DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — In Iowa for a “Field of Dreams” 25th anniversary celebration, actor Kevin Costner did the obvious. He played a little baseball Friday, this time with his two young sons. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports  hundreds of onlookers watched as Costner played catch with his boys, 7-year-old Cayden and 5-year-old Hayes. The movie fans clapped when the boys made a play, prompting Costner to note, “We don’t usually have this many people when we do this.”

Costner and other actors traveled to the field near Dyersville in northeast Iowa to celebrate the 1989 movie about an Iowa farmer who carved a baseball field out of his corn crop. About 11,000 people were expected to join in events at the site Friday and Saturday.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs residents dropped off tons of tree and wet basement debris after the city offered to accept the items at no charge for a week following an intense storm. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports the city offered to take the items for free after a June 3 storm pounded parts of western Iowa with hail, rain and high winds.

Public health director Donn Dierks says people dropped off more than 100 tons of tree debris and 14 tons of wet basement items, such as carpeting and drywall. Dierks says he expected people to bring in more soaked basement items and thinks the relatively small amount reflects that the city’s storm sewers worked well.

The special offer ended Wednesday.

A Pottawattamie County town is filling up their streets with antiques for the entire weekend. The Walnut Antique show began this (Friday) morning and runs through Sunday. Vendors from around the United States will fill up the streets with all types of antiques to buy, sell and trade. Gene Larson, Post Commander for the Walnut AmVets, says whatever you are looking for in antiques will be at the show. “There is 17 blocks of dealers and are lined up on both sides of the street. You can find anything you are looking for in antiques. All kinds of stuff, furniture, tools, toys, linen, books, magazines, I’m telling you anything collectable it will be here.”

Larson says food is a must have during the antique show. “We have 3 church stands and the optimist club. The best way to start the show is to come early and go to the fire hall. They have breakfast every morning at 6am.” He says if you walk around the show and browse the tables, memories are sure to come back to you. “Even if you aren’t an antique buff, I bet you will enjoy walking around looking at this stuff. Remembering what grandma or grandpa or even dad or mom had and it is pretty interesting to see what is out there.”

The AmVets believe between 25 to 30,000 people will visit the Walnut Antique Show. The annual show continues to be a free event with no admission or parking fees and will go on rain or shine today (Friday) 9am-6pm, Saturday 8am-6pm and Sunday 8am to 4pm.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Flight enthusiasts are ready to take off to Shelby County this weekend. The 69th annual Harlan Flight Breakfast will be held all weekend long at the municipal airport. The two day event starts on Saturday afternoon. Scott Pigsley, president of the 8-Ball aviation club, says plane rides begin at 4:30. “We give airplane rides for $10. If you want we have hot dogs, chips and a drink for $3. The ride is around 20 minutes long. We go the Harlan Community out to Prairie Rose and back to the airport. Everyone can see where they might live or just enjoy flying.”

For the breakfast on Sunday, Pigsley says if the weather cooperates, the airport could see up to 60 planes “We usually have planes come from different airports in Nebraska, Iowa and even Missouri. If the weather is nice we could see upwards of 60 planes.”

A breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast and a beverage will be served with tickets $5 for adults and children 10 and under eating for $2. The planes flying in on Sunday will hang around and be on display to check out. No matter the weather, the Harlan Flight breakfast will be served on Sunday.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today said Iowa is entering prime strawberry picking season and growers across the state are ready to welcome customers. The late spring has slightly delayed the berries this year, but with the recent warm weather growers around the state are reporting a good crop. Northey said  “Fresh strawberries are delicious and when they are in season you get the best flavor, prices and nutritional value. Strawberries have one of the shortest harvest seasons, so don’t delay in visiting a farm or shopping for fresh berries at your local farmers market.”

It is good to call or check the farm’s website before going to a “You Pick” farm to make sure strawberries are ready to be picked and that conditions are favorable. To get the “berry” best pick, look for berries with their green caps intact. Strawberries will not continue to ripen after they are picked and are best when eaten within a few days.

