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!
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!
(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday) reports three recent arrests:
On January 8th: 19-year-old Gunner Michael Namanny, of Anita, turned himself in on an active Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for Possession-Marijuana 1st, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Namanny was booked into the Cass County Jail where he was later released on bond; And, 40-year-old Randon Daniel Phelps, of Red Oak, was arrested on the charge of Possession-Marijuana 2nd. Phelps was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.
On January 14th, 2026, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested 48-year-old David Paul Wallace, of Des Moines, on the charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Wallace was transported to the Cass County jail where he was booked and later released after he pled guilty.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa National Guard Major General Stephen Osborn used this year’s “Condition of the Guard” speech to explain why Iowa Guardsmen are deployed to Syria and honor the two Iowa soldiers killed there a month ago. “Even in this time of sorrow, we have witnessed something powerful,” Osborn said, “the strength, unity, and compassion of the State of Iowa. On behalf of the entire Iowa National Guard, I want to express our deepest gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of care and respect shown to our fallen heroes and to their families.”
Osborn says the loss of Staff Sergeants Nate Howard, of Marshalltown, and Edgar Torres-Tovar, of Des Moines, is felt deeply within the Iowa Guard. “From our largest cities to our smallest towns-you stood together. You lined the streets. You waved the American flag. You stood in silent, patriotic tribute as we brought our Soldiers home to their final resting place,” Osborn said. “Your actions spoke volumes,
Over 18-hundred Iowa Guard soldiers and airmen are currently deployed to the Middle East. The two Iowans who were killed — and three others who were wounded — were among about 250 soldiers from a Boone-based unit assigned to a counter-terrorism mission in Syria.
“In the days following these most recent events, one of the most common questions we heard was simple, but important. Why is the Guard in Syria? And that’s a fair question,” Osborn said. “…Thee National Guard is a core component of our nation’s ‘Total Force,’ providing 40% of the Army and 30% of the Air Force operational force.” The Sioux City-based 185th Air Refueling Wing has nearly 200 Airmen deployed in the Middle East and has supported the “Operation Hawkeye” strike missions President Trump ordered against ISIS in Syria, as retaliation for the ambush that killed the two Iowans. Osborn says the National Guard is no longer a strategic reserve deployed only during state or national emergencies, but it’s now the primary combat reserve for the U.S. Army and Air Force.
“Our men and women understand this. They embrace this,” Osborn said. “They joined the Iowa National Guard to serve their state, to serve their nation and to be a part of something honorable and enduring.” Over 80 soldiers from the 734th Regional Support Group, which is based on Johnston, will deploy to Poland this summer. “This nine-month deployment will support base operations across NATO sites in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region,” Osborn said, “reinforcing allied readiness and providing a credible deterrent to Russian aggression.”
Osborn told lawmakers the Iowa Guard has currently filled over 100 percent of its authorized slots and retained 82 percent of soldiers who had the choice of leaving the Guard or re-enlisting last year.
(Atlantic, IA) – Nishna Valley YMCA Member Services Coordinator Jesse Oswalt reports, Emporia State University, Creighton University and the Nishna Valley Family YMCA are teaming up to provide free memberships to the surrounding area. According to the news release, the 4-month study not only provides 4 months of a free YMCA membership, but it also includes a 16-week training plan, a fitness tracker and health & fitness assessments, through Emporia State University and Creighton University.
To initially qualify, participants must be:
Oswalt says “This program provides an opportunity for people that are looking to start an exercise program, but don’t quite know where to start. They are provided with tools to help them get started and continue with their healthy living goals. We encourage anyone that meets the initial criteria to take the survey to see if they qualify for this study.” Interested participants can fill out a paper survey at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA front desk or scan a QR code to take the survey online to see if they qualify. Participants have until Feb. 6th to complete the survey and sign up for the study.
For questions or to have the QR code emailed to you, please call 712-243-3934.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is celebrating the signing of a bill she co-sponsored that overturns an Obama era restriction against serving whole milk in schools. “Now Iowans can have access to whole or two percent milk, which gives us the full nutritional benefits of milk,” Ernst says. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Wednesday.
“I’m ‘udderly’ thrilled that choice has been made available for our Iowa schools,” she says.
