Officials with TS Bank in Treynor have announced Tysen Christensen as the new Market President for the bank’s Corning branch. TS Banking Group recently entered into a purchase agreement with Blue Grass Bancorporation, Inc., Corning, Iowa, to acquire Okey-Vernon First National Bank, with banking assets of $85 million.

Christensen’s work experience includes nearly 12 years within the banking industry. He first served at Union Bank in Corning, then in 2006 was hired at Okey-Vernon First National Bank as the Assistant Vice President, and later in 2011 was named Vice President Senior Loan Officer.

Tysen Christensen

Christensen is a native of Lenox, Iowa, where he graduated from Lenox High School, then graduated from Buena Vista University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management with a concentration in finance. He is also a 2014 graduate of the Iowa School of Banking. Christensen and his wife, Erin, reside in Lenox with their two daughters Hadlee and Jesa. In his free time he enjoys coaching his daughters’ sports teams and golfing.

Iowa’s third largest recreational area has a host of family-friendly events planned for this Memorial Day weekend. Conrad Kramer, executive director of the Whiterock Conservancy in Coon Rapids, says a Slow Sunday Drive is planned for tomorrow. Folks can bring an A-T-V or utility vehicle for a 13-mile guided tour through the forest, pastures and prairieland.

“We thought it would be great if people could just bring their vehicles and drive our new main loop trail,” Kramer says. “It circles our entire 5,000 acre landscape. It’s a double track and we lead you through with a pilot Gator. It’s a nice, slow 3-hour roll through some absolutely beautiful landscape, through the prairies, through the savannah, with some great scenic overlooks.”

It’s a particular treat as Whiterock is usually closed to private motorized vehicles. On Monday, events will include a fishing derby at the Garst Home Farm. The derby will be held at the old Garst family pond which has some seven decades of history. A few years back, the pond was cleaned completely out and restocked.

“It’s got all kinds of great fish in it, some great panfish, bass, catfish, and this particular pond even has some nice little surprises,” Kramer says. “It has walleye and even some northern pike in it.” Each participant will receive a dozen worms and there will be prizes with experts on-hand to guide angling novices. For more information on the weekend’s events, visit: www.whiterockconservancy.org

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak report a traffic stop for an equipment violation early this (Saturday) morning, resulted in the arrest of 44-year old Christopher David Draman, of Lenox. Draman was arrested for Driving While Barred and brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where his bond was set at $2,000. And, late Friday evening, 23-year old Bradina Sky Gary, of Red Oak, was arrested in Red Oak, on a charge of Harassment in the 3rd Degree. Her bond was set at $300.

One of the first ceremonies in Iowa on Memorial Day will be held at 8 a.m. at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter. Retired Colonel Robert King says “We have over 2900 of Iowa and America’s veterans and their eligible family members interred at the cemetery.” King leads the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and he’ll be at the ceremony on Monday morning. King occasionally presides over burials at the cemetery.

“It’s an honor to serve in this capacity, to give back, to serve our veterans and to help the families through the difficult times that they have,” King says.The Iowa Veterans Cemetery opened in the summer of 2008. The first U.S. soldiers to be buried in Iowa are from the Civil War era. the Keokuk National Cemetery is the final resting place for 600 Union soldiers, eight Confederate soldiers and 27 unidentified soldiers.

The commander of the “Grand Army of the Republic” declared May 30th,1868 as “Decoration Day” to mark the graves of the Union soldiers who died in the Civil War with flowers, but ceremonial days to mark the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers had been occurring for a few years before that. In 1967, a federal law officially named the holiday “Memorial Day.”

(Radio Iowa)

Governor Terry Branstad took final action Friday on 30 bills, ending his review of all the legislation that cleared the 2016 Iowa General Assembly. Many of these bills outlined spending plans for state agencies. In an unprecedented move, Branstad did not use his authority to item veto any individual spending proposals. It means the 12-month spending outline legislators drafted remains intact and will go into effect July 1st.

Branstad did reject the legislature’s proposed study of charging a “park user fee” for visitors at state-owned parks and recreation areas. Park user fees were charged briefly in the 1980s, during Branstad’s first run as governor, and Branstad says state officials discovered Iowans “greatly disliked” the fees.

(Radio Iowa)

Governor Terry Branstad has approved a new state requirement that Iowa teenagers get the meningitis vaccination before enrolling in school. It’s one of the actions Branstad took Friday, in completing his review of all the bills that cleared the 2016 Iowa legislature.

Iowa students will have to show they’ve been vaccinated against meningitis before they can enroll in the 7th and 12th grades. Branstad says he visited with medical experts and people who have had relatives die of meningitis and became “convinced” this new requirement “will save lives.” As with all required vaccinations, though, Iowa parents may seek an exemption due to religious or medical reasons.

The meningitis vaccination requirement was included in a massive budget bill that also outlined a series of new oversight measures for the state-run Medicaid program. Critics in the legislature said the new steps were necessary after Branstad ordered the half a million Iowa Medicaid patients into privately-run “managed care” plans.

