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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!
Fremont County, IA – On February 15, 2025, at approximately 9:13 PM, Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to stop a non-plated vehicle within the city of Hamburg, Iowa. The driver refused to stop, leading deputies on a high-speed pursuit northbound on Interstate 29, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph from the 1-mile marker.
The pursuit ended near the 24-mile marker, where deputies successfully stopped the vehicle and took both occupants into custody. The driver, Chelsi Rogers, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, and the passenger, Amber Walker, 41, also of Omaha, were arrested at the scene.
During the pursuit, deputies observed and later recovered over two pounds of methamphetamine that had been discarded from the fleeing vehicle.
Walker
Rogers
Charges Filed
Chelsi Rogers has been charged with:
Possession with the Intent to Distribute over 5 Grams of Methamphetamine – Class B Felony
Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp – Class D Felony
Keeping a Vehicle for the Sale of Controlled Substances – Aggravated Misdemeanor
Felony Eluding – Class D Felony
Amber Walker has been charged with:
Possession with the Intent to Distribute over 5 Grams of Methamphetamine – Class B Felony
Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp – Class D Felony
Both Rogers and Walker are being held at the Fremont County Jail on a $25,000 surety bond. The Mills County and Shenandoah K9 Units, Mills County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office during this incident.
The Des Moines National Weather Service has updated the weather briefing concerning the following hazardous winter weather: Arctic cold temperatures and wind chills should be expected this week, along with snow on Monday over southwestern into southern Iowa. The cold weather will affect the entire State, while the snow will be focused over southwestern and southern Iowa, near the Missouri border. The next scheduled briefing will be available by 7 AM Monday.
(Glenwood, Iowa) – Here’s one last reminder from KJAN about an upcoming Iowa Department of Natural Resources town hall-style meeting. Locally, the meeting will take place on Monday, at 6:30-p.m., in Glenwood, at the Southwest Iowa Sportsman’s Club, at 22896 Jamett Road. DNR Wildlife biologist Matt Dollison talks about the opportunity for you to discuss with DNR staff matters affecting the hunting season.
Dollision says there will be AN information presentation on the past hunting season, and more.
Afterward, they’ll talk about the proposed rule changes, how the hunting season went, and comments from sportsmen on what they think could be improved.
Dollison says last year, there were at least 40 people in attendance at the local town hall meeting The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.
(Des Moines, Iowa) – The price of regular unleaded gasoline in Iowa fell two cents last week, to an average of $2.95/gallon, according to AAA. That’s four cents higher than a year ago. Nationally, the average price on Wednesday was $3.15/gallon, up two cents from the previous week. Retail diesel prices in Iowa fell 2 cents this past week, with a statewide average of $3.45. A year ago, diesel prices averaged $3.78 in Iowa. The current Iowa diesel price is 22 cents lower than the national average of $3.67.
Wholesale ethanol held steady and is currently priced at $2.16. Natural gas prices were up $.26 at the Henry Hub reporting site, and are currently priced at $3.54/MMbtu.
Propane prices averaged $1.67 per gallon in Iowa. Home heating oil prices had a statewide average of $3.02 per gallon.
PERRY, Iowa [WHO-TV} — The Bits of Technology Wireless Internet (BTWI) headquarters is considered a total loss following a fire on Saturday. WHO-TV reports Perry Fire Chief Grason Hill said that at approximately 10:30-a.m, Saturday, crews were called to the 14000 block of 210th Street, BTWI headquarters, on reports of a structure fire. Perry fire crews began battling the flames with the assistance of the Yale Jamaica Bagley Fire Department, and Dallas County Fire Department and Medical Services.
Crews were able to get the fire under control but had to return sometime in the afternoon due to a rekindle. Crews were able to extinguish the rekindle and have moved onto an investigation. According to authorities, employees were working when they received a notification indicating a problem, they were then able to identify the fire. No one was in the building, and no injuries were reported.
BTWI provides high speed wireless internet to rural areas across Boone, Butler, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Madison, and Warren Counties, according to their website. The headquarters and a nearby semi-trailer, that was reportedly full of equipment, are considered a total loss, according to authorities.
