An inmate who escaped from the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison this (Sunday) morning, was captured about 100 miles away, south of Geneseo, Illinois.

Justin James Kestner

The Department of Public Safety notified the facility of his capture after 10 a.m., the officer said.

Iowa Department of Corrections spokesperson Fred Scaletta says 25-year-old Justin Kestner had been last seen at 1:30 a.m. during the routine count of the inmates. He was discovered missing at 4:45 a.m. Kestner is serving a 10 year prison sentence stemming from a 2009 theft charge out of Woodbury County. He robbed a Sioux City convenience store.

(WQAD/Radio Iowa)

Police in Council Bluffs say a stray bullet fired from a distance during 4th of July celebrations late Saturday night apparently came down a struck a 7-year old boy in the shoulder. Authorities say officers were called to the 2600 block of Avenue J at around 10:30-p.m. Saturday, to assist medics who were treated the boy.

Upon arrival, officers established the 7-year old had been outside in his driveway watching the neighborhood fireworks with his grandparents when he began crying and complaining of something hitting him in the right shoulder area.  His grandmother noticed a small amount of blood and thought that a firework had struck him. She took him inside to clean him up and calm him down when she discovered a bullet had worked its way out of the wound.

The wound appeared to be about one-quarter of inch in diameter and depth on the child’s right clavicle.  The bullet is believed to be a .223 caliber round which had been fired into the air and came down on the child as he was watching fireworks.  Judging by the size and depth of the wound, authorities say they believe the round was fired into the air a good distance away and had slowed considerably prior to striking him.

The child was taken to the hospital by his grandparents where he was treated and released. The Council Bluffs Police Department is once again warning the public against shooting firearms into the air in a celebratory manner. If anyone has any information regarding this incident please contact Crime Stoppers at (712)328-STOP.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s focus has traditionally been on food production, agriculture and natural resources but under the administration of President Barack Obama the USDA also has taken on a broader rural economic development role. The agency has funded energy projects, small business loans, upgrades to power lines and high speed internet.

Some don’t consider financial support for such rural development projects to be among the agency’s fundamental roles but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack disagrees. Vilsack is now promoting newly available funding of up to $800,000 to support farmers markets and other local food initiatives.

The USDA since 2009 has invested $800 million in more than 29,000 local and regional food projects including investments in 1,000 local food projects in Iowa and 617 in Nebraska.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — Officials have issued a swimming advisory at a state park in Iowa because of higher than normal levels of E. coli. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Beeds Lake State Park in Franklin County was placed under the advisories following recent water tests. The advisory means officials do not recommend swimming at the park until the bacteria levels are back to normal.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — Filing a court claim in Iowa now only requires a computer. As of July 1st, Iowa courts have moved to a totally electronic, paperless filing system for records. Court documents can now be filed and viewed online. Mason City television station KIMT reports that the clerk of courts office in Floyd County calls the move a welcomed change.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A Coralville man has been arrested on suspicion of probation violation after an officer found a woman hiding inside a suitcase in his home. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that a probation officer was conducting a residence check at 29-year-old Ryan Ransom home on Wednesday.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — A University of Iowa police captain has been named Clear Lake’s new police chief. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the Clear Lake City Council is set to appoint 45-year-old Pete Roth to the post on Monday. City Administrator Scott Flory says the hiring of Roth follows a four month recruitment process. Roth is expected to start as chief on August 3rd.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police in Sioux City are urging people not to use a cellphone case that looks like a gun, saying the device could be confused for the real thing. Police Chief Doug Young tells the Sioux City Journal that the case could put people who carry it in danger.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating an assault that left a man in critical condition, Friday night. Sgt. Mark Stuart with the Council Bluffs P-D said Saturday, officers responded to the vicinity of 10th and West Broadway Streets at around 10:30-p.m. to a report of an unconscious man lying in the middle of the street under the Broadway viaduct.

The male subject suffered severe injuries and was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.  The victim’s name is not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin.

The incident remains under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Council Bluffs Police Department. Anyone having information is encouraged to contact the Police Department at (712) 328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-7867.

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

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The 7:06-a.m. report w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Three counties in Nebraska and Iowa are prosecuting a group of Omaha residents they suspect of slipping into feedlots in the dark of night and hauling off steers and cows to sell at sale barns and livestock auctions. According to a report in the Omaha World-Herald, the modern-day cattle-rustling suspects, Ervin John Jacob, James Michael Brunzo and Amy Louise Springer, face charges in connection with cattle thefts in Cass County, Iowa, and Cuming County, Nebraska. Jacob and Springer also face charges in York County, Nebraska.

Jacob, who is 57, and Springer, age 42, have already pleaded guilty in some of the cases. Brunzo, 49, is in federal custody after pleading guilty in a drug case in January. Brunzo’s warrant in Cass County remains in effect until he can be brought here for prosecution. The other two have been ordered to pay restitution. In addition, Springer was given two-years probation in Cass County and a deferred judgement on a felony theft charge, while Jacob plead not guilty this past Thursday in Cass County District Court, to a misdemeanor Theft charge. He received probation, in an agreement with prosecutors.

A new non-profit group is putting the spotlight on Iowans who’ve made the most of “second chances” and recognizing the companies that have hired them. Kyle Horn is the founder of the “Iowa Job Honor Awards” program. “The case that we attempt to make is not for the indiscriminate hiring of candidates with ‘red flags’ but rather fair consideration of individuals, so that people whose lives are demonstrably on a new trajectory, so they’re given a fair shot,” Horn says. “Certainly not all individuals with ‘red flags’ in their background change, but some do.”

A criminal history can be a big “red flag” that sidelines job opportunities in the future, but Horn says physical or intellectual disabilities as well as a lack of marketable skills also put a job-seeker at a disadvantage. “Many of those individuals, their lives are completely on a new track, they have great skills, they’re looking for a job and, once hired, they become an incredibly and committed employee,” Horn says.

“…Unfortunately, a lot of employers have pre-screen requirements that automatically exclude such candidates and the case we make is that there are some individuals…who have overcome those barriers. They not only make acceptable employees, they make outstanding employees and a lot of the employers who have taken a chance on them report they tend not to have the sense of entitlement that we see so frequently with other candidates. but rather a sense of appreciation and commitment to the job.”

The first “Iowa Job Honor Awards” were handed out in 2014. This year’s recipients include Haley Equipment in Carroll, a family-owned business that sells and repairs heavy equipment. Workforce Solutions in Burlington was also recognized for helping people find a job after they’ve been released from prison. Horn’s vision is to spread this kind of a spotlight beyond Iowa’s borders. “We’re rolling out the Wisconsin Job Honor Awards later in 2015 and plan to continue to move on, state-by-state, until we’ve covered the nation,” Horn says.

One of the individual Iowans honored this year is Edward Roberson, of Ankeny, a veteran who got job after his release from prison and just got married. The other individual is Angela Avila, of Afton, who suffered from a social anxiety disorder. She was praised for conquering her fears and being willing to work as an intern before she was hired full-time.

(Radio Iowa)