A half dozen people delivered more than five-thousand petition signatures to the governor’s office Thursday afternoon, urging Governor Terry Branstad to keep the two remaining state-run Mental Health Institutes open. Branstad closed the Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant this year and Aubreeanna Dolan, of West Des Moines organized the online petition drive.

“The resources are not out there for these individuals that are in these homes,” she says. Legislators passed a bipartisan compromise that would have temporarily restored services at the Clarinda Mental Health Institute for frail elderly patients who are mentally ill. The plan also called for reopening the Mount Pleasant facility for treatment of patients with the dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse. Branstad vetoed those proposals and has not ruled out closing the remaining two Mental Health Institutes. Dolan says the mental health care system cannot stand the loss.

“I know several individuals that have gotten services from these institutions and it’s saved their lives,” Dolan says. Dolan points to a recent Pew Charitable Trust report which ranked Iowa 47th among the states for the percentage of the state budget spent on mental health services. The state president of the AFSCME union and 20 state legislators have filed a lawsuit challenging Governor Branstad’s closure of the Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant. Fewer than 200 mentally ill patients are cared for in the state hospitals in Cherokee and Independence.

(Radio Iowa)

A woman from Marne was cited for Failure to Maintain Control and Failure to Yield one-half of the roadway, following a collision Thursday afternoon on Highway 83, near Walnut.  Lt. Rob Ambrose, with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department, told KJAN News 26-year old Heidi Johnson, of Marne, was traveling east at around 2:18-p.m., when the 2013 Nissan Rouge (a crossover-style SUV) she was driving, crossed the center line of the road into part of the westbound lane. The SUV collided with a westbound 2002 Chrysler, driven by 26-year old Samantha Walters, of Atlantic.

Walters suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported by Walnut Rescue to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan, for treatment. Johnson refused medical treatment at the scene. Damage from the crash amounted to approximately $24,000.

Police in Clarinda arrested an Appanoose County man early this (Friday) morning, on drug charges. Officials say at around 2:20-a.m., 48-year old James Edward Logston Jr., of Cincinnati, Iowa, was taken into custody following a traffic stop. He faces a felony possession of a controlled substance charge, with the substance believed to be marijuana, and, possession of equipment and paraphernalia used for the ingestion of illicit substances.

Logston Jr. was being held in the Page County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bond, pending an initial appearance before a Magistrate.

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

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The 7:06-a.m. report w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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An off-set collision west of Walnut Thursday afternoon resulted in one person being transported to the hospital in Harlan. According to Pottawattamie County authorities, a pickup traveling east on Highway 83 crossed the center line and struck a westbound car. The accident happened at around 2:20-p.m.

The driver of one of the vehicles was transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. No names were immediately released. One of the drivers was cited. Additional details are not currently available.

Iowa farmers who want to better understand weed resistance are invited to a series of workshops starting on Monday. The Iowa State University Extension is sponsoring “Weeds Week” at its five research facilities statewide. Angie Rieck-Hinz, an extension field agronomist for nine counties in north-central Iowa, says virtually every grower in the state could benefit from attending.

“We’re having a series of workshops, hands-on stuff, to help those farmers and ag retailers to manage for herbicide resistance,” Rieck-Hinz says. “This is a big issue in Iowa. We see more weeds becoming resistant to herbicides every year.” It may cost a chemical company millions of dollars to create a new herbicide and Rieck-Hinz says it doesn’t appear that we should hope for any new products anytime soon.

“We know that in the developmental pipeline, there are no new chemistries or sites of action that are out there,” she says. “We want to make sure we preserve our existing tools in our tool box, our herbicides, as well as some other practices we can do to make sure we have good weed control in the future.” The workshops will include sessions on identifying the weeds, hands-on educational activities and tours of plots.

The programs will be held Monday at the I-S-U research facility in Crawfordsville, Tuesday in Lewis, Wednesday in Nashua, Thursday in Sutherland and next Friday (August 7) in Boone. Learn more at the website: www.aep.iastate.edu/weeds

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A sex offender who failed to return to a work-release program in Sioux City has turned himself in to law enforcement. The Sioux City Journal reports 25-year-old Michael Euchner II turned himself in to the Sioux City Police Department Thursday. According to the Iowa Department of Corrections, Euchner had removed his GPS monitoring bracelet while working on July 21 and then left his job.

Euchner is serving a lifetime sex offender special supervision sentence following the completion of a 10-year prison term for a 2009 sexual abuse conviction. Euchner is being held in the Woodbury County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has appointed a new chief of staff. Thirty-two-year-old Michael Bousselot, current legal counsel for the governor’s office, will begin his new role on August 8th. The announcement Thursday comes one day after current chief of staff Matt Hinch said he was resigning from the top post for a career in the private sector.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Police data show Dubuque is on pace to see more reports of gunfire this year compared to 2014. But some residents tell the Telegraph Herald that they still feel safe despite the rising number of gunfire reports. Police received two calls of shots fired on Tuesday. No arrests have been made in either incident.

COUNCIL BLUFF, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man whose body was recovered from the Missouri River at Council Bluffs. Local police identified the man as 37-year-old Jeffrey Kahler of Omaha, Nebraska. His body was spotted a little before 5:30 p.m. Sunday just south of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which connects Council Bluffs with south Omaha.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nicki Gross has been named an assistant coach with the Iowa Energy, making her the only female to fill that role in the NBA D-League. The Memphis Grizzlies and Energy announced Gross’ appointment Thursday. The Grizzlies are Iowa’s NBA affiliate.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, voted for the Senate transportation bill today (Thursday). Ernst talked with reporters before the vote, and says she decided to move ahead after addressing some questions with Iowa groups. “With the assurances that have come from the various groups in Iowa — they are okay with the measures that are in the bill — so, I am going to support it. I think we have to have a multi-year bill,” Ernst says.

Ernst was asked about concerns raised by some over 18-year-olds being allowed to drive trucks. “I haven’t seen any studies to contradict that. I think younger that drivers are fine,” according to Ernst. “We have laws in place already that will be followed, so I feel very confident.” Ernst says the bill isn’t perfect, but she says they needed to take action. “I look at this as a good bill, again a multi-year bill, that’s what we are striving for, and hopefully we can find a consensus on it,” Ernst says. She says the six-year bill gives more certainty to state transportation departments as they set their schedules.

“We have it fully funded for three of those years. It’s not the perfect solution, but it is a multi-year solution,” Ernst says. “It will considerably help our states and make sure that they have funding available for the projects.” Iowa’s other U-S Senator, Republican Chuck Grassley, also voted for the bill. The U-S Senate also passed a three-month extension of the current funding bill to keep transportation money available until a long-term bill is passed. The U-S House has left for its August recess, so a long-term bill would not move forward until the fall.

(Radio Iowa)