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Spirit Lake school board votes 4-1 to keep Indian mascot

News

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Spirit Lake School Board has voted to keep its longstanding Indian mascot. Earlier this year, the Spirit Lake Tribal Council in North Dakota sent the district a letter, saying the mascot is offensive and calling for its removal. Vicky Larson is among the area residents who spoke at the board’s Monday night meeting. She favors keeping the Indian mascot for Spirit Lake teams. “Most teams, they’re warriors,” she said, “so why not honor the warriors.” Kate Mendenhall told the board indigenous people do not feel Indian mascots honor them.

“A rebrand with a new mascot could…focus on this community’s bright future,” Mendenhall said. Jeromy Mouw , the newest member of the Spirit Lake School Board member, says his vote to keep the Indian mascot is based on community feedback. “There were a couple of people that were a little bit like: ‘Um, you know I don’t know that we should keep the logo.’ But I said: ‘OK. Do you want it changed?’ and the answer was no,” Mauw says. “I didn’t get a single person who said: ‘Change the logo.'”

The board voted four-to-one to keep the Indian mascot. Greta Gruys was the board member who voted no, suggesting the board should collect more feedback before making a final decision.  “The Native American people have told us that using the Indian mascot is not an honor or a sign of respect,” Gruys said, “and they have repeatedly asked us to change it.”

In 2021, the Camanche School District changed its mascot to “the Storm” after Camanche sports teams had been known as The Indians for 60 years.

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Iowa Softball 2023 Final Notes

Sports

June 13th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

THIS SEASON
The University of Iowa softball team played 62 games this season finishing with a record of 35-27. The Hawkeyes’ 35 wins was the most since 2009. They ended the season by winning the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) postseason tournament in Fort Collins, Colorado. Senior Nia Carter led the conference in batting average (.479) and hits (101).
CONNECT WITH THE HAWKEYES
For all of the latest news and information on Iowa softball, visit hawkeyesports.com. Fans can also follow the program at Facebook.com/iowahawkeyessoftball and @iowasoftball on Twitter and Instagram.
NISC CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeyes were invited to participate in the 2023 NISC postseason tournament in Colorado. They went 4-0 as they went on to win the championship. They had wins over UC Davis, South Dakota State, Maryland, and BYU.
Junior Grace Banes was named tournament MVP. Nia Carter, Jalen Adams, and Denali Loecker were named to the all-tournament team.
BIG TEN AWARDS
Senior Nia Carter was named first team all-Big Ten. She is the first Hawkeye since Megan Blank in 2015 to earn first team honors. Carter was also selected as the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
Freshman Jalen Adams earned all-freshman honors. Adams was the third Hawkeye in three years to earn all-freshman accolades by the conference.
NFCA ALL-REGION
Carter also earned first team all-region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She is the first Hawkeye to receive this honor in back-to-back seasons since Colleen McGlaughlin in 2008 and 2009.
Sophomore Tatianna Roman earned third team all-region honors in her first season with Iowa.
 
ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Carter was named third team All-America by Softball America. She is the first Hawkeye since 2009 to receive All-American honors.
RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN
Nia Carter finished the season hitting .479 which is second in school history, only behind her own freshman season. She shattered the single season hit record recording 101 hits in 62 games. She is only the second player in Big Ten history to surpass 100 hits on a season. She ranks second in Big Ten single season history for hits.
Carter became the all-time leader for career batting average at Iowa finishing her four years hitting .415.
Junior Denali Loecker tied the school record for saves in a season with nine.
Loecker hit 10 home runs for the second straight season. She is tied for fifth all time at Iowa with 24.

Posted in Sports |

Residential fire in Atlantic late Monday night

News

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Firefighters, Police and EMS responded to a house fire late Monday night, in Atlantic. Fire Chief  Tom Cappel says crews were paged-out to 706 Olive Street, at around 10-p.m. Cappel says “when we arrived on scene we had heavy flames in the basement of the house.  Nobody was living there at the time so we have no injuries. We were on scene for over 2 hours getting all the hot-spots put out.”

