More area and state news from Ric Hanson.

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(Creston, Iowa) –  A call about a disturbance at a bar early this (Friday) morning, in Creston, resulted in the arrest of an Adair County man. Creston Police say 63-year-old Timmie Lee Schultz, of Greenfield, was arrested at the Montgomery Street Pub at around 12:10-a.m.  Schultz was charged with Disorderly Conduct and Interference with Official Acts. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $600 bond.

The broadcast News from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – Halloween is next weekend and many Iowans are celebrating early this weekend at costume parties. Juanita Cameron, with the Theatrical Shop in West Des Moines, says these next eight days will be their busiest of the year as shoppers seek out an alter ego. Cameron says, “Since COVID kind of stifled some of the newer movies that were coming out, everybody’s falling back on their old-time favorite characters, especially superheroes.” The caped crime-fighters who were first made famous in comic books remain top costume sellers.  “A lot of people are asking for Superman and Batman,” she says. “There’s been a few Aquaman or some of those others, but basically Batman and Superman.”

Girls and women are also returning to more mainstream costumes.  “They have the princesses. They’re really coming in for those,” Cameron says. “Some people are even going down to be, since it’s sports season, ‘I want to be a cheerleader!” Theme parties are evidently gaining in popularity this season — whether it’s centered on the 1980s, the Munsters or even “come as your favorite space alien.”  “I had a call where a person is going to a ’20s theme party. He wanted a gangster suit because his date was going as a flapper,” she says. “There are a lot of families getting together because some of them are conscious of being around a lot of other people.”

Superhero costumes (Via Pinterest)

Cameron says business at the store is refreshingly busy, compared with last year when sales slumped due to COVID.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal agency that regulates banks has issued civil fines against the former C-E-O of a Fairfield bank and a senior vice president who was responsible for about half of the bank’s portfolio of loans. According to a news release from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Jared Schultz made unauthorized loans to a business partner when he was a senior vice president for the First National Bank of Fairfield and loaned money to bank customers who bought cattle Schultz owned.

Schultz was also accused of inflating collateral statements and making unauthorized loans. The agency concluded that over a roughly 33 month period, the bank suffered one-point-two million dollars in losses due to Schultz’s actions. Schultz has been ordered to pay a 144-thousand dollar fine. Pat Hurley, the bank’s former president and C-E-O, has been ordered to pay a 16-thousand dollar fine for failing to ensure Schultz was engaged in safe and sound banking practices and avoiding conflicts of interest.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democrats are calling on Republicans in the legislature to approve the second plan to establish new boundaries for congressional districts as well as districts for Iowa House and Senate seats. The redistricting plan was produced by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency and state law does not allow lawmakers to amend this second plan. Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn of Ames is also a member of the Iowa House.

“It’s vitally important that we keep our current process free of political interference, to ensure that all Iowans have a voice,” Wilburn says. “Iowans deserve fair redistricting…and, most importantly, without any added amendments.” If the Republican-led legislature rejects Plan two for redistricting in a special session next Thursday, lawmakers would be able to amend the third plan produced by the Legislative Services Agency. Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says the agency addressed the concerns Republicans raised about the first plan and Plan two meets legal and constitutional requirements.

“Senate Democrats will vote for it and legislative Republicans should join us in voting for fair, non-partisan maps,” Wahls says. “…Approving this fair, non-partisan redistricting plan is in the best interest of both parties and, more importantly, it will be the best outcome for all Iowans.” House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights is calling on Republican lawmakers to ensure redistricting is the only subject legislators vote on next Thursday. Groups opposed to vaccine mandates are asking Republicans to pass a state law forbidding those kind of requirements and Konfrst says there are rumors a bill on the topic may be introduced next Thursday.

“That’s why we’re trying to make it as clear as possible that we believe Republican leadership should keep their word from the first session and ensure that all we do is focus on redistricting,” Konfrst says. “January’s not too far away. There’s plenty of time to talk about issues the legislature should or should not consider.” The 2022 Iowa legislative session is scheduled to start on January 10th. Democrats held an online news conference Thursday afternoon.

Republican legislative leaders issued written statements, thanking the Legislative Services Agency for the quick turn around on a second plan and saying they’re reviewing the maps to see if the districts are fair.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Transportation has been putting up new signs at intersections and interchanges on state highways to try and prevent more people from going the wrong way. D-O-T traffic safety engineer, Willey Sorenson, says it started with a study along Highway 30 near Ames around 10 years ago. It then expanded with the gathering of lots of information.

“So we kind of have started from nothing and grew a statewide database. And we ranked all 467 interchanges that we have in Iowa,” Sorenson says. They started with an intersection ranking guide from the University of Auburn that used crashes, volume of traffic, proximity to liquor stores, and the type of interchange. He says they added 9-1-1 wrong-way calls during the day that didn’t involve a crash.

“If you can measure the people who are going the wrong way during the daytime — it will help us find the hot spots of where they are going during the nighttime,” he explains. Sorenson also included G-P-S navigation in his data — as some drivers follow them to the word.

“I’ve actually documented a couple of locations where it will say ‘turn right in on thousand feet.’ Well, some drivers don’t necessarily know if that ramp is at 500 feet — they may turn down that ramp the wrong way. So, there’s a component of that,” according to Sorenson. He says around 90 percent of people realize they are going the wrong way and turn around within 500 to one thousand feet of making the mistake.

