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

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

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Red Oak Police report two men were arrested early Friday morning, after authorities received a report of shots fired in the 600 block area of Riverview Avenue, on the southwest side of Red Oak. The initial call that came in a little after 12-a.m. Friday, made it sound as if there had been an exchange of gunfire at that location. A preliminary investigation determined 36-year old Neil Todd Batten, of Red Oak, and 25-year old Kendall Brian Kuhlman, of Glidden, got into a verbal confrontation that escalated into the discharge of weapons.

Authorities say Kuhlman, who is Batten’s ex-brother in law, fired a round from a .20-gauge shotgun, into the air. Batten then fired three rounds from a .12-gauge shotgun, which was loaded with bird shot, into the driver’s side door of a 1998 Ford Explorer, which caused the driver’s side door window to be blown out, and the driver’s seat head rest and door panel to be riddled with birds shot. Police said “Fortunately, Kendall Brian Kulhman was not inside the [vehicle]…and was not hurt.”

Kuhlman retreated to the east of the residence, while Batten went back inside the home at 604 Riverview Drive. Both men dialed 9-1-1 to report the incident, which started over some text messages involving “family dynamics.” Batten faces felony charges that include Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Assault while participating in a felony, as well as misdemeanor charges of Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon (Aggravated misdemeanor), and Reckless use of a firearm (Simple misdemeanor). He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Kuhlman faces simple misdemeanor charges of Reckless Use of a Firearm, and Interference with official acts. His cash bond was set at $300.

Red Oak Police were assisted at the scene by deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Police in Red Oak, Friday night, arrested 45-year old Jason Ludwig Reents, of Clarinda. Reents was taken into custody for Public Intoxication. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on a $300 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

ADAIR COUNTY, Iowa (ISP) – Two teens from Winterset died, an adult female and a child were injured, during a head-on collision Friday afternoon, in eastern Adair County. The teens died at the scene. The child was seriously injured and flown by helicopter to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, while its mother was transported to the hospital in Greenfield. The crash happened at around 3:40-p.m. on a gravel road northeast of Hebron.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Democratic Party is agreeing to recount the tallies in about two dozen of more than 1,600 precincts as part of the ongoing process to resolve the weeks-long question of who won Iowa’s tarnished presidential caucuses. Campaign officials for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders asked for a combined 23 precincts to be recounted after the state party invited campaigns to request recounts in light of results of a recanvass which showed Buttigieg finishing a tiny fraction of a percentage point ahead of Sanders in the delegate equivalency.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Raw beef will soon be arriving on U.S. shores from Brazil again, a move by the Trump administration that has roiled U.S. beef and food safety groups. A U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service spokeswoman confirms a 2017 ban on Brazilian imports was lifted Friday. The agency says Brazil’s inspection system is now equivalent to the U.S. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says it has continued quality concerns. Food safety group Food & Water Watch Action says there’s no way for consumers to know if hamburgers contain meat from a country with a checkered food safety history.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — West Des Moines police say the death of a man whose body was found frozen in ice doesn’t appear to be a criminal act. Investigators on Friday were still trying to identify the body found Tuesday in a ditch along a road that runs parallel to Interstate 80. The body is that of a middle-age man. Police are working with the State Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the body and determine the cause of death.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A man who authorities say shot at his landlord and a police officer has been arrested in eastern Iowa’s Delaware County. Court records say Kenneth Noble is charged with attempted murder. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press. Police say a landlord in Manchester had asked for an officer to stand by while the landlord entered an apartment Thursday to make repairs. Police say Noble was inside, and he shot at the landlord. Police say he missed but then shot at and missed the officer, who fired back and also missed. Noble soon was taken into custody.

Rescue crews in Adair County have responded for the second time in two days, to a fatal accident. The Iowa State Patrol reports two teens from Winterset died, a minor child and an adult from Orient were injured, during a collision Friday afternoon northeast of Hebron. Officials say a 1999 Ford Escort driven by a 16-year old was traveling east on 260th Street at around 3:40-p.m., just east of Winding Avenue, when the car collided head-on with a 2017 Dodge Durango, driven by 26-year old Marriah Love, of Orient. The accident happened as Love was traveling westbound on 260th.

The vehicles collided in the center of the gravel road at the crest of a hill. The driver of the Ford and a 15-year old passenger in the vehicle suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Their names were not immediately released.

Marriah Love suffered minor injuries and was transported by private vehicle to the Adair County Hospital, in Greenfield. A 3-year old rear seat passenger child in her vehicle suffered serious injuries, and was transported by LifeFlight to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. All of the victims were wearing seat belts. The accident remains under investigation.

As we previously reported, the other head-on crash happened early Thursday morning, east of Greenfield. 47-year old Darrell Wain Smith, of Winterset died in a crash on Highway 92, east of Greenfield, after his pickup crossed the center line of the road and collided with an International truck driven by a man from Corning. 44-year old Jeremy Criswell Houck, of Corning, was seriously injured in the crash and flown to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Both men were wearing their seat belts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Democratic Party is agreeing to recount the tallies in about two dozen of more than 1,600 precincts as part of the ongoing process to resolve the weeks-long question of who won Iowa’s tarnished presidential caucuses. Campaign officials for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders asked for a combined 23 precincts to be recounted after the state party invited campaigns to request recounts in light of results of a recanvass which showed Buttigieg finishing a tiny fraction of a percentage point ahead of Sanders in the delegate equivalency.

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds says a state board has recommended an appropriate compromise on the amount of the key chemical that should be allowed in the cannabis products licensed for sale in Iowa. “I’m comfortable with where the board ended up,” Reynolds says, “so they just met and I think that might be similar to the House bill just passed through committee.”

The state board that oversees Iowa’s medical marijuana program last Friday recommended a four-and-a-half gram limit on the amount of T-H-C in cannabis products. T-H-C is the chemical that advocates say provides relief for a variety of medical ailments.  “It doesn’t mean that in the future this is where it has to end,” Reynolds says, “but I think that’s pretty significant progress.” The board also recommended setting NO T-H-C limit for terminally ill patients and allowing others to buy higher T-H-C amounts if they have a doctor’s recommendation to do so.

“That was a compromise that was made by the Cannabidiol Board. They’re listening to individuals that are listening to individuals who are impacted and all of the stakeholders involved in it,” Reynolds says. “…I think that’s appropriate…and I’m comfortable with that.” Reynolds made her comments today (Friday) during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs this (Friday) evening on Iowa P-B-S.

A Senate committee this week approved a bill that would allow a far higher amount of T-H-C in medical cannabis products sold in Iowa. Lawmakers in both the Senate AND the House say they’ve been waiting for the governor to publicly state what level would be acceptable to her, since Reynolds vetoed a bill on the topic last year.

(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa State University study looks at why those who cook meth not only consider it a crime but also — a lucrative job. Lead author Jacob Erickson, in the I-S-U sociology department, says researchers did extensive interviews with more than 30 meth cooks, most of them in halfway houses or assisted living facilities. Erickson says the goal was to learn about meth cooks’ motivations — to help with prevention and rehabilitation efforts.

“Many of them initially suggested that being able to produce meth and getting money from selling that meth was a reward in its own right,” Erickson says. “The meth cooks also really enjoyed what we refer to as intangible rewards, things like increased social status among their peers, as you might guess.” Erickson says the study offers insight into the world of meth production and an understanding of why cooks chose this lifestyle.

“Some of them really developed a level of pride, viewing the way they cook meth as being superior to the way other people cook meth, viewing proper measurements or the use of glass tools versus plastic tools,” Erickson says. “Various things that to you or I might seem inconsequential or nonsensical, but to them, in their minds, were very important.” Many of those questioned had held legitimate jobs, but said the lifestyle and mental effects of the drug made it difficult to stay employed.

Some admitted making serious mistakes on the job, including car crashes and injuring co-workers. Erickson says cooking meth takes a critical toll on every aspect of a person’s life. “Socially, economically, biophysically, obviously using meth is very hard on them physically, being when they’re cooking meth they’re around noxious chemicals and gases,” Erickson says. “Socially, it breaks down and erodes family connections. Oftentimes, many of them lose their ability to maintain steady employment.”

Researchers say many of the former meth cooks were from low-income backgrounds with limited educations, which may have influenced their decision to start using meth. The I-S-U report is being published in the Justice Quarterly journal.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — West Des Moines police say the death of a man whose body was found frozen in ice doesn’t appear to be a criminal act. Investigators identified the man Friday as 42-year-old Yohanes Gebrehiwot, of Des Moines. He was reported missing on Feb. 13. His body was found Tuesday in a ditch along a road that runs parallel to Interstate 80. Police are working with the State Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.