A preliminary investigation reveals the fire started in the northeast corner of the building and may have originated from a wooden stove with several logs of wood around it. An investigation into the cause, though, was ongoing.
MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa [KCCI]— Just a day after officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation warned drivers to use caution while snow plows are on the roads, another plow was hit. The latest crash happened near Missouri Valley in western Iowa. It’s at least the 26th time this winter season that someone crashed into a snow plow.
The Iowa State Patrol says thankfully no one was hurt in this crash. Troopers say the driver of the car actually had a suspended license and was taken directly to jail.
According to the last 10 years’ worth of data provided by the DOT, their snowplows get hit an average of 32 times per winter season, with a record-high year in 2019 that ended with 47 motorists colliding with snowplows. This season, which started Oct. 15 and ends April 15, already has 26 collisions.
(Audubon; Griswold; Massena) – Three area school district Boards of Education will hold separate meetings Monday evening. The Audubon School Board meeting gets underway at 5:30-p.m. In the High School Board Room. Among the discussion items on their agenda are those pertaining to the addition of a Film as Literature class to replace the Contemporary Lit class, and, possibly making the Yearbook an extra-curricular activity.
Activities Director Sean Birks will update the Board on discussions with Exira-EHK A.D. Tom Petersen. And, the Board will act on matters pertaining to: The Yearbook; English Classes; Sharing softball, with Exira-EHK as the host for 2-years; the setting of a public hearing to use the Flex Fund; A FY26 Budget Adjustment (Guarantee) Resolution, a Shared School Business Official (SBO) and a Bsn Assistant-HR position.
The Audubon Board will also act on approving: the hiring of Sandra Wagner-Spring Musical and Savana Fuller – HS Boys Track Assistant; and the resignations of: Cindy Vokt – Food Service (effective March 31st), and Joni Madsen – Speech Coach.
The Griswold School Board will meet at 5:30-p.m. Monday in the Conference Room. The Board will consider and act on approving, among other things: Auditor Bids for Fiscal Years 2026, ’27, and ’28; an E-Rate application; Chemical Application Bids; Mowing Specifications; the Board’s 2025-26 Mission Statement and Goals; and act to accept the SIAC (School Improvement Advisory Committee’s) recommendation on Bullying/Harassment policies and procedures.
And, the CAM School Board will meet at 6-p.m., Monday, at the CAM Elementary Media Center in Massena. The Board will act on approving: The Superintendent Profile; Interview Questions (With regard to the superintendent search); The Interview Schedule, and the next steps in the hiring process.
(Des Moines, Iowa) – Members of the University of Iowa Health Care workers union demanded double-digit wage increases, set language on workplace violence response, included bereavement time and more. The Iowa Board of Regents countered Friday with a proposal for an annual 3% wage increase. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the Iowa Board of Regents bargaining team met with members of the UIHC chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa to begin bargaining for the union’s 2025-2027 contract.
Staff nurse and union member Laramie Wall said the main problems driving the union’s proposed contract include recruitment, retention and giving employees a higher-quality work experience. Included in the union’s 27-page proposal is language defining different types of leave and how much employees would be entitled to, including bereavement, parental, vacation and compensation for overtime. It also detailed a new grievance process allowing appeals to higher-ups if the matter hasn’t been resolved with the immediate supervisor.
The contract also outlined plans for de-escalation training, allowances for the time after an employee has been assaulted or otherwise experienced violence in the workplace and more. Salaries for new and returning employees would increase by 14% in July 2025 and 12% in July 2026 under the union’s proposal. The board of regents bargaining team offered an annual 3% increase in base wages and salaries over the next two years, the same rate included in the 2023-2025 contract. It did not include any other sections or language the union proposed.
The University of Iowa Health Care employee union met with the Iowa Board of Regents bargaining team Feb. 14, 2025 to trade initial proposals. (Photo courtesy of the University of Iowa)
Friday’s bargaining session went quite differently those held in the past. having helped in contract negotiations a decade ago, Wall said. Before bargaining law in Iowa changed to limit the number of mandatory topics in union negotiations, Wall said there was much more of a back-and-forth, with groups leaving the table to discuss things privately before returning to negotiations. That didn’t happen this time.
