United Group Insurance

Iowa girl, 5, dies 2 weeks after sledding accident

News

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 5-year-old Iowa girl has died two weeks after she was hit by a truck while sledding down her grandfather’s driveway. Council Bluffs Police reported Sunday that Kailey Maloney died Saturday at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She had been treated there since her Nov. 16 injury.

Maloney was sledding down the driveway of her grandfather’s property at 44 Bennett Avenue, when she was hit by a 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck after she slid into the street. Police say no charges have been filed in this incident, which remains under investigation.

Posted in News |

Bo Pelini fired after 7 seasons with Cornhuskers

Sports

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bo Pelini has been fired as Nebraska’s football coach after a seven-year stint marked by his inability to restore the program to sustained national prominence and a number of embarrassing losses in big games.

Pelini extended his streak of winning at least nine games every year with a 37-34 overtime win at Iowa on Friday but he never finished a season with fewer than four losses or ended a conference-championship drought that dates to 1999.

Pelini, whose tenure spanned Nebraska’s transition from the Big 12 to Big Ten, was 66-27 and led the Cornhuskers to three league championship games.

Posted in Sports |

LLOYD D. KELLY, 74, of Audubon (Svcs. 12/2/14)

Obituaries

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

LLOYD D. KELLY, 74, of Audubon, died Thu., Nov. 27th, at St. Anthony’s Regional Hospital in Carroll. Funeral services for LLOYD KELLY will be held 10-a.m. Tue., Dec. 2nd, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family visitation begins at 6-p.m. Mon., Dec. 1st.

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

LLOYD KELLY is survived by:

His wife – Donna Kelly, of Audubon.

His children – Sheryl Kelly, of Cedar Rapids; Sharon (Ed) Knapp, of Polk City, & Randy (Megan) Kelly, of Audubon.

His brother – Jerry (Ardell) Kelly, of Audubon.

His sister – Doris (Charles) Rattenborg, of Springfield, MO.

5 grandchildren, his in-laws, other relatives, and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

AHST School PPEL vote set for Tuesday

News

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Residents of Avoca, Hancock, Shelby and Tennant will be asked to vote Tuesday, on approving an expanded tax to support facility repairs, technology and transportation spending for the AHST Community School District. The Daily NonPareil reports a special election will be held on a physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL – or “Peppel” as it’s commonly called) authorization for up to $1 of every $1,000 in taxable valuation.

The new levy would go toward three goals: Updating the district’s transportation fleet by purchasing a new bus each year; repairing roofs, playgrounds and sidewalks; and maintaining the district’s 1:1 laptop initiative for students in first through 12th grades.

By supporting those goals, school officials say the PPEL would also free up money to renovate schools, such as expanding the high school to remove portable classrooms. AHST currently levies a board-approved 33-cent PPEL, which generates roughly $100,000 each year. Combined with the proposed voted PPEL, the district would take in as much as $400,000 annually. The new tax would generate a total of about $3 million over the 10 years voters would authorize the levy.

Voters in Walnut approved an expanded PPEL in 2010 for the maximum $1.34 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, according to the Iowa Department of Education. If the reorganization with AHST eventually takes place, Iowa Code states the reorganized district would have a PPEL “for the least amount and the shortest time for which it is in effect in any of the districts.”

 

Posted in News |

NWS forecast for Cass & area counties: Sun., 11/30/2014

Weather

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

EARLY THIS MORNING...CLOUDY…BREEZY…COLDER. NORTH WIND 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH.

TODAY…CLOUDY THROUGH MID MORNING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. MUCH COLDER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 20S. NORTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. COLDER. LOW AROUND 10. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 20S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TUESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…WARMER. HIGH AROUND 40. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

WEDNESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 30S.

Posted in Weather |

Portland starts fast, downs Drake 71-59

Sports

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Thomas van der Mars scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the opening minutes to spark Portland to a 79-51 win over Drake in the Challenge in Music City on Saturday. Portland, which beat Murray State, 64-61 in the opener Friday, jumped to a 24-11 start over the opening 10 minutes and led by 16 points at halftime, 38-22. The win gives the Pilots five straight to open the season, matching their best start under coach Eric Reveno, whose 2009-10 team got off to a 5-0 start and was ranked in the Top 25.

