KJAN AM 1220

06/05/2026

Severe Thunderstorm Watch until Midnight for parts of southwest Iowa

(5:45-p.m. 6/5/26) – A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska until 12 AM CDT

IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE: FREMONT; MILLS; MONTGOMERY; PAGE and POTTAWATTAMIE.

* Primary threats include...
Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75-mph possible
Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2-inches in diameter possible
A tornado or two possible

SUMMARY...Thunderstorms should continue to develop this evening along/near the Kansas/Nebraska border. The strongest thunderstorms should pose a threat for large to very large hail (up to 2 inches in diameter) and severe/damaging winds (up to 65-75 mph). A tornado or two is also possible along/near a stationary front.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes.

06/05/2026

Confidence has increased in heavier rainfall lingering into the overnight hours, and we've expanded the watch north and west. Storms overnight could linger in the same location for a bit and back build. Amounts where storms linger would quickly reach 2-4" or more over the course of a few hours. Better chances for storms start at 8-9 PM this evening.

The band of rain will be more narrow than the watch is, so the current coverage is due to the uncertainty of how far north or south the rain will set up.

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

FFA Leaders Attend District Conference

(Atlantic, IA; Story by Atlantic FFA Reporter Addalyn Sonntag) – Each year the Southwest FFA district and Iowa FFA officers plan and facilitate Chapter Officer Leadership Training (C**T) Conferences for FFA members in the Southwest district. Atlantic FFA welcomed 210 members from 36 FFA chapters from all over the Southwest district on Monday June 1st.

While at Atlantic on Monday, district and state officers lead four interactive workshops for FFA Chapter leaders, many of which are officers, for the annual C**T Conference. The workshops facilitated were local FFA Chapter programs focused in the areas of advocating for the agriculture industry, connecting with stakeholders, recruiting for the local chapter, and working as a cohesive team. Aly Dreager said “being a leader doesn’t mean making the right decision all the time, it’s leading others to do the right thing.” FFA leaders also received training relative to their specific officer duties within the local chapter. “I enjoyed talking to the other newly elected presidents about their unique activities they did in their chapter. I hope to bring those ideas and incorporate them into our own program,” stated Jacquie Freund.

Iowa FFA Southwest State Vice President, Lauren Comes, stated, “C**T conference provides a chance for FFA members to learn more about their responsibility as a local leader and is a conference for members to meet and connect with state, district and other chapter officers.”

C**T conference programming is designed as a two-year rotation of local leaders training. The focus areas of next year’s program include agriculture literacy, time management, professionalism, and self-confidence. The goal is to engage FFA members in learning about the tools that would allow them to be successful in anything they are part of through high school and beyond.

Many of the other Atlantic FFA members who attended loved meeting new people and listening to the other chapters’ ideas to incorporate into the Atlantic chapter. They learned new leadership techniques to help build up their chapter.

C**T conference is made possible with support from Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

Pictured left-to-right: (Front row: Aly Dreager, Addalyn Sonntag & Chloe Sonntag); (Back row: Jacquie Freund, Keaton Schroeder, Grant Petty, Walter Freund, and Jovie Richter). Photo submitted with the story.

06/05/2026

Atlantic Softball Off to Hot Start in 2026

The Atlantic Trojans Softball team is continuing their recent years of success with a great start to the 2026 season. As of the most recent IGHSAU Softball Poll, the Trojans are ranked #12 in all of Class 3A and currently hold an undefeated record of 8-0. For Head Coach Terry Hinzmann, he credits the early success of his team to many different factors: [More...] https://www.kjan.com/sports/atlantic-softball-off-to-hot-start-in-2026/

06/05/2026

Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico leading to Iowa’s rains

(Radio Iowa) – Heavy rains fell across Iowa overnight (Thursday into Friday), with Van Meter in Dallas County reporting nearly four inches. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says the moisture is moving up from the south.

“The Gulf of Mexico’s moisture gate is wide open. So we’re getting ample dew point flow from the Gulf into the upper Midwest, supplying moisture for any kind of system that comes through,” Glisan says. Glisan says the storms aren’t moving very much, and that’s why rain gauges are getting filled.

“It hasn’t really been that windy, so not a lot of steering flow out there. So when we do see these thunderstorms pop up, they generally just sit or they move slowly west to east over the state. And that’s where you start to see these higher totals stack up,” he says. Glisan says that leads to some flash flooding, and muddy fields, but the rain is also helping build a reserve after a drier than normal May.

