The 8:05-a.m. Newscast, w/Ric Hanson.

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The latest area news at 7:07-a.m., from Ric Hanson.

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The teenage driver of a pickup truck died Monday afternoon in eastern Iowa’s Jones County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 16-year-old Lincoln John Gravel, of Wyoming, Iowa, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene, after the vehicle he was driving went out of control and entered a ditch, where it struck a utility pole.

The accident happened at around 2:50-p.m. as the teen was traveling eastbound on Jones County Highway E-45. Multiple agencies assisted at the accident scene.

(Radio Iowa) – John Deere is known for its green tractors and combines but is celebrating the anniversary of its first backhoe loader introduced 50 years ago in 1971. Deere Product Manager, Brian Hennings, says the loader on the front and excavator on the back, and the ability to drive it to and from job sites makes it popular. “The machine is really one of the most versatile pieces of equipment out on a job site. Some compare it to a Swiss army knife of construction equipment,” Hennings says.

The company makes backhoe loaders in Dubuque, Iowa, plus Brazil and China. Hennings says the general concept has stayed the same since 1971 — but nearly everything else has changed — including the engines, hydraulic systems, and transmissions to keep the machine a valuable tool. ” It can load trucks, it can stockpile materials, trench with the rear structure, dig holes and access utilities and other types of underground surfaces then you can turn it right around and backfill into the trenches,” Hennings says.

Deere does not reveal sales and production figures, but will say prices for its seven models range from 114-thousand to 222-thousand dollars. Deere has begun testing its first electric model, but any large-scale production is still some years away.

A woman from Adams County was arrested Monday night in Red Oak, on an Adams County warrant for Failure to Appear, on three felony counts of perjury. 42-year-old Joleen Mary Most, of Carbon, was also arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Barred charge in Adams County. She was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of Des Moines Area Community College says the institution’s insurance company continues to negotiate with hackers who shut down DMACC’s computer networks on June 2nd. Rob Denson says it does not appear any accounts were compromised. “Our insurance company is talking to the threat actor. We’re not a part of that discussion at this point,” They want to make sure they don’t tell us anything that we might share that could impact the status of any negotiations, but again we’ve not seen anything or been told of anything that’s of any real significance.”

Denson says it was a ransomware attack, but DMACC did not pay a ransom and has relied upon its insurer to handle the details. “They brought in all kinds of attorneys, consultants that have worked with us and have been through many, many of these,” Denson says. “at all. We had passwords and some emails that we believe were impacted. We’ve just reset all of those.” Experts have gone through six-thousand DMACC computers, searching for malicious software, but Denson says none was found.

Denson made his comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs this Friday on Iowa P-B-S. DMACC cancelled online classes on June 3rd and wound up closing the entire campus on June 4th due to the security breach. In-person classes resumed five days later, but online classes didn’t start back up until last week.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents will consider a proposal for tuition increases at the three state universities in a meeting Thursday. The board staff is proposing a three-point five percent increase in undergrad resident tuition at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University — with a one-point-five percent increase at the University of Northern Iowa.

The proposal also raises mandatory fees by 53 dollars at the U-I, 36 dollars at I-S-U, and holds fees the same at U-N-I. The Board of Regents requested an increase of 18 million dollars and a restoration of eight million dollars from the Iowa Legislature this year — but lawmakers held the line with no increase in funding.

The proposal would increase out-of-state tuition by the same as in-state at the U-I, raise it 906 dollars at I-S-U and 273 dollars at U-N-I.

(Radio Iowa) – Trees Forever will be hosting an online seminar over the noon hour today (Tuesday) to showcase Iowa’s tallest trees. Jeff Jensen, an Iowa field coordinator for Trees Forever, says these trees dwarf the landscape. “We were able to secure Mark Rouw,” Jensen says. “He’s kind of known as the ‘big tree expert’ here in Iowa. He’s been all over the state.” Rouw keeps a spreadsheet of the state’s tallest trees. Jensen says Rouw will explain how he measures the trees, where he goes to look for them and some of the national champion trees in Iowa.

“And just gives just a really nice overview, including just some fantastic photos,” Jensen says. State officials say Iowa has about three MILLION acres of trees and forest areas. Jensen says while Iowa is known as a tall grass prairie state, it has some tall trees, too. “As you can imagine, for a tree to get real large to be considered a national champion or a state champion, it has to have a very long life,” Jensen says.

Find out more about today’s (Tuesday’s) webinar at www.radioiowa.com. The state’s list of tall trees shows a dozen trees are over 100 feet tall. It includes a sugar maple in Clayton County; a European Alder in Davenport; a Bitternut Hickory and a couple of Black Walnuts in Des Moines; a Black Ash in Anamosa; plus three Yellow Poplars in Indianola, Davenport and Burlington. Three Eastern White Pines in Iowa are among the tallest. One is in Fayette County. The other two are at White Pine Hollow State Preserve in Dubuque County.

Members of the Atlantic Parks and Recreation  Department’s Board of Directors met Monday evening at Cedar Park, and heard from a Boy Scout who made the Bandshell at Sunnyside Park, the subject of his efforts to earn his Eagle Scout badge. Talon Gaines said he and others first raked away all the old mulch and threw it away. Next up was edging around the area to prepare it for new mulch. New holes were dug for the planting of flowers that will bloom every year. New dirt was also added. He’s been making sure the new plants are watered on a consistent basis. The bandshell has been used by nearly a dozen organizations so far this year, for their various special events.

In other business, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said the waterless restroom at the Schildberg Recreation Area has been vandalized by fireworks, ripping things up and the smearing of feces. As a way to try and find who the culprits are and deter others from thinking they can get away with vandalism, the Parks Dept., Bryant said, is working with Nishna Net to get a camera surveillance system set up. There will be three different cameras monitoring the parking lot, shelter and waterless restroom. AMU, he said, has sunk a pole to mount the cameras, and Berg Electric was working on the electric hookups, Monday. The final step is to have Nishna Net sync the cameras in with their program. Rasmussen said there are other cameras already in place to cover separate areas of the park, including the campground and trail.

With regard to Sunnyside Pool, Rasmussen said ACCO came out and determined the leakage the pool was experiencing that caused a delay in its opening, was not a structural problem. It was a problem with the caulk drying out, apparently from lack of use last year, due to COVID. The pool has been open since last Thursday, and seeing good attendance numbers.  Bryant said the Parks & Rec Department has two programs underway this summer: Tennis and Swimming.

Art in the Park takes place every Wednesday from 9-until 10-a.m. About 25 kids show up for the experience each. The next program is this Wed.,  June 23rd, at Cedar Park. This week, they’re building rockets out of 2-liter bottles that they will shoot off next week. Jazzercise at Sunnyside Park  takes place Saturday’s at 8:30-a.m. in Sunnyside Park. The program has some good attendance numbers, but there’s still room for many more people.

Rasmussen said also, they will soon have three kayaks available for use, courtesy a donation from Elkhart Plastics. They will be available as soon as legal waivers are finalized. The user would have to supply their paddle and life jacket. There are approximately 33 other items for you to use, including bicycles, most free of charge. Simply contact the Atlantic Parks and Rec Dept. to make your reservation.  And, the Walkability Maps are almost finished for publication. They will be available at the park kiosks and the Atlantic Chamber, to name a few of the locations.

Unfortunately, Bryant said there wasn’t enough interest to generate co-ed softball games, but there are some other plans in the works to make the activity available through the Parks Dept.  And, the Parks Board extended its gratitude to the Royal Neighbors, Atlantic Rising and Trees Forever, for their efforts to beautify the parks through gardening, and the planting of trees.

(Radio Iowa) – A 17-year-old Des Moines girl has been accusing of driving the get-away vehicle from a murder that happened a year and a half ago. According to police, two groups got into a fight at a downtown Des Moines hotel in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, 2020, but then left the area. Investigators say the 17-year-old girl then drove herself and four friends to confront the opposing group and, shortly before 4 a.m., the girl’s friends got out of the car, walked to a house and one of them fired several gunshots, killing a 14-year-old boy.

Police say the 17-year-old girl then drove the group away from the scene. She’s been charged with first degree murder. Des Moines Police say more arrests are expected.