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Spartans to Host Griswold on Senior Night

Sports

October 18th, 2024 by Christian Adams

The Exira-EHK Spartans Football team will play host to the Griswold Tigers this Friday for Senior Night. Although the 2-5 record might not be stellar, they have been improving over the last few weeks. Head Coach Drew Buckholdt has been proud of his team’s ability to battle back.

One of the Spartans biggest areas of improvement has been the offensive line. Throughout the course of the season, they have helped quarterback Bryce Brabham run for 870 yards. Buckholdt says his line’s ability to communicate and stay on blocks has made all the difference.

An improving offensive line can do nothing but help an already talented runner in Brabham. However, last week he had one of his most effective games last week against East Mills. He threw for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns. It adds another dimension to the Spartans and Buckholdt has been impressed with the growth of his quarterback.

Although there is a chance at an at-large bid for the Spartans the message from Buckholdt about this game was simple.

Griswold won’t be an easy out for the Spartans as they have a lethal passing game with numerous weapons on the outside and Buckholdt says that pressuring the quarterback will be key.

You catch all the action on KJAN with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 pm

 

Red Oak woman arrested for Assault; Villisca man arrested on a Forgery warrant

News

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on separate charges, Thursday. At around 6:30-p.m., Deputies arrested 46-year-old Jill Renee Coddington, of Red Oak, for Domestic Assault. Her arrest took place at Cubby’s in Red Oak. Coddington was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

And, at around 9-p.m., Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 25-year-old Cordell Ryan Straw, of Villisca. Straw was wanted on an active warrant for Forgery. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Dallas County Attorney: Perry school shooter acted alone, & no charges will be filed at the state level

News

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

PERRY, Iowa (KCRG) – Dallas County Attorney Jeannine Ritchie released a report Thursday saying no charges will be filed over a fatal school shooting in Perry. The Des Moines Register reports Ritchie said the shooter, who took his own life during the incident, planned and acted alone, and she won’t file criminal charges.

The shooting happened on Jan. 4, when 17-year-old Dylan Butler went to the school armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun. Butler shot and killed 11-year-old Ahmir Joliff, a sixth grade student at the school, and wounded six others before taking his own life.

The school’s principal, Dan Marburger, was shot while trying to protect students during the attack. He died 10 days later. Investigators, in January, said the evidence indicated Butler worked alone. Ritchie’s report said the evidence doesn’t support charges being filed against anyone at the state level.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said it is planning to hold a press conference in Des Moines at 10 a.m. Friday to share additional details in the investigation.

Nearly all of Iowa is experiencing drought conditions

News, Weather

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(updated) [Radio Iowa] – The latest U-S Drought monitor map is showing more color, which is not what the state needs to see, as that indicates more drought. D-N-R hydrologist Tim Hall says there’s just a small patch of clear area on the map near the Missouri border. “Ninety-eight percent of the state is now at least in abnormal dry, if not drought, conditions. And actually the big change this week is we just about doubled the amount of the states that validated in severe drought in northeastern and northwestern and western Iowa,” Hall says. Hall says the concern level is not very high at this point.

“So the fact that we had eight out of 12 months with above normal rain, going back to a year ago, certainly helps us to not be in a really scary spot we’ve had so far in the month of October, we’ve had seven percent of normal rainfall,” he says. That comes after a September that was the driest in the history of state weather records.  “If you put September and October together, we’re coming up on four inches short of rain just in those two months, which are generally pretty dry months to begin with,” Hall says. “So a really, really dry, sudden turn, but it’s not as significantly worrisome as it would have been, had we not had month over month over month rather going back to October of last year.” Hall says precipitation normally drops off each month as we head through fall and into winter, and it usually isn’t a big worry.

“The water demand is not significant this time of the year, so whatever rain we do get will tend to benefit us. We’re not in the middle of a growing season, and as the temperatures cool, we tend to see less evaporative demand on water,” he says. Hall says the concern will increase if we continue to see dry months into spring.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Friday, Oct. 18, 2024

Weather

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny & windy. High near 74. South winds 15 to 35 mph. ELEVATED FIRE DANGER due to low humidity, dry surface vegetation and cropland, and strong/gusty winds.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. South winds 10-20 mph.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. S/SW winds 10-20 mph.
Tom. Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. South southwest wind around 5-10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Monday: Partly sunny w/a 30% chance of afternoon showers. High near 74.
Monday Night: A 40% chance of showers. Low around 50.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 74.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 70. The Low was 43. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 68 and the Low was 49. The Record High for Oct. 18th in Atlantic was 86 in 2003. The Record Low was 13 in 2022. Sunrise today: 7:35. Sunset: 6:35.

Elevated Fire Danger today for Cass & area Counties in Iowa

Weather

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

316 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2024

…Elevated Fire Danger Today…

WHAT…Stronger winds from the south at 15 to 20 mph with gusts around 25 to 35 mph, dry surface vegetation and cropland, and low relative humidity between 25 and 30 percent will lead to elevated fire danger today.

WHERE…Across all of central Iowa.

WHEN… From 11am to 7pm today.

