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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!
(Corning, IA) – Officials with Akin Building Center have announced a significant shift in ownership along with a fresh, community-focused direction. In their news released, officials said “With the exit of Alan Fishbein from the ownership group, longtime Akin leader Adam Bock—who has served as Executive Vice President and has been an integral part of the company for almost a decade—will assume the Chief Executive Officer role.”
Bock is a CPA with a strong background in asset management, particularly private equity, and is a seasoned professional with extensive commercial real estate experience in New York. He is also a dedicated family man and father of two grown children. While he previously worked primarily behind the scenes, Adam is now stepping forward to ensure Akin embraces a new and positive culture focusing on the communities within the four-store footprint of Atlantic, Creston, Corning and Clarinda. Officials say Bock understands the importance of earning the trust of our customers and local communities while also fostering a more vibrant workplace culture. “We’re introducing new opportunities for staff to volunteer and are focused on making Akin a place where our team feels valued and excited to come to work.”
Joining Adam Bock in this new chapter of the company, are Ryan & Michele Draper from the Creston area, who have also become part-owners of the company. Ryan started with Akin in 2019 before becoming general manager in June 2023 and will now also take on the role of Executive Vice President handling the day-to-day operations across all locations. He is a Creston native and an on-the-ground presence, bringing with him 20+ years of residential construction expertise. Michele has spent the past 23 years in the insurance industry serving many area residents and farmers at the agency level. She brings her passion for relationship building to Akin as she takes on the role of Safety/Compliance and HR Specialist, ensuring a welcoming and safe environment across all store locations.
Ryan Draper says “We’re strongly committed to southwest Iowa and the communities that support us. We’re looking forward to community involvement and investment as we enter this new era of ownership. Rest assured you will still see the same committed, in-store leadership that you are used to – nothing has changed there.” Michele Draper added “Your feedback is welcomed and will be taken to heart. We are kicking off the holiday season with some new in-store promotions and giving campaigns – follow us on social media to stay updated”!
Finally, the new ownership group wants to reiterate that “As we move forward, our focus is on positivity, community engagement, and delivering a great experience for everyone. We hope to see you soon”!
For more information, please visit www.akinbuildingcenters.com, or email rdraper@akinlbr.com or abock@akinlbr.com.
(Creston, IA) – The Creston Police Department reports a man was arrested Friday evening on an outstanding warrant for Failure to Appear, on an original charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. 23-year-old Jorge Alvarez, of Creston, was arrested in the 800 block of W. Howard Street. Alvarez was transported to the Union County Jail, posted a $300 cash or surety bond, and was released.
At around 1:40-a.m. Saturday, 22-year-old Shealyn Robert Supinger, of Kellerton, was arrested in Creston following a traffic stop at the intersection of Howard and Palm Streets. Supinger was charged with OWI/(Operating While Under the Influence) 1st Offense. Supinger was transported to the Union County Jail, posted a $1,000 cash or surety bond, and was released.
Sunday night, Creston Police arrested 31-year-old Austin Allan Jones, of Creston. Jones was arrested at the intersection of Lincoln and Prairie Streets and charged with 25 counts of Violation of a No-Contact Order. He was transported to the Union County Jail and held without bond pending a court appearance.
(Radio Iowa) – A world-renown photographer and cinematographer who merges art and science through visual stories will make his first-ever stop in Iowa this week to share his out-of-this-world slide show called Earth After Dark. As part of the National Geographic Explorer Series, Babak Tafreshi says he strives to create a visual portal to the universe that can reconnecting the general public to the night sky and the natural world around us — and above us. “We are disconnected due to light pollution and a busy lifestyle today and a majority of humanity, especially in the developed world, are living under an artificial sky,” Tafreshi says. “Our Milky Way, for example, is no longer visible.”
From meteor showers to lightning bugs that emerge at dusk on neighborhood streets, he says our eyes open a little wider when we see the stunning photos and videos that display the abundant life in the darkness. “Life at Night is about nocturnal animals, their natural behavior,” the Iranian-American says, “and how light pollution is impacting and changing biodiversity, from fireflies to sea turtles to pets and migratory birds.” Tafreshi, a National Geographic contributor since 2012, created The World At Night program in 2007 with the message of “One People, One Sky” and he directing its team of photographers in some 30 countries. He’s bringing his fascinating visual program to the Des Moines Civic Center on Tuesday night.
Photo by Babak Tafreshi
“It starts with astronomy and the space wonders, zooming from the earth to the universe,” Tafreshi says. “Many of these documentary-style photographs at night are from variety of landmarks and World Heritage sites around the world. And then we merge into the impact of light pollution and the conservation story on animals at nighttime.” Tafreshi says he’s spent his career documenting wildlife, humanity, and the cosmos — from dark national parks to bright urban areas — with the belief that people everywhere can connect through the shared experience of simply looking up.
