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

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With the political season in full swing, Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones issued a reminder Wednesday to local candidates for office and their campaign supporters, as well as local groups and organizations, about the City’s Ordinance regarding placement of election and other signs. Jones said signs cannot be placed on City Right-of-Ways, such as the green space between sidewalks and the street. Signs can only be placed on the side of a sidewalk that faces toward a house, not the street. He said they’ve had to make calls telling people to remove signs that are not properly located.

Jones, who spoke during a meeting of the City Council, said some areas of town are becoming cluttered with the signs. It’s not only illegal, but unsightly, especially in the area of 10th and Linden Streets.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City woman has been given 25 years in prison for the death of her baby son and the neglect of two other children. Online court records say Rebekah Williams-McCarthy pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of child endangerment and one of neglect of a dependent person.

The 2-month-old boy’s father, Michael Williams, last month was sentenced to 25 years on identical charges. Authorities have said little Leonard Williams was taken to an emergency room on April 29 last year. An autopsy later showed he died of malnutrition and dehydration.

Police in Creston say the Casey’s Store at 200 S. Elm Street was robbed at gun point early Wednesday morning. An employee at the store notified police of the robbery just after 6:30-a.m. An unknown male subject got away with an undetermined amount of cash. The incident remains under investigation.

Creston Police said also, three people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday. 44-year old Mirsad Okanovic, of Urbandale, was arrested at around 11:40-p.m. for OWI/3rd or subsequent offense, and Driving While Barred. Okanovic was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing.

A little after 6:45-p.m., Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 22-year old Hayley Vandel, of Creston, on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear in Court. She was being held in the Ringgold County Jail on $2,000 bond. And, at around 1:45-a.m. Wednesday, police in Creston arrested 37-year old Jerry Dillinger, of Thayer, on a Federal warrant for being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition. Dillinger was being held in the Union County Jail without bond, while awaiting extradition.

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

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An accident Wednesday evening south of Atlantic reportedly sent at least one person to the hospital. According to reports, the accident, which involved a semi hauling grain, and a car, occurred at around 6:15-p.m.

It’s believed three people were in the car, which ended-up in a ditch. Names and other details concerning the accident are likely to be released later today.

Police in Red Oak arrested a man early this (Thursday) morning. Officials say 34-year old Paul Earl Lemburg, II, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at a residence on W. Coolbaugh Street, at around 4:10-a.m., on a warrant for Theft in the 2nd Degree. Lemburg was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a man was arrested on drug charges following a traffic stop late Wednesday  night. 40-year old Charles Frank Adkins, Jr., was pulled over in the 3400 block of Highway 2, at around 11:45-p.m.  Following an investigation by the Fremont County K9 unit, Adkins, Jr. was arrested on Possession of a Controlled Substance and OWI/1st offense, charges.

He was brought to the Fremont County Hail and held on $1,000 cash bond.

A man from Red Oak was arrested Wednesday night for Delivery of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine. Police say 27-year old Jeremy Jon Thompson was taken into custody a little after 8-p.m. at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where he was being held on $50,000 cash bond.

The Iowa F-F-A Association has set another record for membership in schools across the state. Some 14-thousand-857 students participate in F-F-A in 225 high schools, which is up more than 500 from the previous year. Organization executive secretary, Scott Johnson, says the numbers are noteworthy. He says the previous two school years membership records exceed the membership record set back in the 1977-78 school year. Johnson says economic conditions in the agriculture may have a lot to do with the resurgence in membership.

“You know it’s hard to tell for sure why that is,” Johnson says, “I think in some cases if you look at our F-F-A membership history, we lost membership in the 80s. I think there is an obvious link there between the strengths of the ag industry and the ag economy and F-F-A and ag education enrollment in schools.” He says the economic situation has since made ag careers more enticing to students.

“With the economic recession in ’07 and ’08, the ag economy was very strong and I think it showed to a lot of perspective parents, students, school districts that there’s a future for students in agriculture,” Johnson explains. “And the projections of world population increasing to nine billion plus by the year 2050, I think also shows that there is going to be career opportunities out there.” Many of the F-F-A participants in our state still live in rural areas.

Johnson says while that is the case in Iowa, nationally the F-F-A has set membership records the last two years and some of the largest programs are in Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston. It used to be called Future Farmers of America before the name was shortened to just F-F-A. That reflects the changing careers in the field, which John says now include lots of jobs involving science and technology.

“It is more than just growing plants and growing animals, it’s about being efficient with the area that we have. With the growth of urban areas comes the loss of the land — and in Iowa some of the most productive land in the world — to feed that growing population,” Johnson says. He says everyone has realized how technology and innovation can answer that growing need for ag products.

“A world population that is growing doesn’t just increase the demand of food, it also causes an increase in demand for energy as well. So, at some point that all needs to be produced and balanced. And I think that’s what makes agriculture a strong and viable industry and career option,” Johnson says. The Iowa F-F-A Association was chartered in 1929.

(Radio Iowa)