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SWITA bus & a car collide in Atlantic Wed., 2 injured

News

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Atlantic report two people were injured when a SWITA bus and a passenger car collided Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of 7th and Laurel Streets. The crash was reported at 3:48-p.m. Officials say the SWITA bus was southbound on Laurel and stopped at the stop sign, but did not fully yield to an eastbound car. The vehicles collided in the middle of the intersection. The driver of the car and a passenger on the bus were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital. Their injuries were not life threatening. The names of the drivers and victims will likely be released later this (Thursday) morning.

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties, 7/24/14

Weather

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLEAR. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 80S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 60S. SOUTH WIND AROUND 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HOT AND HUMID. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 90S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 105 IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 105 THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S.

SUNDAY..MOSTLY CLEAR. HIGH AROUND 80.

Wednesday’s Substate Baseball Scores (from 7/23)

Sports

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

CLASS 3-A:
Harlan 3, Glenwood 1
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 2, Bishop Heelan Catholic 1

Thursday’s State Softball Tourney Semi-final round schedule (7/24)

Sports

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Class 1A
11:30-a.m. Kee vs. AGWSR
1:30-p.m. Akron-Westfield vs. Martensdale-St. Marys
Class 2A
11:00-a.m. Highland vs. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
1:00-p.m. Earlham vs. Woodbury Central
Class 3A
7:00-p.m. East Marshal vs. Bondurant-Ferrar
7:30-p.m. Clarke vs. Green County
Class 4A
3:00-p.m. Dallas Center-Grimes vs. Norwalk
5:00-p.m. Solon vs. Carlise
Class 5A
3:30-p.m. Johnston vs. West Des Moines Valley
5:30-p.m. Dowling Catholic vs. Southeast Polk
The 3rd place and Championship games will take place on Friday

Tampa Bay beats St. Louis 3-0 behind Cobb

Sports

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alex Cobb struck out 10 and drove in a run with his first major league hit, leading Tampa Bay to a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, the Rays’ seventh straight win. Cobb blanked the Cardinals on five hits over seven innings. It was the fourth time he has thrown at least seven innings without an earned run this season. Cobb missed 50 games last season with a concussion after he was hit near the right ear by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer.

Jake McGee pitched the ninth inning for his ninth save in 10 opportunities. The Rays have won 25 of their last 36 games and are 13-4 in July. On June 29, they had the worst record in the majors and have passed 11 teams since. Tampa Bay completed its road trip at 5-0 and its eight-game road winning streak ties the franchise record set twice.

Chiefs, running back Jamaal Charles reach deal

Sports

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles has agreed to a contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs announced the deal Wednesday night. The two-year extension runs through the 2017 season, a person familiar with the contract said on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t disclose terms of the contract.

The six-year NFL veteran ran for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns last year to help the Chiefs reach the playoffs. He also had 70 catches for 693 yards and seven more TDs as Kansas City went 11-5 before losing to Indianapolis in an AFC wild-card game.

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., July 24th 2014

News

July 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A jury will resume deliberations today at the trial of an Iowa man charged with killing his pregnant wife. Jurors are considering whether Seth Techel is guilty of first-degree murder and nonconsensual termination of a human pregnancy. The 23-year-old faces life in prison if convicted in his wife’s 2012 shooting death in rural southeastern Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa City lawyer will serve as a judge in eastern Iowa’s 6th Judicial District. Lars Anderson was appointed by Governor Terry Branstad to fill the vacancy left by retired judge Marsha Beckelman. The 6th Judicial District includes Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Tama counties.

CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — The mayor of Clinton has refused to attend two closed sessions of the City Council saying he learned a valuable lesson from a recent open meetings lawsuit the city lost. Mayor Mark Vulich stepped out of two separate closed sessions on Tuesday. One involved a salary increase for the city administrator and the other an undisclosed legal matter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man facing lawsuits involving a 2012 boat crash that killed four people and injured six others on the Mississippi River has agreed to hand over $300,000 from an insurance policy. But he wants a judge to absolve him of future damages if he does. An attorney representing Joseph Schier Junior has proposed the deal in court documents.

