712 Digital Group - top

Baylor Gets NCAA Boost, 74-61 Over No. 16 Iowa State

Sports

March 5th, 2014 by Jim Field

WACO, Texas (AP) — Brady Heslip’s final regular-season game at the Ferrell Center may just be the victory that helps get Baylor back into the NCAA tournament.

Heslip scored 18 points, with all five of his 3-pointers coming in the second half, and the Bears got a much-needed boost with a 74-61 victory over No. 16 Iowa State on Tuesday night. His tiebreaking 3 with 2:14 left started a game-ending 13-0 run.

There were 15 lead changes and four ties before Heslip put the Bears (20-10, 8-9 Big 12) ahead to stay.

And now the Bears, who have won seven of eight games since starting 2-8 in Big 12 play, feel confident they have what’s needed to get back in the NCAA field after having to settle for the NIT championship last season — a year after making it to an NCAA regional final.

The Cyclones, who lost at Kansas State on Saturday, were held under 70 points for the first time this season. Melvin Ejim, the Big 12’s leading scorer, had only six points — 13 below his average.

The Cyclones didn’t score after DeAndre Kane’s wide-open 3 tied the game at 61 with 4:10 left. That was their 12th 3-pointer in the game, only the second after halftime.

Kane had 20 points for Iowa State and Dustin Hogue added 12 for the Cyclones, who are home Saturday against Oklahoma State.

Ejim, playing on his 23rd birthday, missed his first eight shots before consecutive layups midway through the second half put the Cyclones up 49-48. The second layup came after a steal by Hogue. Ejim finished 3-of-14 shooting, missing all five of his 3-point attempts, and had nine rebounds.

Iowa State (22-7, 10-7), in the mix for the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament, lost its second road game in four days.

Harlan Advances with Close Win at State Tourney

Sports

March 5th, 2014 by Jim Field

Sophomore Jordyn Moser’s clutch jumper kept top-ranked Harlan’s championship hopes alive in Class 4-A.

With the score tied at 50, Harlan got the ball when North Scott was whistled for an illegal screen with 45.2 seconds remaining. The Cyclones held for one shot and coach Zach Klaasen called time with 11.8 seconds remaining to set up a final play.

The ball went to Moser, who drove toward the free throw line on the left side of the floor, stopped and hit the game winner. North Scott got a time out with .6 seconds left, but Harlan’s 6-foot-2 Jess Schaben stuffed the inbounds pass and the clock ran out.

Schaben led Harlan with 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks. Moser finished with 13 points, all in the second half, and Taylor Wagner also scored 13. Schaben and the four other Harlan starters all started on the Cyclones’ volleyball team that won the state championship last fall.

Rachel Edmundson and Evan Hundley each scored 10 points for North Scott and freshman Karli Rucker added nine.

Neither team started a senior in the back and forth game. North Scott’s 3-point shooting helped the Lady Lancers build a 32-24 lead early in the second half before Harlan stormed back on five 3-pointers of its own, including three by Moser.

Moser also stole the ball and sank two free throws for a 47-41 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left. North Scott than rallied and tied it at 50 on two straight baskets by Hundley, setting the stage for the finish.

Harlan, last year’s runner-up, moves to Thursday night’s semifinals with a 24-0 record. North Scott made the tournament for the first time since 2003 and finishes 17-7.

Boys Class 4-A Sub-State Final Results

Sports

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

  • Bettendorf 59, Davenport Central 38
  • Cedar Rapids Kennedy 46, North Scott 43
  • Dubuque Senior 52, Linn-Mar 47
  • Iowa City West 74, Iowa City High 50
  • Sioux City North 74, Sioux City East 57
  • Southeast Polk 56, Des Moines Roosevelt 40
  • Urbandale 42, Des Moines Hoover 30
  • WDM Valley 51, Ankeny Centennial 48

Tuesday Girls State Basketball Tourney Results/Wednesday Schedule

Sports

March 5th, 2014 by Jim Field

Tuesday Results:

Class 2-A Quarterfinal

  • Western Christian 66, Des Moines Christian 53

Class 3-A Quarterfinals

  • Crestwood 54, Bondurant Farrar 41
  • Mediapolis 61, Williamsburg 43
  • MOC-Floyd Valley 69, Center Point-Urbana 42
  • Unity Christian 60, Clear Lake 35

Class 4-A Quarterfinals

  • Carlisle 53, Dallas Center-Grimes 48
  • Harlan 52, North Scott 50

Wednesday Schedule:

Class 4-A Quarterfinals

  • 10:00 a.m. – Davenport Assumption (17-6) vs. Ballard (20-4)
  • 11:45 a.m. – Bishop Heelan Catholic (20-3) vs. Western Dubuque (21-2)

Class 5-A Quarterfinals

  • 1:30 p.m. – Waterloo West (21-2) vs. Des Moines East
  • 3:15 p.m. – West Des Moines Valley (22-1) vs. Southeast Polk (16-6)
  • 5:00 p.m. – Iowa City High (23-0) vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (16-7)
  • 6:45 p.m. – Waukee (20-3) vs. Dowling Catholic (20-3)

Class 1-A Semifinals

  • 8:30 p.m. — Colo-Nesco (24-1) vs. Newell-Fonda (23-2)

“Spread the Word to End the Word” Day

News

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa – Across Iowa and the nation today, people are being asked to take time to stop and think about how their words may affect others. This is “Spread the Word to End the Word” day, asking people to remove the “R-word” from their vocabulary, said Rik Shannon, public policy manager for the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council.

