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Cass Supervisors to act on DOT agreement & CAC recommendation

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Board of Supervisors are set to hold their weekly meeting Friday morning, here in Atlantic. On their agenda for the 8:30-a.m. session, is approval of an Iowa DOT Preconstruction Agreement for the reconstruction/bridge deck replacement of a bridge on County Road M-56 over I-80 (at the Marne exit).

The Board will also act on a Resolution to encourage the implementation of a recommendation from the 2011 Citizen’s Advisory Council (CAC), with regard to: Increasing the state fuel tax rates across the board by 10-cents; increase the “Fee for New Registration” from 5-to 6-percent, and, allocate new funding to go to the TIME-21 Fund up to the $225-million cap, with the remaining new funding  to be distributed consistent with the Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) distribution formula.

The TIME-21 Fund is an additional source of State revenue is dedicated primarily to maintenance and construction of certain primary highways in the state (60 percent), but also of secondary roads (20 percent) and municipal streets (20 percent). TIME-21 was created by the legislature in 2008, as a response to a “perfect storm” of factors threatening to create an estimated $267 million per year funding shortfall, hindering the state’s ability to adequately maintain and improve public roadways in Iowa

8AM Newscast 02-27-2014

News, Podcasts

February 27th, 2014 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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(Podcast) 7-a.m. News & funeral report

News, Podcasts

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Missing teen w/a warrant located in Red Oak

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak say a teenager reported missing from Bellevue, NE, was located early this (Thursday) morning, in Red Oak. 17-year old Michael Ryan Eona, Jr., who was also wanted on a warrant out of Sarpy County, NE , was taken into custody near the intersection of North 7th and East Maple Streets, following a foot pursuit by Red Oak Police Officers.

Eona was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs, where he will await extradition back to Nebraska.

NE man convicted on sex abuse charges in IA could also face 2 life sentences in NE

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Iowa say a Nebraska man convicted in Mills County on four charges related  to the sexual abuse of two girls,  will be transferred to Nebraska,  where he faces more serious charges that could lead to two life sentences. According to the Omaha World-Herald, 64-year old John R. Schondelmeyer, of Bellevue, NE, is charged in Nebraska, with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child less than 12 years of age, a felony. He also was charged with two counts of incest, also a felony. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum two life sentences for the sexual assault charges and 40 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for the incest charges.

On Tuesday, a Mills County jury found Shondelmeyer guilty on two counts of second-­degree sexual abuse and two counts of lascivious acts with a child, all felonies, related to an incident last September involving two girls, ages 8 and 9.  In Iowa, Schondelmeyer faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison for each sexual abuse charge and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the lascivious acts charges.

Bluffs man charged with OWI/1st following brief pursuit

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs arrested the driver of a vehicle following  a chase that began at around 2-a.m., Wednesday. The Daily NonPareil reports the incident ended with 21-year old Dylan V. Rooney, of Council Bluffs, being taken into custody for alleged drunken driving. Police officials said an officer saw Rooney, who was in a 2001 Chevy Cavalier, ignore a flashing red light at South 32nd Street and 23rd Avenue.

The officer pulled up behind the Cavalier and initiated a traffic stop, but Rooney allegedly sped-off, and eventually failed to stop for a traffic signal at Nebraska Avenue while on 35th Street, before he lost control of the Cavalier. The vehicle ended up in the parking lot of a nearby hotel. Officers arrested Rooney on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated-first offense, felony eluding, reckless driving, driving while barred, two counts of failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle, interference with official acts, speeding more than 20 mph above the limit and possession of drug equipment.

Rooney was released from the Pottawattamie County Jail after posting a $5,000 bond.

EndIowaDogRacing.com launched

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Backers of a plan to end greyhound racing at the casinos in Council Bluffs and Dubuque are amping up their public relations push, launching an on-line petition drive on their new www.EndIowaDogRacing.com website. Rick Dickinson, president of the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, spoke at a statehouse news conference Wednesday afternoon.

“Greyhound racing is the Blockbuster Video of the gaming industry,” Dickinson said. Like Blockbuster, Dickinson argues dog racing is “bankrupt” because it no longer has enough customers. Dubuque Mayor Roy Buol says the three-point-three million the Mystique casino spent on the prizes for greyhound breeders last year would be better spent as charitable contributions to Dubuque area schools, fire houses and non-profit groups.

“Greyhound racing is no longer profitable,” Buol said during the news conference. “…Together we can achieve the common sense vote to end the dead, debt-ridden venue of greyhound racing.” The Council Bluffs casino provides a 10-million dollar annual subsidy for greyhound racing at its facility, but former Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan stressed how the track occupies prime real estate that could be better used. “We’re in a situation where we need more hotels,” Hanafan says. “And one of the attractive things about this area is the opportunity to build hotels and some retail.” Bob Mundt, president and C-E-O of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, says the track sits near one of the Midwest’s high-traffic areas — the intersection of two Interstates.