Portland got balanced scoring from its entire roster. Only one player failed to score against the Bulldogs while the team shot 50 percent from the floor (27 for 54). Gary Ricks, Junior scored 23 points to lead Drake (1-5), which lost to Valparaiso in the opener, 66-46.

Posted in Sports |

Schultz looks ahead to serving as county attorney

News

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — After four tumultuous years, Secretary of State Matt Schultz is preparing to leave office with no regrets. Schultz, an attorney who previously worked at a Council Bluffs law firm, says he’s excited to return to the practice of law after winning easy victory in the Nov. 4 election for Madison County attorney. He’ll take a pay cut and have a much smaller staff but says the job will keep him closer to his home in Truro and allow him to continue public service.

He leaves behind a controversial legacy voter fraud investigations and criticism of efforts to get voter ID passed. Schultz says he truly believes ensuring that voters are eligible helps maintain trust in the voting system.

Posted in News |

Jennings nets 19 , No. 17 Iowa tops Gonzaga 79-67

Sports

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Whitney Jennings scored 19 points, Samantha Logic added 16 and No. 17 Iowa turned back repeated charges by Gonzaga for a 79-67 win at the South Point Thanksgiving Classic Saturday night. Melisa Dixon added 13 points, Ally Disterhoft added 12 and Bethany Doolittle had 10 with 12 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (6-1). Sunny Greinacher paced Gonzaga with 16 points and Shelby Cheslek had 10 and 13 rebounds.

Gonzaga, down 11 with 1:29 left, closed within 70-67 after Emma Stach followed a steal to hit 1 of 2 free throws at 55 seconds. Jennings countered with two free throws 4 seconds later and then found Disterhoft with a full-court pass for a layup after a Bulldog miss for a 74-67 lead at 38 seconds.

Iowa finished 20 of 28 from the line, including 16 of 19 in the second half. The Hawkeyes made nine 3’s and forced Gonzaga into 21 turnovers, good for 24 points.

Posted in Sports |

N Iowa beats Stephen F Austin in FCS Playoffs

Sports

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — David Johnson ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns, and had two receptions for 84 yards and a score, to lead Northern Iowa past Stephen F. Austin 44-10 to advance in the FCS Playoffs on Saturday night. Northern Iowa (9-4), which handed Illinois State (10-1) its only loss, will play the Redbirds in the second round on December 6th. Johnson scored on the first play from scrimmage, ripping off a 73-yard run.

Three plays later, Deiondre’ Hall returned an interception 24 yards, giving the Panthers first-and-goal from the 9. A 30-yard field goal by Michael Schmadeke made it 10-0 just 2 ½ minutes in and the rout was on. Stephen F. Austin (8-5) ran just 18 offensive plays for 34 yards in the opening quarter with as many three-and-outs and turnovers (two each) as first downs (the second coming on a defensive pass interference).

Schmadeke added field goals of 36 and 34 yards and Johnson tacked on a 1-yard touchdown run and Northern Iowa led 23-0 at the end of the first.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Sun., Nov. 30 2014

News

November 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A longtime store in downtown Cedar Rapids has closed after 125 years in business. Smulekoff’s Home Store closed its doors at the end of Friday, after shoppers made last-minute purchases and reminisced about the store’s history. The store had five floors of furniture, and included electronics and other home products. Its 72-year-old owner decided to shut down the store after he had no one to turn it over to.

HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) — Two communities in southwest Iowa are asking residents whether it’s OK to merge their school districts in response to dwindling student enrollment. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports a special election will be held Tuesday to decide whether to merge the school districts in Hamburg and Farragut, located in Fremont County.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people were hospitalized after two semitrailers collided in northwest Iowa. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened Friday afternoon at an intersection between Highway 60 and a county road. Both vehicles ended up in a ditch.

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a woman has died after her car was hit by a locomotive in northeast Iowa. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office tells KCRG-TV Mary Buillion of Coralville died Friday at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The collision occurred early Wednesday near Dyersville.

Posted in News |