(Radio Iowa) — A massive “Freedom Rock” was dedicated this (Monday) morning at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter. Ray “Bubba” Sorenson of Greenfield, is the artist. “Veterans Day and Memorial Day are every day to me. I’ve kind of made it my life’s work,” Sorenson said. “In fact, right after this I head to Franklin County to work on the 80th ‘Freedom Rock’ across this state.”  Sorenson paints a patriotic image on each rock and aims to have one in each of Iowa’s 99 counties as a tribute to veterans.

Freedom Rock – West Side

Freedom Rock – East Side

The “Freedom Rock” at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery has the image of a widow at a soldier’s funeral receiving the American flag from an honor guard on the east side. The west side features a flag, with an eagle carrying the inscription: “All gave some. Some gave all.” Sorenson has been able to mix the ashes of veterans in his paint.  “There’s even some ashes painted into this rock up here on this hill,” Sorenson said.

The rock sits at the summit of the cemetery. The granite came from a nearby quarry owned by Ron Mason, Senior. “This was one of the largest boulders we’ve ever recovered from the quarry,” Mason said during the ceremony. “It’s 57,000 pounds. It took a half a day to load it and a half a day to unload it.” Mason served seven years in the U.S. Navy, from mid-1941 until mid-1948. He flew missions over the Atlantic Ocean in something like a seaplane, that could take off and land on the ocean surface. “I was a flying boat pilot, looking for German submarines.” Mason says.

WWII veteran Ron Mason, Sr. donated the 5,700 pound granite boulder.

The granite boulder Mason donated for the project is 12 feet in diameter, with fairly flat sides, which Mason says were good for mural painting. “I think the rock is well placed. It overlooks the Raccoon River valley and you can see probably 20 or 30 miles. It shows I-80 going west. It makes a beautiful, beautiful view. It’s particularly interesting to me because I will be interned here. I would like to get out of my skin once I’m interned, so that I can take a look at it occasionally,” Mason says, laughing.

Mason will turn 100 in a couple of months. His wife is among the 29-hundred who’ve been buried at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. Construction began on the cemetery on Veterans Day in 2006. It was opened on July 3rd, 2008.

SIOUX CITY, IA – In recognition of National Apprenticeship Week, the IowaWORKS Center in Sioux City is highlighting Registered Apprenticeship opportunities at the 2018 Fall Career Fair on Thursday, Nov. 15th. Over 80 employers are scheduled to attend the fair, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 4647 Stone Ave. in Sioux City. Attendees will receive a list of employers who are Registered Apprenticeship sponsors and their tables will be designated with a sign and balloons so they are easy to find.

National Apprenticeship Week is Nov. 12-18. Registered Apprenticeship is an employer-driven model, combining on-the-job learning with related classroom instruction and allows the Registered Apprentice to earn a paycheck from day one. Iowa is a leader in the nation for offering Registered Apprenticeship opportunities. As of Oct. 30, Iowa has 754 active Registered Apprenticeship Programs and 8,047 Registered Apprentices. In just the past month, Iowa has registered 13 new programs and 95 Registered Apprentices have completed their programs.

Jon Murad, Business Marketing Specialist at IowaWORKS in Sioux City, encourages job seekers to bring up-to-date resumes to the job fair. “When you are hired as a Registered Apprentice, you are an employee of the company,” Murad said. “It is important to have a well-written resume and strong interviewing skills so you stand out among other job seekers. Many employers who are hiring Registered Apprentices are looking for people with strong soft skills – a willingness to learn, good problem solving skills, the ability to take initiative and excellent communication. They’ll teach you the technical skills on-the-job as long as you show an aptitude to learn and have a strong work ethic.”

Employers and job seekers interested in learning more about Registered Apprenticeship are encouraged to visit earnandlearniowa.gov. The website provides a high level overview of how a Registered Apprenticeship works and provides forms for job seekers and employers to complete to receive more information.