The Chief said also the fire remains under investigation, and that he has been in contact with the  State fire Marshal. Cappel thanks Cass EMS, Atlantic Police, the Cass County sheriff’s Department and Iowa State Patrol for assisting with traffic control during the event, as they had to shut down the highway at 7th and Olive street , in order to connect with a hydrant.

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4 Hawkeyes Earn ABCA All-Midwest Region Honors

Sports

June 13th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Four University of Iowa baseball student-athletes – Brody Brecht, Brennen Dorighi, Sam Petersen and Keaton Anthony – earned American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Midwest Region honors, it was announced Tuesday by the organization.

Brecht earned first team recognition, moving him into consideration for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors that will be announced Friday. Dorighi, Petersen and Anthony were all second-team all-region selections.

It is the third straight year the Hawkeyes have had multiple all-region honorees and the fifth time under head coach Rick Heller that Iowa has had two or more players recognized.

Brecht earned first-team honors after going 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 16 starts. The right-hander posted four quality starts and fanned 109 batters over 77 innings. The Ankeny, Iowa native leads the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (4.32).

Petersen earned second-team honors hitting .319 with 47 RBIs, 45 runs scored and having 21 extra base hits (9 doubles, 11 home runs and one triple) during the regular season. The Huxley, Iowa, native swiped 20 bases on 22 attempts.

Dorighi earned second-team honors after hitting .348 (78-of-224) with 67 RBIs, 19 doubles, and 15 home runs. The Cherry Hills, Colorado native lead the Hawkeyes in hits, RBIs, games started (60), runs scored (66), and total bases (142).

Anthony earned third-team honors after hitting .389 (61-of-157) with 22 doubles, 9 home runs, 38 RBIs and 51 runs scored during the regular season. His 22 doubles are second-most in program history. The Hoschton, Georgia, native was named a third-team All-American by the collegiate baseball newspaper.

The Hawkeyes finished the 2023 season with a 44-16 overall record with the 44 wins tied for most in program history. Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season standings, advanced to the Big Ten Tournament finals and the team won two games at the Terre Haute Regional in Iowa’s first appearance since 2017.

Posted in Sports |

Cyclones 2023 Softball Season Review

Sports

June 13th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State finished its 2023 campaign with a 25-30 overall record and a 6-12 mark in the Big 12 for the third consecutive season. The Cyclones placed fifth in the league standings, advancing to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship before falling to top-seeded Oklahoma.

ISU completed its third straight season with at least 25 wins in 2023, making it just the third time in school history the team has posted three-straight 25+ win seasons. Since 2000, Iowa State has recorded 25+ win seasons just eight times, with four coming under head coach Jamie Pinkerton.

The Cyclones finished the season strong, winning 12 of their final 17 games, which included four top-25 victories (OSU, Baylor 3x). Iowa State’s win over No. 3 Oklahoma State tied the program record for the largest upset in school history and spearheaded the second-half surge for ISU.

Iowa State’s softball fanbase continued to grow this year, as four of the top ten most-attended home games in program history came this season. Of those four games was the Saturday doubleheader against top-ranked Oklahoma, which pulled in a record crowd of 1,715 spectators. Overall, seven of the top ten home attendances have come under Coach Pinkerton.

In six seasons under Pinkerton, Iowa State has recorded three winning seasons. Before his arrival, ISU hadn’t recorded a winning season since 1995. In his five full seasons, Pinkerton’s squads have belted 40+ home runs in each, marking the only five seasons to do so in school history. Pinkerton now owns the third most wins in school history with a 158-151 record, surpassing Ruthe Crowe.

Player Notables  

  • Milaysia Ochoa led the team in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.319), runs (44), hits (53), doubles (13), home runs (12), RBI (33), total bases (102), slugging percentage (.614), HBP (9), and at-bats (166).
    • Ochoa was the lone Cyclone to start in and play all 55 games.

Awards 

  • Junior outfielder Milaysia Ochoa was named an All-Big 12 Second Team selection. It was the third straight season a Cyclone made the second team. 
  • Ochoa was also named to the All-Midwest Region third team, marking the third straight season a Cyclone has made a regional team. 
  • Ellie Spelhaug and junior Angelina Allen were each named to the All-Big 12 Tournament team following their performance in Oklahoma City. ISU placed the second-most players on the team and it was the first time in program history ISU had more than one player on the Big 12 Tournament team. 
  • Seniors Lea Nelson, Carli Spelhaug and Ellie Spelhaug were each named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. It was Carli’s second time earning the recognition. 

