United Group Insurance

KJAN News

KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa,  Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!

Homecoming in a northwest Iowa school district marred by a death during a parade

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

SLOAN, Iowa — Homecoming for a northwest Iowa school district was marred by the death of a middle school student during a parade. According to reports, the accident happened at around 2-p.m. Friday, in Sloan. Authorities said the middle school student, Kage McDonald, was injured and a medical helicopter flew Kage to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center.Westwood Superintendent Jay Lutt released a statement stating Kage died from his injuries. “Kage had an enormous heart and I enjoyed every interaction I had with him,” Lutt released in the statement. “He was a tough kid who worked hard at everything he did. He will be missed and remembered by all who knew him.”

Hinton School District postponed its game against Westwood Friday night to 5 p.m. Saturday.

4th Annual Mollie Tibbits Memorial Run set for Sunday morning

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The 4th Annual Mollie Tibbetts Memorial Run will take place Sunday, September 26th and begins at the BGM school in Brooklyn, Iowa, at 8:30 a.m. Laura Calderwood, Tibbetts’ mother, announced in August that she will donate half of the proceeds from her daughter’s memorial run toward the reward fund for missing Montezuma 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson who disappeared May 27th. Calderwood said she knows the deep pain of missing a child.

Organizers will be collecting free-will donations. Half of this year’s donations will be sent to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Mollie’s honor and the other half will be donated to the Xavior Harrelson Reward Fund, established by the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office. Mollie Tibbetts Memorial apparel will be available until October 8th to help continue to raise funds. You can purchase through Mollie’s Movement by Clicking Here.

Brandie Flathers has organized Mollie’s Memorial Run for three years, raising almost $18,000 for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. “Giving back to others has always been a thing that others have always said Mollie was great at,” Flathers said.

Volunteers and authorities have been searching for Xavior since his disappearance on May 27th and continue to request information about his whereabouts. The Finding Xavior Harrelson & Mollie’s Movement are raising awareness about Xavior’s disappearance, through social media and by mailing and posting flyers across Iowa and the nation.

Anyone with information on the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson should call 911 or the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office at 641-623-5679.

Donation to the Xavior Harrelson Reward Fund can be mailed to:
Montezuma State Bank
101 South 4th Street
Montezuma, Iowa 50171

Boil Advisory for Minburn in Dallas County

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

MINBURN, Iowa — Authorities have issued a boil advisory for the residents of Minburn due to a water main break that caused a drop of pressure draining the water tower on Friday night.

Residents in the city of Minburn should boil water as a precaution. Bring all water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth or preparing food to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using. Or, use bottled water. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Tap water can be used for bathing and similar purposes.

Repairs and flushing were completed. The water service will collect and test two sets of water samples, taken 24 hours apart, to determine when the water is safe and the advisory can be lifted.

Contact City Councilman Joe Stuetelberg at 515-419-1183 or the Water Supply Operator, Mitch Johnson, at 515-669-1103 for more information.

(Podcast) KJAN News at 8:05-a.m., 9/25/21

News, Podcasts

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

More news from Ric Hanson.

Play

(Podcast) KJAN News at 7:05-a.m., 9/25/21

News, Podcasts

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

With News Director Ric Hanson.

Play

Gov. Reynolds orders flags at half-staff today (Saturday) in honor of WWII Sailor KIA at Pearl Harbor

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered that all flags be lowered to half-staff Saturday from sunrise to sunset in honor of an Iowan killed at Pearl Harbor who will be laid to rest. Eli Olsen, 23, was a Navy petty officer serving on board the USS Oklahoma when it was sunk by Japanese pilots during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Olsen’s remains were only recently identified. Services are being held today at the Exira Lutheran Church, beginning at 10:30 a.m. He will be buried at the Exira Cemetery.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Eli Olsen, of Exira. KIA Dec. 7, 1941 on the USS Oklahoma.

Iowa Latino Heritage Festival returns after year off during pandemic

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Latino Heritage Festival is back after being canceled in 2020 and enduring rain in 2019. Festival executive director, Joe Gonzalez, says he’s glad the weather forecast looks good for the weekend. And this year, there are even more sponsors to help make up for two years of lower earnings.

“We find that, you know, that it’s really, really special to us, you know, that there’s so much interest and people want to be a part of it,” Gonzalez says. There are fewer exhibitors at this year’s festival. Gonzalez attributes that to some hesitation with the pandemic. But, he says, that won’t take away from any of the fun and education.