“It’s really disappointing,” Wall said. “I suppose, to me, it’s contrary to the entire premise of collective bargaining when … there isn’t even a negotiation, much less a bargain.”
(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – An analysis of groundwater monitoring near coal plants in Iowa shows elevated levels of toxic heavy metals and pollutants. Environmental groups say the long term effects on groundwater are another reason to stop burning coal in Iowa. The study, released by Iowa Environmental Council and Sierra Club, was conducted by the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University and based on data collected by MidAmerican Energy Company at five coal plants it operates.
Michael Schmidt, an attorney for the Iowa Environmental Council, said the study shows that continuing to burn coal causes expanded exposure to pollutants like mercury, arsenic, lead, and other toxic metals, which impacts public health. A spokesperson for MidAmerican said the Sierra Club study is “misleading” and highlights certain pieces of data to “to further its agenda.”
The study pertains largely to the disposal of coal ash, which is a general term for the byproducts produced while burning coal, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Coal ash is stored in either landfills or ponds which have ash and liquid ash residues. Coal ash can also be recycled, and according to the American Coal Ash Association, 62% of the coal ash created in 2022 was recycled into products like concrete and gypsum panels.
According to the Sierra Club and IEC analysis, MidAmerican has contributed to nine coal ash ponds and six coal ash landfills, totaling more than 700 acres. EPA established rules for coal ash, also called coal combustion residuals, or CCR, in 2015 after determining the improper disposal of coal ash was “linked to cases of harm to surface or ground water or to the air.”
The 2015 rules addressed the risks of the metals and contaminants found in coal ash seeping into groundwater, blowing in the air and of “catastrophic” failures of coal surface compounds. Under the new rules, operators were not allowed to dispose of coal ash near certain areas like wetlands, had to establish groundwater monitoring wells and install liners into new ponds to prevent leaching into groundwater. EPA has updated the rules several times since 2015, most recently in 2024, to include regulations, including groundwater monitoring, for inactive coal ash ponds at inactive electric plants.
Geoff Greenwood, media relations manager with MidAmerican Energy said the company has not pushed for “rollbacks” to federal regulation around CCR. Greenwood said the industry is highly regulated, and MidAmerican is in full compliance. As regulation around CCR changed over the years, Greenwood said MidAmerican “closed, cleaned and consolidated all previously operated coal ash impoundments.”
The study looks at the Ottumwa Generating Station, the Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center near Council Bluffs, the Louisa Generating Station near the Quad-Cities and the George Neal facilities near Sioux City, which are owned by MidAmerican.
MidAmerican, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, committed to close its coal plants by 2050. In 2023, coal accounted for 23% of MidAmerican’s total energy generation.
(Sidney, Iowa) – The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Friday (Feb. 14th), released a report on 29 arrests that took place between January 1st and Feb. 1th, 2025. You can see the entire list on the news page at kjan.com and through a shared link to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Among those arrested over the past, was:
HERE IS THE FULL LIST:
January 1, 2025 – February 14, 2025
