential income streams from one crop.”

Hemp can be used in all sorts of products, from clothing to rope and from paper to building materials. The crop may be a favorable option for many farmers who’ve experienced losses in recent months due to poor commodity prices and trade issues. Titus notes it’s very unfortunate potential hemp growers in Iowa can’t immediately pursue the practice as plans need to be made for the planting season. “With the shutdown of the government, this is not exactly helping matters for the farmers,” Titus says. “Hopefully, this will just be a very quick, little, temporary glitch in the road and we’ll be back to standard practices before too long here.”

When the Iowa legislative session opens next week, lawmakers may consider new regulations on hemp production. Hemp does -not- contain T-H-C, the chemical in marijuana that causes a high, however, hemp can be used to make cannabidiol or C-B-D, which is used to treat several medical conditions. Current Iowa law only allows for C-B-D to be made by state-licensed producers and not through industrial hemp.

(Radio Iowa) — State regulators fined the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona for allowing an underage person into the facility. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko says the violation happened in July. “Prairie Meadows has an underage female enter the facility with and adult companion. She entered the floor unchallenged by security, was on the floor for three hours, did gamble at a craps table, and consumed an alcoholic beverage that was provided to her,” Ohorilko says.

He says the casino revealed the issue after discovering the girl. “It was self-reported by Prairie Meadows and Prairie Meadows agreed to pay an administrative fee of 20-thousand dollars,” Ohorilko says. This was the second violation of this type for the Altoona facility in the last 365 days. Ohorilko says the operators are doing what they can to prevent any more violations. “They’ll be working hard, and they always have…they reported to the commission the various steps they have taken to prevent this sort of activity. We are comfortable with the steps they have taken — at least at this point in time,” according Ohorilko.

The Racing and Gaming Commission approved the fine at their meeting Friday.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday, released a report on arrests over the past week. Most recently, at around 10:45-p.m. Saturday, Adams County Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Kathleen Magill, of Creston. Upon further investigation, Magill was placed under arrest for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense. Just before midnight, Friday, Adams County Deputies observed a vehicle sitting in the middle of the road near Sycamore Avenue and 240th Street without its lights on.

Deputies approached the vehicle and observed a male, later identified as Daniel Edwards, asleep in the driver’s seat. During the course of the investigation, K9 “Baxo” was deployed and gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics. Upon further investigation, Edwards was placed under arrest for Operating While Intoxicated 3rd or Subsequent Offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense, Driving While Barred, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Open Container, Interlock Device Required, and Fail to File SR-22 Insurance. He was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $20,000 Cash-Only Bond.

Also arrested last Friday in Adams County, was Kevin Jungers and Robert Girard. Both men were taken into custody on active warrants for Failure to Appear in court.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

ELDRIDGE, Iowa (AP) — A gun-making group moving to eastern Iowa is bringing with it a $25 million contract to make rifles for a European nation’s military. The Quad-City Times reports that Lewis Machine & Tool is relocating from Milan, Illinois, to its new and much larger plant in Eldridge, Iowa, where it will supply the Estonian Defence Forces with 16,000 rifles. Estonia borders Russia and the Baltic Sea in northern Europe.

CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — One firefighter died and another was critically hurt while fighting a fire at a grain storage facility in eastern Iowa. The Quad-City Times reports Clinton City Administrator Matt Brooke says 33-year-old Lt. Eric Hosette died in Saturday’s fire at the ADM grain facility in Clinton, Iowa, and 23-year-old Adam Cain was injured.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of an Iowa City cab driver. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 42-year-old Curtis Cortez Jones was sentenced Friday after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in November for the 2017 death of Ricky Lillie.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man has been turned over to immigration authorities and his sister sentenced to probation after they set up a sham marriage to keep the man in the United States. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 27-year-old Selmir Salkanovic, of Waterloo, was accused of marrying a U.S. citizen purely to obtain an upgraded immigration status after he overstayed a tourism visa. His sister, Sanela Dedic, was accused of paying off the bride in the fake marriage.

