The Cass County Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign is set to begin next month. County Salvation Army Campaign Chairman Steve Livengood says this year, they’re going to try and place kettles and bell ringers both in-and-outside of Atlantic, making it a truly County-wide effort to collect donations. He says they have kettles in Anita, but are also looking to place them in Griswold and Massena.

In previous years, Bell Ringers have been in Atlantic only, traditionally at the Fareway and Wal-Mart Stores. The Kiwanis are in charge of Bell Ringing at Hy-Vee. Livengood says most of the money raised, stays in Cass County. He says they ring on Saturday’s only, beginning in December. 10-percent of what is raised is given to the Omaha Salvation Army for their coordinated efforts, with the remainder staying in Cass County. Last year, that amounted to about $7,000 retained in the County.

Those funds are used for programs such as “Shop with a Cop,” the Backpack and school lunch programs in the County. The kettles will be in-place at Fareway and the east and west doors of Walmart store, the first four Saturdays in December from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To sign up for a 90-minute shift, contact Livengood at aplewood@q.com or call 712-243-5445.

Audubon County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Jensen reports beginning today (Tuesday), and lasting for about seven-to 10-days (depending on the weather), crews will be replacing a culvert and building up the road surface, requiring the closure of a portion of 250th Street, in the 1400 block. The construction site is location between 1406 and 1445 250th Street, in Audubon County.

Emergency responders should plan alternate routes to residences in the affected construction  area. If you have any questions, please contact the Audubon County Engineer at 712-563-4286.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Republican Iowa lawmaker says he will introduce legislation that would cut the budgets of state universities that spend additional money on students upset about the outcome of the presidential election. The Des Moines Register reports Rep. Bobby Kaufmann says the planned measure, which he calls the “suck it up, buttercup bill” also would create new penalties for protesters who block highways.

Students and faculty at the University of Northern Iowa gathered at three sessions to discuss the election and their fears. University spokesman Scott Ketelsen says no money was spent on those sessions. Students and faculty at Iowa State University held a rally and University of Iowa student groups held their own events. Both schools say they did not spend any extra funds on those events.

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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