The Iowa Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Advisory Council, along with Kemin Industries, formally recognized the six 2016 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients during a reception hosted by Gov. Terry Branstad at Terrace Hill, Monday night.

Among the six 2016 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients, was:

• Erin Wetzel, Project Lead The Way and computer teacher, Southwest Valley Middle School
• Kent Muyskens, science teacher, Carroll High School

The award, sponsored by Kemin Industries, was created in 2014 to celebrate one K-12 STEM teacher from each of the six STEM regions who exemplify I.O.W.A., being Innovative in their methods, Outstanding in their passion for education, Worldly in how their students see that STEM is all around them and Academic in engaging students both in and out of the classroom. Each recipient was nominated by a fellow educator, school administrator, student or parent and submitted an application that was evaluated by a panel of judges. Each received an award of $1,500 with an additional $1,500 designated for their classroom.

The ceremony was attended by nearly 150 STEM leaders and supporters from across Iowa. To learn more about the award please visit www.stemaward.fluidreview.com. For pictures of the event and of each recipient, please click here.

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

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Police in Creston, today (Tuesday), arrested a man on an assault charge. 42-year old Jamie Foote, of Creston, was arrested at around 2:30-a.m. at his home, for simple Domestic Assault. Foote was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing.

Authorities in Shenandoah and Red Oak have issued warnings about incidents of gas pump skimming. According to a press release, Red Oak Police found a card skimmer on a gas pump. And, the Shenandoah Police Department warned people to exercise caution when using a credit or debit card at the pump, even though no skimmers have been found in Shenandoah.

Authorities say the skimmers are almost impossible to spot. They recommend you use your card to pay at the store’s inside register, and check your bank/credit card statements often to make sure no extra charges have appeared on your account. If you notice any unusual charges, notify your bank or credit card company immediately.

Experts say skimmers look and act like installed gas pump card readers. They can be installed devices, invisible to staff and customers, which read details off credit and debit cards and can even secretly, film the keying of PIN numbers. The thief has to come back to the compromised machine to pick up the file containing all the stolen data, but with that information in hand they can create cloned cards or just break into bank accounts to steal money.

One way to determine if the gas pump has been compromised is if the security seal over the installed card reader is broken, or looks like it has been tampered with.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Polk County Board of Supervisors is expected to form a task force Tuesday that will explore raising the minimum wage. Supervisor John Mauro told The Des Moines Register that, “Something has to change in order for the working people to survive.” But Supervisor Steve Van Oort says the minimum wage is not something county government should address.

In September Johnson County became the first Iowa community to increase the minimum wage above the national rate of $7.25 an hour. The county’s rate will rise in 95-cent increments until it reaches $10.10 in 2017. Cities inside the county have the option of passing an ordinance exempting them from the county rule. Linn County also is exploring the issue.

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

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (AP) — Iowa farm equipment maker Kinze Manufacturing says it must lay off 121 workers as low grain prices have slowed farmer purchases. The Williamsburg-based company announced Monday that office and factory worker cuts will be effective June 18. The company says it implemented a 30-hour work last year and started “aggressive marketing campaigns” to address market conditions, but the current demand for farming equipment doesn’t support staff size.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The leaders of a legislative budget group say lawmakers are at odds over how to pay for some proposed renovation projects in Iowa, including upgrades to a flagship history museum and a deteriorating building that houses some state agencies. Senate Democrats and House Republicans on the subcommittee that approves infrastructure and transportation funding said Monday they can’t agree on whether to borrow money through bonding to pay for the projects.

LOGAN, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa man who pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk on the Fourth of July has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. A judge sentenced 26-year-old Austin Arndt, of Logan, Monday afternoon after he pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge of vehicular homicide while intoxicated. Authorities say the body of 50-year-old Charlotte Anderson was found on July 4th last year in Logan.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A stretch of sunny and dry weather has given Midwest farmers a good start on corn planting. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop progress report was released Monday. It shows 13 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is planted, significantly ahead of the five-year average of 3 percent planted by mid-April.

Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department, Monday, said just after 2-p.m. that afternoon, officers with the Council Bluffs Police Department were dispatched to 1727 5th Avenue to assist United States Marshals with attempting to serve a federal warrant for probation violation on a subject who was believed to be in the basement apartment of the residence.

Upon going to the door the Marshals were denied entry to the apartment. A federal search and seizure warrant was then obtained by the Marshals for the wanted subject and was executed with the assistance of the Council Bluffs Police Department Emergency Services Team.

The subject of the warrant was not found, however three other persons were inside the apartment. Each was released without being charged. All traffic was stopped in both directions in the 1700 block of 5th avenue for approximately 3 hours. No injuries were reported in reference to the incident.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department has completed the Vision Iowa CAT grant application and turned it in by last Friday’s deadline. The application seeks $360,000 for improvements to the Schildberg Recreation Area campsite and related matters. Assistant Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm said during Monday’s meeting of the Parks and Recreation Dept. Board, that Director Roger Herring burned the midnight oil last week putting together a thick binder full of information. He says they hope to hear something back in the next month or two.

A 5-minute dvd virtual tour of the Schildberg Rec Area was included in the application. The video was shot by a drone under the guidance of Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Tim Snyder. Staashelm added the c-g graphics and special effects. Herring said he hopes the Vision Iowa judges take a moment to view the dvd and note that the intent is to make Atlantic a “Destination Point,” which will in-turn benefit the County in the form of tourism. Parks and Rec Board member Charlene Beane suggested the video be included on the Chamber’s website.

In other business, the Parks and Rec Board Monday evening gave the go-ahead for the purchase of an interlocking basketball court surface at the Harl-Holt park. The low bid was from Versa Court, at $13,806. Seth Staashelm said a grant will help to pay for new court surface, which will come with pre-printed, versatile lines for different sporting activities. It’s much safer to use than hard surfaces, and only requires assembly, a job which the parks and rec crew will be able to handle, thereby saving on costs.

The surface has a 10-year warranty. And, costs for the summer recreation programs in Atlantic, including youth tennis, swim team and men’s slow pitch softball, are unchanged. New this year, is Adult Tennis, Pickleball and Sunnyside Activity Hour.
Updated information about those programs will be on the Parks and Rec Department website, later this week. http://www.atlanticiowa.com/atlantic/city-departments/parks-recreation/

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A stretch of sunny and dry weather has given Midwest farmers a good start on planting corn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop progress report was released Monday. It shows 13 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is planted, significantly ahead of the five-year average of 3 percent planted by mid-April.

Missouri farmers have 58 percent planted, ahead of their average of 21 percent. Kansas has more than a third of the corn crop planted, compared to the average 16 percent. Other states ahead of average are Kentucky and Minnesota. Nebraska is at 7 percent, ahead of its five-year average of 3 percent.

Planting corn early can result in an improved harvest because plants can mature to the pollination stage before summer heat stresses them.