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

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A traffic stop this (Tuesday) morning in Council Bluffs resulted in the arrest of three people and a child being taken into protective custody. Bluffs Police say officers conducted a traffic stop on an SUV at around 12:40-a.m.  When an officer approached the vehicle, he could smell the odor of marijuana. Officers also noticed a semi-automatic handgun in the driver’s side door.

Once the occupants of the vehicle were secured, a firearm was located in the seat where a passenger, 23-year old Rafael Hernandez-Martinez, of Council Bluffs, was sitting. Hernandez-Martinez was charged with being a Felon in Possession, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Another passenger, 19-year old Jorge Alberto Morales-Diaz, of Omaha, was arrested for providing false information, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and on a warrant for Possession of Controlled Substance. In fact, officers located marijuana on three of the four occupants in the SUV.

Police also identified a valid runaway from Omaha, who had outstanding juvenile warrants. A one-year old child in the vehicle was taken into protective custody. The driver, 23-year old Diana Morales, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Child Endangerment and other charges.

A new type of synthetic drug contributed to a recent overdose in Iowa and has state health and drug control officials warning of its threat. Dale Woolery from the Governor’s Office of Drug Control explains: “It’s involving synthetic opioids which are kind of a hybrid between synthetic drugs as we’ve talked about before relating to the K-2’s and the bath salts — and the opioids we’ve talked about relating to medications or heroin, the pain killers and heroin,” Woolery says.

He says the new drug is known as U-47700 and is the synthetic copy of the powerful painkiller fentanyl. “These are not medications, these are not heroin, but instead it’s a synthetic form of opioid — much more potent than heroin — that can be mixed with heroin. And that makes it very dangerous and potentially deadly,” according to Woolery. He says the synthetic opioids are brought in from outside the U-S. “They’re being manufactured primarily in Asia, but I’ve also heard about Canada being the source for one,” Woolery says.

“Typically they are not manufactured in the U-S, we don’t believe, but if you know chemistry and you have a recipe — and some of these are old research projects pulled off the shelf — they can be made since they are synthetic just about anywhere. But we do believe that most of them are being manufactured overseas and shipped into the U-S.” Woolery says the drug has turned up more often in other states so far than it has in Iowa.

He says there has been one case of a person in eastern Iowa overdosing last week who survived after being treated. Woolery says there have been overdoses and deaths from the drug in other states. Woolery doesn’t know if this new synthetic is driven by people looking for a stronger drug, or by dealers trying to make more money. “I’m not sure if somebody is looking for something different or more, or if it is a case of manufacturers and dealers I guess looking to get more mileage out of their product by cutting heroin with something that might be less expensive,” Woolery says.

He says the drug can cause fatal respiratory arrest, and can reportedly cause problems just by handling it. Parents are encouraged to talk with children about the dangers of all drugs, including new or mysterious substances.  “The important message I think is don’t take anything if you don’t know what it is,” Woolery says. “If it’s mysterious, has a funny name, different name, if it is not from a trusted adult, you don’t want to put it inside of you.”

If you have questions about synthetic opioids, you can contact the Iowa Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222 or go online to: www.iowapoison.org.

(Radio Iowa)

The summer solstice, officially June 20 this year, will be celebrated on Saturday, June 25 by the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa at its annual Sankt Hans Aften (St. Johns Eve) festival. The official date of the Danish midsummer celebration, Sankt Hans Aften, is always June 23rd, but the museum picks a Saturday near that date each year to hold its Sankt Hans Aften celebration.

Free activities are scheduled all throughout the day and into the night for revelers. The events will be held rain or shine, though some may be moved indoors.

Since at least the times of the Vikings, and before Christianity came to Denmark, Scandinavian peoples celebrated the longest day as a supernatural struggle between light and dark, heat and cold. Because the feast day of Saint John the Baptist occurred on June 23, near the date of the annual summer solstice, the Christian Church emphasized this celebration in Scandinavia. “Hans” is the diminutive of “Johannes” or “John”. Today it’s a very good excuse to stay up late, have fun, and light bonfires. Songs, music, and speeches are also a strong part of this tradition.

The Museum of Danish America’s festival culminates with the traditional bonfire at sunset – about 9 p.m. – but prior to this traditional piece of the celebration, several complimentary (free) and complementary (corresponding) activities will take place:

• The Museum of Danish America and the University of Iowa’s free Mobile Museum, located in MoDA’s parking lot for the day, will open at 10 a.m. Between the two, there will be six exhibits to view, ranging from Germans in Iowa (yes, Germans!) and Iowa’s healthcare professionals to Danish tug-of-war teams and abstract art.

• At 5 p.m. local musicians will kick off the entertainment for the evening on the museum’s east patio, and kids and adults of all ages will be able to participate in traditional Danish games like ringridning (bicycle jousting) and kubb (the Viking lawn game). At 6 p.m. a Danish hot dog picnic will be available for a free will donation. You may bring your own beverages to enjoy with the picnic.

• The evening’s headliners are Greenblatt & Seay, two traditional musicians  from Avoca, NE, where they teach music lessons out of a 10,000-square-foot former schoolhouse. Together they have performed at thousands of concerts, festivals, state fairs, weddings, and the like. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets to enjoy this upbeat and lively performance beginning at 7:30 p.m.

