(Radio Iowa) – A woman who spent 23 days in the Hamilton County Jail on an attempted murder charge has won an out of court settlement of 425-thousand dollars for what her attorney calls a wrongful arrest. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on September 13, 2019 issued an arrest warrant for 43-year-old Jennifer Sue Pritchard of Fort Dodge for allegedly driving a vehicle while her boyfriend Jacob Adams shot at a camper in rural Stratford. The only thing was, Pritchard was not driving the vehicle and was never in Hamilton County at the time. Pritchard was working at the time in Fort Dodge with witnesses and video footage to prove it.

A lawsuit was then filed in Hamilton County District Court in June 2021 by Pritchard and her attorney, Jack Bjornstad of Okoboji. Pritchard argued that the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office had the evidence exonerating her for ten days before she was given a pretrial release from jail and for more than month before the charges were finally dismissed. The settlement for Pritchard was paid out from Hamilton County’s insurance provider, the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool, plus a $3,000 deductible for the insurance claim was paid out of the county’s general fund.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday night. Authorities say 37-year-old Jennifer Lyn Ham, of Lorimor, was arrested at around 8:30-p.m. at a residence in the 700 block of S. Maple Street, in Creston. Ham was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. She was transported to the Adams County Jail and held without bond until seen by a Judge.

And, a little after 9-p.m., 30-year-old Richie Rodriguez, of Creston, was arrested at Division and Montgomery Streets, on a charge of Failure to Appear on an original Probation Violation charge. Rodriguez was taken to Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a Judge.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Day number two of the seven-day Cass County Fair in Atlantic, includes some great food, entertainment, and the crowning of a Fair King and Queen. The highlighted meal at the Fair is a roast pork sandwich. Today’s schedule include:

• at 2:00-p.m., Part 1 of the Horse Show (Part 2 is on Friday)
• at 5:00-p.m., 4-H/FFA Exhibits Open, & Food Sale
• 7:00-p.m., Little Miss & Mister Contest (On KJAN and KJAN-TV)
• 7:30-p.m., King and Queen Contest (On KJAN and KJAN-TV)
• 8:00-p.m., Senior Recognition.

Here’s the rest of the Fair Schedule (click on the image to enlarge):

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A dozen young ladies and seven young men will find out tonight (Thursday) who is awarded the title of Cass County Fair King and Queen. KJAN will cover the event live (On-air and on KJAN-TV*) from the Cass County Fairgrounds beginning at 7-p.m., with the Little Miss and Little Mr. Contest, followed by the King and Queen contestants taking to the stage at 7:30.

The King candidates include Tristan Becker, Dylan Comes, Brett Dreager, Collin Evans, Logan Evans, Nolan Hensley, and Bryan York.

The Queen candidates are: Elizabeth Anderson, Rachel Becker, Sydney Becker, Mallory Behnken, Natalie Behnken, Cece Hensley, Paige Jensen, Rio Johnson, Payton LaPorte, Emma Mundorf, Keira Olson, and Tristan Swain.

Winners of the King and Queen Contest, along Prince, Princess, Mr. Congeniality, and Miss Congeniality will be announced. The winner of the Queen Contest will represent Cass County at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

*Find the link to KJAN-TV on our home page at kjan.com. Look for this logo:

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents approved the second and final reading of the tuition increase for students at the three state universities during their meeting Wednesday. Brad Berg of the Regent’s staff says there were no changes between the first and final reading. “The base undergraduate resident tuition rates include a 355 dollar increase to a new rate of eight-thousand-711 at the University of Iowa 354 dollar increase to eight-thousand-678 dollar at Iowa State an increase of 331 dollars to eight-thousand111 dollars at U-N-I,” Berg says.

The Regents also approve various mandatory fee increases for the schools. Iowa State University student body president Jacob Ludwig says he’s concerned how it will impact low-income students. “I know a lot of students out there that, you know, are working 30,40 hours a week on top of trying to be a student, and, every cent matters,” he says. The University of Iowa’s vice president of graduate student government, Riley Post says he’s concerned about the economic burden of higher education shifting from the state to students.

“Something’s got to give. Especially now with interest rates rising on student loans, it’s going to make it a very difficult decision for a lot of people as to whether or not they decide to go on and get a post graduate education,” he says. This Iowa Legislature increased university funding by five million dollars — but that was 15 million dollars short of what the Board of Regents requested. Board officials say the tuition hike is needed to keep up with inflationary costs.

(Corning, Iowa) -The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a 13-year-old male was arrested Sunday on drug and alcohol charges, following a tip from the Corning Aquatic Center. The caller said a juvenile male was potentially drinking and smoking at the pool. Upon further investigation, the unidentified teen was arrested on charges that include Possession of drug paraphernalia and Minor in Possession of Alcohol.

The teen was transported to the Adams County Jail and later released to his parents.