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports the following arrests:
Tyler Mitchell Flakus
• Age: 26
• Address: Omaha, NE 68157
• Location: 130th St/US Hwy 59
• Charge Description: Possession of a Controlled Substance (1st, 2nd, 3rd offense)
• Arrest Date: 01/01/2025 @ 23:29
• Release Date/Reason: 01/02/2025 @ 01:34, Cash Bond
Caine Michael Petersen
• Age: 27
• Address: Council Bluffs, IA 51501
• Location: 2814 200th St, Sidney
• Charge Description: Criminal Mischief 5th Degree
• Arrest Date: 01/08/2025 @ 10:11
• Release Date/Reason: 01/08/2025 @ 10:28, Book Through
Duanenisha Labrenda Jackson
• Age: 25
• Address: Sioux Center, IA 51250
• Location: 2814 200th St, Sidney
• Charge Description: Failure to Appear/Contempt of Court
• Arrest Date: 01/08/2025 @ 11:42
• Release Date/Reason: 01/08/2025 @ 11:52, Book Through
Neil Alexander Mendez
• Age: 45
• Address: Olathe, KS 66064
• Location: I-29 NB, Percival
• Charge Description: OWI – 2nd Offense, Interference with Official Acts
• Arrest Date: 01/09/2025 @ 07:08
• Release Date/Reason: 01/09/2025 @ 12:10, Cash Bond
Colton Frank Sederburg
• Age: 31
• Address: Council Bluffs, IA 51501
• Location: 380th Ave/190th St, Shenandoah
• Charge Description: Ineligible to Carry Weapon, Theft 5th Degree (<$300)
• Arrest Date: 01/09/2025 @ 08:30
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
Paul Clinten Bolton
• Age: 55
• Address: Glenwood, IA 51534
• Location: 2814 200th St, Sidney
• Charge Description: Violation of Probation
• Arrest Date: 01/09/2025 @ 17:31
• Release Date/Reason: 02/06/2025 @ 08:19, Time Served
Michael Dean Magaw
• Age: 63
• Address: Shenandoah, IA 51601
• Location: 4200 Block Manti Rd, Farragut
• Charge Description: OWI – 1st Offense
• Arrest Date: 01/09/2025 @ 19:49
• Release Date/Reason: 01/09/2025 @ 20:50, Cash Bond
Terry Lee Prine
• Age: 60
• Address: Sidney, IA 51652
• Location: Rupp Rd
• Charge Description: Driving Under Suspension
• Arrest Date: 01/10/2025 @ 08:30
• Release Date/Reason: 01/10/2025 @ 10:03, Cash Bond
Jessica Lea Jordan
• Age: 35
• Address: Shenandoah, IA 51601
• Location: 211th Ave, Percival
• Charge Description: Tampering with Witness, Sale of Schedule IV/V Drug to Minor
• Arrest Date: 01/10/2025 @ 14:39
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
Curstie Dawn Kier
• Age: 51
• Address: Sidney, IA 51652
• Location: Hwy 2 and Bluff Road
• Charge Description: OWI 1st Offense
• Arrest Date: 01/13/2025 @ 14:47
• Release Date/Reason: Own Recognizance
Nathan Wright Hanus
• Age: 26
• Address: Omaha, NE 68122
• Location: I-29
• Charge Description: OWI – 1st Offense
• Arrest Date: 01/17/2025 @ 15:46
• Release Date/Reason: 01/17/2025 @ 18:06, Cash Bond
Nicole Joy Severtson
• Age: 32
• Address: Sioux Falls, SD, 57103
• Location: 2814 200th Street, Sidney
• Charge Description: Failure to Appear
• Arrest Date: 01/18/2025 @ 14:49
• Release Date/Reason: 01/19/2025 @ 11:01 Surety Bond
Elizabeth Marie Merriett
• Age: 36
• Address: Shenandoah, IA 51601
• Location: 1500 Blk W Sheridan Ave
• Charge Description: OWI-1st Offense, Outside Agency Warrant
• Arrest Date: 01/22/2025 @ 21:02
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
Jeffrey Lynn Jennings
• Age: 65
• Address: Farragut, IA 51639
• Location: 211th Ave, Percival
• Charge Description: Violation No Contact Order
• Arrest Date: 01/23/2025 @ 10:57
• Release Date/Reason: Cash Bond
Jon Kelly Rycroft
• Age: 55
• Address: Thurman, IA 51654
• Location: Plum Creek Road, Thurman
• Charge Description: Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense
• Arrest Date: 01/23/2025 @ 14:51
• Release Date/Reason: 01/24/2025 @ 16:17 Cash Bond
Gabriel Austin Richardson
• Age: 18
• Address: Hamburg, IA 51640
• Location: 2001 Main St, Hamburg
