Two women were arrested on Theft charges Monday, in Creston. Authorities say 23-year old Haley Vandel, of Creston, was arrested Monday afternoon for Theft in the 4th Degree. She was later released from the Union County Jail on $300 bond. And, late Monday night, 29-year old Amber Buchanan, of Creston, was arrested for Theft in the 4th degree. She was later released on $1,000 bond.

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

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The Griswold School District’s Facilities Committee, Monday evening, shared their first update on options for the current facilities. Officials say the Committee’s original mission, was to look at three options. They shared with the Board that they would like to focus on two possibilities, and table “Option B,” at this time. Specifically “Option B” was to consolidate the elementary buildings into one building: either Lewis or Elliott.

Their focus is now shifting into looking at cost savings of the remaining two options and their academic, financial and community benefits, determining which option would best serve the district and our students. The Committee will meet again this Thursday evening, and will continue to meet, reporting to the board again in November.

An open forum meeting will then take place with the board in January.

Come out to the Montgomery County Show Arena on the Montgomery County Fair Grounds at the Legion Park (4th Street) Red Oak, IA on Sunday, October 23rd, 2016 at 12:30PM for the 2016 Mystery Drop! There will be light refreshments and music that will start at 12:30PM and the “The Big Drop” will be at 1PM. Light refreshments will be provided by the YMCA Auxiliary Club and music from DJ Greg Brower. Major sponsor and helicopter provided by Johnson Helicopter Services of Red Oak, IA—THANK YOU JHS!!

This is a great way to support the Y’s scholarship programs, program activities, as well as additional facility enhancements and funding for “The Y. For a better us.” program, all while enjoying fun, fellowship, and a chance to win up to $5,500!

It doesn’t take much to win—just purchase a ticket and wait for the MYSTERY SURPRISE FROM THE SKY to come down from the helicopter above and “drop” on your square. So get your friends and family together to split a ticket or two and come down for your chance to win! Win an extra $500 if present at the time of the big drop! Also, new this year is that two additional money balls will be dropped. A blue colored ball wins $5,000, a red colored ball wins $1,500 and the white colored ball wins $500.

In case of inclement weather the event will be rescheduled. For more information on the Mystery Drop, or how you can become a member, volunteer, and/or a donor please call Nick Zimmer, YMCA Executive Director at 712-623-2161, stop in at the Montgomery County Family YMCA located at the beautiful Red Oak Legion Park, 101 East Cherry Street, Red Oak, Iowa, or email Nick at nickz@mcymca.com.

(Press Release)

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors received some good news Monday evening. Director Seth Staashelm said Howrey Construction began work Monday on the Lake #2 Trail project. It starts with grading this week, with paving on Oct. 3rd. The project will be complete that same week.

Howrey Construction was the company that did the Lake #1 trail. The Lake #2 trail is the next major step for the Connector Trail. The project was made possible through a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant from the State, along with $26,800 from the City of Atlantic. It was initially thought to cost about $134,000, but last month, the bids came in well below that. Howrey’s bid was $109,000.

In other business, Staashelm said the Cass County Forest Health Walk and Emerald Ash Borer Informational meeting will be held October 3rd. He says he and DNR District Forester Lindsey Barney will tour Sunnyside Park and check out the nearly 1,000 trees and evaluate them. They’ll also talk about Emerald Ash Borer. Staashelm says the devastating disease that kills Ash trees has not made it’s way to Atlantic, but there were two suspect trees in the area of the City Park and 7th and Locust that turned out not to be infected.)

The meeting takes place at the Cass County Community Center on Oct. 3rd, from 3-until 7-p.m. For more information call 243-1132. (On the web at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/cass/Cass%20County%20Forest%20Health%20Walk%20and%20Emerald%20Ash%20D2.pdf )

The Atlantic City Council has what’s expected to be a brief meeting Wednesday evening in their chambers at City Hall. In addition to a standard resolution pertaining to banking institutions for deposit of public funds for the City, and a resolution approving the contract and bonds for the Bull Creek Culvert replacement project, the Council will act on approving a declaration by Mayor Dave Jones, setting October 31st as the date for Halloween trick or treating this year.

The Council will also act on approving the temporary closure of streets for the Oct. 15th Fireman’s Parade. The parade begins at 2nd and Walnut and proceeds south along 6th Street before turning west to Chestnut and the north on Chestnut to 2nd Street.

The Council will also hear an annual report from Wastewater Superintendent Tim Snyder. Their meeting begins at 5:30-p.m.

