United Group Insurance

CECIL KELLER, 84, of Greenfield (Svcs. 4/3/15)

Obituaries

March 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

CECIL KELLER, 84, of Greenfield, died Monday, March 30th,  at the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Celebration of Life Services for CECIL KELLER will be held on Friday, April 3, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. at the Stuart-Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church in Stuart, with a luncheon to immediately follow the service at the church. Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield is in charge of the arrangements.

There is no visitation. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Memorials may be directed to the Cecil Keller memorial fund to be established by the family.

CECIL KELLER is survived by:

His daughters – Kathy Keller of Greenfield, and Karen Kwon of San Jose, CA.

His sister – Ethel Handley of Greenfield;

3 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, other relatives & friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

Olympic Champ Gabby Douglas’ Family to get Reality Show

Sports

March 31st, 2015 by Jim Field

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Olympic women’s gymnastics champion Gabrielle Douglas can add another item to her resume: TV star.

The defending all-around gold medalist and her family will be featured in a new Oxygen reality show debuting later this year. The show, which will be co-produced by Douglas and her mother Natalie Hawkins among others, has the working title “Douglas Family Gold.”

The series will follow the 19-year-old’s bid to become the first gymnast in nearly 50 years to repeat as Olympic champion.

Douglas became the first African-American to win the all-around title when she soared to victory at the 2012 London Games as part of the “Fierce Five” that also won the team gold medal.

She returned to training last summer and finished fourth at the Jesolo Cup in Italy last weekend in her first meet in nearly three years.

 

Posted in Sports |

Chicago Cubs Plan Opening Night Ernie Banks Tribute

Sports

March 31st, 2015 by Jim Field

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and thousands of fans will honor the late Ernie Banks during the team’s season opener against the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend.

The Hall of Famer known as “Mr. Cub” died in January at the age of 83.

A pregame ceremony and moment of silence are planned along with other tributes throughout Sunday night’s game at Wrigley Field.

Banks’ sons, Joey and Jerry, will throw out the ceremonial first pitches and lead the 7th inning stretch.

The Cubs said in a news release Tuesday that the team will wear No. 14 patches on their home and away jerseys all season.

Fans at Sunday’s game will receive commemorative No. 14 pins.

You can hear the game live on KJAN Sunday night with the pre-game show starting at 6:10 pm.

 

Posted in Sports |

Big Ten Shines Bright with Final Four in own Backyard

Sports

March 31st, 2015 by Jim Field

MILWAUKEE (AP) — It has been a very good year so far for the Big Ten.

First Ohio State won the first college football playoff in January.

Now the league has Wisconsin and Michigan State advancing to a Final Four, which is hosted in the middle of Big Ten country in Indianapolis.

The Big Ten’s showing had Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker noting that some observers thought the league wasn’t quite as strong this season.

Commissioner Jim Delaney says the league overall wasn’t as successful as hoped for in non-conference play. There was a logjam in league play behind regular-season winner Wisconsin.

 

Posted in Sports |

Jury seated for 2nd Iowa murder trial of man

News

March 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

BOONE, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys delivered their opening statements today (Tuesday) and testimony is underway in the second Iowa trial of a man accused of killing his former roommate in 2009. The Messenger reports a Boone County jury was seated Monday for the trial of 55-year-old John Green. Green is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 58-year-old Mark Koster in Sac City.

Green’s first trial was held in Webster County because his attorney had argued that pretrial publicity would make it impossible for Green to receive a fair trial in Sac City. The same argument was used against holding the second trial in Fort Dodge. The first trial ended in a mistrial.

Koster was declared missing in 2010. His remains were found in the basement of his Sac City home in 2012.

Posted in News |

TUESDAY, MARCH 31st

Trading Post

March 31st, 2015 by Jim Field

FOR SALE:  Bobcat Miller 8000watt generator, mounted on a trailer, has 300′ of lead, asking $2100.  Call 712-304-4262.

FOR SALE:  a whole kitchen set, oak cabinets and counter tops.  Asking $1100.  Call 712-304-4262.

WANTED: Fishing gear such as poles and lures.  Call 712-249-4005.

Posted in Trading Post |

RICHARD SORFONDEN, 79, of Stuart (Svcs. 04-20-2015)

Obituaries

March 31st, 2015 by admin

RICHARD SORFONDEN, 79, of Stuart died Sunday, March 29th at the Stuart Community Care Center.  Memorial services for RICHARD SORFONDEN will be held Thursday, April 2nd at 1:30pm at the Stuart-Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church in Stuart.  Johnson Family Funeral Home in Stuart has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 1st from 5:00pm-7:30pm at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the West Central Valley Dollars for Scholars and sent in care of the Johnson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 246, Stuart, IA 50250.

Posted in Obituaries |

Iowa Senate passes bill to expand anti-bullying efforts

News

March 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Senate has passed legislation that would give school educators more authority to respond to student bullying in Iowa. The Senate voted 43-7 Tuesday for the bill. It now heads to the House, where lawmakers are considering a similar measure. The bill would give school educators more authority to respond to bullying, including guidelines to respond to bullying off school grounds. It also expands language on cyberbullying to include social media.

The legislation was briefly debated on the Senate floor Monday before the vote Tuesday. Some lawmakers expressed reservation about the bill not having funding for teacher training and a student pilot program. That differs from the House bill, which has a $200,000 appropriation.

Gov. Terry Branstad, who supports anti-bullying efforts, released a statement Tuesday applauding the vote.

Posted in News |

Atlantic man arrested on Child Porn charges

News

March 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A Cass County man was arrested Monday on child pornography charges. Atlantic Police say 54-year old Jimmy Misner, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Federal warrant for Possession of Child Pornography, Receipt of Child Pornography and Forfeiture. Misner was brought to the Cass County Jail and later transferred to an undisclosed facility.

Posted in News |

USDA: Record soybean acres expected, corn acres to drop

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Farmers are expected to plant a record number of soybean acres this year, but less corn as that grain’s profit potential remains low due to slumping prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first report of the new crop season says farmers will plant 84.6 million acres in soybeans, up 1 percent from last year’s previous record of 83.7 million acres.

Corn planting will fall to 89.2 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. It’s the third year of acreage decline. Soybeans are favored because they cost less to grow and prices haven’t fallen as quickly as corn. The report is based on 84,000 farmer surveys completed in early March.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |