FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa State Patrol supervisor who was disciplined last year for a Facebook joke about killing a sportscaster is on administrative leave. The Iowa Department of Public Safety confirmed Monday that Lt. Kelly Hindman was taken off duty Oct. 26 and remains on paid leave.

Department spokesman Alex Murphy did not offer a reason for the move against Hindman, who was the commander of the patrol’s post in Fort Dodge. He says personnel records are confidential. Hindman drew headlines in January 2015, when he wrote on Facebook that he wanted a sniper to shoot ESPN college basketball announcer Dan Dakich in the head.

After an internal investigation, Hindman kept his supervisory position without a cut to his annual salary, which is now $100,000. He’s been with the patrol 28 years.

A truck driver from Tennessee was arrested Monday night, following a disturbance at a truck stop in Underwood. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says 53-year old Lawrence Daniel Elston, of Counce, TN, was taken into custody a little after 9:30-p.m., on charges that include Interference with Official Acts, and Trespassing.

Authorities say Elston, who was apparently under the influence of alcohol, had allegedly been harassing truck stop employees. He was asked to leave, but instead went to his truck and refused to leave the vehicle and property, when a deputy ordered him to do so. He was eventually placed under arrest and brought to the Pott. County Jail.

Iowans are enjoying much warmer-than-normal weather for mid-November this week, with high temperatures daily in the 60s and 70s, but forecasters say the end is near. Climatologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says highs will only be in the 40s by the weekend with lows dropping into the 20s.  “We are finally starting to see that fall transition that we would expect to have where we start seeing more cold air coming through the region and the jet stream will get more active,” Todey says. “It does look like several more storm systems will be coming through the middle part of the country.”

Todey says his team is watching the weather developments upstream, across Canada, into Alaska and clear over into Russia. “There has been activity recently in Siberia with a chunk of cold air,” Todey says. “That’s a ways away but it’s something you start watching to say, ‘Is there enough cold over there that could move up on the pole and eventually start to slide down?’ That’s not going to get here tomorrow but it’s worth watching further out.”

Temperatures in Siberia have been running some 50 degrees below normal with heavy snow in the past few weeks. Todey says Iowans likely won’t be seeing any snow fly soon and in some areas, a hard killing frost may still be a few weeks away. “Any trees or perennials that were still actively growing, could there be enough of a cold snap that would damage them?” Todey says, “Right now, we don’t see that sharp cold that we’ve seen a few times over the last century, where we’ve had these really warm falls and then a short cold snap. We really are not seeing that coming up right now.”

Todey says it appears more likely that a La Nina pattern will take form this winter, which could mean below-normal temperatures and above-normal snowfall.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County say a Cass County man was arrested on drug charges at around 7-p.m., Monday, following a traffic stop. 21-year old Jackson Taylor Bailey, of Anita, faces charges that include Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Speeding. He was brought to the Audubon County Jail, posted bond, and was released. Audubon County K9 “Axel” assisted in the investigation.

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

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The Creston Police Department reports 47-year old Dennis Speed, of Creston, was arrested Monday morning, on a Union County warrant for Parole Violation. Speed was brought to the Union County Jail and held without bond.

And, a Creston resident reported to police Monday morning, that sometime overnight Sunday into Monday, someone broke out a rear passenger window of her vehicle, and let the air out of the left rear tire. The incident happened while the vehicle was parked outside the woman’s home in the 700 block of W. Jefferson Street. The damage was estimated at $250.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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2016 is the 38^th anniversary of the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton, Iowa’s Christmas celebration called Julefest 2016 on November 25^th and 26^th.  The important elements of a Danish Christmas – good food, warm hospitality, flickering candles and other decorations – will all be a part of this weekend.  There are unique shops, specialty stores, a winery, museums, Christmas exhibits and craft fairs for early holiday shopping, as well as food establishments serving pastries, breads, candies, Danish open faced sandwiches and some Danish specialties.   There are over 15 locations offering exquisite one-of-a-kind gifts.  Watch out for all the live entertainment on the streets of the Danish Villages.

Again this year, The Annual Naughty or Nisse 5k Polar Run will be held on Saturday at 9 a.m. and running from the Little Mermaid in Kimballton to the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn. Runners will be dressed up in Nisse (Elf) Costumes, ugly sweaters, or other silly costumes of their choice for chances to win prizes.

Don’t miss Santa Claus roaming around the Danish Villages as well.

The museums and historic structures welcome visitors with special events and decorations.  Come tour the Museum of Danish America and view their new exhibits and the Museum Design Store stocked with tastefully designed merchandise and discounted items. There is also a Lego play area for kids of all ages and complimentary refreshments will be served. The Genealogy Center will be open both Friday and Saturday with Free Admission! Discover how to research and collect information on your Danish family history. Christmas activities will also be available and Pebernødder and wassail will be served. The historic 168 year old Danish Windmill will serve glögg and Danish cheese to visitors and have an old fashion Julemarket.  Bedstemor’s House – Danish for Grandmother’s House – will welcome visitors with a warm fire.  The parlor’s Christmas tree will be decorated with homemade paper ornaments like Julehjerte, chains, fish, and roses.

The Elk Horn Town Hall features Iowa Homespun Crafters at the 21^st Annual “Main Street Country Boutique.” There you will find many unique items, including candles, re-purposed furniture, signs, quilts, handmade wooden furniture, scarves jewelry, baked goods and much more! The Cottonwood Barn’s “Cottonwood Christmas” will be full of vendors, offering a variety of handcrafted items, baked goods, quilts, jewelry, and plenty more. Enjoy the specialty Shops, Winery and Restaurants in the Villages– they’re sure to get you in the holiday spirit and help fill your Christmas list! Unusual and unexpected accessories, decorations, gifts, furniture, and more!

Both Villages will be decorated for Christmas and the streets lined with Danish and American flags.  To really get you into the Christmas spirit attend the free, annual Christmas concert, at 7 p.m. followed by traditional dancing and singing around the Christmas tree at the Elk Horn Lutheran Church on Saturday evening.

Julefest is a great way for these proud Danes to show off their Danish heritage to their welcomed guests and to celebrate the opening of the Christmas season in the Danish Villages.  Pick up a brochure with a map of the local merchants and happenings at any of the Danish Villages businesses. Contact the Danish Windmill at (800) 451-7960 or visit www.danishvillages.com for an electronic copy of the brochure and more information.

Elk Horn and Kimballton are located in southwest Iowa, off I-80, 6 and 9 miles north of Exit 54 and no passport is required and Jul Love It!

(Press Release)

Iowa is sending some turkeys to Washington, D-C. That’s not a commentary on the recent elections — it’s a big honor for the state’s turkey industry. Iowa Turkey Federation spokesperson, Hailey Grant, says a northwest Iowa farm will supply the turkeys for the annual ceremony where the president pardons the big birds before Thanksgiving. “We’re pretty excited. I think it’s a great honor for Iowa to get to raise these turkeys for the president,” Grant says.

She says the name of the farm and its owner are being kept secret until later this week for security reasons to keep animal rights groups and others from going to the farm. While a national election chooses the politicians who’re sent to White House, the selection of the presidential turkeys are picked by one person. “The chairman of the National Turkey Federation selects the state that will raise the presidential flock and this year Iowa was chosen,” Grant says. ” There’s ten or so states in the U-S that have a pretty large turkey industry — and so if you think once a year the turkey is chosen — that means that every eight to ten years Iowa we might be chosen, so that’s pretty exciting.”

The process is a little more complicated for the turkey producers than picking out a couple of birds and sending them out east. “What they usually do is they pull 20 or so from their normal size flocks and they have a special building built on the farm where those turkeys are raise — just the 20 of them — with people or noise, so they get acclimated with crowds,” Grant explains.

The turkeys that pass the test end up getting pardoned. She says they have a radio playing all the time to generate noise and they end up picking two birds out of the 20 that seem to handle being around people without being skittish are sent to be pardoned.

Grant says the honor is a big boost for the turkey industry after being hit so hard last year by the bird flu. She says Iowa’s industry has rebounded and is back to 100 percent production. Most of the turkeys raised in Iowa do not end up on the Thanksgiving table, they are used for meat in sandwiches in fast-food restaurants.

(Radio Iowa)

The recent spell of warm and sunny weather has allowed many farmers to either finish come very close to completing this year’s harvest. The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows 94 percent of the corn crop has been harvested — and for the first time this year the harvest is not behind the five-year average. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey talked about harvest. “It’s really coming along very good, we have some parts of Iowa that are done, and the tillage is done and fertilizer going on the ground,” Northey says.

He doesn’t expect it to take too much longer before all the combines have finished their work. “We do see a lot of progress, the forecast is good, the conditions are very good now, the corn is drying down and I would imagine within the next week or so there won’t be too many acres left in the field,” Northey says.

The numbers he’s hearing on the harvest are good for corn. “Average yield in Iowa across all acres expected to be199 bushels and acre,” Northey says. “And 59 bushels and acre for soybeans. Again that’s a record.” Northey, who farms near Spirit Lake says his harvest is completed after some weather setbacks.

“We had a little wet spell in the middle, so we had a little bit of mud in the middle. And I had a little too much rain in May when I planted some of the corn, so we had some stand issues. My corn crop wasn’t the best I’ve had — it was a little bit better last year than this years,” Northey says.

The Agriculture Secretary says he has some post-harvest work left to do before wrapping everything up for the years. While harvest is winding down in most of the state, southwest and south central Iowa still have more than 10 percent of the corn crop and almost 10 percent of the soybean crop remaining to be harvested.

(Radio Iowa)