Rankings 

  • Iowa State ranked No. 70 in the RPI at the end of the regular season. 
  • ISU ranked 18th nationally in double plays turned per game (.45). 
  • The Cyclone pitching staff plunked just 23 batters this season, the second lowest in the conference. 
  • Milaysia Ochoa ranked second in the Big 12 in HBP per game (.17) and 131st nationally.
    • Ochoa also had the eighth most home runs in the Big 12 (12), which put her tied for 91 in the country.
  • Saya Swain recorded the 11th most saves in the country (6), which led the Big 12. Her six saves were the most in a single season in program history.
    • Swain averaged 8.6 Ks per seven innings pitched, ranking 32nd in the country and giving her the fourth-best mark in the Big 12.
  • Karlie Charles walked just 1.15 batters per seven innings, good enough for best in the Big 12. That put Charles 31st in the country.

Posted in Sports |

CAM School Board acts on staff changes, change of meeting location; continues facilities discussion

News

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM Community School District’s Board of Education met Monday evening, and acted on approving one resignation and a one contract. Superintendent Paul Croghan said the Board accepted the resignation of School Business Official Lindsay Jahde.

The Board discussed, but took no action on the SIACC (School Improvement Advisory Committee) recommendations. Part of the discussion was with regard to supporting the District’s staff and getting them the things they need to provide their students with an education.

The Board will continue to follow-up with the recommendation beginning with the next school year. In other business, the CAM School Board agreed to move their meeting to the High School Media Center, beginning next month.

They also approved: a bid for storm drain repair, various board policies, and the disposal of three District vehicles on the Purple Wave auction site. The final order of business was continued discussions with regard to the District’s facilities. The Board heard Monday from representatives the SITELOGIQ Architectural Firm.

He said they will enter into a contract with SITELOGIQ next month.

That’s the earliest they can attempt a bond referendum. The long-term goal is to streamline the District’s facilities into one.

Posted in News |

9 people arrested between June 9th & the 13, in Atlantic

News

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue reports nine people were arrested between last Friday (June 9) and Monday (June 13).

Today, (Tuesday, June 13), 30-year-old Morgan Humbert, of Cumberland, was arrested for Attempted Burglary, Assault with Bodily Injury, Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, Assault on person(s) in a certain occupations, Public Intoxication, and Disorderly Conduct.

There were three arrests Monday, in Atlantic:

  • 27-year-old Vazquez-Cendejas, of Atlantic, was arrested for Violation of Probation.
  • 19-year-old Tarzan Kochiro, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication and Possession of Alcohol Under Legal Age.
  • And, 59-year-old Brenda Buboltz, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault and Disorderly Conduct.

On Sunday, Atlantic Police arrested 33-year-old Andrew Nowell, of Atlantic, for Disorderly Conduct. There were three arrests this past Saturday:

  • 36-year-old Jeffery Knight, and 21-year-old Sitson Sapong, both of Atlantic, were arrested for Public Intoxication.
  • 21-year-old Kius Esa, of Atlantic, was arrested Saturday for Public Intoxication and Possession of Controlled Substance (marijuana).

And, on Friday, June 9th, 35-year-old Lisa Squibbs, of Anita, was arrested by Atlantic Police, for Disorderly Conduct.

Posted in News |

RAGBRAI drops plan to set Guinness World Record July 26th

News, Sports

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines Register has announced it’s dropping plans to shoot for a world record number of cyclists during the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa next month. The event is known as RAGBRAI and this is the 50th year bicyclists will make the week long, statewide trek from the Missouri River to the Mississippi. RAGBRAI organizers had hoped to set a Guinness World Record mark for largest parade of bicycles on the day riders bike from Ames to Des Moines. However, the newspaper says new criteria from the publisher of Guinness World Records make it impossible. Planners do expect as many as 100-thousand riders to be on RAGBRAI’s Wednesday, July 26th route from Ames to Des Moines. RAGBRAI will start in Sioux City on Sunday, July 23rd and end 500 miles later in Davenport on Saturday, July 29th.

