The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports two people are dead following a school bus fire. Chief Deputy John Reynolds says the Pottawattamie County Communications Center received a 911 call at around 7:02-a.m., with regard to a Riverside Community School District bus on fire near 17840 480th Street, about six-miles southeast of Oakland. According to reports, the home owner at that location made the call. Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Lt. Rob Ambrose said the bus had been backing out of the rural driveway and became stuck the road embankment.

Upon arrival, Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office and Firefighters from Oakland, Carson and found the bus to be completely involved in flames. Once the fire was contained, the remains of two individuals were found on the bus.  The male bus driver and a student who lived at the residence died. There were no other persons on board.

The incident remains under investigation. Grief counselors from the Green Hills Area Education Agency are on hand at the school for students and staff. All activities at the Riverside School District have been postponed this evening.

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

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• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 celery, sliced
• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup Coca-Cola
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken, cooked & chopped
• 2 cups shrimp, cooked & cleaned

In a 3 quart dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp.  Stir in the celery, rice, onion and green pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the tomatoes, water, Coca-Cola, catsup, garlic salt and salt; mix well.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken and shrimp; heat thoroughly.

Members of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, in the Atlantic High School Media Center. During their regular meeting, the Board will act on naming the former Cass, Incorporated building as the “Achievement Center.” The facility is serving as the Cass County Educational Opportunity (CCEOC) building after a renovation was completed following its sale to the District last March. Superintendent Steve Barber recommends the Board approve the name change, considering the effort students of the two programs put into coming up with a name that would reflect their current and future programs. The word “Achievement” reflects the purpose of the programs.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on a contract or letter of assignment for Darrian Schwenke as Volunteer Wrestling Coach, and the resignations of:

• Taylor Ransom, Washington Para-educator
• Michelle Blake, JV/Assistant Varsity Softball Coach
• Stacey Mauk, AMS/LMC Para
• Marie Thompson, HS 1:1 Para.

They will also discuss, but take no action on, an Instructional Support Levy. Act on approving a Resolution of Intent to Participate and Set a Public Hearing on the ISL, is expected during the Board’s meeting January 10th.

The Creston Police Department says a woman residing in the 500 block of W. Montgomery Street reported Monday afternoon, that sometime between Dec. 5th and 11th, someone went through her vehicle and broke a door handle. The incident, which happened while the vehicle was parked outside her residence, resulted in damage amounted to about $100.

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

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DUBUQUE COUNTY, Iowa (AP) — The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office says a tanker truck rollover crash caused about 1,500 gallons of ethanol to leak from the truck’s tanker. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that the crash happened just after 1 p.m. Monday near Epworth. Investigators say the 54-year-old driver was traveling east on Old Highway Road when he lost control while rounding a curve, causing the tanker to roll over.

Epworth Firefighters built a containment dike in a field to keep the ethanol from entering any waterways, and the sheriff’s office called in a hazmat crew from Ankeny. The truck driver was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two men recently convicted of murder in high-profile cases were among inmates who attacked two officers at the Des Moines County Correctional Center in Burlington, seriously injuring one. The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office tells the Des Moines Register that 23-year-old Jorge Sanders-Galvez, convicted last month of first-degree murder in the killing of a gender-fluid Burlington teen, and 24-year-old Earl Booth-Harris, convicted of killing a Burlington man, attacked a guard Sunday.

Des Moines County Sheriff’s Lt. Brett Grimshaw says two sheriff’s officers were looking for homemade alcohol when a male deputy was attacked. His female partner tried to intervene, but was held back by another inmate. Responding officers were able to pull the injured deputies from the cell. The female officer was treated for minor cuts and bruises. The male officer was hospitalized with severe injuries. Their names have not been released.

The administrator of the state’s economic development agency there’s a big need for more housing in Iowa and she’s proposing a change in the way state tax incentives are awarded to “workforce housing” projects. State income tax credits and sales tax rebates are currently awarded on a first-come, first-served basis for new or renovated housing projects. “I just don’t think that’s how you run a program and we want to go to the legislature where they would let us make it competitive and we’d do a scoring process.”

That’s Iowa Economic Development Authority director Debi Durham. Each year, the state awards 20-million dollars worth of tax incentives to developers building housing aimed for working-age Iowans. Durham says the waiting list for these tax credits stretches to 2021. In the future, Durham says the projects should be prioritized and awarded in areas with the most critical housing shortages. “And then we can be a little bit discerning about how we can distribute it around the state and so that’s one of the changes we want to make,” Durham says. “…If we’re not going to get more capacity in the program, then we need to make sure we’re putting the dollars where they really need to be.”

Iowa’s housing shortage is magnified in smaller cities, where few new houses are being built. Durham’s agency has set aside five-million dollars in its 20-million dollar yearly tax incentive package for housing projects in “small cities.” “Places like Tama or Wright County where you’re seeing Prestage go, I mean they’re really, really needing houses up in those areas,” Durham says. “…That $5 million, I think it’s too low. If we had the capacity, I think we need to do a stronger carve-out.”

But given state spending constraints, Durham has presented a “status quo” budget plan to the governor for the coming year. Many business owners cite the shortage of single-family homes and apartments in Iowa as an impediment to hiring new employees.

(Radio Iowa)

Two Democrats are accusing Republicans of planning a major change for Iowa public employees’ RETIREMENT BENEFITS next year, but the governor and G-O-P lawmakers say they have no plans to do so. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has talked about enrolling new state workers in a 401-K-style plan rather than the state pension system, but her spokeswoman says the governor will not ask lawmakers to make that switch. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says Republicans “gutted” the state’s collecting bargaining law “in 10 short days” this past February and he warns public workers’ pensions may be “dismantled” just as quickly next year.

“To all Iowans: be alert. Be ready to speak up loudly if legislation to harm Iowa’s financially-sound, high-quality public retirement program comes up for debate.”

McCoy serves as a non-voting member of the board of directors for the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System, called “IPERS”. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald says one out of every 10 Iowans are depending on an IPERS pension either now or in the future. “It’s one of the best pension systems in the country,” Fitzgerald says. “But, there’s still people like the Koch brothers and some leaders in the Republican Party want to change it.”

Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, is sponsoring a bill that would switch state employees hired after July 1, 2019 to a 401-K system. However, his bill did not advance in the 2017 legislature and the chairman of a key senate committee says he has no plans to see the bill debated in 2018.

(Radio Iowa)