IMPACTS…Any fires that ignite will spread rapidly and become very difficult to control, especially in cropland.

PREPAREDNESS AND PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS…Burning is strongly discouraged under these conditions. Also, take extra care to prevent the start of accidental fires when smoking or operating vehicles around dry vegetation or crops.

Iowa tax collections down 11.6% over two years due to tax cuts

News

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State tax revenues are projected to drop by more than 11-and-a-half percent over a 24-month period — a decline the governor’s budget chief says was expected due to recently-approved tax cuts. Kraig Paulsen, director of the Iowa Department of Management, says there is enough available revenue to fulfill the spending promises outlined in the current fiscal year’s budget.

“There is no issue with meeting the needs of Iowans,” Paulsen says. “The state continues to be in a very strong financial position in no small part because of the continued spending discipline.” Paulsen and the other two members of the State Revenue Estimating Conference met Thursday. They project tax collections will fall five-point-three percent between this past July 1st and June 30th of next year. In the following 12-month fiscal year, the group estimates state tax revenue will fall even more — by six-point-three percent.

“The tax cuts are having the intended effect,” Paulsen says. “They’re leaving more money in Iowans’ pockets and they’re leaving more money in the pockets of Iowa’s employers.” Jennifer Acton, director of the Fiscal Services Division of the Legislative Services Agency, is another revenue-estimator for the state. “Major tax reductions began in January, 2023 and continue to slow the accumulation of General Fund revenue,” she said, “as expected.”

Governor Reynolds says she and her fellow Republicans in the legislature believe the government has been taking in too much taxpayer money and they’ve fixed that by cutting taxes. Democrats in the legislature say these new estimates show the state will be taking in a billion dollars less in taxes in the next budgeting year. Democrats say that means more tax cuts for corporations and wealthy Iowans, while more money will be siphoned away from public schools to support the state program for private schools.

Council Bluffs teen shot in the leg Thursday night

News

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Council Bluffs Police Department is investigating an incident that took place early Thursday night. Authorities say that at approximately 7:14 pm, Council Bluffs Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the area of East Pierce Street and South 1 st Street for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a 14 year old male who
sustained a gunshot wound to one of his legs. The victim was transported by Council Bluffs Fire Department medics to a
local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The initial investigation revealed that two juvenile males were confronted by two male suspects at the intersection of East Pierce Street and Grace Street. During the confrontation, one of the male suspects produced a handgun and shot the victim once in the leg. The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been taken into custody as of this report.

Council Bluffs Police are asking for the public’s assistance with identifying the suspects. Specifically, investigators would like to speak with anyone with surveillance video that may have captured the suspect’s movements before or after the incident. Investigators believe that the suspects were walking in the North and East downtown areas of Council Bluffs prior to the
shooting. Suspect #1, the suspected shooter, is described as a clean shaven white male, 16 to 20 years old, wearing a
black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and Jordan shoes. Suspect #2 is described as a white male, 16 to 20 years old, red
hair and red facial hair, wearing a Nike brand zip-up style jacket with white on top and gray on the bottom and cream
colored slide sandals.

Council Bluffs PD Shield

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the Council Bluffs Police Department Criminal
Investigation Division at 712-328-4728. To remain anonymous, they may call CrimeStoppers at 712-328-7867 or submit
an on-line crime tip at: https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/FormCenter/Police-Department-2/Online-CrimeStoppers-Tip-70

DOROTHY TWOMBLY, 93, of Greenfield (Celebration of Life 10/24/24)

Obituaries

October 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DOROTHY TWOMBLY, 93, of Greenfield, died Thursday, October 17, 2024, at the Perry Lutheran Home in Perry.  Celebration of Life services for DOROTHY TWOMBLY will be held 10-a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at the Greenfield United Methodist Church. Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

Visitation (without the family present) is on Wed., Oct. 23rd, from 3-until 7-p.m., at the funeral home.

Burial is in the Greenfield Cemetery.  A luncheon will follow the burial at the church.   

Memorials may be directed to the family, for later distribution.

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

Mount Ayr XC Invite Results

Sports

October 17th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Boys: 

  1. Maryville
  2. Nodaway Valley
  3. Grand View Christian
  4. Martensdale-St. Marys
  5. Tariko
  6. Clarke
  7. Fremont-Mills
  8. Bedford
  9. Wayne Corydon
  10. Ankeny Christian
  11. Southeast Warren
  12. Southwest Valley

Nodaway Valley: 

2. Gabe Winkelmann, 17:55.10
3. Luke Kading, 18:10.20
21. Haden Colton, 19:25.80
25. Paul Kading, 19:42.30
37. Cherubim Mercado, 20:16.30
79. Dom Breheny, 22:52.40
Girls: 
1. Maryville
2. Martensdale-St. Marys
3. Grand View Christian
4. Wayne Corydon
5. Tarkio
6. Fremont-Mills
CAM: 
25. Lyndsey Chaney, 23:03.30
59. Ellen Gerlock, 29:28.40
62. Elizabeth Rouse, 29:44.80
Nodaway Valley: 
35. Jazz Christensen, 24:40.60
46. Kaylee Van Horn, 26:37.90