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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!
(Radio Iowa) – Visitors to Iowa’s largest zoo may have to be patient, but they should now be able to spot the newest resident, a tiny brown Japanese macaque. Blank Park Zoo spokesman Alex Payne says the monkey named Taro was born at the Des Moines facility almost a month ago, but they held off making his arrival public until it was clear he’d bonded well with his mom. “It’s actually really important for these animals to connect with their parents, so we give them a little bit of time before we do announce that,” Payne says, “just because there is also a really high infant mortality rate for Japanese macaques.” The name Taro is of Japanese origin, meaning “eldest son.” Payne says the monkey’s birth highlights the zoo’s ongoing commitment to wildlife conservation.
Taro and Anika (Blank Park Zoo photo)
“There is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that we’re a part of in their species survival plan,” Payne says. “Blank Park Zoo is actually the zoo that coordinates that for all the different AZA zoos across the country. We really are excited about this, not just because it’s another birth, but because it’s a species that we are really taking that lead on.” Since the introduction of the species at the zoo in 1985, a total of 46 Japanese macaques have been born there, including Taro’s mother, Anika, who was born in 2014. This is her first baby. Taro is only a few inches tall, so you’ll need to keep a sharp eye out to see him.
“He’ll be close to his mom for the next several weeks, until he starts getting a little bit bigger and can go off and do some more of his own stuff,” Payne says. “You can see him out there just by the carousel, next to the giraffe. He’s definitely a curious little animal. You’ll see him exploring, checking out different sticks and leaves.” Taro is among several new arrivals at the zoo this summer, including AJ, an eastern black rhino, Henri the addax, baby wallabies, and two bamboo sharks.
https://www.blankparkzoo.com/
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, was asked about the impact of the latest round of tariffs on farmers and others during her weekly conference call. “I would say my message to them is President Trump needs to be trusted here. He will not abandon Iowa farmers and our producers and our people because he understands this is about getting the best deal possible for them long term,” Hinson says. Inflation has bumped up a little, but Hinson says things are a lot different in the first six months of the Trump presidency compared to the last four years under Joe Biden. “A direct turnaround from four years of Bidenflation, true rises and prices of over nine percent in some cases and inflation, housing costs over the course of Biden’s presidency skyrocketed through the roof and created a real unaffordability crisis for Iowa families and American families. And you’re starting to see that turn around,” she says.
Cong. Ashley Hinson (File photo from Iowa PBS)
Hinson says she heard directly from representatives of corn and soybean groups in her office Wednesday. “One of the things I think they were in here saying was they were grateful for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that’s going to really be a shot in the arm for them,” Hinson says. “They were specifically thanking me for the foreign market access and market access programs and development dollars that we were able to include.” Hinson says they talked a lot about the trade deals that are moving forward, like the one with the U-K and the announcement about Indonesia, and the potential for one with Vietnam. Hinson was also asked about the effort by a Congressman to force the release of the Epstein files. She says she trusts President Trump and the Attorney General to do the right thing.
“President Biden was president for four years, and if there was something damning in there about President Trump, I think we would all already know it in the mainstream media, would be covering it,” she says. Hinson says the issue is being used as a wedge to divide people and she doesn’t think that’s the right approach.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – All year 4-H, FFA, and Clover Kid members are working hard to develop their talents both in and out of the ring. From practicing showmanship, to keeping their animals healthy, members are dedicated to their livestock projects. Throughout the fair week they have opportunities to show off their hard work from the past year. With events like the Pet Show, Livestock Judging, the Clover Kid Animal Show, and many more. Livestock events run from Thursday afternoon on July 24th with the Horse Show and end with the Livestock Sale on Tuesday July 29th. Many animals will be housed in the barns the entirety of fair so make sure to go check them out or join us during the shows to see all the hard work the youth exhibitors have put in towards their exhibit! See the schedule below with times and places that livestock events will be taking place.
Livestock Schedule
Thursday, July 24th
Friday, July 25th
Saturday, July 26th
Sunday, July 27th
Monday, July 28th
Tuesday, July 29th
(UPDATE: A judge has ruled the trials will be moved out of Monona County to Woodbury County. The trial for Jamie Allen is scheduled to begin on February 3, 2026.)
ONAWA, Iowa (KTIV) – A western Iowa man charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his wife will have his trial moved. The trial of 50-year-old Jamie Allen of Onawa will be granted a change of venue. On the trial’s first scheduled day, potential jurors were given questionnaires. After those questionnaires were reviewed, the defense made a motion for a change of venue. He faces on count of first degree murder in connection with the death of Stacey Allen.
The state resisted the motion for a change, but the court ruled that, based on the extent of knowledge or opinion of the case by prospective jurors, a substantial number of potential jurors could not be impartial.
According to court documents, there would be a substantial likelihood that a fair and impartial trial could not be preserved with a jury selected from Monona County. The judge then dismissed all potential jurors. The trial will be rescheduled to a later date, not yet determined.
The investigation was handled by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which concluded, “On May 10, 2024, at approximately [5:40 p.m.], Jamie Lee Allen, having malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation killed his wife, Stacey Maria Jean Allen, with a firearm, outside of their home.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Insurance Division issued a warning regarding fraudulent Medicare accounts Wednesday. Letters have been sent out to Iowans on Medicare who may have been impacted by the scam. Those impacted will receive a letter stating the following:
“We’re writing to inform you of an incident involving your personal information related to your Medicare.gov account. To help make sure your privacy is protected, we will mail you a new Medicare card with a new Medicare Number in the coming weeks. The incident involved currently unknown bad actors who accessed your data from an unknown source to fraudulently create Medicare.gov accounts. We’re sending you this letter so you understand this incident, how we’re addressing it, and additional steps you can take to protect your privacy. Your current Medicare benefits or coverage aren’t affected by this incident.”
According to a release, 103,000 Medicare beneficiaries across the U.S. have had a fake Medicare.gov account created using their personal information. CMS is working to deactivate affected accounts.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI-TV) — Before the end of the year, Kum & Go will no longer exist anywhere in Iowa. Starting later this week, the beloved convenience store brand will get a makeover, turning every Kum & Go in Iowa into Maverik.
The rebranding comes after the Utah-based Maverik bought the chain from the Krause Group in 2023. Many Kum & Go stores outside of Iowa have already transitioned to Maverik.
The transition begins in western Iowa with the Neola Kum & Go location closing on Friday and reopening as Maverik on Tuesday. Other area Kum & Go stores that will make the transition include:
The first Des Moines metro-area location will close July 25 and open July 29 after undergoing the rebrand. All 96 Iowa Kum & Go locations will be rebranded to Maverik by mid October.
OMAHA, Neb. [KETV] — A Judge in Douglas County, Nebraska has allowed a western Iowa man charged in a fatal July 11th crash, to be released on bond. 22-year-old Christian Stephens, of Earling, will be allowed to live nearly an hour away in rural Iowa while he faces charges. His attorney also requested continuous alcohol monitoring, meaning he’ll report to Omaha twice daily for tests.
The crash occurred at around 2:10-a.m. on July 11th, on westbound I-480 near 14th Street in Omaha. Police said their preliminary investigation revealed a pickup driven by Stephens was traveling the wrong direction on I-480 when it struck a car nearly head-on. The impact caused the car to catch fire.
Stephens posted 10% of a One-million-dollar bond and was released from jail. Prosecutors charged Stephens with two counts of motor vehicle homicide for the deaths of 21-year-old Nicholas “Nico” Humbert and 15-year-old Adrianna Estrada.
He’s also charged with three more counts of DUI causing serious injury — to two teenage girls in the Buick Sedan he’s accused of crashing into, and a passenger in his Ford pickup.
(Radio Iowa) – Next week’s RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa — will cross into a neighboring state for the first time in the event’s 52 year history. Monday’s route from Milford to Estherville includes a 15 mile stretch in Jackson County, Minnesota. Ryan Krosch, the county’s administrator, has been in charge of planning to host over 10-thousand bicyclists. “I had heard of RAGBRAI, but I did not realize how large of an event it was…I was a little overwhelmed, but we pulled together a lot of volunteers and staff to greet the bicyclists and looking forward to the opportunity showcase Minnesota and Jackson County.”
Over 20 food and beverage vendors will be set up at a local park. “Brown Park South is just north of the Iowa border and is nestled between two lakes,” Krosch said, “Pearl Lake and Loon Lake.” Krosch says riders will be invited to use Pearl Lake to carry a RAGBRAI tradition into another state. “The bicyclists will be able to take their bikes and dip that into Minnesota waters,” Krosch says. Ceremonial tire dipping has been part of RAGBRAI for years.