In an update to our earlier reports, authorities in eastern Iowa, Sunday, released the names of the two victims involved in a fatal kayaking accident. Officials said 61-year-old Timothy Chicoine, of Des Moines died at the Pella Regional Hospital. 56-year-old Kevin Beatty, of Tracy, was treated and released from the same hospital.

The men were kayaking below the Lake Red Rock dam on the Des Moines River, when their kayaks capsized at around 11-a.m., Saturday morning. Ames construction workers, area fishermen, firefighters from Knoxville Rural and Knoxville city fire departments, Pella Ambulance crews and deputies threw rescue lines to Beatty, who was still fighting to hold onto the capsized kayak.

They were able to get him out of the deadly current, where members of the Pella Fire Department could get ahold of him.

Police in Red Oak report 28-year old Mark Lee Parkinson, Jr., of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:30-a.m. Sunday, on an aggravated misdemeanor charge of Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card (a loss of less than $1,000). Parkinson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Samantha Smith Director of Nursing at the Griswold Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, said Sunday, that the facility is closed to visitors until further notice, due to a positive case of Influenza A, which is a contagious viral infection that attacks a person’s respiratory system. Influenza A is one of the most common type of infection, routinely causing seasonal outbreaks. It is sometimes resolved on its own, but more serious cases require the care of a physician.  KJAN will let you know when visitors are permitted at the Griswold Rehab and Health Care Center, once we have received official word it is safe for the residents to have visitors.

Symptoms of Influenza A include:

• coughing
• runny or stuffy nose
• sneezing
• sore throat
• fever
• headache
• fatigue
• chills
• body aches

The Board of Supervisors in Adair County will meet in a special session 9-a.m. Monday, in their Boardroom at the Courthouse, in Greenfield. During their meeting, the Board will receive Fiscal Year 2020 Budget requests from: the County Engineer; County Attorney; Fair Board: Success 4 Kids; SICOG (Southern Iowa Council Of Governments); MATURA; and Auditor Mindy Schaefer, representing the Medical Examiner, Clerk of Court, Social Services, Supervisors and Auditor).

The Board will also hear from the Wellness Committee,

ELDRIDGE, Iowa (AP) — A gun-making group moving to eastern Iowa is bringing with it a $25 million contract to make rifles for a European nation’s military. Lewis Machine & Tool is relocating from Milan, Illinois, to its new and much larger plant in Eldridge, Iowa, where it will supply the Estonian Defence Forces with 16,000 rifles, according to the Quad-City Times . Estonia borders Russia and the Baltic Sea in northern Europe.

Matt Pruitt, the company’s sales and marketing director, said all of the rifles will be made in Eldridge. He said the thousands of firearms represent the company’s largest order, but not its largest invoice. The company landed a $30 million deal with the United Kingdom in 2009. Manufacturing the arms will take considerable time, but Lewis Machine & Tool will have no problem keeping up with the country’s deliver schedule, Pruitt said. Big orders are always delivered in stages, such as the 10,000 rifles Lewis produced for New Zealand.

James Martin, assistant city administrator, said Lewis Machine & Tool is committed under its development agreement with Eldridge to add to its workforce. The current 128 full-time employees are to be bolstered by 50 new positions in January 2020, and that number is to remain stable under its tax increment financing agreement expires at the end of 2031.

The company received about $1 million in state and local tax incentives when it decided to relocate to the industrial park. The new location is about twice the size of its Milan facility. Construction began in November 2017 and is expected to be finished in April.

One of two people kayaking below the Lake Red Rock dam on the Des Moines River in eastern Iowa died, after their kayaks capsized late Saturday morning. KCCI reports both were taken to the Pella Regional Hospital, where one of the kayakers was pronounced dead. The accident happened at around 11-a.m. According to Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt, Ames construction workers, area fishermen, firefighters from Knoxville Rural and Knoxville city fire departments, Pella Ambulance crews and deputies threw rescue lines to the individual who was still fighting to hold onto the capsized kayaks.

They were able to get one of the kayakers out of the deadly current, where members of the Pella Fire Department could get ahold of him. Officials have not yet released the names of the kayakers, pending notification of family members.