• Charge Description: Outside Warrant/Want
• Arrest Date: 01/24/2025 @ 09:35
• Release Date/Reason: 01/24/2025 @ 09:50, Transferred to Other Agency
Arlan Jack Pavlenko
• Age: 71
• Address: Kansas City, MO 64119
• Location: Cubby’s Convenience Store, State Hwy 2, Percival
• Charge Description: Possession of Marijuana – 2nd Offense, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Interference with Official Acts
• Arrest Date: 01/24/2025 @ 23:59
• Release Date/Reason: 01/27/2025 @ 17:28, Cash Bond
Jonathon Scott Jackson
• Age: 30
• Address: Hamburg, IA 51640
• Location: 404 A St, Hamburg
• Charge Description: Domestic Assault – Bodily Injury – 1st Offense, Fugitive from Justice
• Arrest Date: 01/29/2025 @ 22:54
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
John Allen Strange
• Age: 63
• Address: Riverton, IA 51650
• Location: 710 Alice Ave, Riverton
• Charge Description: Violation of Probation
• Arrest Date: 01/30/2025 @ 22:41
• Release Date/Reason: 02/09/2025 @ 10:15, Surety Bond
Luis Hector Alvarez
• Age: 39
• Address: Houston, TX 77061
• Location: Sapp Bros, Percival
• Charge Description: Theft 1st Degree (>$10,000)
• Arrest Date: 01/31/2025 @ 01:06
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
Brandy Nicole Strange
• Age: 38
• Address: Farragut, IA 51639
• Location: Hartford Ave/Tecumseh Ave, Farragut
• Charge Description: Possession of Controlled Substance – 1st, 2nd, 3rd offense; Possession of Marijuana – 1st Offense
• Arrest Date: 02/01/2025 @ 20:29
• Release Date/Reason: 02/02/2025 @ 19:23, Surety Bond
Carissa Marie Davis
• Age: 42
• Address: Nebraska City, NE 68410
• Location: 2101 Park St, Hamburg
• Charge Description: Child Endangerment, OWI – 1st Offense
• Arrest Date: 02/01/2025 @ 21:29
• Release Date/Reason: 02/02/2025 @ 11:29, Cash Bond
Debbie Sue Harrison
• Age: 62
• Address: Sidney, IA 51652
• Location: 1400 Northridge Rd, Sidney
• Charge Description: OWI – 1st Offense, Possession of Marijuana – 2nd Offense, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Arrest Date: 02/02/2025 @ 20:11
• Release Date/Reason: 02/06/2025 @ 10:34, Surety Bond
Tyler Milton Study
• Age: 34
• Address: Thurman, IA 51654
• Location: 2400 Block Waubonsie Ave, Tabor
• Charge Description: OWI – 2nd Offense
• Arrest Date: 02/04/2025 @ 09:56
• Release Date/Reason: 02/04/2025 @ 11:55, Surety Bond
Luis Hector Alvarez
• Age: 39
• Address: Houston, TX 77061
• Location: 2814 200th Street
• Charge Description: Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility
• Arrest Date: 02/07/2025 @ 11:03
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
Patricia Anne Trosper
• Age: 39
• Address: Hamburg, IA 51640
• Location: E St/Washington St, Hamburg
• Charge Description: Possession of Controlled Substance (1st, 2nd, 3rd offense), Driving Under Suspension
• Arrest Date: 02/07/2025 @ 19:15
• Release Date/Reason: 02/08/2025 @ 09:59, Own Recognizance
Dakota Issiah Hanika
• Age: 26
• Address: Lincoln, NE 68506
• Location: 400 Block Washington, Hamburg
• Charge Description: Violation of Probation
• Arrest Date: 02/08/2025 @ 11:12
• Release Date/Reason: 02/09/2025 @ 04:56, Cash Bond
Jacob Ryan Holland
• Age: 23
• Address: Elkhorn, NE 68022
• Location: Mile 13 I-29 NB, Percival
• Charge Description: Possession of Marijuana – 3rd Offense
• Arrest Date: 02/09/2025 @ 14:59
• Release Date/Reason: 02/09/2025 @ 00:00, Cash Bond
Dyson Patrick Tobin
• Age: 33
• Address: Sidney, IA 51652
• Location: 2568 170th St
• Charge Description: Intent to Manufacture/Deliver Fentanyl, Willful Injury – Bodily Injury, Going Armed with Intent, Domestic Assault – Bodily Injury
• Arrest Date: 02/10/2025 @ 13:55
• Release Date/Reason: IN CUSTODY
It should be noted that a criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.