A survey from the Iowa Realtors Land Institute shows farmland values dropped almost nine-percent from a year ago. Iowa’s average farmland value is now just under 65-hundred dollars an acre. In September of 2013, the average acre was worth 87-hundred-50 dollars. Kyle Hansen, at Hertz Real Estate Services in Nevada, says the decrease is tied to lower commodity prices.

“We were down 8.7% on a state average for average quality tillable ground,” Hansen says. “A lot of that is just a continuation of what we’ve seen with the downward pressure due to the extended lower commodity prices. It’s really a continuation of what we’ve seen in the last 12 to 18 months.”

He says their projections indicate farmland values will continue on the down-swing for perhaps another year. “With the commodity prices staying low and it appears like we’re going to have a great crop this year, that would continue to keep prices low,” Hansen says. “We would anticipate an additional softening over the next six to 12 months just because of the lower revenue that is being generated by the farmers.”

Hansen says the strongest farmland values in Iowa are still in the northwest, where there was a three-percent decrease. “Northwest Iowa is still the highest-priced farm ground in the state of Iowa,” Hansen says. “They have a lot of strength in the ethanol industry as well as in the years past, the higher revenue generated from livestock, primarily the beef cattle that are there.”

He says the largest drop in farmland values was in southwest Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

Three people were arrested on separate charges late Monday afternoon and evening, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Department says 35-year old Randy Buck Evans, Jr., of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around3:40-p.m., for Driving While Suspended. His bond was set at $435.

Red Oak Police say at around 4:40-p.m., 46-year old Bradley Gene Adolphson, of Emerson, was arrested on a warrant for felony Theft in the 2nd Degree. Adolphson was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $5,000 cash bond.

And, at around 6:30-p.m., Red Oak Police arrested 29-year old Demarcus Jermar King, of Red Oak, on a simple misdemeanor charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. King was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

An obituary notice from Twigg Funeral Homes has identified the victim of Sunday’s shooting incident in Sac County, as 24-year old Megan Quinn Sloss, of Guthrie Center. Authorities said Monday the woman (Who was not yet identified at the time time of press release) was shot while sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. The shooting was reported around 11:40 a.m. Sunday around two miles east of Lake View.

Officials said a man in the front passenger seat (Who has not been identified) was handling a loaded handgun when it went off and struck Sloss. She was taken to Loring Hospital in Sac City and then flown to a Des Moines hospital, where she died. The incident remains under investigation.

Her obituary says Megan was the daughter of Curt and Brenda Sloss, of rural Guthrie Center. She attended Guthrie Center Schools, Central College and was currently a master’s student at the University of Iowa studying social services. Megan planned to spend her career helping children and adults in need. She was currently working at Iowa KidSight and the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

Visitation is set for Thursday, Sept. 22nd, from 5:30-to 7:30-p.m. at the Guthrie Center High School Gymnasium, where a Prayer service is at 7-p.m.

The vice presidential nominees of BOTH major political parties campaigned in Iowa Monday. “This race is deadly, deadly serious.” That’s Democrat Tim Kaine. He spoke to about 300 people in Ames in the middle of the afternoon. Mike Pence, the G-O-P vice presidential nominee, addressed about 300 people in Mason City at nearly the same time. “Let’s go get it done,” Pence said. “Let’s go make it happen, Iowa.” Kaine, the Democrat, appealed to “millennial” voters during his speech in Ames, arguing Clinton is more in tune with their social views and embrace of diversity.

“We know we’re stronger together if we treat each other with respect,” Kaine said, “but if we divide against one another, dissing somebody who’s disabled, saying the military’s a disaster, going after people if they’re of Mexican American heritage or the wrong religion, we’re going to be weaker.” Pence, the Republican, focused on the series of suspected terrorist attacks in New York and New Jersey this past weekend.

“Seven and a half years of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s leadership on the world stage has weakened America’s place in the world,” Pence said, “…terrorist attacks here at home and abroad — grim and heartbreaking scenes.” Pence questioned whether Obama and Clinton know “we are at war” with “radical Islamic terrorists.” “The weak and feckless foreign policy of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has emboldened our enemies and compromised the safety of the American people,” Pence said. In Ames, Kaine asked the crowd to hold Trump accountable for “challenging” President Obama’s American citizenship for five years — until last Friday when Trump said Obama was born in the U.S., “period.”

“I want to tell you why we can’t let him move on to the next issue,” Kaine said. “This is not just a wacky guy saying wacky stuff. This is incredibly painful to millions of people.” Kaine cites the infamous “Dred Scott” case. That’s when the court ruled all people of African ancestry could never become U.S. citizens. Kaine also made a mid-day stop at a coffee shop near Drake University in Des Moines. Pence made an evening appearance in Dubuque at a manufacturing plant where Mitt Romney held a campaign rally in 2011.

(Radio Iowa)