Axios Des Moines is reporting Gannett, which owns The Register, has sent a cease and desist letter to a former RAGBRAI director and a long-time RAGBRAI rider who’ve posted an alternative route online for riders to make their way from Ames to Des Moines. The man told Axios he’s concerned about having so many riders on the same path on July 26th. The letter from Gannett suggests the alternate route will not be as safe since it will not be staffed by law enforcement.

Posted in News, Sports |

Iowa State Athletics Unveils New Tennis Facility Plans

Sports

June 13th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Fueled by the momentum generated from three-consecutive NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament appearances, including a run to the 2023 Elite Eight, Iowa State Athletics has unveiled plans for an indoor and outdoor tennis complex for the program, Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.

“It is truly amazing what our women’s tennis program has achieved over the last three seasons, especially in light of the fact that we do not have facilities that are comparable to other peer institutions, but we believe that this plan will allow us to build off our recent successes in a financially responsible manner while quickly addressing the program’s facility shortcomings,” Pollard said.

“We are grateful for Ames Racquet and Fitness Center and the ISU Research Park for agreeing to come alongside us to create a unique partnership that will help the department get this project to the finish line,” he added.

The Iowa State Research Park will purchase an existing four-court indoor tennis bubble, and expand it to six courts, construct six new outdoor courts on the property, and a team building to include amenities including a team room, locker room and training room. Pending Iowa Board of Regents approval in September, the completed facility will be leased to ISU Athletics. The six outdoor courts are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2023 with the indoor court expansion and team facility slated for a fall 2024 completion.

“The success of our entire Athletics Department, embodied most-recently by the 2023 women’s tennis campaign, is important to all of us who wear Cardinal and Gold.,” said Iowa State Research Park President Rick Sanders. “The ISURP is excited to be the future home of Cyclone Tennis for many years to come.”

Iowa State’s women’s tennis team currently utilizes the Bruce McKee Indoor Tennis Complex, which opened in 2017 adjacent to the Sukup Basketball Complex, features two practice courts for the Cyclones to use as well as a team room and locker room. Once the tennis program vacates the McKee Complex, the facility will be converted into a practice facility for the Cyclone volleyball team.

In the event of inclement weather, the Cyclones currently travel to Urbandale to utilize the indoor facility at Life Time Fitness. ISU has played outdoors at the Ames High School facility for the past several years and hosted the first three rounds of the 2023 NCAA Tournament there.

The Cyclones finished the 2023 season 21-6 overall while going 7-2 in Big 12 action to finish in a tie for third place in the league standings. ISU advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships and later reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships, both feats that have never been accomplished in program history.

The seven league victories were the most in school history and included the program’s first-ever win against Oklahoma State and the first against Baylor in Waco in the series. Iowa State posted 12 wins against Top 50 opponents with wins against No. 18 UCLA, No. 10 Miami, No. 9 Vanderbilt and No. 1 Texas to reach the semifinals at the ITA National Indoor Championships. The win against the top-ranked Longhorns was the first against UT and the first against a No. 1 team in school history.

In its third-straight NCAA Tournament, Iowa State rolled past Drake (4-0), No. 22 Wisconsin (4-1) and No. 20 UCLA (4-1) to reach the final site. The Cyclones fell in the quarterfinals to eventual runner-up, No. 4 NC State, 4-3.

Posted in Sports |

Holly Roepke named new AD at Grinnell College

Sports

June 13th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

Grinnell College has named Holly Roepke as the school’s new Director of Athletics. Roepke has been the AD at her alma mater Cal-Luthern since January of 2022 and prior to that was an assistant AD at Grinnell.

She takes over a program that is experiencing success. The Grinnell women won the Midwest Conference All-Sports title this past school year. The men finished second.

Roepke says Grinnell’s academic profile is an advantage when it comes to athletics.

The one trouble spot remains football. The Pioneers canceled most of their 2019 season due to lack of numbers and have won a total of four games the past two seasons. Roepke says the program has made strides with roster size and that needs to continue.

Posted in Sports |