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Iowa DCI Makes Arrest in Union County Homicide Investigation

News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), along with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday, arrested 43-year old Jennifer Jean Hartley, of Thayer,  on a charge of Murder in the First Degree, a class A Felony, in the death investigation of Loretta Dillinger.

On December 2nd, 2015, a hunter located a decomposed body in a pond at 1024 Redwood Avenue near the Union County and Madison County line. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny performed an autopsy and determined the body to be that of 37-year old Loretta Dillinger.

Jennifer Jean Hartley

Jennifer Jean Hartley

Through the investigation, DCI Agents determined that Jennifer Hartley acted with Jerry Dillinger to kill Loretta Dillinger. Hartley was part of a plan to have Loretta set fire to two residences, one in Greenfield and one in Thayer. Hartley provided her pistol to Jerry Dillinger to kill Loretta so she wouldn’t disclose any information about the fires. After the fires and death of Dillinger, Hartley knowingly helped conceal Loretta’s death.

Jennifer Hartley is being held in the Ringgold County Jail on $1 million cash-only bond. Jerry Dillinger plead two counts of first degree murder back in January. He was found dead in his jail cell last month, in what officials at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale said, was an apparent suicide.

Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Announces Details for New Campaigns

News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce have announced a new program helps to better the community and bring fun for the whole family. The Chamber is unveil two new campaigns for the year. The Explore, Discover, Share
campaign to raise community awareness, and, the Passport to the Atlantic Area, a shopping incentive program to encourage shopping local.

The goal of the Explore, Discover, Share campaign is to build community awareness and pride by exploring the community and then sharing those experiences. The campaign will kick off in June and continue through November and include multi-media marketing and an Explorer Challenge to engage community members.

Community members will be encouraged to visit participating locations, take a photo and learn something new to share. Participants will upload their photos and experiences to a dedicated website by clicking on the business they visited. Community members will use the same website and vote on their favorite photos. Prizes will be given throughout the campaign to participants with the most photos and votes with a grand prize winner at the end of the campaign.

Chamber businesses and tourist attractions that purchase sponsorships will be a part of the campaign, each receiving an Explore, Discover, Share sign or decal to designate them as a participant. The success of the campaign will be determined by the amount of overall support and excitement within the Chamber membership and community.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce partnered with several retail based businesses to create a Shop Local campaign for the entire year including the Passport to the Atlantic Area. The year-long campaign will educate the community on why it is important to shop local. Shopping local keeps dollars in our community; supports families, employees and business owners; provides you with great customer service and selection; benefits local schools and community projects; and encourages Atlantic’s unique character.

The Passport to the Atlantic Area gives shoppers an additional incentive to keep their dollars in the community. The Passport to the Atlantic Area is a shopping reward program to entice community members to shop at the participating businesses. The more you shop at the participating business the better your chance is to win Passport Dollars to spend.

The Passport program will kick off in late May or early June. Passports will be available for pick at all the participating businesses. Participants will receive stamps in the amount of purchases made at the local businesses. Once a participant’s passport is complete, they have the option to return the passport to the Chamber or participating businesses to be entered into a monthly drawing to win Passport Dollars, only redeemable at participating businesses. At the end of the year, all the completed passports will be eligible for a Grand Prize drawing.

Details regarding participating businesses and attractions for the campaigns will be released at a later date.

(Podcast) KJAN 8-a.m. News, 3/23/2016

News, Podcasts

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

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

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Iowa near top in payments for wind turbines

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has released information showing Iowa ranks second in the nation for the amount of money paid to landowners for the placement of wind turbines. AWEA’s Manager of Industry Data and Analysis , John Hensley, helped work up the numbers. “Across the United States there were more than 222 million dollars paid in land-lease agreements to local land owners who had wind projects on their site,” Hensley says. “And Iowa is certainly near the top. We’re showing more than 10 million dollars paid out on an annual basis to these landowners.”

Iowa is one of six states with more than 10 million dollars in payment, with Texas ranked number one, followed by Iowa, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Kansas. AWEA figures show Iowa produced 31 percent of its electricity from wind last year. Hensley says the payments are kept confidential, but they have a good estimate of how much is being paid. “They are generally designed similar to a royalty payment based on the output of the machine at the site. Or, it could also be based on just a raw capacity amount — so you’ve got a two megawatt turbine, and a two megawatt turbine pays out a certain amount per year. They are typically private negotiations and contract structures between the project developer and the land owner,” Hensley says.

He says the revenue is important as about 70 percent of rural wind farms in the U-S are located in low-income counties. “I think this is a really important piece of that economic picture that really goes a long way to show the rural impacts that wind has across the country. We are looking property tax revenues that can go a long way to help schools in those local areas,” Hensley says. Hensley says the payments are vital to many land owners.

He says it helps them make ends meet, and helps them keep the ranches and farms in the family. AWEA will release more information on the impact of wind farms in its upcoming annual report — including job numbers, state-by-state comparisons, and the overall picture of the wind industry.

(Radio Iowa)

State preps for return of avian influenza

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

With spring’s arrival, Iowa poultry producers are on alert for a possible return of avian influenza which decimated the state’s flocks last year. State officials are taking steps to more efficiently euthanize birds if the disease strikes again. Joyce Flinn, head of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says the necessary equipment is being stored in safe places around the state.

“We continue to coordinate with the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship for a possible avian influenza response,” Flinn says. State Emergency Management helped coordinate the response last year, which included hauling water to affected areas to mix with foam to kill birds, and coordinating haz mat teams for cleanup. If there’s another outbreak, Flinn says they’re ready.

“Our preparations for avian influenza include prestaging of equipment around the state that can be used in the euthanasia of birds,” Flinn says. “The ready access to this equipment will aid in quick, humane euthanasia to help contain the spread of the disease.” Spring migration may re-create last year’s conditions that lead to a widespread outbreak. Some 34-million birds on 77 Iowa farms had to be destroyed after contracting the virus.

(Radio Iowa)

(Podcast) KJAN Morning News & funeral report, 3/23/2016

News, Podcasts

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

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

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Anita & Wiota Fire respond to large grass fire

News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Firefighters from Anita and Wiota were dispatched this morning to a large grass fire in the vicinity of 720th and Hamburg Road. The flames were spreading north toward Hamburg Road. Crews were dispatched at around 6:45-a.m.

2 men 1 woman from Sidney arrested on burglary & theft charges

News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Three people, two men and one woman, were arrested Tuesday on multiple Burglary and Theft charges following an accident in Fremont County. The Fremont Sheriff’s Office reports 19-year old’s Aidan Anthony Case and Jacob Paul Cain, along with 21-year old Mary Beth Rhea, all from Sidney, turned themselves-in to authorities. They face three counts each of Burglary in the 3rd Degree/vehicle related, three counts each of Theft in the 4th Degree, and one count each of Theft in the 5th Degree. Cain was also charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Their bonds were set at $9,000 each.

Officials say the charges stem from an accident that happened early Tuesday morning, in Hamburg. An inventory was performed after on the wrecked vehicle, which was then towed to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Impound. Later that morning, the Sheriff’s Office began receiving calls about vehicles and mailboxes which had been gone through, and items taken.  A search warrant of the vehicle led to items being seized into evidence that were reported stolen. Other items in the vehicle are believed to have been stolen, with the victims unaware of the thefts.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says if you have any information about your missing property, call them at 712-374-2424.

Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., March 23rd 2016

News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

EARLHAM, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an employee was killed after a blast at a Madison County quarry. Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes said in a news release that it appeared that debris struck 42-year-old Tracy Hockmeier, of Winterset, “following a routine blast” at the Martin Marietta Earlham Quarry Tuesday night.

LENOX — Three people suffered critical injuries in a single-vehicle rollover accident Tuesday afternoon in Taylor County. The Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened at around 4:12-p.m. on 130th Street near Yellowstone Avenue, south of Lenox. The vehicle was traveling west on 130th Street when it went out of control on the gravel, and rolled. Three occupants of the vehicle were ejected, one was trapped. Three accident victims were transported to area hospitals by helicopter, one was transported by ambulance. Their names were being withheld until completion of the accident investigation and notification of family.

CHARLES CITY — Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources said late Tuesday night that a fisherman died Tuesday evening after falling from his boat on the Cedar River, in Charles City. The victim, whose name was being withheld pending notification of relatives, had his small boat anchored just above a low-head dam on the Cedar River located in northern Iowa, when he apparently fell out and went over the dam shortly after 7-p.m.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Nevada-based Internet training company has agreed to refund Iowa customers and stop selling its services in the state after a customer complained about the program’s effectiveness. The Consumer Protection Division alleges Brookwater Ventures LLC violated Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act. The division started an investigation in February after a Des Moines woman said the company convinced her to sign a $3,500 contract for an online marketing training program. The woman complained she was unable to earn any income using the company’s online sales techniques.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Supporters of legislation that would expand access to medical marijuana in Iowa say lawmakers are running out of time this session to pass the bill. A group known as Iowans 4 Medical Cannabis held a rally outside the Capitol in support of a marijuana bill introduced earlier this session. They called out leaders in the Republican-controlled House, which currently has control of the measure.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they’re investigating a murder-suicide in Fayette County. The county sheriff’s office says deputies were dispatched a little before 9 p.m. Monday to investigate a report of gunshots at a West Union apartment complex. Deputies found the body of 27-year-old Morgan Kaye on the ground outside the complex. Fayette County Sheriff Marty Fisher said she was killed by a single gunshot. The sheriff’s office said a man seen leaving the scene in a pickup was found shot to death in the truck about 16 miles north along Iowa Highway 150, south of Calmar. Officers identified him as 27-year-old Anthony Hebert.

Supreme Court upholds ruling in Storm Lake Tyson case

News

March 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The U-S Supreme Court has ruled in favor of workers at a pork plant in Iowa on a pay issue. The Supreme Court upheld a five-point-eight million dollar judgment against Tyson Foods after workers at the Storm Lake plant sued, saying they should be paid for the time spent putting on and taking off protective clothing needed for their jobs.

Tyson argued workers should not be allowed to go in together in the lawsuit, and focused in part on whether the employees could use averages in figuring out the time they should be paid for putting on the work gear. The Supreme Court ruled against the company 6-2, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito the no votes.

(Radio Iowa)