• All experience levels of musicians are invited to join in an informal jam session around the council ring fire pit beginning at 9 p.m. and coinciding with the lighting of the bonfire. There, participants may remain engaged in the songs and stories for as long as they like.

The Museum of Danish America is located on the west edge of Elk Horn, Iowa, which is six miles north of I-80 exit 54. More information is available at danishmuseum.org or 712.764.7001.

(Press Release)

Police in Red Oak says three women from Red Oak were arrested Monday night, following a traffic stop on 200^th Street near G Avenue. 19-year old Savanna Abraham and 24-year old Makayla Hudson were arrested at around 11:45-p.m. for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Abraham faces an additional, OWI/drugged charge. 57-year old Mary Adams, was cited for open container and released from custody. Abraham and Hudson were brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where their bonds were set at $1,000 and $300, respectively.

The Red Oak Police Department was assisted by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit.

MADRID, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say two people were arrested after officers found about a dozen homemade explosives during a search of the couple’s home in rural Boone County. Officers started their search about 1 p.m. Monday at a home about a half-mile west of Madrid. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office says a search warrant was obtained after deputies stopped one of the residents’ cars Saturday and found drug items and explosive devices. Sheriff’s Sgt. Dallas Wingate says there is no evidence that terrorism is involved.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

A report issued today (Tuesday) shows nearly a quarter of Iowa employers plan to hire workers in the coming months. The Manpower survey for the third quarter of the year places Iowa’s “net employment outlook” at 19-percent. Manpower spokesperson Kathy Joblinske says business leaders in the state aren’t as optimistic about their hiring intentions as they were earlier this year.

“That is a little softer than the second quarter survey results, when we were at 25-percent, but still strong,” Joblinske says. The new survey shows 24-percent of Iowa employers expect to add workers between July and September. “For the upcoming quarter, job prospects (in Iowa) appear best in construction, non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation and utilities, warehouse and retail trade, and leisure and hospitality services,” Joblinske says. Seventy-percent of the employers surveyed plan to maintain staff levels in the third quarter, while five-percent expect to reduce their payrolls.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Memorial Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Monday, unanimously voted to invite former CEO Pat Markham to step in and serve as the Interim CEO until a permanent leader can be found for the hospital. Markham retired two-years ago, and even though she will have a bit of learning to catch-up on as far as how the hospital has progressed since her departure, the Board felt she was the best qualified to assume the role. The matter of her compensation, should she accept the position, will be discussed and acted on during the Board’s regular meeting on June 22nd.

Markham served the hospital for 29-years. She left in Jan. 2014, and was succeeded by Todd Hudspeth, who was fired last week after he agreed to an Alford Plea with regard to a check forgery case in Buena Vista County. Board President Ned Brown said he has spoken with Markham about coming back, and she tentatively agreed to do so. Quoting Markham, Brown told the Board she “Loves the hospital and will do whatever..” is needed to keep it on track.

CCMH Board of Trustees (Ric Hanson – photo)

The Board had discussed the possibility of having one of the current members of the hospital’s administrative team stepping-up to the plate to take over for a while, and while they had no doubt in the abilities of those individuals to do so, they didn’t want to put that heavy of a load on them.

On a related note, Denise Coder, Chief Human Resources Officer, told the Board she has received seven external applications for the CEO’s position since the position became open. The last time the Board went through the process of hiring a CEO, they went through a “Head hunting” firm. There were hundreds of applications at that time, with the final candidates being narrowed down to four.

The Board was not so hot on the idea of hiring another firm to duplicate the process because of their experience with Hudspeth. Instead, a committee will be appointed to make the final selections for interviews, once the administrative team narrows down the potential field of candidates. They will also seek guidance from the Hospital Association with regard to the best method of recruiting candidates.

The Silver Cord Program is a graduation incentive program to promote volunteerism in the Atlantic Area. Atlantic High School seniors who volunteered a minimum of 200 hours throughout their high school career graduated this year with a silver cord and were eligible for a $500 scholarship provided by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. The program encourages volunteer opportunities with all Civic Organizations and benefits the entire community.

Chamber Programs Director Kate Christensen said “The Silver Cord program was started as a way to educate students about the importance of community service. It gives students the opportunity to see firsthand how investing their time can enhance and grow their community.”

Pictured: Ouida Hargens, Atlantic Area Chamber Executive Director; Madison Helvie;
Lori Reid, Atlantic Area Chamber Board President.

The 2016 Silver Cord scholarship recipient is Madison Helvie. Madison volunteered 52 hours over the course of the school year spending time volunteering at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA after school programs and tutoring elementary students. She also volunteers at cheer camp, soccer camp and National Honor Society. The Atlantic High School Senior  said “I’ve always loved volunteering. It’s something that is super easy to do to give back to the community in a positive way.”

Madison will be attending the University of Northern Iowa in the fall to study Nursing. Her goal is to practice nursing in a larger city after graduation before settling down in a smaller community. She hopes to continue volunteering and being active wherever she goes. Chamber Executive Director Ouida Hargens said “We are looking forward to building the relationship between the community and the student body. More students will create a stronger program and have a stronger overall impact on the community.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Silver Cord Program, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com. If you would like to volunteer, please visit www.volunteerspot.com to learn about opportunities in the community or call the Atlantic Area Chamber at 712.243.3017.