(12-p.m. News) The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests over the past week.

On Saturday, 41-year-old Zachary James Watkins, of Atlantic, was arrested for Interference with official acts.

On Jan. 21^st, 36-year old Ty Daniel Jordan, of Exira, was arrested by Cass County deputies, on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Assault.

And, on January 19th, Cass County deputies arrested 35-year old Robert Benjamin Waite, of Audubon, on a Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for Simple Assault.

All three men were later released on their Own Recognizance.

(Radio Iowa) – Legislators are considering creation of a Cold Case Task Force in the Iowa Department of Public Safety to investigate more than 400 unsolved murders. Representative Marti Anderson of Des Moines was director of the state’s Crime Victim Assistance program for 22 years. “I have know a lot of people who live with a cold case of a parent or child, or a sister or brother, a friend, uncle and this task force will be very helpful to them,” Anderson said.

Anderson said also “I had an employee whose father was found down by Indianola and they have never solved the case and that was 20 years ago and she still is tortured by it.” Representative Jon Thorup, a state trooper from Knoxville, says the plan calls for hiring two agents to investigate murders as well as missing person cases where the person is presumed dead. “When get to the time frame of appropriations, we need to make sure that these positions are funded,” he said, “otherwise that will be basically robbing Peter to pay Paul, by taking probably taking two agents from the Major Crimes unit.”

The bill cleared the House Public Safety Committee this (Thursday) morning. It’s now eligible for debate in the full House.

Our sister station KNOD in Harlan, reports the Earling, Defiance, Harlan and Panama Fire Departments were called to a structure fire at 501 Main Street in Earling this (Thursday) morning. More information will be released later today.

(Photos courtesy Jason Anastasi)

OMAHA, NEBRASKA – January 28, 2021 – Farmland values increased in 2020 across Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, driven largely by gains in the second half of the year. That’s according to a report from Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica). The COVID-19 pandemic shaped much of 2020, and farmland values were no exception. Historic low interest rates following the initial outbreak, higher grain prices and government ad-hoc payments supported a real estate market that has been generally stable the past few years.

The latest report on benchmark farmland values from FCSAmerica marks the first time since 2013 that values have increased in each of the four states served by the financial cooperative. However, values remain well below the record highs of 2013. Many of the same factors that supported farmland values in 2020 remain in place, including low interest rates and opportunities to lock in profits.

Tim Koch, chief credit officer for FCSAmerica,  says “Significant improvement in net farm income, along with a favorable outlook for 2021, has continued to build on the favorable price momentum seen in the second half of 2020, with continued strengthening of real estate values anticipated through the remainder of the current sales season.”

Iowa and Nebraska led the region in overall gains. South Dakota and Wyoming each trended up in the second half of 2020, but South Dakota lagged its neighboring states in year-over-year gains.

State-by-State Changes in Benchmark Farmland Values:

In Iowa, 17 of the benchmark farms tracked by FCSAmerica increased in value. The remaining four saw no change. Fourteen Nebraska benchmark farms saw an increase, three declined in value and one was unchanged. In South Dakota, six farms increased in value; 16 saw no change. Wyoming’s two benchmark farms saw an overall increase. Weakness in grass land values partially off-set the strength reported in cropland values across South Dakota.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports an inmate at the jail, 29-year-old Derek Carl Mullen, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant Wednesday afternoon, for Violation of Probation. Mullen was being held on $10,000 bond, for charges that include Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and Interference with Official Acts. An investigation into a dispatched “Unknown injury accident” Wednesday afternoon near Crescent, resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Matthew Douglas Gilmore, of Council Bluffs. Gilmore faces charges that include Driving While License Denied/suspended, cancelled or revoked, and OWI/2nd offense. He was being held in the Pott. County Jail on a $2,000 bond for the OWI charge.

Tuesday night, 36-year-old Jeannie K. Kleymann, of Harlan, was arrested in Avoca, on a felony warrant for Theft in the 2nd degree, as well as providing false information and possession of contraband in a correctional facility. Her bond was set at $5,000. And, Tuesday morning, jail inmate 36-year-old Joseph Santos Benegas was served with a warrant for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on his Own recognizance from the Pott. County Jail, with a preliminary hearing set for Feb. 4th.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Police in Creston report two arrests took place, Wednesday. At around 10:07-a.m., 29-year old Leopoldo Adan Avalos McGeorge, of Creston, was arrested at his residence, for Domestic Assault. McGeorge was later released on bond from the Union County Jail. And, at around 7:20-p.m., 37-year old Amanda Olivia Jones, of Creston, was arrested at the Dollar General Store on W. Taylor Street, on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Jones was cited and released from the scene, on a Promise to Appear in court.

Creston Police said also, a woman residing in the 400 block of Wyoming Avenue, reported her residence had been vandalized. The damage/loss was estimated at $1,050.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

(Radio Iowa) The state judicial system is preparing to restart jury trials Monday. Trials were first paused at the height of the pandemic in March — then restarted in September — and paused the second time in November as COVID-19 cases were on the increase. Iowa Supreme Court Justice Matthew McDermott was co-chair of the committee that set the guidelines for restarting the first time. “To our knowledge during that period there were not any incidences of COVID spread that came from jury trials,” McDermott says. “We’re optimistic that we can move forward again next week and the months ahead.”

Lawyer Guy Cook is the other co-chair of the committee and says they worked hard to find ways to get things rolling again. “Particularly with respect to picking a jury — that’s when you have the greatest number of people collected,” Cook says. And so, in some courts, the jury selection has been done away from the courthouse in a bigger room where there is greater separation.” He says they looked at having both masks and face shields and determined during trials that masks were the best way to go. Cook says they had two requirements for getting juries picked. “That they be fair and that they be safe. And they’re really connected — because we to ensure that we have the greatest number of people from which to select the jury,” according to Cook. “And the jury panel is not skewed in some negative way. And ensuring that the selection process is as safe as possible is a component of making the process fair.”

The Judicial System has created a public service announcement to explain to jurors what will happen when they are called and chosen to serve. Justice McDermott says there are always exceptions for jurors with issues. He says it is the same during COVID or any other time if someone has a basis for why the cannot serve, the court will consider that and decide if it is valid. Cook says you can be confident in the process. “Folks can rest assured that considerable work has been put in to ensure the process is safe,” he says.

Trials without the need of juries have continued, as have many other court services. Justice McDermott says the pause did back up jury trials — but he is confident they can get back on track again. “Obviously just having a trial date set on the calendar and knowing that it is going to move forward will push parties to think really hard about whether they are actually going to take the case to the trial or whether they are going to resolve it through other means,” according to McDermott. “And what we found in the fall is just having these trials moving forward got some of these cases resolved, moving, and we are hopeful that’ll happen again.”

Cook agrees with that and says it is important to the overall system. “The trials need to go on. It’s not hyperbole to talk about how jury trials really are the cornerstone of our judicial system, of our democracy. They are so important that they are guaranteed by the Constitution,” Cook says. Justice McDermott says are confident heading into the restart. “We’re optimistic, but obviously, we are going to monitor things closely as we have throughout this whole process,” McDermott says. “And if in the future it looks like we have to change course again we will think through those and decide whether that has to happen.”

The district courts in each of Iowa’s 99 counties will institute the measures they need to get their jury trials back underway.