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College Football Playoff field is set

Sports

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

(AP) — The final four teams that will take part in the first-ever major college football playoff are Alabama as the top seed, followed by Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State. In the national semifinals, Alabama will face Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl while Oregon will go against Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Those games will take place on New Year’s Day with the national championship game on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas. The Big 12 was left out of the party as Baylor was the fifth ranked team with TCU sixth. In the previous rankings TCU was third but the Horned Frogs dropped despite a 55-3 win over last-place Iowa State in their final game of the regular season.

Ohio State moved up after its impressive 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game. Committee chairman Jeff Long said the top three were clear and the final spot came down to a debate between the Buckeyes and Big 12 co-champs Baylor and TCU. Among those three, Long said: “It was decisive for Ohio State.”

In other bowl game matchups, TCU will play Mississippi in the Peach Bowl, Mississippi State will tangle with Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl has Baylor against Michigan State, Arizona is facing Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, Toledo is going to play Arkansas State in the GoDaddy Bowl, Rice will play Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl, San Diego State has accepted an invitation to play Navy in the hometown Poinsettia Bowl.

Air Force of the Mountain West Conference will face Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Western Kentucky and Central Michigan will meet in the Bahamas Bowl, Bowling Green and South Alabama will play in the Camellia Bowl, South Carolina will face Miami in the Independence Bowl, Louisiana-Lafayette will face Nevada in the New Orleans Bowl, Marshall and Northern Illinois will meet in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Utah State will face UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl, in the Las Vegas Bowl Colorado State will meet Utah, Missouri and Minnesota will meet in the Citrus Bowl, Stanford and Maryland will play in the Foster Farms Bowl, the Military Bowl has Virginia Tech facing Cincinnati and Oklahoma State will duke it out with Washington in the Cactus Bowl.

Dixon leads No. 22 Iowa over Colorado 78-63

Sports

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Melissa Dixon had five 3-pointers with 23 points, Bethany Doolittle had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 22 Iowa beat Colorado 78-63 on Sunday. Iowa (7-2) pushed ahead with an 11-2 run late in the second half, capped at 72-54 on Whitney Jennings’ layup with 4:31 left.

The Hawkeyes took the lead for good, breaking a 17-all tie with a 7-0 run midway through the first. Colorado (6-2) pulled within 27-26, but Iowa rattled off six-straight and led 35-28 at the break. Ally Disterhoft chipped in with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Samantha Logic finished with 10 points for Iowa. Dixon was 5 of 10 from 3-point range and Disterhoft was 2 of 3.

Jasmine Sborov led the Buffalos with 17 points and Jen Reese added 14. Sborov and Jamee Swan had 12 rebounds apiece.

Iowa feedlot operators adjusting to new rules

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa cattle and hog producers are working to comply with new state rules that are designed to keep animal waste from polluting nearby waterways. The Sioux City Journal reports Craig Moss and his family created new concrete drainage systems with grates to ensure rain can leave their feedlot without carrying manure with it.

Moss says his family wants to make sure that fresh water flows around the feedlot and dirty water from the feedlot is directed through terraces into a field. The new clean water rules increased state inspections and oversight of large feedlots. The state adopted the rules last year to satisfy the Environmental Protection Agency’s concerns about lax enforcement.

MARIE K. NIELSEN, 78, of Atlantic (Svcs. 12/13/14)

Obituaries

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

MARIE K. NIELSEN, 78, of Atlantic, died Fri., Dec. 5th. A Memorial service for MARIE NIELSEN will be held 2-p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13th, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, in Atlantic. Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends from 1-until 2-pm, Saturday, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

Online condolences may be left at www.burmeisterjohannsen.com.

MARIE NIELSEN is survived by:

Her husband – Don Nielsen, of Atlantic.

Her sons – Pastor Phillip (DeAnn) Nielsen, of Kirkman, & Mark (Amy) Nielsen, of St. Louis, Mo.

Her daughter – Laura Kelly and husband Dan Dean, of Winslow, AR.

Her brother – Kenneth (Bonnie) Jensen, of Albert Lea, MN.

9 grandchildren, other relatives & friends.

Saturday High School Basketball Results

Sports

December 7th, 2014 by Jim Field

GIRLS

Hawkeye 10:

  • Lewis Central 41, Denison-Schleswig 29

Western Iowa:

  • Missouri Valley 49, A-H-S-T-W 36
  • Panorama 40, IKM-Manning 39
  • Logan-Magnolia 72, Whting 16

Rolling Valley:

  • Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 62, Guthrie Center 21
  • Coon Rapids-Bayard 51, West Harrison 32

Corner:

  • East Mills 60, Heartland Christian 28

BOYS

Hawkeye 10:

  • Denison-Schleswig 62, Lewis Central 51

Western Iowa:

  • A-H-S-T-W 56, Missouri Valley 50
  • IKM-Manning 74, Panorama 63
  • Logan-Magnolia 58, Wayne 35

Rolling Valley:

  • Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 51, Guthrie Center 44
  • Coon Rapids-Bayard 62, West Harrison 31

Corner:

  • East Mills 76, Heartland Christian 45

Saturday Wrestling Results

Sports

December 7th, 2014 by Jim Field

Joe Fitch Invitational @ Humboldt
1. Atlantic 257
2. Humboldt 211
3. South East Polk JV 209
4. Pocahontas Area 193.5
5. Aplington-Parkersburg 176.5
6. Sheldon 121
7. Kuemper Catholic 114
8. Fort Dodge JV 96.5

106 -5th Place – Kole Hansen of Atlantic
113 – 1st Place – Carter Cox of Atlantic
120 – 5th Place – Tommy Duke of Atlantic
126 – 2nd Place – Marshal McDermott of Atlantic
132 – 7th Place – Colby Sorensen of Atlantic
138 – 4th Place – Tanner Mauk of Atlantic
145 – 1st Place – Austin Williamson of Atlantic
152 – 1st Place – Reid Nichols of Atlantic
160 – 3rd Place – Zac Stork of Atlantic
170 – 3rd Place – Drake Roller of Atlantic
182 – 5th Place – Travis Petersen of Atlantic
195 – 3rd Place – Tyler Thomas of Atlantic
220 – 1st Place – Keagan Hosfelt of Atlantic
285 – 2nd Place – John McConkey of Atlantic

Coach Riley Invitational @ Greenfield
1. Clarinda 236
2. Bedford/Lenox 198
3. Central Decatur 152.5
4. Guthrie Center 131
5. Denison 112
6. Clarke 88.5
7. Mount Ayr 64
7. Nodaway Valley 64
9. Van Meter 63

106 – 1st Place – Josef Rogers of Denison
120 – 1st Place – Jared Hensley of Bedford/Lenox
126 – 1st Place – Ben Freese of Nodaway Valley
132 – 1st Place – Dusten Reed of Bedford/Lenox
145 – 1st Place – Lane Rumelhart of Guthrie Center
152 – 1st Place – Luke Strong of Clarinda
170 – 1st Place – J.J. Clark of Clarinda
195 – 1st Place – Christian Lauritsen of Clarinda
220 – 1st Place – Cale Crowder of Guthrie Center

Dan Hill Invitational @ Harlan
1. Glenwood 204
2. Gretna 199
3. Ashland-Greenwood 183
4. Logan Magnolia 173
5. Winterset 133.5
6. Urbandale 133
7. Harlan 101
8. Riverside 83
9. Des Moines Lincoln 60.5
10. CB Abraham Lincoln 18

126 – 1st Place – Gabe Holben of Logan Magnolia
152 – 1st Place – Matt Malcom of Glenwood
160 – 1st Place – Anthony Sherry of Glenwood
195 – 1st Place – Zach Haggstrom of Glenwood

Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational
1. Creston/O-M 221
2. Ankeny Centennial 156
3. Webster City 152
4. Dallas Center-Grimes 151.5
5. ADM 147
6. Grinnell 109
7. Greene County 105
8. West Marshall 100
9. Interstate 35 83
10. Carroll 80
11. North Polk 66.5
12. Des Moines East 58
13. Panorama 55
14. Carlisle 39
15. Nevada 9

Small Iowa schools may face pressure to close

News

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

OWASA, Iowa (AP) — Across Iowa, many former rural schools are now vacant buildings, and more small schools may feel pressure to close in the next few years. The Des Moines Register reports  a budget guarantee that had help small districts with declining enrollments survive expired last year after being phased out over a decade.

So it may become harder for small schools to stay open. Today, Iowa has 338 school districts. In 1950, there were 4,652 districts. The idle school building in Owasa is symbolic of the trend because local leaders fought a 1958 law that required all schools to be part of a K-12 district.

Owasa’s school closed after an Iowa Supreme Court ruling in 1967, and the town’s population has declined 60 percent since then.

Program seeks to bring more doctors to rural Iowa

News

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An effort to get more doctors in rural Iowa through a state-run loan forgiveness program moved forward this year, though backers say they still need more funding. The first group of students was awarded funding through the Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program this year. The eight recipients will each get up to $200,000 in loan aid in exchange for working for five years in small town Iowa.

Dr. Brent Hoehns, a family physician in Knoxville who chairs the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, says this kind of investment is needed. The ultimate goal is to use state and private dollars to provide the loan aid to 20 students each year who commit to rural jobs, which can often pay less than other physician positions

GLEN E. DITTO, 93, of Manning (formerly of Audubon) – Svcs. 12/9/14

Obituaries

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

GLEN E. DITTO, 93, of Manning (& formerly of Audubon), died Fri., Dec. 5th, at Manning Plaza Nursing Home in Manning. Funeral services for GLEN DITTO will be held 10:30-a.m. Tue., Dec. 9th, at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where a family visitation takes place from 9-a.m. until the time of service on Tuesday.

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery at Audubon.

GLEN DITTO is survived by:

His wife – Lorraine Ditto, of Manning.

His children – Leon (Paulette) Ditto, of Portage, WI; Linnet (Robert) Nissen, of Manning, & Elden Ditto, of Anita.

His brother – Floyd Ditto, of Audubon.

His sister – Wilma (Warren) Bowman, of Audubon.

5 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, other relatives, his sister-in-law, and friends.

ROSS GUISINGER, 87, of Menlo (Svcs. 12/9/14)

Obituaries

December 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

ROSS GUISINGER,87, of Menlo, died Fri., Dec. 5th, at home. A Celebration of Life Luncheon for ROSS GUISINGER will be held from Noon until 2-p.m. on Tuesday (Dec. 9th), at the Menlo Community Building, with the Menlo American Legion conducting a 21-gun Salute at Noon. Johnson Family Funeral Home has the arrangements.

Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Memorials may be directed to the Ross Guisinger Memorial Fund, in care of the funeral home.