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

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The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will hold a work session this (Wednesday) evening. During their 5:30-p.m. session in the High School Media Center, the Board will hold an overview and discussion, with regard to: Technology; Teacher Leadership Compensation; the Middle School/Link Center; High School/Educational Opportunity Center (EOC); and, the budget, along with monthly reports.

A traffic stop Tuesday evening in Montgomery County resulted in the arrest of two men on Public Intoxication charges. The Sheriff’s Office says deputies arrested 21-year old Jacob William Avery and 21-year old Gillian Ray James Bourn, both of Red Oak, at around 7:15-p.m., at the intersection of 180th Street and Highway 48. The men were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond, each.

Two women from Red Oak face 5th Degree Theft charges, after allegedly stealing a package from a residence over the weekend. Red Oak Police said Tuesday, 39-year old Rachilla Ann Davis was a passenger in a van driven and owned by 26-year old Amber Nicole Gonzalez. When Gonzalez stopped the vehicle Saturday in the 1600 block of N. 8th Street, Davis got out and allegedly took a package valued at $140 from a home. They were taken into custody at around 3:30-p.m. Tuesday and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where the women were held on $300 cash bond, each.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Oil industry economists say a link between ending a 40-year oil export ban and lower prices at the gas pump is not as direct as Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush would have voters believe in his new energy proposal. Bush’s overall premise that lifting the ban would expand economic growth holds up to independent scrutiny. However, environmentalists say the negative impact on the planet would be too great.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A judge has granted a delay until at least mid-January for the trial of a 22-year-old man accused of killing his 3-week-old son in southeast Iowa. Randall Payne’s attorney, James Beres, asked a Des Moines County judge yesterday to postpone Payne’s trial, which had been scheduled to begin Oct. 13. He said he needs more time to prepare a defense. Payne has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge is upholding an Iowa law that requires the boards of corporations and labor unions to approve any money they spend to influence elections. U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt ruled yesterday that the board-approval requirement does not violate the right to free association or illegally restrain speech. He says the requirement lets the public know such spending is backed by the group and not “just an individual with access” to its bank account.

SERGEANT BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — More than 3,600 workers are helping construct a $2 billion fertilizer plant being built near Sioux City, and hundreds more workers will be hired soon. The Sioux City Journal reports that the workforce at the sprawling CF Industries plant is more than double what the company originally had planned. Project director Nick DeRoos says the construction peak will be in late October or early November, when more than 4,000 workers will be employed.

SERGEANT BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – More than 3,600 workers are helping construct a $2 billion fertilizer plant being built near Sioux City, and hundreds more workers will be hired soon. The Sioux City Journal reports the workforce at the sprawling CF Industries plant is more than double what the company originally had planned.

Project director Nick DeRoos says the construction peak will be in late October or early November, when more than 4,000 workers will be employed. Work on the three-year project is about half complete and will likely continue into March. Inclement weather and other problems had slowed construction, prompting contractors to increase staffing to meet the targeted completion date.

When finished, the plant will triple the complex’s production of ammonia, which is used in nitrogen-based fertilizer.

Good intentions and knowledge about health are not enough to make people healthy. Unless older adults actively do something, their health status does not improve and may even decline more rapidly. Each session in Eat Smart, Live Strong focuses on changing behavior by guiding participants in learning and practicing new skills.

Changing habits is hard, and Eat Smart, Live Strong will help you focus your efforts on just two behaviors. If participants adopt and maintain just these two simple behaviors, they can make a difference in their lives.

This program is sponsored by the Montgomery County Extension Council and will be held for four consecutive Thursday evenings in October, starting on the 1st. It will be from 6 to 7 PM at the extension office in Red Oak and is open to anyone age 50 and older. There is no cost but pre-registration is recommended to prepare materials and food samples. Call Jodie or Stephanie at 712 623-2592 for more information. The sessions will be led by Barb Fuller, MA, RD, LD ISU Extension and Outreach, Nutrition and Wellness Specialist for SW Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge has upheld a state law that disqualifies felons from voting and an executive order requiring felons to petition the governor for restoration of voting rights. Judge Arthur Gamble also strongly suggests the Iowa Supreme Court sort out the confusion it caused last year when it ruled not all felons are automatically disenfranchised.

Gamble ruled Monday in the case of Kelli Jo Griffin of Montrose, who voted in a 2013 city election, thinking her voting rights had been restored after she completed probation for a felony cocaine delivery charge. She was charged for voting as a felon but a jury last year found her not guilty.  She sued, challenging Iowa’s voting laws.

Gamble dismissed the suit but Griffin’s attorney says she is appealing to the Iowa Supreme Court.

A Council Bluffs man accused of killing his father last month, stealing his van and driving to Colorado, has formally been charged with 1st Degree Murder and Theft. 20-year old Sean Schendel was found in Sterling, Colorado, just days after authorities discovered the body of his father, 55-year old Robert Schendel, in his Council Bluffs home.

Prosecutors said Sean Schendel withdrew money from his father’s bank account after the homicide. He’s pleaded not guilty in the case.