Ernst says the change will help the U-S dairy industry.
IOWA — In a press release this (Thursday) morning, officials with Google said the tech/search engine company – “As part of its annual giving,” awarded more than $1 million to Iowa non-profit organizations across the state last year to support education and community initiatives. In this area, the recipients and projects include:
Other recipients from across the State, include:
Google says it’s “Community giving program supports eligible organizations and initiatives directly impacting the immediate community surrounding a Google data center, along with other initiatives around the state.” The funds are awarded to nonprofits working on issues like STEM education, efforts to bridge the digital divide, sustainability, efforts to strengthen the startup or small business ecosystem, and more. Collectively, the projects supported by this year’s funding will enable these organizations to serve hundreds of thousands of Iowans through educational programming. In addition to grant funding, Google has supported numerous organizations through event sponsorships this year.
Google first broke ground on its Council Bluffs data center in 2007, and has established a long-term commitment to the state since then. Last spring, Google announced $7B of new investment in the state, including a new data center in Cedar Rapids. In 2024, Google helped provide $2.1 billion of economic activity for thousands of Iowa businesses, nonprofits, publishers, creators, and developers. To learn more about Google’s commitment to Iowa, visit https://economicimpact.google/state/ia/.
(Anita, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) posted on their social media page, Wednesday, a picture of home being delivered to the City of Anita, in preparation for the structure to be set on its foundation. The house was constructed through the Homes for Iowa program. SWIPCO says it “Was glad to be a part of connecting the city and this wonderful program.”
Photo of the home delivered in Anita through the “Homes of Iowa” Program. (Photo from the SWIPCO Facebook page, 1-14-26)
Inmates at the state prison in Newton began building homes in 2019 and the program reached a major milestone. The 150th modular home built on a 100-acre site inside the prison complex was delivered to Mason City last week. Iowa’s Department of Corrections and Prison Industries works with Habitat for Humanity programs throughout the state on the “Homes for Iowa” program.
In the program, incarcerated individuals acquire marketable job skills, so that they can become contractors and subcontractors when they get out of prison. The hope is that those prisoners learn skills they can use so that they don’t go back into the system. So far, over 160 of the inmates who’ve gone through the program have become certified in one of the construction trades, like carpentry.
Each house built in the “Homes for Iowa” program has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The program has placed homes in more than 50 counties in the past five years.
(Some information in this report is from Radio Iowa)
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she’s not concerned President Donald Trump’s focus on foreign issues it hampering work on domestic concerns. “Well, I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time here, we are the leader around the world,” she says. “We’re the strongest country around the world and people are looking to us for how we lead in this space. And thank goodness we have a president that is finally respected on the world stage.” Hinson says she and other lawmakers are continuing to work on domestic issues. “My priority is making sure that everyday essentials are more affordable for American families, whether that’s healthcare or gas prices or what they’re buying at the grocery store. So I’ll continue to review any proposals coming out of…. the White House and the administration,” Hinson says.
Hinson was asked during her weekly conference call with reporters why she didn’t wait for an investigation to make a statement on ICE shooting and killing a woman in Minnesota. “ICE needs to become be able to come in and do their job to deport these dangerous criminals out of our communities. And when you see protesters getting in the way of our ICE agents doing their job, that’s wrong,” Hinson says. :It’s why my legislation to make sure we’re standing up for and respecting our ICE agents to double those penalties is even more critical to get done.”
Hinson says ICE should not be put in danger from protesters while they are doing their job. “I look forward to continuing to see what this investigation shows, but I’ve seen those videos and it’s very, very clear this woman did not respond to law enforcement calls to get out of the way, and while it’s unfortunate she made that choice. I stand with our ICE agents and our law enforcement and their ability to do their jobs in our communities and do it safely for themselves,” she says.
Hinson is not seeking another term in her eastern Iowa House District as she launched a run for the U-S Senate after incumbent Senator Joni Ernst said she would not run again.
