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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!
(Radio Iowa) – The head of a state agency says she’s in negotiations that could launch a big project that would qualify for the state’s new “Major Economic Growth Attraction” or “MEGA” program incentives. Iowa Economic Development Authority director Debi Durham isn’t naming the company, but is sharing some details.
Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority, who spoke Oct. 3, 2024 at Bluebird Hill near Atlantic. (Ric Hanson/Photo)
The governor signed a law this spring authorizing up to 93-million dollars in tax incentives for businesses investing at least one BILLION dollars on a facility.
To qualify for the state’s MEGA program, a project must cover at least 250 acres and be on one of the so-called certified sites around the state that are ready for development. According to the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s website, certified sites in Oskaloosa, Clinton, Princeton, Glenwood, Cedar Rapids and Ames would qualify.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Cass County ISU Extension say the anticipation is building for this year’s National 4-H Week, during which millions of youth, parents, volunteers, and alumni across the country will celebrate everything 4-H. Cass County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by showcasing the incredible experiences that 4-H offers and highlighting the remarkable 4-H young people in our community who work to positively impact those around them. October 13th the community is welcome to join the Cass County 4-H Clubs with carnival games and learn more about 4-H at Fall Fest on the Fairgrounds from 2:00-4:00pm.
The 2024 National 4-H Week theme is Beyond Ready, which celebrates the program’s dedication to building a generation equipped for the future while being met where they are today. This year, 4-H is focused on helping youth be ready to lead, ready to serve, ready to build, and ready to conquer.
4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families, and communities across the country. Through hands-on learning experiences in areas such as agriculture, communication and the arts, leadership and civic engagement, healthy living, and STEM, 4-H members are equipped with the skills they need to be Beyond Ready and make a difference in the world. 
Katie Bateman, County Youth Coordinator with Cass County Extension, says “We equip youth with skills for the future while meeting them where they are today. Through 4-H, we offer opportunities and experiences that shape youth into their full, authentic selves, enabling them to shine both now and in the future.”
In Cass County, more than 300 4-H youth and 50 volunteers from the community are involved in 4-H. For over 100 years, 4‑H has inspired families, shaped careers, and impacted communities. For more information on the Iowa 4-H Youth Development program, please contact the Cass County Extension office or visit the Iowa 4-H website at www.extension.iastate.edu/4h.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County (Iowa) Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Kathy Somers has announced in-person-absentee voting will take place at the auditor’s office in the courthouse beginning Wednesday, October 16th through Monday, November 4th, the day before the election, during regular business hours from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The auditor’s office will also be open for in-person- absentee voting, and other election business, on Saturday, November 2nd, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Voters wishing to vote by mail may request absentee ballots by contacting the auditor’s office, or by downloading the request form from the Secretary of State’s website and delivering it to the auditor’s office by October 21st. The Secretary of State’s website is sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/absenteeinfo.html.
Vote Early
Absentee ballots must be returned to the auditor’s office before polls close at 8:00 PM on election night in order to be counted. For more information about the November 5, 2024 General Election, contact the auditor’s office at 712-243-4570 or go to the Cass County elections website at casscountyia.gov/county-government/elections/general-elections/.
(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Glenwood was arrested Tuesday night on weapons charges. 69-year-old Teresa Ann Keller was arrested for Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, and Reckless use of a Firearm. Her bond was set at $10,000.
The Iowa Business Council’s third-quarter Economic Outlook Survey of members shows an overall positive economic outlook. I-B-C president Joe Murphy says that’s especially good news after concerns raised in the last survey.
The survey asks members about expectations for sales, capital spending and employment in the next six months. All three were positive.
Murphy says the survey came before the Fed Reserve cut interest rates, so that numbers would likely be a little higher. Murphy says the union dock strike that just began is something they will be watching.
Murphy says the strike comes as members for the first time since 2021 did not list inflation as one of their tops concerns.
He says the strike is just the latest in what seems like a “whack a mole” combination of issues that businesses have faced and overcome.
The Iowa Business Council (IBC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose 22 members are the chief decision makers of major Iowa employers.
Iowa’s seeing at least one bumper crop this fall, but it’s not your typical agricultural commodity. Many millions of weensy insects called minute (my-NOOT) pirate bugs are swarming our yards in recent weeks and their bite, while tiny, can be a doozy. Ginny Mitchell, education program coordinator at Iowa State University’s Insect Zoo, says they’re an appropriately named creature as they’re only about one-eighth to one-twelfth of an inch long.
Spend any time outdoors and you’ll likely be surrounded and attacked by these little flying monsters at some point. Mitchell says farmers and other growers should love the minute pirate bugs as they perform a very valuable service during the spring, summer and early fall, though they’re an absolute terror if you happen to be a smaller bug.
Why are there so many of these itsy-bitsy biting beasts all of the sudden? Minute pirate bugs usually feed in the tree canopy or in a field, and as the trees start to lose their leaves and the harvest is underway, they’re having to look elsewhere for food. Mitchell says the best way to stave off a minute pirate bug is to wear long pants, long sleeves, and dark colors.
If you’re bitten, use soap and water or hand sanitizer right away, and there are various creams and ointments that can bring relief, though Mitchell says a dab of raw honey may also do the trick. The sting of the minute pirate bug can be very painful, which some people attribute to venom, poison, acid, or even the bug’s urine. None of those are true, Mitchell says, but they -do- secrete a type of saliva or enzyme.
If you find an insect in your house, or even in the wild, Mitchell usually advocates not killing it, but she takes a different tack with minute pirate bugs. Squish as many as you want, she says, as “there are gazillions of them in Iowa.”
Governor Kim Reynolds says her recent 10-day trade mission to India is just the beginning of positioning Iowa companies, Iowa products and Iowa itself as partners in the world’s fastest growing economy.
Peter Tokar (TOH-kar) — president and C-E-O of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce — was part of the delegation.
Tokar and state officials are not revealing the name of the company. India only allows genetically modified cotton seeds to be grown in the country and bars imports of corn and soybeans grown from genetically modified seeds. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says there may be opportunities to export dried distillers grain and soybean meal, however.
Naig was also part of the trade mission to India.
(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s more than likely she’ll decide who to pick as Iowa’s next lieutenant governor AFTER the November election.
Adam Gregg, who’d been Iowa’s lieutenant governor since mid-2017, resigned in early September to take the top job at the Iowa Bankers Association. Reynolds says she didn’t have a lot of advance notice about Gregg’s decision, and then left on a 10 day trade mission to India. The governor indicated she and her staff are collecting the names of people she might consider, but interviews have not begun.
Reynolds says she’ll sit down with different people who she thinks might be a good partner.
Former Governor Terry Branstad chose Reynolds fas his running mate in 2010 and she took over as governor when he resigned to become U-S Ambassador to China. The person Reynolds chooses as lieutenant governor is likely to be her running mate in 2026, if she runs for reelection.
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