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KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Shenandoah, Iowa) – Officials with SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council) say the Fuller Center for Housing of Southwest Iowa has worked for many years to improve housing opportunities in the Shenandoah area. However, the group recently felt the time had come to disband their organization but wanted to find a way to make sure their remaining investments served out their mission.
To that end the City of Shenandoah helped make a connection with SWIPCO, which operates the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF), as a possible beneficiary for Fuller’s funds to help Shenandoah residents because of the trust fund’s repair program. After thorough discussions, The Fuller Center for Housing of Southwest Iowa has officially donated their remaining funds, over $175,000, to the SWIHTF for the purpose of housing rehabilitation in Shenandoah. They also transferred two mortgages on homes they constructed in Shenandoah as a previous Habitat for Humanity affiliate. SWIHTF will manage those mortgages until their terms are up. 
SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said, “We are incredibly grateful to the Fuller Center for their generous donation and thankful that the missions of our organizations align so well. We will be able to move quickly to put these funds into the community and help individuals who need help keeping up with repairs on their homes.” Fuller Center for Housing of Southwest Iowa Representative Jeff Baker said, “We are just glad that these funds are going to be used in Shenandoah, to help those that need the assistance. We’re really excited and looking forward to seeing the funds used for what they were intended to be used for.”
Fuller Center’s Kris Sherman echoed the thoughts of Baker, “Shenandoah is lucky to have SWIPCO and the SWIHTF to be able to take these funds to help those in need in our community” The trust fund already has a wait list of homeowners in Shenandoah who had requested assistance. First priority for these funds will go toward eliminating that wait list.
(Radio Iowa) – The year 2024 wrapped up as one of Iowa’s worst in history for severe weather. State climatologist Justin Glisan says among the many incidents, a record was set for the most-ever tornadoes to touch down in Iowa during a calendar year.
That July derecho was devastating, but wasn’t nearly as severe as the one that blasted across Iowa in August of 2020, which caused some 11-billion dollars damage in Iowa and four other states. After several previous years of drought, parts of Iowa had record rainfall during 2024, which brought unprecedented results.
Hundreds of homes were lost to the flooding, while dozens of Iowa counties were declared state and federal disaster areas — between the flooding and tornadoes. Glisan says the unusual weather events continued into the latter part of the year.
As for what’s ahead, Glisan says long-range forecasts call for bitter cold for perhaps another two weeks, with high temperatures peaking 20 degrees colder than normal. He says the forecast models are still uncertain as to how much precipitation we may get.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says he hasn’t decided whether he’ll seek another two-year term as chairman. Kaufmann has been the party’s leader since mid-2014.
Kaufmann is the longest serving chairman in the history of the Iowa Republican Party, Kaufmann has been a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and Kaufmann says he’d listen if Trump offers him a role in the next Trump Administration.
And Kaufmann says his primary goal is ensuring the Iowa Caucuses have the lead off role in the 2028 presidential election. Kaufmann, who served in the Iowa legislature and is currently a member of the Cedar County Board of Supervisors, says he has no intention of seeking state or federal office in the future. Kaufmann made his comments today (Friday) during taping of “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.
The Iowa Democratic Party’s state central committee meets tomorrow (Saturday) to hold its election for party chair. Rita Hart, who has been Iowa Democratic Party chair the past two years, is among those seeking the post for the next two years. Kaufmann says the Iowa G-O-P’s government board will meet in February to hold its election for chair.
WASHINGTON, D-C – United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has announced the Iowa students she is nominating to U.S. Service Academies. The Senator from Red Oak said in a press release, “As a combat veteran and the proud mother of a West Point grad and soldier in the U.S. Army, one of my favorite duties as a United States Senator is nominating qualified Iowans to our U.S. Service Academies. These young leaders exemplify strong values, a dedication to academics, and a commitment to community service that make them exceptionally qualified to answer the call to serve our nation. It’s an honor to nominate them, and I know they will represent Iowa well.”
Below are the Iowa students nominated by Senator Ernst to attend U.S. Service Academies for the Class of 2029 (with area students shown in bold):
United States Air Force Academy
United States Military Academy at West Point
United States Naval Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy
Background:
Every year, Ernst nominates Iowa students to U.S. Service Academies, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination for students to apply. To learn more about the service academy nomination process, click here.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – After more than 29-years of serving the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, as a Deputy and lastly as Sheriff, Darby McLaren officially retired Thursday afternoon, after he made his final check-in with the Cass County Communications Center.