“We put out 62 cameras that actually have the ability to kind of detect a wrong-way driver and then record it and then send us an alert that documents it….so it has helped us to come up with some better numbers. And to see if the treatments that we did do work — because if they didn’t work — we need to do something else,” Sorenson says. He says the signs go along with pavement markings that are designed to make it very clear you are going the wrong way.

He says the signs are the same ones they’ve used in the past — but they are larger, more strategically placed, and aimed to catch a driver’s attention. The intersections on Highway 30 where you cross two lanes to get to the lanes on the other side going the opposite direction were some of the problem areas. Sorenson says these “grade level” crossings on other sections of highway also got new signage.

“The Iowa 60 corridor way up in northwest Iowa to Sioux City, the diagonal is one corridor, and then Highway 30 is in that grade, and Highway 163 on the east side of Des Moines, we did some signage enhancement there,” he says. Sorenson says they will go beyond signs if they find wrong-way drivers are still an issue. In one Highway 30 intersection, they put in an acceleration lane.

“We did all kinds of signage, but there were still people going the wrong way, so we kind of changed that environment, we built this acceleration lane.” Sorenson says. “We did that last year and I off the top of my head I think we have not had a wrong-way driver on that one since that. We were averaging one a month or every two months — I think that worked.” Sorenson says they will be around 50 percent complete getting the new wrong way markings and signs in by Thanksgiving.

(Harrison County,  Iowa) – In update to our earlier report on the death of a student with the Tri-Center School District, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Thursday, said 17-year-old Seth Pauley, of Persia, died at the scene of a single-vehicle accident that occurred at around 8-a.m., Wednesday, southeast of Persia.

Authorities say the teen was driving a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad-Cab pickup westbound on 315th Street near Winston Avenue, when the vehicle went out of control as it was traveling downhill toward the T-intersection with Winston Avenue. The pickup began swerving back and forth, leaving visible tire marks within the gravel on the roadway. The vehicle eventually rolled over and entered into the south ditch off of 315^th Street, just west of Winton Avenue.

Seth Pauley was ejected from the pickup, which came to rest on its wheels, pinning Pauley underneath the rear axle. He was extricated from underneath the vehicle and found to be unresponsive with no pulse. Life-saving measures were taken on scene without success.

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Rescue, Persia Rescue, Medivac, Minden Rescue, LifeNet Helicopter and Harrison County Medical Examiner.

(Radio Iowa) – Plan two for reconfiguring Iowa’s congressional and legislative districts has been delivered and, if approved by the legislature next week, it could pit two incumbent members of the U.S. House against one another. Congresswomen Cindy Axne, a Democrat, lives in West Des Moines. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller Meeks, a Republican, lives in Ottumwa. Both of their homes are in the proposed third congressional district. That sets up a potential incumbent-versus-incumbent race for reelection in 2022 if neither moves. Axne has said she’s also considering a run for governor rather than pursuing a third term in the U.S. House.

The legislature will convene in special session next Thursday to vote on the second plan for redistricting. This process happens after every Census, to redraw the boundaries for Iowa’s congressional districts as well as the 150 state legislative districts to reflect population changes.

If Plan two for redistricting is approved, none of Iowa’s four members of the U.S. House live in the new first congressional district. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion lives i the proposed second district. Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull, a Republican, lives in the proposed fourth congressional district.

ATLANTIC, IA (October 21, 2021) – Produce in the Park’s holiday farmers markets have been scheduled for the 2021-2022 season, and Produce in the Park is now accepting vendor applications for all holiday markets. This year, four holiday markets will be held at the Cass County Community Center: Harvest Market (Nov. 22, the Monday before Thanksgiving), Christmas Market (Dec. 23), Sweetheart Market (Feb. 12), and Spring Celebration Market (April 16, the day before Easter).

These markets are scheduled just before holidays, so customers can pick up local produce, baked goods, and meats to enjoy at their holiday meals. The markets also offer seasonal decorations, candles, soaps, and gifts by local crafters and artisans. Vendor spaces are now available for all holiday markets, and local farmers, bakers, artisans or crafters are invited to apply. Vendors interested in participating in holiday markets can find details and registration forms online at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com, or at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. Vendors who register for all four holiday markets by November 1, 2021 will receive a discount.

While Harvest Market has been a long-standing tradition, Christmas Market, Sweetheart Market, and Spring Celebration Market were just introduced last year. Strong sales and positive customer feedback about the markets and the opportunity to pre-order products led Produce in the Park to seek sponsorships for the additional holiday markets, and the online ordering system. Produce in the Park is committed to offering online pre-ordering at all four holiday markets this season.

Holiday farmers markets are sponsored by the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, First Whitney Bank and Trust, Camblin Mechanical, Cass County Tourism, and Cass County Farm
Bureau. Harvest Market is also being sponsored by Lindeman Tractor, and Christmas Market is being sponsored by Meyer & Gross. Christmas Market online shopping is being sponsored by
Smith Land Service. Produce in the Park is seeking additional sponsors for Sweetheart and Spring Celebration Markets, as well as online shopping sponsors for all markets except
Christmas. Businesses and organizations interested in sponsorship should contact Market Manager Brigham Hoegh at produceintheparkatlanticiowa@gmail.com or 712-249-5870.
A full list of holiday market event details, vendors, and information on pre-ordering will be available online at the Produce in the Park website www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com
closer to the market dates. Follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/) for the latest information.