(Ames, Iowa; An Iowa Capital Dispatch report) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, Friday, celebrated the expansion of bioindustrial manufacturing in Iowa as they joined executives of BioMADE at the ISU BioCentury Research Farm, with a groundbreaking ceremony. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the event celebrated the kickoff of the $40 million project to bring BioMADE, a Manufacturing Innovation Institute backed by the U.S. Department of Defense, to the ISU facility. The Iowa facility was funded using $10 million from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, $10 million from ISU and $20 million from BioMADE, in addition to receiving support from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The site, which measures 15,000 square feet, will be a pilot-scale biomanufacturing plant in Boone, designed to support the development and research of bioindustrial products to bring them to commercial and defense markets. The project includes plans to expand the ISU’s fermentation facilities, with 5,000 and 10,000-liter industrial fermenters, as well as lab space and downstream processing capabilities, for businesses to use to test products before deciding whether to move ahead with investing in their own manufacturing facilities for a product. Reynolds said that nearly a year prior to the event ISU and BioMADE leaders visited her office to showcase their vision for the project. “It was a bold, practical plan to bring together Iowa’s strengths in agriculture, research and manufacturing to build something truly transformative — and what an incredible moment it is to see all of that take shape today,” Reynolds said. “Today’s milestone is a reflection of the power of partnerships and the potential that it creates when government, industry and academia work side by side.”
Participating in a groundbreaking ceremony for BioMADE from left, are BioMADE Chief Manufacturing Officer Jack Starr, BioMADE CEO Douglas Friedman, Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen. BioMADE is expanding facilities at the ISU BioCentury Research Farm in Boone. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Reynolds said Iowa and ISU in particular are a great fit for the project, as the university is already a leader on biomanufacturing, production and research, saying “the type of expertise and infrastructure that’s needed already exists” for BioMADE’s goals at the ISU BioCentury Research Farm. “This new pilot (and) scaled-up facility helps complete Iowa’s biomanufacturing ecosystem,” Reynolds said. “It will take the discoveries from the lab and scale them into real world applications, accelerating American research and development, creating great new jobs and ensuring that breakthroughs developed in this country are made in this country.” BioMADE CEO Douglas Friedman said that alongside the Iowa facility, the organization has also launched similar pilot projects in California and Minnesota with different production capacities and equipment, filling “a critical gap” in pilot and demonstration infrastructure, allowing for businesses to experiment with different products and materials throughout the country.
Wintersteen said much of the work already being done by researchers and faculty at the ISU facility is already focused on “identifying and fulfilling the critical gaps” in bringing products to market in bioindustrial fields, and that there will be opportunities for collaboration between the university and BioMADE. “It will also serve as a hub for hands-on training and workforce development, preparing the next generation of bio-processing engineers and scientists,” Wintersteen said. “So we’re excited about what’s going to happen here, and the faculty that will be working here, and their efforts and efforts of many others that will produce key breakthroughs in bio-manufacturing.”
Friedman also said these pilot projects are crucial for “leading the way to more bio-based products being manufactured right here in America.” In Iowa, there will be a specific focus on food-grade capabilities — “ingredients like prebiotics, probiotics, sweeteners, flavors,” he said. “We’ll be able to tie into the robust biomanufacturing ecosystem that is already present here in Iowa,” Friedman said. He also praised state government and ISU leaders for allowing the project to move forward quickly, “at a speed that makes sense in this era of global competition.” The facility is scheduled to open in 2027.
(An Iowa News Service report)
After a record-long, 43-day shutdown, the federal government is slowly coming back online. But workers in Iowa will slowly return to their jobs. Iowa AFL-CIO President Charlie Wishman said many government employees in Iowa have been going without timely paychecks.
“Whether it is men and women who work at Offit Air Force Base in Omaha that live in our state in the western part,” Wishman, “whether it is folks who live and live and work in Iowa and work at the Rock Island arsenal, or whether it’s out VA facilities around the state.”
Air travel and other government related services could take time to return to normal. While Des Moines International Airport was not among the 40 that were forced to restrict traffic during the government shutdown that short-staffed air traffic control centers, officials say the airport felt the trickle down effect from flights being canceled in major markets – including neighboring Chicago and Minneapolis.
Wishman said SNAP payments are still up in the air for Iowans who rely on the program’s food and nutrition assistance. The shutdown also put a union vote on hold for Iowa nurses at the Unity Point Health System, the largest in the state, because the Department of Labor was closed.
“Now, of course this gives managers, gives the company, the hospital, gets people more time to put pressure on nurses, to scare people,” said Wishman. “It gives more time for perhaps unjust discipline to be handed out to scare people into voting no. So, I’m concerned about how that’s going to go.”