Branstad says he was “proud” to approve “every one” of the new oversight measures. He says it will make Iowa’s Medicaid system “one of the most transparent, accountable and outcome focused” programs in the country.

(Radio Iowa)

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

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man has been charged after Sioux City police say he shot a water pipe in a hotel room, flooding two floors. Sgt. Scott Hatting says 30-year-old Brett Anderson was inside a Super 8 Hotel room Friday when he accidentally fired his gun. Hatting says a water pipe was struck, causing water to flood the first and second floors. No injuries were reported. The Sioux City Journal reports Anderson was arrested and charged with reckless use of a firearm.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A University of Iowa spokeswoman says authorities are investigating an explosion and fire that left one person dead. UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck says university police and Iowa City firefighters responded to a report of an explosion about 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Hawkeye Drive Apartments. Beck says police are investigating a single fatality. Authorities aren’t releasing the name of the victim.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Iowa residents may fish without a license next weekend. The department announced their free fishing weekend will run June 3-5. Although purchasing a license won’t be required, all over fishing regulations will still be in place. Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau, says he hopes this initiative inspires anglers to purchase an annual fishing license.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa officials say a goat that escaped a research lab and was on the loose in Iowa City for 10 days has been euthanized. The goat, nicknamed “William the Goat,” was put down on March 22, which is protocol in the research study the animal was used for. Officials say the euthanasia was not connected to the escape.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The possibility of an American Indian burial site in Iowa may require relocation of a crude oil pipeline route which would delay the beginning of construction in Iowa, the only one of four states where work hasn’t begun. The Dakota Access pipeline passes through the Big Sioux Wildlife Management area where an American Indian tribe says it has a burial site. The pipeline also goes through the Dakotas and Illinois.

Many Iowa boat owners will be hitting a lake or river for the first time this year over the Memorial Day weekend. Susan Stocker, a boating law administrator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is hoping it’ll be a safe season on the state’s waterways. “Our boat accident rate has been going down,” Stocker says. “It all has to do with education and making sure everybody is safe out there.” Iowa’s late spring has probably kept many boats in storage later than normal, increasing the likelihood that Memorial Day weekend will be a busy one on the water.

Stocker is reminding boaters that a life jacket may be the key to survival in the event of an accident. “Make sure that when you are out there boating that you have a wearable life jacket for every person on board and make sure they fit the intended user,” Stocker says. The boat should also be equipped with fire extinguisher and a horn or whistle. Stocker says getting used to the water each spring is much like re-learning winter driving skills after the first snow fall.

Lake Okoboji

She says with a little practice the good habits often return quickly. Stocker adds, if there’s alcohol on the boat, there should also be a designated driver. In 2014, more than 70-percent of the boating fatalities in Iowa involved alcohol, according to Stocker.

(Radio Iowa)

Whether they’re baked into pies, sprinkled over ice cream, blended into margaritas or eaten fresh right off the plant, strawberries are ripening in Iowa and in most regions, they’re ready for picking. Tami Stotts, with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, says the weather is finally cooperating for strawberry growers statewide.

“I’ve heard that the crop looks really good,” Stotts says. “They were in need of a little rain in some areas and a little heat and this week we’ve had both. I’ve had a few reports that they’re ripening just a little behind schedule but many of them are opening this weekend.” Fresh-picked strawberries are a tasty, fat-free treat and they kick off the growing season in Iowa. She says visiting a local farmers market or going to a you-pick farm is a great way to find fresh berries.

“I would suggest that before you head out to a strawberry patch you contact them because it can vary so much around the state,” Stotts says. “Before you pack up the family and head out, make sure the place you want to go is open.” Once picked, strawberries don’t continue to ripen like some fruits and vegetables, so select vibrant red berries. Also, strawberries have a short shelf life and should be eaten within a few days of being picked. You can find strawberry growers by visiting the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association’s “Farm Search” website: www.ifvga.org/en/about_us/farm_search

(Radio Iowa)

A tense situation involving an armed man who was making threats ending peacefully Thursday night in western Iowa. Carroll Police Chief Brad Burke says a parent called 911 over concerns their son would harm himself or others. “He was saying their son was suicidal, was armed with a handgun, and made threats to shoot anyone who approached him,” Burke said. The man was in a vehicle with his mother along Highway 30 in Carroll. Police blocked-off a section of the highway.

“We didn’t want any bystanders or passers-by to be mixed up in any type of crossfire if there were any shots that were fired,” Burke said. “We did have some businesses and buildings in the area that were also evacuated.” The man was eventually taken in custody around 9:3o p.m. and transported to a hospital for evaluation.

“There was no harm to anybody. It resolved peacefully. We’ll continue our investigation and charges are pending at this time,” Burke said. The man’s name has not been released.

pic from scene of Carroll standoff 5-26

(Radio Iowa)