That was Jon Westering at the end of the broadcast, who served for many years as the Chief Deputy Sheriff, and who was unopposed in his bid for Cass County Sheriff, during the November 5th General Election.
As Sheriff, Darby McLaren announced in January, 2024, that he would not be seeking re-election. McLaren said he was leaving the office “In very capable hands.”
Former Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren (Center-right); Newly elected Sheriff Jon Westering (Center-left) and Sheriff’s Department Deputies and staff (Facebook photo)
On a social media post, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said McLaren was “Never afraid to wrestle with the largest criminals yet humble and gentle enough to work with victims of horrendous, hateful crimes. His wisdom, work ethic and positive attitude (along with some great inner-office singing) will be greatly missed.”
Over 500 comments were made on the Sheriff’s Office’ Facebook page, wishing Darby McLaren well in his retirement.
(Cedar Falls, Iowa) – The University of Northern Iowa is set to honor its past and drum up excitement for its future over the next two years as part of the university’s sesquicentennial celebrations and other milestones. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports UNI will welcome its 150th class next fall. UNI spokesperson Pete Moris says leading the way to commemorating the school’s opening on Sept. 6, 1876. Other anniversaries include 50 years of the UNI-Dome and 100 years of the campanile on campus. The university will also end its Our Tomorrow fundraising campaign, which was extended after exceeding its goal. Moris said President Mark Nook has worked hard to make the events and celebrations not only reflective of the past, but also anticipatory of the future. “It’s really more than just a birthday,” Moris said. “It’s a celebration of all that’s occurred over 150 years. But it’s also very much a look forward.”
UNI opened its doors in 1876 as the Iowa State Normal School after operating for a decade as an orphanage. The university has formed a steering committee and dispensed stipends and other aid to those developing curriculum and projects that will fit in with the goals of the sesquicentennial. The steering committee includes UNI faculty, staff and students, as well as representatives from the cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo and other organizations. Moris said Nook wanted to ensure students have a voice in the early parts of the process as well as the events themselves. Faculty from across campus received $750 stipends to use for projects conducted by students in their classes, according to a news release, including creating commemorative materials for the 150th anniversary, conducting interviews with alumni to compile oral histories from the university and preparing gallery exhibitions and an anthology of poetry.
(Top two photos courtesy of University of Northern Iowa, bottom photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Celebrations won’t only be on campus, Moris said, but will spread across the state and maybe even beyond. He said the university is working to find ways of commemorating the sesquicentennial in Cedar Falls and surrounding areas, at the Iowa State Fair, during athletic events and more. Each of the events and programming planned for the next two years will fall under one of five guiding principles developed for the sesquicentennial, Moris said. Those include raising the university’s profile; enhancing connections among alumni, friends and others both locally and throughout the state; increasing student enrollment and increasing engagement with events.
Moris said these principles help provide a framework for the celebrations and remind everyone why they’re celebrating. UNI’s future matters just as much as its past, he said, and the principles are helping to keep that in mind.
(Radio Iowa) – More than 500 Iowans have already requested tickets from the U-S Navy to witness the commissioning of the nation’s newest submarine — named for the state of Iowa. Mat Tanner, a retired Navy Chief submariner and executive director of the U-S-S Iowa Commissioning Committee, says former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack is the sub’s sponsor and she’ll preside over the event, scheduled for April 5th at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut.
“She’s going to get up there in front of everybody and bless the boat, have the crew man the rails for the first time, and they’re going to drop the commissioning pennant,” Tanner says. “It’s a traditional Navy ceremony. They’ll do a 21-gun salute. The navigator will get a spy class presented by one of our sub vets. It’s going to be a good day.” Officials say the three-billion dollar submarine will have a crew of 120 enlisted personnel and 14 officers. The nuclear-powered Iowa is 377-feet long and was delivered to the U-S Navy in late December. It’s continuing to be put through its paces before it’ll be ready for missions, which may take it virtually anyplace in the world.
