(KMAland) -- According to a release from the Glenwood Police Department, on Thursday, they arrested 27-year-old Bradley Ott of Pacific Junction on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Ott was transported to the Mills County Jail and later released on bond.
(Glenwood) -- A Pacific Junction man is facing a burglary charge.
According to the Mills County Sheriff's Office, on Thursday, at around 8:30 pm, they arrested 61-year-old Daniel Lee Wick at Falden Road on charges of burglary and public intoxication
(KMAland) -- A Council Bluffs man is facing numerous charges.
In information released today by the Harlan Police Department, on January 27th, they arrested 47-year-old Jeffery Erlbacher following a traffic stop. Erlbacher has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, prohibited act penalties, carrying weapons, and possession of contraband in a controlled facility.
Erlbacher was transported to the Shelby County Jail.
(Undated) -- It looks like most of KMAland will escape the brunt of the first major winter storm of the season.
The National Weather Service's latest projections show Shenandoah and most of Southwest Iowa and extreme Southeast Nebraska receiving 2-to-3 inches of snow from a fast-moving system entering the region late Friday night into Saturday. Pottawattamie, Harrison, Shelby, Douglas, Cass and Sarpy counties are among those included in the heaviest band of snow. Between 6-to-9 inches is expected to fall along an Interstate 80 corridor from Central Nebraska into West Central Iowa. Despite the unusually mild weather thus far this winter, Van DeWald, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Valley, Nebraska office, tells KMA News this event should come as no surprise.
"Everybody knows about this, so that's a good thing," says DeWald. "The other thing to think about is we haven't had significant winter (weather) basically this winter, or at least for a while. This isn't our first rodeo, but we'll have to deal with what comes."
Winds will be a factor in this event. While not strong enough for blizzard conditions, DeWalds says north-to-northeasterly winds at 15-to-30 mph will still have a large impact.
DeWald says the good news is that this could be the last gasp of winter for the next several days. He says the snow will end and winds diminish Saturday evening, followed by another long dry period. Computer models are projecting another weather system to affect Kansas and Missouri Tuesday and Wednesday.
And, cold temperatures are not expected to be a problem with this storm. DeWald says most of Southwest Iowa will escape the heaviest snowfall because of a later changeover from rain to snow.
(Ralston) -- Fellow Ralston firefighters, law enforcement, city officials and friends and family will say goodbye to Fire Chief Kyle Ienn on Saturday. Funeral services will be held at 10 am at the Ralston High School. Fire Department spokesman Tom Negley says firefighters are a very tight community and when a tragedy happens they have no problem traveling long distances to pay respects.
"Not only around the region but all across the country. We don't have firm numbers of people coming but we do know that there are people coming from across the United States."
Negley says Ienn was very well known in the circle of firefighters nationwide and served on the board of the National Council on Fireworks Safety and on several other committees. He says many knew Ienn personally and want to show their support.
"It's not surprising at all. It is a great show of support for Kyle and his family for all the things he did for the fire service."
Negley says the department is helping with the logistics of the service.
"It is difficult to anticipate for sure how many. We have to work within the parking spaces and limitations of physical size of the building."
Saturday would have been Ienn's 41st birthday. He died earlier this week in what authorities are calling a suicide.
(Shenandoah) -- Shenandoah officials continue to monitor winter weather developments.
City officials have already issued a snow emergency beginning Saturday at midnight. Shenandoah City Administrator Bo Harris tells KMA News the snow emergency means residents must move their vehicles off the street to allow for easier snow removal. Residents without driveways may park vehicles on city right-of-ways between curbs and sidewalks until streets are cleared.
Residents must also observe the odd-even parking format--parking on odd-numbered sides of the street on odd-numbered days on the calendar, and vice-versa for even-numbered days. The approaching system may be the storm Harris and city crews have been waiting for.
"We have preparing for a normal winter all season long," says Harris. "Our plows are ready, our crews are ready. We've stockpiled materials. Nature has been good to us of late. But at the beginning of the season, we were preparing for a normal winter. So, we'll take it from there."
With the exact storm track still uncertain as of early Friday afternoon, Harris advises residents to continue monitoring the latest weather reports. Look for other KMAland communities declaring snow emergencies under "other announcements" on our cancellations page at kmaland.com.
(Clarinda-Sidney) -- Some avid grocery shoppers have come through for two KMAland school districts.
Garfield Elementary School in Clarinda and Sidney Elementary School are recipients of smartboards as part of a promotion sponsored by Hy-Vee, Proctor and Gamble and Sara Lee. Clarinda Hy-Vee store director Jason Van Vactor presented a smartboard to Principal Jill Whitham in a special ceremony at Garfield Elementary this (Friday) morning. A similar presentation took place at Sidney Elementary. Shenandoah Hy-Vee Store Manager Dan Weiler tells KMA News the winning schools earned the most points with the purchase of certain products. Customers, including parents and grandparents, received points awarded for the school of their choice for purchasing $20 worth of products such as Tide, Charmin, and Folgers coffee, for example.
Sidney Elementary Principal Linda Spencer says her school is excited to receive the smartboard.
"I think this is fabulous," says Spencer. "This is the way the future of education is going. Lots of schools already have smartboards, and so it's wonderful to put a smartboard in the classroom and let teachers and students use it."
Attached to a computer, Spencer says the smartboard allows for interactive learning in the classroom. Programs in reading, math and other content are applicable with the smartboard.
"It allows students to get more senses involved in learning, which is key," she says.
Students in both districts received Apple Ipads as part of the promotion. First grader Ethan McAndrews and 3rd grader Chase McAndrews were the Clarinda recipients, while kindergartner Ellah Pummel was nominated to receive an Ipad in Sidney.
(Greenfield) -- At least one Southwest Iowa lawmaker believes dove hunters should be permitted to use lead shot ammunition.
By a 68-to-27 vote, the Iowa House Thursday passed a resolution overturning a Iowa Natural Resources Commission ruling to ban lead. State Representative Clel Baudler is among those spearheading the effort to nullify the ruling made last year. Baudler tells KMA News the commission overstepped its boundaries by banning lead shot.
"They were supposed to have a public hearing on this. They did not," says Baudler. Lawmakers rejected the proposed ban in debate on the House floor last year. But, Baudler claims the commission usurped the Legislature's authority in issuing the restriction.
Commission members cited concerns over lead shot's effects on the environment in making the decision. Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, believes hunters should have the right to use whatever ammunition they choose--including lead for dove hunting.
"Quite frankly, if something better comes along, the hunters will step up, if it's economically feasible, and use it," says Baudler. "It is proven to be right. It's just another restriction by the anti-hunting people to harass hunters and outlaw it eventually."
The resolution now goes to the Iowa Senate for its consideration.
(Des Moines) -- An update on flood recovery efforts in western Iowa is on the agenda as the State Interagency Missouri River Authority meets today in Des Moines.
Chuck Gipp, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the process of cleaning up all of the damage and rebuilding after last year’s summer-long flood is far from over.
Gipp says, “It’s how you help people recover from that event is the biggest struggle that we have and also to see if there’s anything we can do to avoid a repeat of that in the future.” The authority makes recommendations on policies affecting the Missouri River.
Besides the DNR, groups involved include the state departments of Homeland Security and Agriculture as well as federal agencies, like FEMA and the U-S Army Corps of Engineers. Gipp says making repairs to the damaged floodwalls all along the river is a high priority.
“The levees are an important part of that because people were accustomed to going behind the levees,” Gipp says. “They were told, initially, that what’s going to occur after the six major dam and reservoirs were built upstream. I guess that Mother Nature told us that you can maybe delay it but you can’t get rid of the flooding aspect.”
Gipp says much of the DNR’s role is to help state and federal agencies coordinate during the recovery process. “A lot of what we do, especially when it comes to levee issues, flood plain issues, is depending on the Corps and FEMA and the reimbursement for that,”
Gipp says. “I think there’s a good coordination. Some of that was learned simply because of the experiences on the east side of the state in 2008.” He says the panel will also discuss current and potential hydrologist roles and responsibilities in the state.
(KMAland) -- An approaching storm has led the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Watch for all of KMAland except northwest Missouri from tonight through tomorrow night.
Weather forecasters are saying a large system is moving our way and rain will lead off the activity. At some point, the rain will turn to snow. However, the uncertainty of when that happens will play a big role in our eventual snow accumulations. Right now, the National Weather Service says snow fall amounts for southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa could range between 4 and 7 inches. Experts believe the heavier snow accumulations will be north along the Interstate 80 corridor.
Again, the National Weather Service says timing will be everything in regard to snow amounts. If the precipitation begins to turn to snow early this evening, snow amounts could increase by several inches. Either way, the National Weather Service expects the wind to pick up tomorrow and they are predicting difficult travel conditions with reduced visibility.
Snow amounts for northwest Missouri are expected to be light, but the National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for today and tonight, saying thunderstorms could potentially produce small hail across the region.
For the latest weather information, click on the On-Track Forecast on our home page and stay tuned to KMA 960 and KMA FM 99.1
(Undated) -- Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports one of the two suspects responsible for Thursday's stolen car and chase is in custody.
Aistrope says 37-year-old Sean Christopher Schmidt of St. Joseph is currently being held on multiple charges. The charges include conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance, unauthorized transportation of anhydrous ammonia, theft in the 2nd degree theft, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a precursor.
Aistrope says the identity of the second suspect is now also known, but that suspect is still at large. No details on the identity of the second suspect were given.
The Nodaway County Sheriff's Office says the chase began Thursday morning in Missouri after a white Hyundai Santa Fe from Burlington Junction was reported stolen. Officers tried to stop the SUV, which drove into Fremont County. Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White says at one point the chase turned even more dangerous when the suspects reportedly attempted to run over an Iowa sheriff's deputy. The deputy reportedly fired shots at the vehicle. It's unknown whether the vehicle or any of the suspects were hit.
After losing the stolen vehicle, officers later discovered it crashed and burning near Highway 275 in Fremont County, east of the Nishnabotna River. Two patrol cruisers were damaged during the ordeal according to reports. One had a blown engine and the other had a cooling issue that disabled it during the chase.
(Maryville) -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated a one vehicle accident Thursday morning that injured a Conception Junction man.
55-year-old Arlin Milligan of Conception Junction was traveling eastbound on 290th Street just east of Missouri Route H, some five miles southwest of Maryville, when his Blazer ran off the south side of the road, overturned and struck a utility pole. The vehicle came to rest on the driver's side. Milligan was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital in Maryville for what have been described as moderate injuries.
The Patrol was assisted at the scene by officers from the Nodaway County Sheriff's department and the Maryville Rescue Squad. The accident occurred around 8:15 a.m. on Thursday.
(KMAland) -- Governor Branstad has made his selections for the state Judicial Nominating Commission that selects judges for Iowa’s district courts.
Two of the governor’s picks are from right here in KMAland. Robert Camblin of Atlantic and H David Boettger of Harlan, were both appointed to the committee through January 31st, 2018. None of these appointments are subject to confirmation in the state senate and all take effect immediately.
The Judicial Nominating Commission submits three names to whomever is Iowa’s governor for openings on the district courts, and the governor must choose from that slate of names. A separate Judicial Nominating Commission selects nominees for openings on the Iowa Supreme Court and Iowa Court of Appeals.
The way judges are appointed in Iowa came under fire after the Supreme Court ruling in 2009 that legalized gay marriage. Republicans blasted then-Democrat Governor Chet Culver and his predecessor, Democrat Tom Vilsack, for packing the commission with Democrats.
(Red Oak) -- Red Oak Police arrested a 41-year-old Red Oak man and charged him with serious assault late Thursday afternoon.
Police report Donald Evan McFarland is in custody in the Montgomery County jail on $1,000 bond following his arrest. Details of the incident leading to the charges were not given by authorities, but the arrest occurred in the 1200 block of East Summit Street shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
(Atlantic) -- Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees tells KMA News their crews were called to the scene of the fire at 2101 and 2103 Chestnut street shortly after 1:00 pm on Thursday afternoon. He says when they arrived, the back side of the home was fully engulfed in flames. They spoke to one of the occupants who said they believed the home was empty. After conducting a search, firefighters brought the fire under control. McNees says there is extensive fire damage, as well as heat and smoke damage.
McNees says they believe the fire was caused by discarded cigarette butts by the home's occupants. Two people had been out on the porch earlier, and had flicked the cigarettes away, where they have a canister they put the butts in. The cigarette butts apparently caught cloth lawn furniture on fire, and the flames spread around to the back side.
(Sidney) -- Thursday's high speed chase through Fremont County forced some KMAland school districts to take precautions.
Sidney School Superintendent Gregg Cruickshank tells KMA News the lockdown began at all of the district's buildings at around 10:45 a.m. following a request from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. The lockdown at Sidney ended approximately 45 minutes later. Cruickshank says each building has a set procedure for lockdown situations. For example, students in the elementary gym for P-E classes were moved to the elementary building. While the chase's path was well south of Sidney, Cruickshank says it's best to err on the side of caution.
"We appreciate law enforcement being very proactive, and erring on the side of staff and students' safety," says Cruickshank. "If that high speed chase had come into an area of close proximity to our schools, we want to make sure that our kids are in the buildings and safe, with the doors locked, with no traffic going in and out of the parking lots as well."
Cruickshank says Thursday morning's incident was the first lockdown situation in his eight years in the Sidney district. Fremont County authorities also requested a lockdown in the Hamburg School District. Hamburg school officials say their lockdown ended shortly after 2 p.m.
(Undated) -- After a relatively uneventful winter, KMAland is getting a dose of reality this weekend.
A winter storm watch remains in effect for most of the listening area from Friday evening through Saturday evening. Page County plus extreme Southeast Nebraska and Northwest Missouri are not included in the watch. Van DeWald is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Valley, Nebraska office. DeWald tells KMA News most of the area could receive 6 inches of snow by Saturday evening, with 8-to-10 inches possible in northern portions of the region. DeWald, however, warns the storm track is still uncertain.
DeWald says this storm will actually bring a one-two punch. He says the area could receive a half-inch of rain--and maybe even thunder--before turning to snowfall Friday evening into Saturday. This weekend's anticipated storm follows a week a record-setting high temperatures in the '60's. DeWald says the atmosphere is finally generating enough moisture for a winter event.
"We've got a really strong weather system moving through the Rockies, tapping into moisture into the area, and bringing back winter," says DeWald.
Dry and warmer conditions are expected to return to the area Sunday through Tuesday. But, another storm system could invade KMAland Wednesday.
(Council Bluffs) -- A Lewis Central teacher is facing charges stemming from an incident involving a minor.
According to Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker, on Wednesday, they were contacted by an unnamed juvenile and her father regarding inappropriate text messages from her Spanish teacher, 30-year-old Daniel Pantoja of Omaha. Danker tells KMA News the situation escalated after Pantoja took the girl's phone in December of last year.
The girl advised that during a class, Mr. Pantoja had taken her phone and without her consent had searched the picture folder where he discovered pictures of her wearing a sports bra and shorts. She reported that after Mr. Pantoja discovered the picture, he began texting her requesting that she send him that photo. Initially, she refused, but advised that she relented and agreed to send the picture in exchange for a better grade in the class.
After that, Pantoja started texing the juvenile more frequently, and Danker says Pantoja sent a photo in return, that of a nude picture of an adult male torso, with the genitalia covered with the left hand. The picture of the male torso was confirmed to have been sent from Mr. Pantoja’s cellular phone number from which all other texts had been received.
Danker spoke about the charges Pantjoa is facing, saying investigators from the Sheriff’s Office have obtained warrants for Mr. Pantoja charging him with sexual exploitation by a school employee, and lascivious conduct with a minor. Bond was set at $5,000.00.
Danker says Pantoja has secured a lawyer and is expected to turn himself in Thursday.
(Lenox) -- A Corning man has pleaded guilty to charges in Taylor County.
According to Lenox Police, on Tuesday, Jeffery Mendenhall pleaded guilty to charges of OWI, 2nd offense, and assault on a police officer. The charges stem from an incident occurring August 13th of last year.
Mendenhall must pay over $3,450 in fines, as well as court costs, and has been sentenced to 25 days in jail for the OWI charge and 25 days in jail for the assault charge. The two sentences are to be served concurrently, and no later than April 15th.
(Shenandoah) -- Page County authorities are in a wait-and-see mode on instituting an open burning ban.
After consulting the county's fire chiefs and Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer, County Emergency Management Coordinator Rod Riley tells KMA News they'll wait to see how much precipitation the county receives from the approaching winter storm system before any decision is made.
"If we get rain and a good snowfall to cover it, it will help saturate part of the vegetation," says Riley. "But with the ground being so dry as it is because of the unusually dry conditions and warm temperatures, it will just soak right up. And next week looks warm and dry again, so this is something we'll really keep our eye on."
Riley says county officials will reassess the situation Sunday, after sheriff's deputies will check for precipitation amounts while on patrol.
Burn bans remain in effect for Mills, Montgomery and Pottawattamie counties. Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman says the lack of snowfall and a rash of grass fires forced his county to request the ban.
"We have no snow cover on the ground," says Hamman. "The farmers and everyone want to get out and burn their terraces or ditches. With the nice weather that we've had, they've been able to. But without any rain or snow cover, it's a real dangerous situation at this time."
Mills County officials indicated they would consider revoking their burn ban if adequate moisture is received.
(Missouri Valley) -- The Harrison County Sheriff's office has now released details of a two car accident that tied up traffic for some two hours on Wednesday afternoon.
Law enforcement authorities say a car driven by 31-year-old Kerri Collier of Woodbine was eastbound on Highway 30 about two miles east of Missouri Valley when she crossed the center line and struck a westbound vehicle head on. The westbound vehicle was driven by 54-year-old Jennetee McGraw of Magnolia. McGraw was taken by medical helicopter to the Creighton Medical Center in Omaha with life threatening injuries. Collier sustained unknown injuries and was taken by ambulance to the Alegent Hospital in Missouri Valley.
The Harrison County Sheriff's office was helped at the scene by the Iowa State Patrol, the Missouri Valley Police Department and the Missouri Valley and Logan Rescue squads.
(Clarinda) -- It's never too late to take a mission trip--that's the message a Clarinda couple is sending to the rest of the community.
John and Marcia Coufal spent two months last year in Hong Kong as part of a mission trip organized by the Lutheran Church's Missouri Synod World Mission based in St. Louis. The couple will share their experience in a presentation at the Nodaway Valley Historical Museum Sunday at 2 p.m. Marcia Coufal tells KMA News they, along with two college students from Minnesota, taught students in six different Lutheran schools in Hong Kong.
Coufal says the main objective was teaching English in the elementary and middle school grades through the use of Bible stories . She says no restrictions were placed on what they taught.
"We very seldom ran into any situations where we were confronted by other types of religions prevalent in Hong Kong, such as Buddhism and Muslim," Coufal says.
Coufal says schools in Hong Kong are different from those in the U-S, in that they're more focused on academics than extracurricular activities.
"There were no organized school sports, such as what we have in our country," says Coufal. "No football, no soccer, no basketball. You would see students of all ages going around with books and notebooks. Every time they sat down, they would open the books. That was a major thing."
Overall, she says Hong Kong's culture and its people met their expectations.
"We found the people so cordial and hospitable," says Coufal. "We just never felt uncomfortable at all, even though there was a language barrier."
Marcia Coufal was a recent guest on KMA's "Dean In The Afternoon" program.
(Omaha) -- After a less-than-stellar holiday season, a survey finds Iowa’s economy rebounded in a big way during January.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the monthly survey of business leaders in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states is pointing to growth over the next three to six months.
In particular, Goss says Iowa manufacturers are expanding at the strongest pace in the region. “Our survey of supply managers for the month of January was very good,” Goss says.
“(We’re) seeing some good strong numbers, biggest one-month jump that we’ve recorded since October of 2009. The leading economic indicator from the January survey was very strong.”
About one in five supply managers surveyed said farm income growth is contributing to their companies’ expansion. While the December numbers are often the best of the year, Goss says the December 2011 figures were tepid, much lower than expected.
“It looks now, in retrospect, like what happened in December was really just a supply disruption, a hiccup, as you might say,” Goss says. “That supply disruption from Thailand because of the flooding is what brought the overall number down for December.”
For the first time since July, the employment index climbed into positive territory. Surveys over the past several months indicated job growth in the region had slowed significantly, but he says January’s reading is clearly good news on the employment front.
“We’re likely to see continuing employment growth,” Goss says. “In fact, the employment number was very good for the month. It’s still going to take us another 18 months to two years to get back to pre-recession levels for the entire region.”
As Iowa companies expand, both durable and nondurable goods manufacturers reported strong business conditions for the month. He says Iowa firms linked to agriculture and international markets continue to experience very healthy growth.
(Jefferson City) -- Northwest Missouri State University President John Jasinski joined presidents of Missouri colleges and universities Wednesday to testify in front of the House Appropriations Committee on Education, addressing a variety of issues facing Northwest and higher education in Missouri.
Jasinski discussed budget impacts, reserve funds, capital and deferred maintenance needs, and academic program growth as well as the percentage state appropriations have played historically in Northwest’s total institutional funding.
During his testimony, Jasinski also played an audio clip of Kacie Wright, a Northwest junior from Tuscumbia who is majoring in agribusiness. The main theme of Wright's testimonial centered on the great education provided by the University and the fact she could stay in her home state to get it.
Last week Governor Jay Nixon unveiled a budget proposal that would slice $4 million from the operating budget of Northwest Missouri State.
(KMAland) -- An approaching storm will likely mean a return to more winter-like weather this weekend. Following another record temperature on Wednesday and expected high temperatures today in the lower 60's, a major change is coming.
Most of KMAland will be in a winter storm watch from Friday night through Saturday night with a potential for six inches of snow. But the latest On-Track forecast Thursday morning indicates the path of the storm will not impact northwest Missouri, Shenandoah, Clarinda or locations east along the Iowa-Missouri border.
Weather Eye meteorologist Steve Wohlenhaus reminds us this winter storm will be typically tough to precisely track and he urges viewers and listeners to closely monitor KMA this weekend for the lastest forecast and travel information.
(Clarinda) -- A 51-year-old Clarinda woman, Cynthia Ann Gerdts, was bound over last week in Page County District Court and will be arrainged on Monday on First Degree Theft charges.
Gerdts is accused of stealing nearly $30,000 from the Clarinda High School Booster Club over a three year period. According to court documents, Gerdts who was previously employed at Page County Federal Savings Association and served as the Booster Club's treasurer, used a number of elaborate techniques to embezzle the money.
Following her arraignment on Monday, District Judge Richard Davidson has scheduled a pre-trial hearing on March 5th with the trial date now set for April 10th. If convicted of this Class C Felony, Gerdts could face up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
(Shenandoah) -- A major expansion project was unveiled Wednesday afternoon at the BioProcess Algae Plant located adjacent to the Green Plains Ethanol plant in Shenandoah.
SCIA Executive Vice President Gregg Connell announced the plant is expanding into a 225,000 square foot facility. He made that announcement at last Thursday's Annual SCIA meeting.
Local officials joined BioProcess Algae CEO Tim Burns for a brief ceremony on a warm and windy afternoon.
BioProcess Algae LLC is focused on fulfilling feedstock needs in the animal feeds and transportation fuels industries for cost competitive alternatives with favorable carbon balances. BioProcess Algae LLC is based in Portsmouth, RI and is currently running a demonstration plant at the Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. ethanol plant in Shenandoah, Iowa.
Grower Harvester bioreactors installed in Shenandoah are tied directly into the plant’s CO2 exhaust gas and have been operating continuously since inoculation in October 2009. Photo courtesy of Shelly Smith