“Anything we can bank now in case we do see warm and dry conditions as we get into the middle of summertime would be excellent,” Glisan says. Storms and rain are expected to continue throughout the weekend and into the early part of next week.

06/05/2026

Adair Fire Chief releases info. about a fatal fire

(Adair, IA) – Adair Fire and Rescue Chief Austin Ernst, this (Friday) afternoon, released information about a fatal fire that occurred Tuesday, June 2nd. Chief Ernst said in a new release, that Adair Fire and Rescue personnel were dispatched to a reported structure fire at 3171 Frontier Road, north of Adair, at around 2:53-p.m., Tuesday.

Upon arrival, firefighters found the residence fully engulfed in flames. Crews initially prepared for a possible interior search and rescue operation. After conducting a size-up of the situation, the conditions at the residence were re-evaluated and entry to the structure was deemed unsafe for interior firefighting operations. Crews transitioned into a defensive strategy, and focused their efforts on extinguishing the fire from the exterior of the structure.

During the fire suppression efforts, an 85-year-old male occupant of the residence was found deceased inside the home. The man’s name was not released. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Adair Fire and Rescue received Mutual Aid from the: Casey,, Guthrie Center, and Stuart Fire Departments. The Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Agency, Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Dispatch centers along with Iowa State Patrol also provided assistance during the incident.

06/05/2026

Iowa farmers call for renewal of US trade deal with Canada and Mexico

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa farmers and livestock producers are urging federal officials to renew a massive trade deal. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement went into effect in 2020 and includes a mandatory review in July. Bob Hemesath grows corn and raises hogs in northeast Iowa and moderated this week’s Farmers for Free Trade panel in Des Moines.

“At a time when global competition is intensifying and market access is more critical than ever, the USMCA agreement remains a cornerstone of North American agriculture, trade and just economic impact overall,” Hemesath says. “For Iowa, that impact is tangible.”

Around 40-percent of Iowa’s goods are exported to either Canada or Mexico, according to the Brookings Institute. Corn, soybeans, ethanol and tractors top of the list. Randy Miller is a farmer in south-central Iowa and board member of the American Soybean Association and U-S Soybean Export Council. Miller calls the U-S-M-C-A the “gold standard” for trade and says it keeps important markets open for farmers.

This all trickles down to our small towns and the small communities that we all live in,” Miller says. “In rural Iowa, we produce these products that are going around the world.” Trade leaders from Canada and Mexico earlier this week said they’d like to renew the agreement through 2042. The Iowa farmers are urging U-S leaders to follow suit. If the U-S opts out, the trade agreement will sunset in 2036.

06/05/2026

Sand suggests Lahn is running for governor in the wrong state

(Radio Iowa) – Democrat Rob Sand says Zach Lahn — his Republican opponent in the governor’s race –should have run for governor of Kansas rather than Iowa. Lahn, a northwest Iowa native, says he moved back to Iowa in 2023 and he registered to vote in Iowa’s 2024 election. The Des Moines Register has reported Lahn flies back and forth to Wichita about once a week to see some of the children he and his wife have from previous marriages.

“I want to use the words that were his words when he talked to The Des Moines Register. He said if elected governor he’ll change his living situation to be in Iowa as much as humanly possible,” Sand said. “Most of us just live here.” Lahn told the newspaper blended families are complicated and the flights keep him connected to the couple’s children in Kansas.

“I don’t know why he’s not running for Kansas as governor. Iowans deserve a full-time governor. This is a big job. We need to have somebody who knows this state, who’s been across this state. I do 100 town halls every year,” Sand said. “I’m going to be here.” In Tuesday’s Primary, Lahn scored a narrow victory over Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra. Lahn, Feenstra and the three other Republicans who were running for governor have accused Sand of falsely claiming to be a moderate.

“I wish they would tell everybody that I have actually Iowa Republican donors than any of the Republicans that were running against me,” Sand said. Sand says he’s not a fan of the two-party system and has called for open primaries rather than requiring participants to be registered as a Republican or a Democrat in order to cast a ballot.

“I don’t like the two-choice system,” Sand said. “…I don’t think that most people are in love with either party. I know I’m not.” If Iowa were to have open primaries, Sand suggests that the top three or four vote getters advancing out of the Primary and the candidate with the most votes in the General Election would be the winner.

Sand made his comments this (Friday) morning during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight at 7:30 on Iowa P-B-S. A spokesperson for Lahn was not immediately available for comment.