There has not been a new date set for the nurses to vote on a labor contract.
(Radio Iowa) – A record store owner who’s closely followed the musical trends and passions of central Iowans for two and a half decades says last week’s landmark accomplishment for artificial intelligence is no surprise and no fluke. A song called “Walk My Walk” by a computer-generated blues-country singer called Breaking Rust hit number-one on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales Chart. Nate Niceswanger, who opened Z-Z-Z Records in Des Moines in September of 2000, says he’s had -zero- customers come into the store seeking C-Ds or records from Breaking Rust, despite the A-I-created song reaching the very top of that music chart.
“I wasn’t that impressed with the song,” Niceswanger says. “I can see where country fans might take a liking to it, or at least maybe they’re fascinated by the concept of a song that was totally produced by AI, but overall, I didn’t think it was really outstanding. I certainly don’t see the song winning any Grammys.” He predicts A-I-generated songs will continue growing in popularity, as he notes artists have long used computers and technology to aid in their making of music.
“I think this is probably the next logical step in the process,” he says. “If you go back to the ’90s, think about Cher. She had a song in 1998 called ‘Believe’ and she was using a new technology at that time called Autotune, and they took it to ridiculous levels where basically her voice sounded like a computer.” Electronic music festivals have also seen a shift toward more tech in recent years.
(Nate Niceswanger, who opened Z-Z-Z Records in Des Moines – Radio IA photo)
“In the early days of these festivals, you would actually have deejays with turntables and they’d be manipulating the records live on stage,” Niceswanger says. “Now a lot of headliners at these festivals will just set up with the laptop and everything’s pre-programmed. They basically just hit the button to start and they stand up there and they’ll pump their fists and they’ll dance around on stage but they’re not performing any music.”
He also points to the Milli Vanilli scandal of 1989, where the pop duo was caught lip-synching to their hit “Girl You Know It’s True”. It turned out, neither of them sang or played any instruments on their own record. The Grammy award they’d won for Best New Artist was revoked.
(Lewis, IA) – The Cass County Conservation Board has announced a Bat House Workshop will take place this coming Saturday, Nov. 22nd, at Outdoor Educational Classroom near Massena. The workshop begins at 11-a.m. The Board suggests a donation of $15 per bat house. All ages are welcome to attend and participate, but children must be accompanied by an adult. During the Bat House Workshop, you”ll learn all about Iowa’s bats, and build a small bat house or purchase a kit. Please pre-register by Monday, November 17th, by calling 712-769-2372 or email lkanning@casscoia.us !
A constructed bat house (Cass County Conservation Dept. photo)
The Cass County Conservation Board is also holding a Nature Journaling Workshop next Saturday, at the Outdoor Educational Classroom in Massena. The Journaling Workshop begins at 1-p.m., and is free of charge. All ages are welcome, and again children must be accompanied by an adult. Learn all about nature journaling and techniques we can use. You will also make and take a journal home with you!
Find the Outdoor Educational Classroom by taking Highway 148 south of Massena, Turn Left on Tucson Road and follow it East for about two miles before turning right into the parking lot.
Please pre-register for one or both programs by November 17th. The CCCB hopes you will join Conservation Staff for the educational activities.
(Council Bluffs, IA) – Pottawattamie County attorney Matt Wilber, FrIday, filed a petition to remove Scott Belt from his position as county supervisor. KETV reports, in the petition, Wilber alleges that Belt went to a bar before a Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors meeting and was drinking. The petition alleges, Belt had a beer and part of a mixed drink. He took the rest with him after the bartender put it in a plastic cup.
The court documents said patrons at the bar said it was “very quickly apparent” that Belt was already intoxicated for coming into the establishment. According to the petition, one person at the bar told him he should not go to the meeting, but Belt responded, saying he was “fine.” The documents indicated also, that there was no audio of the happenings, but it was captured on surveillance cameras.
At the meeting, according to the petition, Belt was having problems speaking when it came to things like leading the Pledge of Allegiance, and he was clumsy, even tripping over a chair leg. The petition said once the word got out about the Nov. 5 meeting, people started coming forward with similar experiences with Belt. It also alleged that Belt had been intoxicated while acting in his official capacity at least seven times in the past 13 months.
According to a Facebook post from the county, Belt resigned from his position as board chairperson effective on Nov. 10th. Matt Wilber says a judge suspended Belt on Friday, Nov. 14th, which leaves the position legally vacant pending a hearing. A committee will appoint a temporary board member until the court rules on the petition to remove Belt. If the petition is dismissed, Belt will be reinstated, and if the court accepts the petition, the committee will appoint a successor for the remainder of the term, which may involve a special election.
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