“This time is going to be even a greater learning experience because of taking the time off. And then also because we’re, you know, a little bit smaller than usual.” Tickets for Latino Heritage Festival this weekend in downtown Des Moines are five dollars.

Iowa schools to host visits from Abe Lincoln reinactor

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – An actor who closely resembles the United States’ 16th president will be touring Iowa schools and libraries next month, hoping to inspire students to learn about history as well as the man known as the Great Emancipator. Kevin Wood has spent many years studying Abraham Lincoln, learning all there is to know about him so he can give an accurate portrayal.  “Growing up, I always loved history and I spent six years, my junior high and high school years, in Illinois which, as you probably know, is the Land of Lincoln,” Wood says. “I went to a high school in a town where the courthouse is still standing that Abraham Lincoln practiced law in. That all got me interested in history and Lincoln, in particular.”

As one who rose from obscurity to the highest office in the land, Wood says Lincoln can be an inspiration for students today to likewise dream. “It’s a first-person historical presentation, in character the whole time, even during Q-and-A,” Wood says. “Essentially, Mr. Lincoln will talk about his life and times and he’ll start with a little speech he made out at Gettysburg that you might’ve heard of.”

Wood’s first appearances as Lincoln are scheduled for October 4th in Milford and West Bend, with more scheduled during the month in: Fenton, Swea City, Ringsted, Webster City, Marcus, Manning and Glidden.

Iowa students will quiz astronauts aboard the orbiting space station

News

September 25th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Elementary and middle school students across Iowa will be tuning in to NASA-TV during “watch parties” this (Monday) morning to see if astronauts aboard the International Space Station answer their questions. Sara Nelson, an assistant director at the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, says it’s a very special event for young Iowans who took part in Astro Camps this past summer. “The youth prepared their questions, recorded them and they were sent to NASA,” Nelson says, “and NASA’s TV production company puts them together and then that video is played for the astronauts and they answer live on NASA-TV the questions that the students submitted.”

I-S-S astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will answer the series of questions from the Iowa students, though the kids don’t know which ones are going to air. “It is a surprise for the students. We had about 30 students submit questions and they were mentored by adults to hopefully get a good question out there,” Nelson says. “We had one question that stumped them which was really interesting and they had to get a Nobel laureate to answer it.”

That student’s question involved how to measure and quantify unseen objects in space, a far better query, Nelson laughs, than the typical questions about the use of space toilets. America’s space program is going through an exciting transition in this post-shuttle era and Nelson says the enthusiasm is contagious. “There’s actually been a renewed interest in our Artemis program, the return to the Moon, and then thinking about going to Mars, and of course, some of the recent launches with more civilian-type astronauts being launched,” Nelson says. “We’ve actually had quite a few requests for information and ‘What kind of lessons can I do in my classrooms?’ from teachers.”

The Earth-to-space call will air live starting around 11 A-M Central. Anyone can watch for free via NASA-TV, the NASA app or the NASA channel on YouTube. There is an Iowan in the astronaut corps. Raja Chari is a Cedar Falls native who will command a mission to the ISS that’s scheduled for launch late next month.

Work week ends with fatal crashes in Iowa

News

September 24th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The next to last week of September has ended with at least three fatal accidents (As of Friday). According to the Iowa State Patrol, an accident in Hardin County at around 10:30-a.m. Friday, claimed one life and resulted in injuries to another person. Authorities say a 2011 Chevy Avalanche driven by 18-year-old Alexazander Purman, of Elkader, was traveling east on Highway 20, when it entered the median and continued into the westbound lanes, where the pickup collided head-on with a 2016 Ford Explorer.

Purman was flown by Aircare to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. He was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the SUV, 61-year-old Bryan Harken, of Spencer, was wearing a seat belt but died from his injuries at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

A collision Thursday evening in Jasper County claimed the life of a man on a bicycle. The State Patrol reports a 2017 Ford Escape driven by 19-year-old Halli Kay Versteegh, of Newton, was traveling south on S-74 near Newton at around 7:30-p.m., when it struck a bicyclist who was riding down the middle of the road. 58-year-old Mark Wayne Adkins, of Newton, died from his injuries after being flown to Mercy Hospital, in Des Moines by Mercy Air helicopter.

And, as we reported earlier, the Iowa State Patrol reports a woman was struck and killed by a school bus Thursday morning, in Guttenberg. The Patrol report says 66-year-old Judy Puls, of Guttenberg, was crossing a street when a school bus driven by 73-year-old Ronnie Moser was attempting to make a turn and struck her. Puls died at the scene. No charges have been filed as the State Patrol continues to investigate.