Atlantic FFA Adviser Eric Miller reports the Iowa FFA Public Speaking Leadership Event was held at Iowa State University, Ames, on Monday, April 23rd, 2018. Twelve individuals, including Emily Saeugling, of Atlantic, participated in this year’s Career Development Event (CDE). Saeugling placed first (Gold) in the individual competition during the event. The second place individual for the event was Brookelyn Harned from the West Liberty FFA Chapter.

Miller says the event is designed to develop rural and agricultural leadership, to provide for member participation in agricultural public speaking activities and to stimulate interest along such lines. The prepared public speaking event requires participants to write and deliver a six-to-eight minute speech in front of a panel of judges. Scoring is based on the written manuscript, the delivery of the speech and the answers to questions. The Iowa FFA Public Speaking CDE was made possible with support from GROWMARK and the 2003-2004 Iowa FFA State Officers through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the names of a woman and boy killed in a Waterloo house fire. Fire officials say 32-year-old Ashley Smith and her son, 9-year-old Jaykwon Sallis, died Sunday. Firefighters found their bodies on the second floor of the home. Three other people escaped. They’ve been identified as 36-year-old Willie Phillips, 31-year-old Teryn Netz and 12-year-old Aubrianna Smith.
The fire cause is being investigated.

An Omaha man already serving time in the Pottawattamie County Jail, was served with a warrant, Monday, for being a Fugitive from Justice, out of Nebraska. 45-year old Michael Christopher O’Conner was read the warrant and then returned to the custody of Corrections Staff, but not before he told authorities he thought he’d already taken care of the Nebraska charges. And, an Omaha woman was arrested Monday afternoon at a hospital in Council Bluffs. 29-year old Jessica Louise Simmons, was wanted on a warrant through Pottawattamie County, for Disorderly Conduct. Simmons was transported from the hospital to the Pott. County Jail, and booked-in.

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

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The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday), released a report on recent arrests. On Sunday, Deputies arrested 28-year old James Joseph Christensen, of Galesburg, IL, on a charge of OWI 1st Offense. Christensen was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance. Last Friday, 25-year old Jake Andrew Hulsebus, of Griswold, was arrested for OWI 1st Offense and Carrying a Weapon While Intoxicated. Hulsebus was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day.

And, on April 19th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 24-year old Courtney Lee Jones, of Stuart, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Jones was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $5,000 bond.

• Stew meat, cut in 1″ pieces
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 2 tablespoons tapioca
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
• 1 small onion, cut in chunks
• 5 medium potatoes (or more)
• 1 cup carrots, cut in chunks
• 1 stalk celery, cut in chunks

Put all above in covered casserole and cook at 275 degrees for five hours.  For soup, add more tomato sauce diluted with water.

(Judy Denham)

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

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BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Siemens says it will be closing its Burlington plant in southeast Iowa by the end of the year. The Hawk Eye reports that the closing was announced Monday will cost about 125 people their jobs. The entire facility will be closed, including the operations of Dresser-Rand. The steam turbine manufacturer has operated in Burlington for nearly 150 years.

Siemens blamed the closing on the need to reduce costs in the face of “competitive pressures in the energy market.” Siemens’ wind turbine plant in Fort Madison will not be affected by cuts in Burlington.

SHENANDOAH, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a Louisiana man whose pickup truck hit a bicyclist who was camping after a ride in Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that 56-year-old Danny Cardin, of Homer, Louisiana, was found guilty of causing serious injury by vehicle but found not guilty of leaving the scene of a serious injury accident. His sentencing in the Fremont County Courthouse is scheduled for May 21.
An Iowa State Patrol report says James Foley, of Jacksonville, Florida, was sleeping in a tent at the 59er Motel & Campgrounds in Shenandoah on the night of July 17, 2016, when the pickup went off the driveway and struck the tent and him. Foley had been participating in the statewide biking event known as RAGBRAI.

Protests are planned in central-Iowa today (Tuesday) as Wells Fargo holds its annual meeting for shareholders. Maurice B.P.-Weeks of the “Action Center on Race and the Economy” says his groups and others have one goal in the protests. “Really to bring attention to and demands to the bank that is out of control with both their size, and their abuse with business practices,” he says. It is the first time the Wells Fargo Board will meet in Des Moines and the event comes on the heels of federal regulators hitting the bank with a one-billion-dollar fine for loan abuses. Wells Fargo has also been fined after workers created millions of fake accounts to gain incentives. B.P-Weeks says his group and others are protesting because of the impact on certain groups. “they are sort of America’s worst bank in many categories,” B.P.-Weeks says, “and many of those categories are targeting black and brown folk.”

B.P-Weeks says they have four demands. “Wells needs to get rid of their entire board of directors and the C-E-O Tim Sloan. They need to break up the bank. Wells needs to pay restitution to all of their various victims across all those different areas of their abusive business practices. And finally, to respect the workers’ right to organize without retaliation,” he says. B.P.-Weeks says they are hoping the company will hear their protest and make changes. “Right now we have a petition that’s going on-line that has at last check has well over 15-thousand signatures,” he says. “We are going to be at a later date delivering that to Wells Fargo. We certainly hope that the board and the C-E-O does respond.”

Wells Fargo has about 16-thousand employees across the state — with the bulk of them working in Des Moines and the surrounding metro area.

(Radio Iowa)