RED OAK, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 69-year-old woman and her two sons were flown to a Nebraska hospital for treatment after a fight broke out at their home in western Iowa.
Police officers were sent to the Red Oak home around 5:15 p.m. Sunday. Assistant Police Chief Derrick Walker says the Viola Rinehart’s younger son, Luke Rinehart, intervened when she and her elder son, Kain Rinehart, got into an argument. Walker says Kain grabbed a kitchen knife and attacked his mother and his brother, so she armed herself with a hammer while her younger son, Luke, also got a knife.
Each of them suffered several wounds and were flown to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Police say Kain Rinehart is being charged with two counts of attempted murder.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Nearly half of Iowa’s counties have approved use of all-terrain or utility vehicles for public roadways, and at least one large county is considering joining the trend. The Telegraph Herald reports that Dubuque County supervisors have been considering the issue since two riding groups approached the board in February seeking access to roads. The vehicles are currently only permitted on county roads for agricultural reasons. The board created a citizen committee to prepare a report as supervisors consider an ordinance. Officials expect the report to be ready in January.

Supporters of the vehicles say it will have economic benefits by attracting riders to the area. Opponents raise safety concerns. Dubuque County Sheriff Joe Kennedy says he’s worried about the county’s high population compared to smaller counties that allow ATV riding.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a firefighter suffered minor burns battling a blaze at a house in Waterloo. A neighbor noticed smoke and called 911 after the fire broke out Sunday morning. It burned through a floor of the split-level home, where no one had been living recently. The injured firefighter returned to work after being treated at a hospital. The fire cause is being investigated.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — MidAmerican Energy says it’s installing a battery system that could store enough power to serve around 900 Iowa homes for four hours. The Des Moines Register reports that Chicago-based Invenergy will install the system, housed in two truck-size steel containers, at a MidAmerican Energy substation in Knoxville. The lithium-iron phosphate system is expected to begin operating by the end of December. Officials say it will let MidAmerican store for later use energy produced when the winds are blowing and the sun is shining.

Mike Fehr is MidAmerican Energy vice president of resource development, and he says large scale energy storage has the potential to provide several benefits. It is still in the development stage, “and the economic feasibility on a larger scale is being assessed as well.”

On National Rural Health Day (Monday), Cass County Memorial Hospital announced it has been recognized by The Chartis Center of Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) for overall excellence in two categories, Quality and Outcomes. The award recognizes that CCMH has performed among the top quartile of all rural hospitals in the nation. The awards were announced in conjunction with National Rural Health Day, which is celebrated every year on the third Thursday in November.

CCHS CEO Brett Altman said “We are very pleased to receive this recognition of being in the top 25% of over 2200 rural hospitals across the country. This is a direct result of the outstanding team we have who make these quality and outcome measures a top priority with every patient, every time.”

The Performance Leadership Awards are determined each year using iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®, the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging data from public data sources, the INDEX aggregates data from 50 rural-relevant metrics across eight pillars to derive a single overall percentile rating for all Critical Access Hospitals and Rural & Community Hospitals. The Performance Leadership Awards spotlight top performance in the areas of Quality, Outcomes and Patient Perspective.

Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) and the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce announce the Annual Holiday Christmas Lighting Contest “Deck the Homes”. This contest encourages the community to nominate their favorite merry and bright home. To nominate your favorite merry and bright home, call Atlantic Municipal Utilities at 712.243.1395. Winners will receive an Atlantic Municipal Utilities Voucher. Nominations are due Monday, December 10th.

Pick up your Christmas Brochure from area retail businesses, like the Chamber on Facebook or follow on Twitter to find dates and details to celebrate Christmas in Atlantic. You can find a complete list of activities at www.christmasinatlantic.com.

Capture the Christmas magic with #MyAtlanticIA and post to the Atlantic Area Chamber’s Facebook page or Instagram (AtlanticIowaFan). Contact the Atlantic Area Chamber with any questions at chamber@atlanticiowa.com or call 712.243.3017. Christmas in Atlantic is presented by TS Bank.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

An eastern Iowa woman died in a collision Sunday morning between her car and a semi. The Iowa State Patrol reports 20-year old Jasmine Alvarez Gonzalez, of Keota, was driving a 2001 Toyota Corolla southbound on Louisa County road X-17, when her car crossed the center line and went off the road into the east ditch. Gonzalez over-corrected, sending her car veering back across the roadway onto the west shoulder.

The vehicle crossed the centerline again, and was struck broadside in the northbound lane by a 2018 Peterbilt truck driven by 47-year old Steven Glen Dill, of Keota. The car came to rest in the east ditch, while the truck came to rest on the east shoulder.

Gonzalez, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. Dill, who was wearing a seat belt, was injured, but was not transported to a hospital. The crash, which happened at around 8:05-a.m. Sunday, remains under investigation.