(Radio Iowa) – Motorists in some Iowa cities can’t miss the fact that gasoline prices have risen more than 60-cents a gallon since New Year’s Day, but one expert says it appears to be more the exception than the rule. Brian Ortner, at Triple-A Iowa, chalks it up to isolated fluctuations in certain metro areas of the state, as he says the major factors that typically influence big gas price swings just aren’t appearing. “We look at the usual suspects: markets, demand, refineries being shut down for maintenance or if there’s an emergency situation at a refinery or production plant — none of that is taking place,” Ortner says. “The thing we can see today is the markets are up a little bit from what they were in the last two weeks.”
Crude oil has been trending around 60-dollars a barrel the past few weeks and it’s slightly above that now, but he says it’s not so high that it would trigger drastic price hikes. “If we look at trends, we’re sitting almost 30-cents lower than we were a year ago, which is great,” Ortner says. “I know when you see a 50- or 60-cent increase over two weeks, you’re like, ‘What the heck’s going on?’ but when you look at the larger picture in the trend, we are sitting in a better spot than we were last year.”
Ortner wouldn’t speculate on whether the U-S military actions in oil-rich Venezuela have had an impact on gas prices in Iowa, as there haven’t been any significant jumps in the national figures. Still, some Iowa cities are seeing big bounces in pump prices. For example, regular unleaded was selling in Des Moines for a dollar-87 a gallon on January 1st, but now the average price in Iowa’s largest city is over two-50. “Nothing is standing out to be significant in making those changes as drastic as some may have seen,” Ortner says, “and it may be just adjustments for changes that are taking place in the communities and in the markets as they move each day.”
Triple-A says the cheapest gas in Iowa is now in Council Bluffs at two-29 a gallon, while it’s the most expensive in Ames at two-66. The statewide average is two-50, which is 34-cents below the national average.
(Radio Iowa) – A bill on the fast track in the Iowa House would ban the use of eminent domain to seize property along the proposed Summit Carbon pipeline route. The bill cleared a House committee on a 19-to-two vote yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon and is eligible of debate in the full House next week. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says House members have been trying for five years to find a way to protect property owners who don’t want the pipeline on their land.
“This year the language is as simple as it can be,” Holt said. “No eminent domain for CO2 pipelines in Iowa.” Representative Ross Wilburg, a Democrat from Ames backed the bill in committee, but he says there’s been no signal this approach will break through the statehouse impasse — or that the governor would sign it into law. “The conditions haven’t changed on this,” Wilburn said.
Holt says he, along with what appears to be a majority of House members, are ready to take a stand and pass the bill. “The House does not control the Senate and the governor, but what we do is do what is right and we move forward,” Holt said, “And who knows what dynamics might change based upon the actions that we take.”
The top Republican in the Senate is proposing an alternative that would let Summit re-chart the path of its pipeline, to go around landowners who haven’t signed voluntary easements. Holt says that’s a non-starter because Summit could still use eminent domain in some circumstances.
(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday, approved several personnel matters, including (the previously mentioned) retirements or resignations of:
Atlantic School Board, 1-14-26
The Board also approved the following Recommendations to Hire:
In other business, the Board received a Special Presentation with regard to the Home School Assistance Program, which currently has 95 enrolled students, and serves 55 families. Home School Director Tina Olson and Cara Andersen spoke to the Board. Olson said the program has been very successful, and while they enjoy their space at the Achievement Center, they would love to have a permanent classroom.
In her report, Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen gave an update on the District Facilities building project.
The District’s attorney’s have reviewed a multitude of documents related to the project, so Johnsen said she feels good about their thoroughness efforts. The Board then acted on approving an “Agreement between Owner and Architect, and Proposal for Design Services from SVPA,” and a “Snyder and Associates Topographic Survey Services Agreement.”
Resigning Atlantic School Board member Laura McLean.
Their final order of regular business was to approve the retirement of Board Director Laura McLean, effective Jan. 15, 2026. McLean explained she is moving out of the area along with her husband.
The Board accepted her resignation and thanked McLean for her enthusiasm and diligence in serving the District. Board Chair Josh McLaren said moving forward, the IASB (Iowa Association of School Boards) recommends is to publicize the vacancy and accept applications to fill the position, followed by interviews and Board action to act on McLean’s replacement to fill-in until the term expires. There is always the possibility a petition could be filed to call for a Special Election.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS