The area’s top news at 7:05-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) – The fifth anniversary of the abduction and killing of two young cousins will be marked by events raising awareness about the unsolved case and teaching lessons about child safety.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports child safety will be the focus of an event on Sunday when DNA samples and fingerprints of children will be taken for free. Workshops on personal safety will also be offered at the Evansdale Community Resource Center.

Ten-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins were taken on July 13, 2012. Their disappearance during a bike ride sparked a massive search that ended tragically when their bodies were discovered on Dec. 5, 2012, in Bremer County.

On July 15, a memorial motorcycle ride from Lofty’s Lounge in Evansdale will be held to remember the girls.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will gather in their boardroom at the courthouse in Atlantic today, to canvass and make official, the votes of the June 27th Special School Election for the Griswold School District. Their meeting takes place at 1-p.m.

The unofficial results of the election last Tuesday, indicated voters in the Griswold Community School District had approved a $9.9-million dollar General Obligation Bond issuance for the district’s facilities. The vote was 589 “Yes” (62.46%) and 354 “No” (37.5%). A 60% super majority was needed for the measure to pass.

The $9.9-million dollar bond issue will help to pay for a new, 33-thousand square foot elementary building onto the south side of the Griswold Middle School/High School campus. The district’s other buildings and students will eventually be consolidated into the one campus location at Griswold.

A recent survey indicates at least a third of Iowans have gone fishing and the number of fishing TOURNAMENTS is growing. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued permits to 617 tournaments last year. “By far the most popular fish in tournaments are bass and bass consistently rank in the top two or three fish and usually the first fish in which anglers in Iowa go after.”

That’s Joe Larscheid, the fisheries bureau chief in the Department of Natural Resources. Tournaments aren’t about catching fish to EAT, however. Nearly all tournaments are “catch and release” events. “We have to make sure they have adequate ‘live wells’ which keep the fish alive while they’re in the tournament and they have good release procedures to ensure that the fish survive.”

Releasing the fish back into the wild makes sure a body of water isn’t depleted of fish by a tournament. “These tend to be very good anglers and they can catch a lot of fish very quickly,” Larscheid says. “The fish go back into the water and it creates a lot of excitement for other anglers to see all these big fish that are caught and subsequently re-released back into the water.”

Larscheid says fishing is part of the state’s tourism industry. “We get celebrities that participate in these tournaments and TV coverage — and things like that — that kind of highlight Iowa’s fisheries,” Larscheid says.

Last year, the state’s fisheries stocked 160 MILLION fish in Iowa waters. Most were walleyes and trout, which Larscheid says don’t reproduce well in Iowa waters. There were SIX fishing tournaments in Iowa this past weekend. Today (Monday), the Hawkeye Bass Anglers Club will hold its tournament on Badger Creek Lake near Van Meter. On Saturday, there are at least 17 fishing events scheduled in Iowa, including an all-night CATFISH tournament on the Little Sioux River at Correctionville.

For a complete list of tournaments, click on this link:   http://www.americanfishingcontests.com/contest/List.aspx?Rank=Month&Month=7&State=IA&Page=1

A national survey was conducted six years ago to gauge how many Americans are regularly hunting, fishing and boating. It found 23 percent of IOWANS had gone fishing in a boat. Even more — 36 percent — cast fishing lines from the shore of a lake or river.

(Radio Iowa)

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A roughly $7.2 billion state budget has taken effect in Iowa. The spending plan addresses everything from education funding to health care services. The Republican-controlled Legislature and former Gov. Terry Branstad agreed to funding cuts across state agencies amid lower-than-expected revenue. Fewer Planned Parenthood clinics and increases in tuition at public universities are among the impacts of the new budget. The budget took effect Saturday.

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say four people on motorcycles died Saturday after vehicle crossed the center line of Western Nebry aska highway. The Nebraska State Patrol is trying to determine what caused the accident on U.S. Highway 26 south of Lake McConaughy Saturday morning.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo family is opposing plans by a hotel developer that would remove their family’s name from the city’s downtown convention center. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls reports that Leslie Hospitality of Omaha, Neb., plans to buy and rename the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center as the Waterloo Convention Center. Five Sullivan brothers were among nearly 700 sailors who died when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the USS Juneau in 1942. City Council will have a public hearing on the matter July 17.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man has been charged with child endangerment after police say he caused a serious brain injury in his 5-month-old baby. The Globe Gazette reports that 27-year-old Jeremy Walter Rose was arrested Thursday night and charged with child endangerment resulting in serious injury. Officers and medics were called to a house June 22 for a report of an infant having difficulty breathing. Doctors have told police the baby’s injuries indicate abuse. The baby remains hospitalized

Red Oak Police report a man was arrested Sunday afternoon on a burglary charge. 30-year old Benjamin William Hrabik, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Burglary in the 3rd Degree at around 2:10-p.m. in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street. Hrabik was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

Multiple media outlets reported at around mid-day today (Sunday), that three people were injured when a semi rolled over at around 7:30-a.m., Sunday. The accident happened on Interstate 80 and the south expressway, in Council Bluffs. At least one person was trapped in the wreckage for a time, while rescue crews worked to extract them and treat the injured. As of 3:30-p.m., no names had been released. The accident remained under investigation.

This story will be updated in a future post, as information is released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A roughly $7.2 billion state budget has gone into effect in Iowa. The spending plan was approved by a Republican-controlled Legislature and former Gov. Terry Branstad. It addresses everything in state government from education funding to health care services. But lower-than-expected revenue meant lawmakers agreed to a range of funding cuts across state agencies.

Those cuts have come into sharper focus since the legislative session was adjourned in April. Fewer Planned Parenthood clinics and increases in tuition at public universities are among the impacts of the new budget. Funding for services that help victims of domestic and sexual violence will also be cut.

Republicans say they tried to balance the budget while investing in priorities and essential government services. The new plan took effect Saturday.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of three people on separate charges, Saturday. A little after 3-p.m., 42-year old April Marie Montello, of Shenandoah, was arrested in the 600 block of E. Oak Street, on warrants out of Page County for Theft in the 5th Degree and Violation of Probation. Her bond was set at $1,300.

Red Oak Police arrested 31-year old Brian Paul Anderson, of Red Oak, at around 5:20-p.m., Saturday, for Simple Assault. Bond was set at $300.

And, at around 8:20-p.m., 47-year old Shelby Joann Olivares, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 200 block of N. 2nd Street, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. Her bond was set at $300.

MONTICELLO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say the pilot of a small aircraft that crashed about 50 yards from a runway at Monticello Regional Airport has been killed.

The Monticello Police Department says on its Facebook page that the Jones County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center was notified about the crash by a resident at 4:04 p.m. Saturday. First responders located the single-engine aircraft in a cornfield adjacent to the runway. Police say the unidentified pilot was the only occupant.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating.