Officials with Tyson Fresh Meats, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., announced today (Friday), the company is reducing its beef production capacity due to a continued lack of available cattle. The company said effective immediately, it will permanently cease beef operations at its plant in Denison, to better align its overall production capacity with current cattle supplies.The move affects 400 employees.

The 400 workers affected by the end of beef production at Denison are being given an opportunity to apply for jobs at other Tyson locations. Even though they will no longer be on the job, eligible displaced workers will receive 60 days of pay, as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

The company says it’s offering financial incentives to hourly workers who qualify for production openings at the company’s Lexington, Nebraska, beef plant. The by-product rendering system at the Denison plant will continue operations. It will process by-products from other Tyson locations and will employ approximately 20 people.

Steve Stouffer, president of Tyson Fresh Meats, said in a Press Release, “This was a very difficult decision because it affects the lives of our people, their families and a community that has supported this plant for more than 50 years. However, the realities of the beef business have changed and we must continue to change with it to remain successful.

Stouffer said also, “The cattle supply is tight and there’s an excess of beef production capacity in the region,” he said.  “We believe the move to cease beef operations at Denison will put the rest of our beef business in a better position for future success.”

The Denison beef plant has a long, rich history in the meat industry. It opened in 1961 as the first plant operated by Iowa Beef Packers (IBP), a start-up company that grew to become one of the world’s leading beef processors. IBP was acquired by Tyson Foods in 2001 and renamed Tyson Fresh Meats.

Tyson Fresh Meats’ other beef plants are located in Amarillo, Texas; Dakota City, Nebraska; Finney County, Kansas; Joslin, Illinois; Lexington, Nebraska and Pasco, Washington.

(Updated 8/17 11:34am)

The Council Bluffs Police Department said today an accident on Interstate 29 this (Friday) morning, resulted in a separate crash moments later. The first accident happened on I-29 at around 7:44-am. near mile marker 53 (or, near the 9th Avenue exit). Emergency crews arriving on the scene discovered the driver, 25-year old Rachel Nelson, of Council Bluffs, had been ejected from her 1996 Ford Explorer during the crash. The woman was critically injured. A passenger in the SUV, 23-year old Lisa Poulsen, and Nelson’s two children, were all transported to the Nebraska Medical Center.

The two children were treated and release from the hospital, while Poulson was expected to be released later. Authorities say Nelson’s SUV was behind a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup driven by 41-year old Dennis Sullivan, of Council Bluffs, when an aluminum ladder fell out of the pickup. Nelson swerved to avoid the ladder, and over-corrected, causing the SUV to slide sideways off the road to right before it rolled into a ditch. On Sunday, August 16th Dennis Sullivan was cited for Failure to Secure Load/Spilling on Highway. This violation carries a fine of $330.

A second crash in nearly the same area happened almost 15-minutes later (just before 8-a.m.). Authorities say several vehicles which had stopped to help at the scene had parked their vehicles on the interstate roadway. Another vehicle struck two of the parked vehicles. No injuries were reported in the second crash. Due to severity of the first accident and the second accident, it was decided to close Interstate 29 southbound, from Interstate 480 eastbound for the safety of persons on scene and motorists in the area.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Two Iowa residents will spend decades in prison for forcing a young woman into prostitution and torturing her. Aldair Hodza was sentenced to 41 years and eight months Friday in federal court in Richmond. Laura Sorensen was sentenced to 40 years. The Clive residents held a 20-year-old woman captive on a trip to Virginia and forced her to have sex with men who answered online ads. They burned the woman with lit cigarettes and other heated objects, drove nails into her feet and poured bleach into her wounds.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors are recommending prison terms of 35 years – 11 more than the top end of the sentencing guideline range. But U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson said that wasn’t enough, citing the “unprecedented depravity” in the case.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Thursday night, of 21-year old Marriah Jo Love, of Lorimor. The woman was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a Union County Warrant charging her with 2nd degree harassment. Love was later released from the Union County Jail, on $1000 bond.

And, a resident of Afton reported to the Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning, that sometime during the night, someone damaged a door and window of a house on Pheasant Avenue. The damage amounted to $700.

Officials with the Cass County Health System in Atlantic report Teresa Hardy, RN, BSN, is now certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), as a Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional (CCRP). With the certification, Hardy joins an elite group – as there are only 20 Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professionals in Iowa.

The Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional exam is based on nation-wide standards, and assesses nurses on areas such as the management of nutrition, weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, diabetes, tobacco cessation, as well as areas like psychosocial management, physical activity counseling, and exercise training.