“That creates a lot of opportunities for us and as we see the decline of dog racing and the ability to reuse that particular location for higher and better uses, we stand in favor of the elimination of dog racing,” Mundt says. Hanafan points to how Omaha redeveloped the site of the old Arsarben Horse Track. “It’s become the trendy place to live in Omaha. It has education opportunities, living opportunities. It has economic development that Omaha has never seen,” Hanafan says. “It’s taken a piece of property that may have been a track 60 or 100 years ago and made into an economic development package for today — and I believe this is the opportunity that we have in Council Bluffs.”

A bill that would end greyhound racing is eligible for debate in the Iowa House. The legislation calls for the two casinos to pay reparations to the Iowa greyhound breeders who will no longer be able to race their dogs in Dubuque or Council Bluffs. Dickinson, the Dubuque chamber executive who also sits on the Dubuque Racing Association board of directors, says that’s a “fair” settlement. “Seventy million dollars over a seven year period I think by any Iowan’s standards is an unbelievable amount of money to go away,” Dickinson says. Iowa is one of just seven states which host greyhound racing today. No other state which has closed down dog tracks has called for payments to the greyhound breeders.

(Radio Iowa)

Report details rising cost of living in Iowa

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A new report from an Iowa City based research organization shows many families in Iowa cannot afford to make ends meet. Peter Fisher, lead author of the report from the Iowa Policy Project, says the cost of living in Iowa has increased significantly since the last report on the issue in 2012. “Two years ago, we were able say that because of the recession, inflation had pretty much been held in check in many areas. That’s not been the case recently,” Fisher says. “Food costs, depending on the family, have gone up between 8 and 15 percent.

The state average cost of child care for preschoolers has gone up 13 to 16 percent.” According to the report, rent has increased between 8 and 13 percent and the cost of owning a vehicle has risen by roughly 6 percent. Fisher says, for most families, the wage that’s needed from a job to cover those “basic needs” is substantially above the median wage offered in Iowa.

“In other words, you’d have to be in a job paying above and sometimes well above what over half of the jobs in Iowa pay,” Fisher says. Lily French, who helped prepare the IPP report, says after accounting for expenses like childcare, transportation, and rent, Iowans have to earn one-point-six to three times the federal poverty line to make ends meet.

“There’s a significant disconnect between the measurements the federal government uses to describe the number of people who are struggling, they also use that number to help determine policies and programs to help fill in the gap for people,” French says. The gap was even more significant for workers who do not receive health insurance through their employer.

A single parent in that scenario would have to earn nearly 21-dollars an hour to support just one child, according to the analysis. The “Cost of Living in Iowa” is available on the IPP website: www.iowapolicyproject.org.

(Radio IOwa)

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., Feb. 27th 2014

News

February 27th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The use of drones would be strictly regulated under a bill approved by the Iowa House. The bill received overwhelming support yesterday, clearing the House on an 87-12 vote, though several lawmakers expressed concern the bill lacks clarity and might be overreaching.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lawmakers in the Iowa Senate have approved legislation that will establish a task force to study breast tissue density. The bill passed unanimously yesterday and will move to the state House for review. It replaced legislation which would have required breast density data be included in mammogram reports to patients and physicians. Instead, under this plan, the state will set up a task force to review how best to educate patients and doctors on this issue.

STANHOPE, Iowa (AP) — The Department of Natural Resources has lifted a boil advisory for the small central Iowa city of Stanhope. The DNR cancelled the advisory yesterday that had been in place since Friday after two sets of water samples were tested and showed they were clear of bacteria.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Two Catholic parishes in the Le Mars area will merge in response to fewer available priests and declining rural population. The Le Mars Daily Sentinel reports St. Joseph and St. James Catholic churches will merge in large part because of declining numbers of priests. At least one of three rural churches in Merrill, Struble and Ellendale also plan to close.

Hunters worry Iowa has cut deer numbers too much

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 26th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hunters in Iowa are concerned about the state’s dwindling deer population. The state has actively worked since 2003 to reduce the deer numbers which had been increasing rapidly resulting in damage to crops and contributing to millions in dollars in damage from car-deer collisions.

The Des Moines Register reports some Iowans believe the state has gone too far. Last year the number of harvested deer dropped below 100,000 for the first time since 1995. Sen. Dick Dearden, a Des Moines Democrat, says deer should be allowed to repopulate through the issuance of fewer female deer permits. He says Republican Gov. Terry Branstad bows too much to the influence of farm and insurance groups.

Branstad’s office says the governor believes in a balanced approach to maintaining the deer population.