Nebraska Trip to Benefit Young Beef Producers

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 23rd, 2014 by Jim Field

LEWIS, Iowa — A two-day bus trip to various locations in Nebraska in early September will offer beginning and young Iowa beef producers unique networking and educational opportunities. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach beef program specialist Chris Clark said the trip is an organized activity of ISU’s Beginning and Young Livestock Producer Network (BYLPN) and includes visits to several operations to provide a wide variety of information, experiences, and discussions.

“We’ll have stops at several different beef operations, a packing facility and the USDA Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska,” Clark said. “Our tour guide, Jacob Mayer of Settje Agri-Services & Engineering, Inc. has been very helpful in identifying and scheduling places with different approaches and strengths, and he’ll be able to help facilitate some good discussions on the trip.”

The trip is set for Thursday and Friday, Sept. 4 and 5, with the bus departing from the Cass County Extension Office in Atlantic at 7 a.m. on Sept. 4. Additional pick-up locations may be added as necessary. The group will overnight at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 805 Allen Dr., Grand Island, Nebraska, and return the evening of Sept. 5. A block of rooms has been reserved for Sept. 4 at the Fairfield Inn.

“Participants are responsible for their own hotel room fee and can make reservations at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by calling 308-381-8980 and asking for the group rate for Young Producers Group Block no later than Aug. 8,” Clark said. “After that date, rooms will be on an availability basis only.”

The BYLPN is a strategic initiative of ISU Extension and Outreach, with primary goals of creating regional peer groups of young and beginning livestock producers; and offering education, mentorship, and networking opportunities to participants.

“This bus trip is a fitting activity for those already involved in a BYLNP group, but people don’t need to be members of an existing group to participate,” Clark said. “We would love to see some new faces and get more people involved.”

Preregistration by Aug. 20 is required in order to ensure adequate transportation. For more information or to preregister, contact Clark by phone at 712-769-2200 or by email at caclark@iastate.edu or email Leann Plowman-Tibken at leann@iastate.edu.

Car causes major damage to building in Harlan

News

July 23rd, 2014 by Ric Hanson

In their report released today (Wednesday), the Harlan Police Department said an accident last Thursday (July 17th), caused major damage to an apartment building. Officials say a 1990 Mercury driven by Dallas Havick, of Harlan, was leaving a parking space at 1302 Hawkeye Avenue, when for reasons unknown, the car jolted forward, went over a sidewalk and crashed into an apartment. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3,000. A dollar amount of damage to the structure was not available, but listed as “extensive.” No injuries were reported, and no citations were issued.

Harlan Police Report, 7/23/14

News

July 23rd, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Harlan Police Department has released a list of their most recent arrests and incidents. Officials say on Tuesday (7/22), 45-year old Stephen Weber, of Harlan, was arrested when it was reported that he had violated a no contact order that was in place between him and Katherine Hayes, of Harlan. Weber was taken to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with the violation.

On Monday (7/21), 54-year old Christopher Mathison, of Council Bluffs, was arrested following a traffic stop. Mathison was also wanted on an active Shelby County warrant from October 2013 for operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent. Mathison was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with driving under suspension and held on the warrant.

Last Saturday (7/19), charges of harassment were filed against 19-year old Dakota Grote, of Harlan, when it was reported to officers that he was sending harassing texts to Heather Frieze, Elk Horn, after paperwork on file had been sent to him instructing him to have no further contact.

And on July 10th, 49-year old Randall Hess, and 46-year old Patsy Nuzum, both of Harlan, were arrested when officers were called to a disturbance at Westridge Acres trailer court. Nuzum was transported to the Shelby County Jail and Hess was allowed to go before the magistrate and was released on his own recognizance. Both were charged with domestic abuse assault