To store strawberries put unwashed berries loosely covered with plastic wrap in the coldest part of your refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Do not wash berries until you are ready to eat them. Remove the green cap after you have washed them.

Iowa-grown strawberries are a delicious part of a healthy diet at only 45 calories per serving. Strawberries are low in calories but full of vitamin C, fiber, and magnesium, all of which helps with better digestion, lower blood pressure, and stronger bones.

Check out the harvest of other Iowa products by going to the website: http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/AgDiversification/pdf/FINAL3281IowaFVmagnet.pdf

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County report a Lenox man was arrested early this (Friday) morning on an attempted murder charge. Authorities say a search warrant was executed at around 1:30-a.m. at 409 W. Dallas Street in Lenox. During a search of the residence, 40-year old Antonio Valenzuela was arrested for Attempted Murder. Francisco Valenzuela was also, later arrested for Attempted Murder. Both men were being held in the Adams County Jail

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Department say a Nebraska woman faces charges of eluding, theft and criminal mischief following a rather slow speed chase early this (Friday) morning, south of Massena. Authorities say 46-year old Roxana Hall, of Omaha, was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic following the incident, which ended just before 6-a.m. near 710th Street and Yankton Road.

The Cass County Communications Center received a call about a female subject (later identified as Hall) who was walking on Victoria Road near 720th. A local resident stopped to see if the woman needed help.  Hall told him she needed to call 9-1-1. Hall then allegedly took the citizen’s phone and would not give it back. She got in her vehicle and drove down the road. A member of the Massena fire department kept watch on the vehicle until law enforcement could arrive.

A Cass County Deputy made contact with the female who was described as being non-compliant. Hall  then took off from the traffic stop,  which resulted in a vehicle pursuit. Speeds during the “chase” rarely exceeded 20-miles per hour. The woman told a Cass County 9-1-1 dispatcher she didn’t believe the person behind was a law enforcement officer, and after the dispatcher convinced Hall to stop her vehicle at Yankton Road and 710th, said she wanted to talk to a female officer.

Officers from the Atlantic Police Department, Montgomery County K-9 unit, and Adams County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene. After the woman still refused to exit her vehicle, officers were able to break out a window of the vehicle to remove the Hall, who was taken to CCMH for a mental evaluation.

Charges of Eluding, theft and criminal mischief are pending at this time.

(9-a.m. News)

Iowa pheasant hunters may have fewer targets when the next season rolls around. Due to the cold, snowy winter and the wet spring, forecast models predict much of Iowa will see the pheasant population stagnate or fall. Todd Bogenschutz, a wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says some parts of the state may see a boost in the bird numbers, while other areas will drop. “The patterns we’re seeing aren’t necessarily uniform across the state,” Bogenschutz says. “The western third of the state really was fairly mild this winter compared to the rest of the state and actually, they didn’t have as much rain in that part of the state during nesting either, compared to the rest of the state.”

The nesting forecast will be updated with the D-N-R’s August roadside survey, which he says is the best gauge of what pheasant hunters can expect to find in the fall. Despite the weather, Bogenschutz says he’s encouraged by passage of the new Farm Bill and actions earlier this week to boost preservation of pheasant habitat with landowners enrolling in the Conservation Reserve Program, or C-R-P.   “Monday, the USDA began taking CRP sign-ups under the continuous program,” he says. “We have a new pheasant recovery practice under the continuing CRP. They refer to it as SAFE, State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement.”

With high commodity prices and the growing demand for ethanol, Bogenschutz says many farmers have been converting former grassland bird habitats to farm fields. The D-N-R says hunters shot roughly 158-thousand pheasants in Iowa last year. Back in 2011, about 109-thousand pheasants were harvested in Iowa, the lowest number since the state began keeping track in 1962.

(Radio Iowa)

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