Many cyclists start the route on the western edge of Iowa by dipping a tire in the Missouri River and ending seven days later in eastern Iowa with a tire dip in the Mississippi. Krosch will be working with his staff and local law enforcement to make sure the bicyclists have a smooth ride through Jackson County — and he’s not at all tempted to join the two wheeling. “I’m not a bicyclist, but I do actually have an uncle here in Minnesota who is participating,” Krosch says, “so looking forward to seeing all the folks come and hope they have a good time.”
Iowa State Patrol Trooper Kevin Krull says there’s been a good deal of communication to law enforcement agencies up north about how to direct traffic when thousands of bicyclists pedal up north. “The nice part is it’s only going to be one county, so it’s basically dealing with one county’s sheriff’s department and the state patrol in that area,” Krull said. “We’re going to pass the ride off to them and they’re going to assist while they’re in Minnesota and then they’ll pass them back off when they come back in.”
Krull is one of 14 state troopers who coordinate with local law enforcement to direct traffic along the RAGBRAI route. “I remember that one year I was at the bottom of a large hill near a four-lane highway. It was definitely a workout to make sure that the riders were all safe and that nobody got hurt,” he says. “…With us being there, it notifies the riders that, ‘Hey! There’s a change. Be prepared!’…If nothing else, a lot of the state patrol officers that are doing traffic control will have a music selection for you to listen to.”
A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety says some troopers will have a radio tuned to a local music station, but Krull and a partner who’ve been directing RAGBRAI traffic for years develop their own play list.
WINTERSET, Iowa — The chairwoman of the Madison County Supervisors, Heather Stancil, has filed a lawsuit against Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes. Her action comes as Stancil is under investigation following a Facebook comment that raised concerns of election misconduct and voter intimidation. According to KCCI-TV, the lawsuit claims that Barnes “violated procedures in Iowa law that requires him to investigate alleged election misconduct at the direction of the attorney general, not on his own initiative, and to keep any report of his investigation confidential.”
The investigation stems from a Facebook post made by Stancil in response to a petition for a special election, instead of appointing to fill the county auditor’s position. In her comment, Stancil stated that if a special election were held, she would “work to find ways to offset that additional cost to taxpayers by shrinking government.”
On Monday, the Madison County Sheriff said that the sheriff’s office is fully aware of the online public statement and that the statement and a preliminary investigation were forwarded to the Iowa Attorney General’s office.
Stancil’s attorney does not have any public comment outside of the complaint.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, discussed recent changes to the law, with regard to setting the size limits of fireworks used within the City, and hours of sale for fireworks. In his City Council Agenda notes, City Administrator John Lund has said there are two questions that have been raised as the result of recent legislative action: “Does the City have the authority to set size limits for fireworks within the City?,” and “Can the City set business hours for the sale of fireworks?”
He said according to Iowa League of Cities Deputy Director of Services Mickey Shields, the Legislature intends to prevent local governments from placing restrictions specifically on fireworks vendors. While a city may have some leeway to regulate general business hours through zoning ordinances, such regulations must apply broadly and not single out specific types of businesses, such as those selling fireworks. Even then, Shields advised caution, given the current legal landscape surrounding fireworks sales and state law. Regarding the size and type of fireworks, Shields said a section of the Iowa Code outlines general restrictions on what qualifies as “consumer fireworks” and includes provisions for other categories. He said also, the State Fire Marshal has authority over what vendors can sell through the state’s permitting and licensing process.
Atlantic CC meeting, 7-16-25
A citizen of Atlantic voiced his displeasure with the way some of his neighbors have been using fireworks, and the resulting debris left on his property, along with the danger of a fire starting on his outdoor furniture and deck caused by the reckless use of fireworks.
He said it essentially boils down to being respectful of your neighbor and aware of the costly danger in using fireworks.
No action was taken by the Council during their meeting. In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed the second reading of an amended ordinance with regard to “Parking Violations.” The Ordinance (#1060) says “Uncontested Violations of parking restrictions…shall be charged upon a simple notice of a fine, payable at the office of the City Clerk.” The fine amounts to $30 for all violations EXCEPT snow route parking violations and improper use of a persons with disabilities parking permit. Those fines are $50 and $100, respectively. Any fines not paid within 30 days, will be increased by $20.
The Atlantic City Council passsed also, a Resolution “Assessing unpaid fees and costs to property taxes,” in cases where City employees have to deal with property cleanup and mowing, nuisance abatements, emergency services or utility disconnections, or other municipal services performed, due to non-compliance by the property owner. There are currently 10 properties where fees amounting to a total of $10,903.28 have not been paid.
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