USS Iowa near the historic Pequot Lighthouse, New London, CT (Photo from the Iowa Commissioning Committee)
“She’s going to go out and do some additional sea trials and testing for the Navy, and then she’s going to going to be out to sea for a couple months doing her thing,” Tanner says. “Can’t really go into detail about that, but she’s going to be out there doing what submarines do.” Prior to the commissioning, there will be dinners and receptions where Iowans can meet the crew. During the event where the warship “comes alive” in April, Tanner says there won’t be a bottle of champagne smashed on the bow, as that was done by Mrs. Vilsack at the christening event in June of 2023. The pier can accommodate about 18-hundred people for the commissioning ceremony, and Tanner says those attending will include members of Submarine Veterans of Iowa and other veterans groups, officials with the Battleship Iowa, government officials, and members of the general public. There’s another option if you can’t make the trip to Connecticut.
“They’re going to be doing watch parties from Iowa and multiple locations throughout the state,” he says. “So we’re going to do a live broadcast from out here and anybody that’s in Iowa that cannot make it, there will be watch parties available and they can attend those.” Tickets to the commissioning are free and must be ordered through SSN797.com. The submarine will become the fourth U.S. Navy vessel in history to be named after the state of Iowa.
(Radio Iowa) – The final monthly survey of supply managers for 2024 in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states finds the state and regional economies continuing to struggle. The Creighton University survey for December scores the economies on a zero-to-100 scale, with 50 being growth neutral. Iowa’s score fell below 41, which shows the state’s economy is slumping. Creighton economist Ernie Goss says the survey tried to gauge thoughts about the looming recession.
“Forty-five percent of the supply managers indicated that we were in a recession or we’d begin a recession in the first half of 2025,” Goss says. “Another 46.3% said no recession with slow growth, while only 8.7% indicated no recession and strong growth, so only slightly less than 9% was full steam ahead.” December marked the seventh time during the year that the Midwest’s overall Business Conditions Index fell below growth neutral, and it was the third straight month that the wholesale price inflation gauge rose. The U-S dollar is starting the new year very strong, which Goss says means American manufactured goods are less competitively priced.
“We’re seeing it in terms of exports. Exports are just not looking good,” Goss says. “Of course, that tends to limit the ability of President Trump to place on tariffs. You place tariffs on top of a strong dollar, you will have some fairly significant and negative impacts on the manufacturing sector.” Goss says the nation and the region rounded out the year with widespread manufacturing job losses. The region’s employment index fell below growth neutral for the 12th straight month during December.
“The U.S. lost 73,000 jobs in 2024, that’s six-tenths of one-percent,” Goss says. “If you look at our region, the Mid-America region, it lost 4,500 jobs, or about four-tenths of one-percentage point. So both the U.S. and the regional manufacturing sector are not doing well.” Goss says concerns are rising over the potential of a January 15th longshoremen port strike and how the Midwest will be impacted. According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, Iowa experienced a $1.4 billion drop in 2024 year-to-date manufacturing exports compared to the same period in 2023 for a 9.9% decline.
(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources remind hunters and anglers, that 2024 hunting and fishing licenses expire on Jan. 10, 2025. All hunters and anglers will need a 2025 license to hunt or fish beginning Jan. 11th.
And, Iowa’s pheasant, late muzzleloader and archery deer, and archery fall turkey seasons close on Jan. 10th. Squirrel, quail, partridge and grouse remain open until Jan. 31st. Furbearer seasons and rabbit season is open until Feb. 28th. Crow season is Jan. 14th to March 31st. Beaver trapping season closes on April 15th.
For waterfowl, the north zone dark and light goose season closes on Jan. 11th, the central zone dark and light goose season closes on Jan. 18th, and the south zone dark and light goose season closes on Jan. 25th. The light goose conservation order season is open Jan. 26th to May 1st statewide; additional regulations apply. 
Don’t forget also, the Iowa DNR is hiring seasonal positions for summer 2025 in the Iowa state park and forest system. Work alongside conservation professionals building skills for careers in natural resources. Seasonal workers primarily work in the outdoors performing hands-on duties in natural resource management, park operations, visitor engagement, and/or law enforcement. Each park has unique needs depending on its natural areas, recreational opportunities and amenities.
Learn more about summer 2025 job opportunities and find out how to apply at: www.iowadnr.gov/employment
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