Teresa Hardy works in the Cardiac Rehab department at Cass County Memorial Hospital, which is an American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) certified program. AACVPR-certified programs are recognized as leaders in the field of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation because they offer the most advanced practices available.

Teresa Hardy

Police in Creston report a man was arrested Thursday night on drug charges. 40-year old Jason Woods, of Lenox, faces charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Woods was booked into the Union County Jail and later released on $2,000 bond.

The Office of U-S Senator Joni Ernst, Thursday, announced the Republican from Red Oak will offer traveling office hours to residents of southwest Iowa the last half of this month and during September. Representatives from her office will serve as a resource to Iowans, to help them with problems they may be having, or answer questions they may have, with regard to: Social Security; Medicare; Veterans benefits or military affairs; Passports; Immigration issues, and other, federal programs.

Her staffers will be in: Monona, Crawford and Carroll Counties next week (Aug. 19th-20th); Dallas, Madison, Adair and Guthrie Counties, Aug. 31st; Sept. 1st in Union, Audubon, Ringgold, Shelby and Harrison Counties; Sept. 2nd in Adams, Montgomery, Cass and Pottawattamie Counties; and, Sept. 3rd in Taylor, Page, Fremont and Mills Counties.

The complete schedule for Ernst’s Traveling Office hours is listed below:

Wed., Aug. 19th: Onawa Public Library, 3:30-4:30-pm; Norelius Community Library in Denison, 6-7pm; Carroll County Courthouse – Meeting room, 7:30-8:30-pm.

Mon. Aug. 31st: Dallas County Courthouse (Adel) – 2nd floor Conference room, 9-to 10-am; Madison County Courthouse (Winterset) – 3rd floor Conference room, 11-am to Noon; Adair County Courthouse (Greenfield) – in the courtroom, from 1-until 2-pm; Guthrie County Courthouse (Guthrie Center) – Public Meeting Room, 3-4pm.

Tue., Sept. 1st: Union County Courthouse (Creston) – LEC Conference Room, 9-to 10-am; Audubon County Public Library, 11-am to Noon; Mount Ayr City Hall Council Chambers, 11-am until Noon; Harlan Public Library, 1-until 2-pm; and at the Missouri Valley Public Library, from 3-until 4-pm.

Wed., Sept. 2nd: Corning Public Library – 9:30 to 10:30-am; ISU Extension Office in Red Oak – Suite 2, 11:15-am to 12:15-pm; Atlantic Public Library, 1:30-to 2:30-pm; Avoca Public Library, 3:15 to 4:15-p.m.

Thu., Sept. 3rd: Bedford Public Library, 9-am to 10-am; Clarinda Public Library – Large Meeting Room, 10:45-11:45-am; Hamburg City Hall, 1-2pm; and at the Glenwood Senior Center, from 2:45-3:45-p.m.

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

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Officials say most of the Council Bluffs rental units inspected during the first week of a new city program had violations. Steve Carmichael is the city’s chief building official, and he told The Daily Nonpareil that he was surprised by the inspections results, because landlords had months to prepare.

Carmichael says that of the 82 single-family units inspected, 92 percent had violations. Most of them were electrical violations. The policy of city employees inspecting rental units began Aug. 3, replacing the longtime self-inspection program. Mayor Matt Walsh says he thinks the landlords “are working with the city, and we appreciate that very much.”

Do you help take care of an older family member or friend? If so, you are not alone. Over 65 million family caregivers in America provide a vast array of emotional, financial, nursing, social, homemaking and other services on a daily or on an intermittent basis.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an educational series designed to provide tools you need to take care of yourself. If you take good care of yourself, you will be better prepared to take good care of your loved one. As a participant you will learn how to: reduce stress, improve self-confidence, better communicate your feelings, balance your life, increase ability to make tough decisions and locate helpful resources.

Iowa State University Extension is sponsoring Powerful Tools for Caregivers in Villisca beginning in late August. This program has been tested and evaluated through a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging. Local supporters include: Good Samaritan Society, Red Oak & Villisca and Iowa State University/Montgomery County Extension.

Classes consist of six, 90 minute sessions held once a week. Two experienced leaders conduct each class. Interactive lessons, discussions and brainstorming help you take the “tools” you choose and put them into action for your life. Sessions are scheduled every Monday (except for Labor Day) for six weeks and begin on August 24th. Classes will be held at Good Samaritan Society from 6:00 – 8:30 PM. Good Samaritan Society had a special grant to defray costs for this program.

For more information or to register, contact Montgomery County Extension at 712-623-2592 by August 19th.