A southwest Iowa farmer has carved the first name of his favorite presidential candidate into the landscape. “I had a couple of yard signs stolen and I was out on my tractor there that day and it just kind of hit me. I though: ‘Geez. I’ve got a perfect place for this.’ It’s soybean stubble which would make it show up good, over next to the road. So I just thought: ‘I’ll go try it. It probably won’t work. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just scratch through it if it doesn’t’ and it just seemed to turn out perfect.”

68-year-old Michael Pattavina, of Clarinda, is a Bernie Sanders supporter. He didn’t map out a plan for his bean field. Pattavina just used a chisel plow on the back of his tractor to cut a seven-foot-wide swath as he wrote out “Bernie” in his field. “It probably took me about 20 to 30 minutes to do it,” Pattavina says. “The ‘B’ is about 60 feet tall.” Pattavina’s “flat Bernie” billboard is the talk of the town.

“Whenever I see somebody on the street, they talk to me about it and say they really like it and everything — even the conservatives,” Pattavina says. “I might mention that I live in an ultra-conservative area.” The sign can clearly be seen from the air, as the name “Bernie” covers about half an acre in Pattavina’s field. Pattavina says he didn’t do it “to be popular” but he would love to hear from his favorite candidate at some point.

“It only cost me a few cents for the fuel and a little bit of time and that’s exactly what Bernie’s all about,” Pattavina says. The farm Pattavina lives on has been in his family for 158 years and Pattavina has farmed the ground all his life.

(Radio Iowa)

A traffic stop Tuesday night in Clarinda resulted in charges filed against the driver, with additional charges pending against a passenger in the vehicle. Police Chief Keith Brothers reported Wednesday, that around around 10-p.m. Tuesday, his officers arrested 19-year old Kai Jacob Ballinger-Knoke, of Clarinda, for 1st offense OWI/drug-related.

Plant material believed to be marijuana and paraphernalia used for ingesting marijuana were found in the vehicle. Ballinger-Knoke was processed and released on recognizance with a promise to appear in court at a later date. A passenger in the vehicle, 19-year old Rodney Joe Baldwin, also of Clarinda, is also facing pending charges for possession of a substance believed to be marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

An Atlantic man arrested in June, 2015, on a charge of Indecent Contact with a Child, Lascivious Acts with a Child and one count of Second Degree Sexual abuse, has plead guilty to a lesser charge. According to online court records, 30-year old Tad Haskins plead guilty, Monday, to an amended Count of Lascivious Acts with a child. The remaining counts were summarily dismissed.

Judge Mark Eveloff also suspended a 5-year prison sentence and $750 fine, and instead required Haskins to serve 2-years of supervised probation. He’ll have to: Live at the Residential Corrections Facility in Council Bluffs until maximum benefits are reached; Pay restitution in the amount of $172 within 30-days; Complete a Sex Offender Treatment Program; Submit a DNA sample, and, have no contact with his step-children for a period of two-years.

A highway stop in which Iowa police officers pointed weapons at an innocent dark-skinned man and his 6-year-old son has prompted a federal lawsuit and racial profiling claims. Details of the September 2014 incident in northwest Iowa have emerged in a lawsuit filed by the driver, 32-year-old Levi Wilson of Orange City. He alleges the stop and search were illegal.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says officers acted appropriately because they were searching for Wilson’s brother, David Wilson, a sex offender who was wanted on outstanding warrants. Officers say the brothers sometimes drove the same truck. Levi Wilson denies that.

U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett refused to dismiss the case this month, ruling that claims of unreasonable search and seizure, excessive force and invasion of privacy could proceed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs man has been indicted on one count of bank robbery in federal court in Des Moines. Documents filed Tuesday say Jesse Daniel Specht took by force, violence and intimidation money from Farmers & Merchants State Bank in Neola on Oct. 14. Specht was arrested five days later in Omaha.

The bank was robbed by a man wearing a mask who told employees and customers to get down on the floor before he ran away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is encouraging Iowans to consider choosing a fresh, Iowa grown Christmas tree to decorate their home this holiday season. Northey says “Selecting a fresh Christmas tree can be part of a great family tradition and is an opportunity to connect with an Iowa farmer and support the local economy. Iowa is fortunate to have more than 100 Christmas tree farms in all parts of the state, so everyone has the opportunity to get their own fresh tree to help celebrate.”

A directory of tree farms across Iowa is available on the Iowa Christmas Tree Grower’s website at www.IowaChristmasTrees.com. On the site there is a “Find a Farm” link on the top left-hand corner of the page. Besides the location of the farms, the directory also includes a phone number and hours of operation for each farm to assist in planning.

These farms devote over 1,500 acres to Christmas tree production in Iowa and as a result harvest approximately 39,500 Christmas trees each year. The result is a $1 million dollar industry contributing to Iowa’s economy. It takes 6 to 12 years to grow a Christmas tree before it is ready to be sold. Most tree farms in Iowa are 3 to 8 acres in size and sell trees by choose and harvest method, where a customer comes to the farm cut their own tree.

A Blue Spruce Christmas Tree (Photo from ISU Extension)

Following are tips to keep in mind to make your trip to a Christmas tree farm more enjoyable:

· Be sure you know what size tree fits in your home, both height and width, before you leave. Trees always look smaller in the field and there is nothing worse than bringing a tree indoors only to find it’s too big.

· Wear comfortable clothes, sturdy shoes, and gloves that you aren’t afraid to get dirty.

· Make sure the tree you pick has a straight trunk and will fit properly in your tree stand.

· Fresh trees need water. Once you get your tree home remember to check the water daily. Trees can use up to a gallon of water daily.

· Make sure you unplug any tree lights before you leave home or go to bed.

· Remember – fresh cut Christmas trees are biodegradable! Recycle your tree after Christmas.

If you are not putting the tree up right away, store it in an unheated garage or some other area out of the wind and cold (freezing) temperatures. When bringing the tree into the house, cut off one inch at the base end and place the tree in a bucket of warm water.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Several northwest Iowa colleges have turned to their communities to find families offering seats at their dinner tables for international students who can’t make it home for the holidays. The Sioux City Journal reports that students are frequently able to find a home away from home through a host-family program, a campus-sponsored dinner or local students offering a seat at their own table.

Briar Cliff University has offered the “Friend Family” program, which matches international students with a local family. Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, also offers a host family program, so students can stay overnight with families while the university is closed for the holidays. Some students, including those who are not international students, stay on campus, organize their own festivities and share customs and cuisines.

The Denison Police Department, today (Wednesday), issued a public THANK YOU  to a couple from Denison who aided and comforted an accident victim. Authorities say Mr. and Mrs. Larry Goering stopped to render aid during an accident that happened near the intersection of Highways 39/141 and 59.

Officers responding at around 10-a.m. Saturday discovered that an occupant of one of the vehicles in the accident had been injured. According to their report, the Goering’s stopped to render aid and were tending to the injured woman. The couple wrapped the woman in a blanket and were attempting to comfort her until help arrived.

Denison police say “It is people like Mr. and Mrs. Larry Goering that make Denison a great place to live. They had absolutely no obligation to stop at this scene and probably had other matters to attend to, but instead they stopped to help a complete stranger in their time of need.”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The National Weather Service says dangerous traveling conditions are likely to develop over southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa on Thanksgiving Day.

On Wednesday the service issued a winter storm watch. The service says a mix of freezing rain and sleet will move across the area late Thursday morning into Thursday evening. Any accumulation of snow likely will occur north of Interstate 80.

The service says up to a quarter inch of ice could mount from the freezing rain.

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

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