“The word ‘retarded’ is used so often that people often don’t realize just how cruel and offensive the term is,” said Shannon. “When we choose words like that word, whether we intend to or not, we really disparage other people.”

Shannon said nearly 50,000 Iowans who have developmental disabilities are family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. While today is focused on getting everyday people to stop using the word, Shannon said on a higher level, it’s already been replaced with the phrase “intellectual disability” in the text of laws, both locally and nationally.

“We’ve made a great deal of progress in recent years in removing the ‘R-word’ from state and federal code references,” he said. “Choosing language that’s more respectful, more inclusive is a big part of building strong communities where everyone feels like they’re welcomed and accepted.”

More information and resources can be found online at r-word.org and at IDaction.org.

(Iowa News Service)

CHRISTINE MADSEN, 88, of Earlham (Svcs. 3/7/14)

Obituaries

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

CHRISTINE MADSEN, 88, of Earlham, died Mon., March 3rd, at home. Funeral services for CHRISTINE MADSEN will be held 11-a.m. Fri., March 7th, at the Johnson Family Funeral Home in Earlham.

Visitation will be held one-hour prior to the service, on Friday (10-a.m. to 11-a.m.). Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.

A graveside service will be held at the Norwalk City Cemetery beginning at 2-p.m. on Friday.

Memorials may be directed to the Christine Madsen Memorial Fund, in care of the funeral home.

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Wed., March 5 2014

Podcasts, Weather

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The (podcast) Freese-Notis weather forecast for the KJAN listening area and weather information for Atlantic.

Play

2 men arrested following traffic stops Wed. morning in Fremont Co.

News

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Two men were arrested early this (Wednesday) morning, following separate traffic stops in Fremont County. The Sheriff’s Dept. says 64-year old Francis Bruce Ingerson, of Savage, MN, was arrested for Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, No Insurance and Failure to have a valid Driver’s License. Ingerson was pulled over at around 1-a.m. on Interstate 29 near mile marker 24, because there were no license plates on his 1987 Lincoln. He was brought to the Fremont County Jail and held on $1,215 bond.

At about the same time as Ingerson was being arrested, deputies in Fremont County conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Main and A Streets in Hamburg. A 1995 Mercury Cougar with no license plates was pulled over, and its driver, 43-year old Jeffrey Wade Massey, of Hamburg, was charged with Driving Under Suspension, No Insurance, Operating a Non-Registered vehicle, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine.

Massey was being held in the Fremont County Jail on $2,608 bond.

Vehicle breakdown on I-80 in Omaha results in the death of a Bluffs man

News

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A vehicle breakdown Tuesday morning on Interstate 80 in Omaha resulted in the death of a Pottawattamie County man. The Omaha World-Herald reports 44-year old Michael D. Holcomb, of Council Bluffs, was struck and killed by a semitrailer truck on eastbound Interstate 80 near 52nd Street. Holcomb was reportedly hit in the far left lane about 10:35 a.m.

According to Omaha police, a 2002 Jeep Cherokee with apparent mechanical problems was stopped on the shoulder. Holcomb was outside the vehicle when he stepped into traffic. An SUV with its hood up could be seen parked on the left shoulder near where emergency crews were working.

The semi driver, 54-year old James J. Bolter Jr., of Omaha, was not hurt. Officials caution that if your vehicle breaks down and is on the shoulder of the road, you should constantly be aware of your surroundings with regard to the flow of traffic, and never assume other drivers see you or your vehicle in that type of situation.

New VA bldg approved by voters in Pott. County

News

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Voters heading to the polls for a Special Election Tuesday in Pottawattamie County overwhelmingly approved the construction of a new veterans affairs office in downtown Council Bluffs. According to the Daily NonPareil, the vote was 1,495 to 321 in favor of the issuance of $1.5 million in bonds to build a 6,300-square-foot building to improve veterans services, replacing the outdated 1,600-square-foot office located in an annex building near the County Courthouse. A 60 percent majority vote was needed to pass this measure and in the end the approval percentage was 82.3 percent.

County officials will begin working with architects today (Wednesday) on final designs, with construction slated to begin this spring. The new building would provide an office for each of the four case workers, plus two offices where veterans could meet in private with staff from other related agencies. There would also be a larger computer data room with privacy, wider hallways, plus a waiting room where veterans could view informational videos or pick up literature.

The top proposed location would be at the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Sixth Avenue directly north of the county’s juvenile detention facility. The second choice is at the northwest corner of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue.