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Popularity of pickleball picks up in rural and urban Iowa

News, Sports

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) Pickleball is said to be the fastest-growing sport in America, and more than 20 Iowa cities have opened new pickleball courts this year. The game is played on a small court with a net, similar to tennis or ping pong, and players use paddles to hit a plastic ball with holes across the net to score points.

(That’s Stephanie Mehmen (MAY-men), general manager of Pickle Palace in Cedar Rapids.) The restaurant and event space opened in January and has six pickleball courts. Jesup resident Megan Gable started playing pickleball with her kids last year.

Photo from USA Pickleball Association.org.

While more courts are being found in cities like Des Moines and Davenport, rural Iowans are jumping on the trend, too. Two years ago, Winthrop resident Dave Flexsenhar converted the hay loft in his barn into a pickleball court. He plays there in the wintertime every week, or on rainy days when they need an indoor court.

According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, the number of pickleball players has tripled in the past three years.

Posted in News, Sports |

Flood damage didn’t impact unemployment

News

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Several Iowa cities were swamped with flood waters, but Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the flooding didn’t significantly impact unemployment numbers. “We only saw a few hundred claims total in the flooded areas at the at the peak, and it’s, you know now it’s down probably closer to one hundred or less,” Townsend says. The claim numbers didn’t go up after the initial filings. She says they’ve continued to decline pretty steadily and fairly quickly. Townsend says there was the opportunity for some to make claims that normally wouldn’t.

“When the President declares a national disaster area, then individuals who might not otherwise be qualified for unemployment, i-e because they’re self employed, would be eligible to receive benefits. And then the Feds reimburse the state trust fund for the amount of the disaster related unemployment claims,” Townsend says. “So actually, disaster related claims do not hurt our trust fund balance, because we’re going to get that money back from the feds.”

Townsend says the floodwaters did not hit any of the larger cities where there are large concentrations of workers, and that is why unemployment didn’t see the impact.

Posted in News |

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Monday, Sept. 23, 2024

Weather

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. N/NE wind at around 5-10 mph becoming southeast this afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. South southeast wind 5 mph.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny w/a30% chance of late afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High near 73. South winds 5 to 10 mph in the morning becoming northwesterly in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 76.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 76.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 69. Our Low this morning was 43. Last year on this date, the high in Atlantic was 76 and the Low was 55. The Record High in Atlantic on Sept. 23rd was 99 in 1892, and the Record Low was 23 in 1983. Sunrise: 7:08-a.m.; Sunset: 7:18-p.m.

Posted in Weather |

New data show increasing consolidation in Iowa’s ag industry

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa News Service) – Advocates for a fair, sustainable and healthy food system have released a report showing that nearly all of the corn seed in Iowa is controlled by just four companies. Economists say concentrations that large can lead to market manipulation. Farm Action’s report shows nearly 90-percent of the corn seed in Iowa is controlled by Corteva and Bayer. AgReliant and Syngenta control the rest. Farm Action President Angela Huffman says that kind of control and concentration is happening all the way from seeds to the consumer’s plate, and she warns it makes market conditions ripe for abuse.

The same type of consolidation is happening in ag operations where livestock are raised in large confinements, and manure runoff is known to damage the air, ground and surface water in rural Iowa.

SALO, FINLAND – AUGUST 22, 2015: Line up of four John Deere agricultural tractors, 6115R and 7340 on the left, at Puontin Peltopaivat Agricultural Harvesting and Cultivating Show.

Operators have said they’re always looking for more efficient and environmentally friendly ways to raise livestock.

Huffman argues that monopolies like this can lead to collusion, price fixing and other types of market manipulation. She and other advocates have called on lawmakers in Congress to address the issue in the pending Farm Bill.

The current Farm Bill, which was supposed to expire in September of last year, has been extended – but debate still hasn’t started on a new version.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Election officials warn of tight turnaround for absentee ballots

News

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Two of Iowa’s top election officials say the window for receiving and then returning an absentee ballot is very narrow and mailing the ballot back may not be the best option. Adams County Auditor Becky Bissell is president of the Iowa State Association of County Auditors. Bissell says after she drops a ballot off at the Post Office, it takes between five to seven days before it’s delivered to a voter if they live in rural areas of her county.

“We have a 20 day window from when we can mail out the ballots. Three of those days the Postal Service doesn’t deliver mail,” Bissell says. “If it takes seven days for the ballot to get to them, they essentially have three days to get that ballot voted and back to us and that’s a pretty small window.” Iowans are able to fill out a form and REQUEST an absentee ballot today, but October 16th is the first day county auditors can start mailing out the ballots. Bissell says voters have other options once they get the absentee ballot — like hand delivering it to their local county auditor’s office.

“They can put it into an election drop box, if the county has one,” Bissell says. “In my county, they don’t have an election drop box, so===so if they can’t get out of the car, pull into a spot outside the courthouse, call my office and we’d be more than happy to come down and get that from the voter.” That’s an option in other counties, too, plus eligible Iowa voters can cast ballots at their county auditor’s office staring October 16th.

Secretary of State Paul Pate says voters who want to vote-by-mail can track their ballot online at www.voterready.iowa.gov. “You can see: ‘Did the county courthouse get my request for an absentee ballot? It shows you the date. It’ll show you the date that the courthouse mailed it out to you. It’ll show you the date they received it back and if at any point here you see your ballot’s not getting there, go to plan B,” Pate says. “And Plan B will be either to come down to the courthouse ad vote or go to a traditional polling location.” Pate and Bissell made their comments this weekend during an appearance on Iowa Press at Iowa P-B-S.

“My office and so have the county auditors have had some serious discussions with the legislature about looking at the timetable on the early voting/absentee ballot scenario and I’m sure we’ll be having more of those,” Pate says. “…There are just some administrative things that we may need a little more room to adjust for.”

Earlier this month state and local election officials around the country issued a statement warning delayed delivery of ballots by the U-S Postal Service could lead to fewer people voting and a loss of trust in the electoral system.

Posted in News |

3 fatalities reported following a crash in Polk County

News

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

POLK COUNTY, Iowa — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a two-vehicle accident that killed three people Sunday evening. Deputies were called to the scene east of Ankeny, at the intersection of Northeast 46th Street and Northeast 94th Avenue, a little before 8 p.m. Sunday

A preliminary investigation determined one vehicle was traveling eastbound with two occupants while the other vehicle was northbound with one occupant. All three people were pronounced dead on the scene.

The victims have not yet been identified. No other information is available at this time.

Posted in News |

1 dead, 3 hurt in Muscatine County crash

News

September 23rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

{Wilton, Iowa) –  A crash Sunday evening in Muscatine County resulted in three people hurt and another deceased. The Iowa State Patrol reports the collision between a Nissan Juke and a Ford Taurus happened at around 5:35-p.m. in the 1100 block of Taylor Avenue, in Wilton.

Authorities said the Nissan was traveling north on Taylor Avenue as the Ford was traveling southbound. For reasons unknown, the Nissan crossed the center line of the road into the southbound lane. The vehicle collided in an offset-style (Left front to left front side).  Both vehicles sustained severe damage. Following the collision the Nissan came to rest on the east shoulder of the road, while the Ford came to rest in the west ditch.

Two of the crash victims were transported to the University of Iowa Hospital by helicopter, where one of the individuals died. Another of the crash victims was transported to Genesis Medical Center by ambulance, while information on the fourth victim was not available.  The Patrol says two of the four victims were wearing seat belts.

No names were immediately released.

Posted in News |

High School Volleyball Scores from Saturday

Sports

September 22nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Red Oak Tournament

Underwood 2, Murray 0 (21-7, 21-10)

St. Albert 2, Underwood 0 (21-18, 21-14)

Tri Center 2, Underwood 1 (19-21, 21-3, 15-8)

Mount Vernon 2, Underwood 0 (21-13, 21-11)

Mount Vernon 2, Tri Center 0 (21-13, 21-10)

Tri Center 2, Murray 0 (21-10, 21-9)

Tri Center 2, St. Albert 0 (21-13, 21-14)

Tri Center 2, Red Oak 1 (25-23, 28-30, 15-12)

Mount Vernon 2, St. Albert 0 (21-7, 21-7)

Mount Vernon 2, Glenwood 1 (21-12, 16-21, 15-6)

Mount Vernon 2, Sioux Center 0 (25-19, 25-17)

Clarinda 2, Glenwood 1 (21-19, 15-21, 15-12)

Clarinda 2, Fremont Mills 0 (21-13, 21-10)

Fremont Mills 2, Creston (21-15, 22-20)

CBAL 2, Fremont Mills 1 (15-21, 21-18, 15-11)

Glenwood 2, Fremont Mills 0 (21-12, 21-7)

Glenwood 2, CBAL 0 (21-14, 21-13)

Glenwood 2, Creston 0 (21-13, 21-11)

Red Oak 2, Lenox 0 (21-12, 21-5)

Red Oak 2, East Union 0 (21-5, 21-5)

Red Oak 2, Treynor 0 (21-16, 24-22)

Treynor 2, Red Oak 1 (12-21, 23-21, 15-7)

Sioux Center 2, Red Oak 1 (21-9, 17-21, 15-11)

Sioux Center 2, Treynor 0 (22-20, 21-16)

Sioux Center 2, East Union 0 (21-9, 21-7)

 

OABCIG Tournament

Kingsley Pierson 2, AHSTW 1 (21-18, 16-21, 15-13)

Sidney 2, AHSTW 1 (14-21, 21-12, 15-10)

Lawton Bronson 2, AHSTW 0 (21-19, 21-13)

OABCIG 2, AHSTW 0 (21-15, 21-14)

Coon Rapids Bayard 2, AHSTW 1 (21-13, 17-21, 15-11)

Coon Rapids Bayard 2, Lawton Bronson 0

Coon Rapids Bayard 2, OABCIG 0

Coon Rapids Bayard 2, Kingsley Pierson 0

Sidney 2, Coon Rapids Bayard 1

 

Carroll Tournament

Storm Lake 2, Audubon 1 (16-21, 21-10, 15-13)

South Central Calhoun 2, Audubon 0 (21-6, 21-14)

Spencer 2, Audubon 0 (21-13, 21-17)

Carroll 2, IKM Manning 0 (21-16, 21-11)

Carroll 2, Storm Lake 0 (21-12, 21-14)

Carroll 2, Fort Dodge 0 (21-16, 21-16)

Newell Fonda 2, Carroll 1 (21-18, 11-21, 15-11)

Newell Fonda 2, IKM Manning 1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-7)

Fort Dodge 2, IKM Manning 1 (20-22, 21-13, 15-13)

Posted in Sports |

Iowa State is 18th in AP Poll

Sports

September 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State is up to 18th in the latest Associated Press top 25. The Cyclones are 3-0 after a 52-7 win over Arkansas State and will open Big-12 play this week at Houston.

That’s Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. Kickoff at Houston has been set for 6:00p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports One. Campbell likes the progress his team made during non-conference play.

With Saturday’s victory Campbell has tied Dan McCarney as ISU’s all-time leader in wins.

Posted in Sports |

ALAN DERBY, 77, of Greenfield (No formal Svcs.)

Obituaries

September 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

ALAN DERBY, 77, of Greenfield, died Saturday, September 21, 2024, at his home.  No formal services will be held for ALAN DERBY. In accordance his wishes, he hoped everyone would remember him in their own way. A family remembrance will be held at a later date.  Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield is assisting the family.

The family requests that memorial donations be directed to The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation, to be used toward planting trees lost in last spring’s tornado.

ALAN DERBY is survived by:

His wife – Julie.

His daughters – Stephanie, and Laura (Andrew).

His sister – Janet Derby.

His brother in law: Paul (Jan) Clemmensen, friends, other family, former students and colleagues.

Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfuneralhomes.com.

Posted in Obituaries |