*”Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations, and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Radio Iowa) – State regulators will approve an eight-hundred million dollar plan to install two fields of solar panels at the site of an idled nuclear power plant — if local officials in eastern Iowa approve zoning changes. The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission meets today (Thursday) to review the solar projects planned on the site where the Duane Arnold Nuclear Power plant operated for decades.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors will consider the projects at meetings later in August. If Linn County officials approve the plans, the Iowa Utilities board has announced it will grant waivers and electric generation certificates for the solar projects near Palo. NextEra is the company that has proposed building a battery storage facility and two separate solar projects that would cover more than 11-hundred acres.

Alliant Energy has submitted a plan with the Iowa  Utilities Board to buy the projects from NextEra once construction is done.

(UPDATED) (Radio Iowa) Nearly 20,000 riders completed “The Ride of the Century” on Wednesday as the overnight stop for the 49th edition of the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa was in Mason City. Riders trekked 105 miles from Emmetsburg on Wednesday, the first 100-mile leg of RAGBRAI since 1985. Steve Luper from Seattle, Washington is enjoying his first RAGBRAI experience. “The cycling has been fun. We’ve been incredibly fortunate with the weather. Saturday night when we got into Sergeant Bluff it was kind of hot and we were thinking that was going to be the weather for the week, and it’s been pretty comfortable,” Luper says. “Today’s the sunniest day we’ve had but not ridiculously hot. I’ve been enjoying Iowa corn and pie and beer. I think those are the key things for RAGBRAI.”

Colleen Nagengast of Naples, Florida says despite the 100-mile-plus ride, it wasn’t that bad, as the previous day brought a headwind. Nagengast says she’s been enjoying her first trip through Iowa on a bike. “I can understand why people have done it, I absolutely enjoyed it. The best experience I’ve done,” Nagengast says. “I’ve done other states’ tours and Iowa is the best – the camaraderie and the town’s support.” Tonia Richter from Fox Lake, Illinois says she originally wasn’t going to do the 105-mile ride from Emmetsburg to Mason City but is glad she did. Richter says she’s been pleased with her first RAGBRAI journey.

“I think the people are the fun part, right? Everybody talks to everybody, and everybody is very kind. I love that,” Richter says, “and the towns are very welcoming to us here.” Michele Randall of Rochester, New York and her husband are on their sixth RAGBRAI ride and it’s been the second time they’ve been in Mason City. Randall says she enjoyed the ride alongside Richter.  She says, “With the tailwind, and it was flat, we didn’t stop as much in the beginning because we thought it might get really hot, who knows about headwind-tailwind, and it was great. We stopped at the beer tent and did two and sat in the shade, took our shoes and socks off, had a beer, it was just delightful.” Richter added, “It was amazing. A nice way to end the ride today.”

Riders have a shorter ride today (Thursday) as it’s only 48 miles from Mason City to Charles City. From there RAGBRAI stops in West Union on Friday night and wraps up in Lansing on Saturday.

(Radio Iowa) – Officials have confirmed an extremely rare amoeba that can destroy brain tissue is present in a state-owned lake in southwest Iowa. A Missouri man who went swimming at the Lake of Three Fires near Bedford died earlier this month after getting a brain infection caused by the amoeba. University of Iowa epidemiologist Mike Pentella encountered two similar cases when he worked at a hospital in central Florida.

The beach at the Lake of Tree Fires is reopening today (Thursday), with signs posted that warn of the amoeba’s presence. State officials say swimmers should take precautions and limit the amount of water that goes up their noses. Pentella says the organism is extremely rare and has primarily been found in southern states when lake levels are low and the water gets hot due to prolonged periods of high temperatures.

Pentella says it’s possible many people have been exposed, but did not come down with disease. If you’re going swimming in a lake, Pentella says you may consider wearing a nose clip or plugging your nose if you’re jumping in and he recommends avoiding digging or stirring up the sediment at the bottom of a lake.

Pentella made his comments during an appearance on the River to River program on Iowa Public Radio. State officials say they do not intend to test other state park lakes, as there is no rapid, standardized test for the amoeba.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds today (Wednesday) named Iowa Court of Appeals Judge David May of Polk City to fill the vacancy on the Iowa Supreme Court left by the retirement of Justice Brent Appel. Judge May was one of three candidates sent to the governor from the State Judicial Nominating Commission.

“At every point in this decision, Judge May of the Iowa Court of Appeals stood out for his experience, his approach to interpretation and his commitment to judicial restraint,” Reynolds says. May has been on the Court of Appeals since 2019 after being elevated from his district court position. May says he intends to decide cases based on the law as written and with what’s consistent with the U-S and Iowa constitutions.

“The basic principles of judging remain the same. Judges don’t exercise the powers of the executive and the legislature. We have a different job. Our job is to decide legal disputes,” May says. May is the fifth judge appointed to the seven-member high court appointed by Reynolds.
May was a finalist for a previous Supreme Court vacancy in 2020.All seven of Iowa’s justices have been appointed by Republican governors.

(reporting By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)