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

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The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Sheriff’s officials in Crawford County say a search warrant conducted Wednesday night at 512 North 11th Street in Denison, resulted in items were seized for evidence and several individuals were arrested. Among the individuals arrested and charged, with Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, was: 47-year old Ryan Schultz, 48-year old Daniel Joseph Welsh, both of Denison. Their bonds were set at $1,000 each.

29-year old Amanda Hourani, of Denison, was charged with Possession of drug Paraphernalia – Bond was set at $300, and, 29-year old Mark David Beckman, of Odebolt, was charged with Driving While Barred and Furnishing a Controlled Substance to a Jail facility (a Class D Felony). His bond was set at $5000.

Denison Police assisted Crawford County Deputies in executing the search warrant.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce recently met with Cass Atlantic Economic Development Corporation and the City of Atlantic to discuss next steps for overall business/community development in Atlantic. Chamber Executive Director Ouida Hargens says “In efforts to better understand our current community and future needs we will be meeting with Jim Thompson, Business Consultant, Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) on Tuesday, November 24th from 9:30 – 11am at Cass County Health System in conference room #2.”

Hargens says during the first portion of the meeting, Thompson will be presenting and reviewing the ESRI executive summary for the Atlantic Area, provided by the IEDA. The summary covers items including: population, median age, households, median/average household income, etc. It also contains a retail market profile demonstrating our retail supply, demand, GAP, etc. The second part of the meeting we will discuss what action steps to take next. Please join us for as much as the meeting as possible.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, according to Hargens,  is working to coordinate efforts to create an economic restructuring/business development committee. The group’s focus will be assessments of the current community and downtown district. This will help Atlantic know and better understand the community and downtown district’s needs. The group will also focus on business retention, expansion, property development within the business district and recruitment.

The public is invited to attend this open community meeting to help us grow and support our community.

Police in Red Oak say a man was cited Friday afternoon for allegedly selling tobacco to a minor. 28-year old Tyce Samual Watts, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Kum and Go Store at 710 N. Broadway Street, in Red Oak, as the result of an Iowa Alcoholic and Beverage/Tobacco Compliance Check conducted by Red Oak Police. Watts was working as an employee of the convenience store at the time of the alleged sale. He was cited for the offense and released from custody.

Iowa Hawkeye football fans attending today’s (Saturday) game are being reminded about security changes for entry into Kinnick Stadium. David Visin is the University of Iowa’s interim security director. “The major difference is if you plan to bring a purse or a bag that was normally allowed in the stadium, we are prohibiting that for this game,” Visin said. Tighter security measures have been implemented at many venues around the country after the terrorist attacks in Paris.

“You should bring your items in a gallon-sized ziplock bag or we will allow a small, hand-size, clutch purse for other items as well. But, all those items will be searched, no matter what,” Visin said. Fans will notice an increased law enforcement presence, both inside the stadium and in tailgating areas, according to Visin. This is the final home football game for Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes face Purdue, with kickoff at 11 a.m.Pre-game coverage begins at 9-a.m on KJAN.

In Cedar Falls, the University of Northern Iowa has a sold out basketball game at the McLeod Center with North Carolina at 1 p.m., followed by a football game with Southern Illinois in the UNI-Dome. U-N-I Public Safety Director Helen Haire says there will be an increased number of law enforcement personnel on hand. She says UNI routinely searches bags at these events and that practice will continue today.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

(AP) – The first significant storm of the season was blanketing parts of the Midwest with a foot or more of snow, creating hazardous conditions as some travelers prepared to depart for the Thanksgiving holiday. Parts of South Dakota and Iowa had more than a foot on Friday. Des Moines had recorded 6 inches by late Friday and 4 inches had fallen at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the world’s busiest. The front will head northeast to Canada late on Saturday and into Sunday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Republican Party of Iowa has canceled its plan to host a forum featuring presidential candidates that would have focused on minority communities. The party said Friday it canceled its Iowa Brown and Black Forum on December 3rd at Drake University due to “unresolved scheduling conflicts.” A similar forum by the Iowa Democratic Party is still scheduled on January 11th at Drake. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley are set to appear.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque officials have declined a request to regulate the use of speakers outside bars that some downtown residents say are too loud. The Telegraph-Herald reports Jonathan McCoy of the Old Main Neighborhood Association asked the city’s Planning Services Department in mid-August to reclassify outdoor speakers as “audible signs.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal prosecutors are continuing to pursue criminal charges against top campaign advisers to 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul. According to court documents filed Thursday, a grand jury in Des Moines indicted Jesse Benton, John Tate and Dimitri Kesari on conspiracy charges. They’re accused of covering up payments to former Iowa Senator Kent Sorenson, who endorsed Paul in December 2011.

A spot check by the state auditor’s office has led to changes in how staff at the Mental Health Institute in Cherokee handle prescription medications. The auditor’s review raised concerns about the inventory of prescription drugs kept at the Mental Health Institute in Cherokee. It cited a “lack of segregation.” Officials say the pharmacist and pharmacy technicians at the M-H-I were not routinely following established procedures, but now, one technician receives the prescription drugs and someone else logs it into the pharmacy’s inventory.

The auditor’s review also raised concerns about bookkeeping at the Mental Health Institute in Clarinda. Cash deposits were being made, but they were not within the 10-day window required by law. Staff in Clarinda started to make deposits once a week after the auditor flagged the problem. Governor Branstad closed the facility this summer.

(Radio Iowa)

A review from the state auditor’s office shows just how much the state has been spending to care for mentally ill patients who’ve been residents of the state-run hospitals in Clarinda, Cherokee, Independence and Mount Pleasant. Only two of those Mental Health Institutes are open today. Governor Branstad closed the M-H-Is in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant this summer.

According to the auditor’s calculations, it cost more than 160-thousand dollars a year to care for a resident in Mount Pleasant’s M-H-I. It cost about twice that much to care for a patient in the M-H-I in Clarinda. The state spent 440-thousand dollars per resident at the M-H-I in Independence. Cherokee’s costs were highest, at more than half a million dollars per patient.

However, the auditor’s report says that figure includes some of the out-patient services provided by Cherokee’s M-H-I, but the data wasn’t available to auditors to separate how much was spent on in-patient care and on out-patient care at Cherokee.

(Radio Iowa)