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Iowa’s Bob Feller Museum fading financially

Sports

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

VAN METER, Iowa (AP) – The Bob Feller Museum is scheduled to reopen on April 5, but financial troubles are threatening its survival in his central Iowa hometown of Van Meter. The lack of money forced museum board members to close it on Jan. 3. It opened in 1995 to honor the Hall of Fame pitcher but has faltered since his death on Dec. 15, 2010.

Museum board member Bob DiBiasio told The Des Moines Register that Feller “was the engine that powered that museum.” The museum is working with the city of Van Meter and the Cleveland Indians to develop options.

2 arrests in Montgomery County after authorities investigate suspicious vehicle

News

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Two people were arrested Monday night in Montgomery County following an investigation into a suspicious vehicle, and the subsequent search of a nearby rural residence. Sheriff’s officials say 57-year old John W. Goodall, of Red Oak, was located by a K-9 Unit hiding in a cornfield near the intersection of D Avenue and 130th Street, at around 8-p.m. Goodall faces charges that include Criminal Trespass, Attempted 3rd degree burglary, and Possession of Burglar’s tools. While transporting him to the Montgomery County Jail, the driver of the suspicious vehicle, 28-year old Kendra S. Harlow, of Omaha, who was earlier cited by a deputy for Failure to provide proof of insurance, was observed walking along Highway 34 towards Red Oak. Harlow was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. She was arrested and held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond. Goodall’s bond was set at $2,000.

Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted by officers with the Red Oak Police Dept., along with those persons who called to alert authorities to a possible crime in progress.

Blizzard Watch issued for parts of the KJAN listening area Thu. & Thu. night

Weather

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

COUNTIES: GUTHRIE-DALLAS-ADAIR-MADISON; 406 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2014

BLIZZARD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT.

* TIMING…THE PRECIPITATION WILL SWITCH TO SNOW THURSDAY MORNING AND MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES WITH SNOW FALL RATES OF ONE TO TWO INCHES PER HOUR POSSIBLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. VERY STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND MAY CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW/ICE ACCUMULATIONS…3 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED. MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY…THE WIND WILL BE LIGHT INITIALLY WITH THIS SYSTEM AS THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO SNOW. THE WIND WILL QUICKLY INTENSIFY AS IT BECOMES NORTHWEST AT 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 50 MPH POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

* IMPACTS…IN ADDITION TO THE BLIZZARD POTENTIAL…A BAND OF WET AND HEAVY SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE WET SNOW MAY BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE TREE DAMAGE ONCE THE WIND  INCREASES AND COULD LEAD TO DOWNED POWER LINES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FALLING AND/OR BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES. THIS CAN LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY DANGEROUS.

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties in IA: Feb. 18 2014

Weather

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 13 to 16 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light west after midnight.

Wednesday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming south 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
Wednesday Night: Rain likely, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 32. South wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: Snow before noon, then areas of blowing snow and a chance of snow after noon. High near 38. Windy, with a northwest wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Windy.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.

Iowa early News Headines: Tue., Feb. 18 2014

News

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press …

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers have approved legislation that would help veterans more easily obtain occupational licenses or own a home. The unanimous approval by the House Veterans Affairs Committee means the bills are now up for debate on the House floor.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The value of crops fell last year as corn and soybeans prices declined from record highs the year before. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in an annual report the value of 2013 field crops fell 9.8 percent to nearly $167 billion from $185 billion in 2012.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Police in Pennsylvania are asking for help in finding a man in connection with the shooting deaths of Iowa state representative Mary Wolfe’s two sisters in their Pittsburgh home. Police stress that the man is considered a witness, not a suspect. Pittsburgh police homicide detectives on Monday distributed pictures of a man they say was on board the same city bus one sister rode the night before the two were killed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lawmakers in the Iowa Senate are working on legislation that would establish more rules for dealing with sexual abuse in the state military. A Senate subcommittee gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would require that the Iowa National Guard provide an annual report to the state legislature about the sexual abuse allegations reported the previous year.

10-year old Council Bluffs crime solved through DNA evidence

News

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A Nebraska man is in custody in Pottawattamie County, accused of committing a murder 10-years ago that was recently solved through DNA evidence. The Omaha World-Herald reports 47-year old Thomas Sanchez of La Vista, NE is charged with first-degree murder in the July 31st, 2003 stabbing of 33-year old Nelson Alvarez-Hernandez, an Omaha meatpacking plant worker who dressed as a woman, going by the name of “Selena.” Sanchez had pleaded not guilty. His trial is set to begin in April.

On Sept. 23rd, 2013, officials with the Iowa DCI lab contacted Council Bluffs Police to inform them a DNA sample from blood on a $5 bill laying next to the victim’s body, matched that of  Sanchez, who was an inmate at the Douglas County, NE., jail. Sanchez had been sentenced last July to one-year in prison after pleading no contest to the attempted distribution of methamphetamine. He was arrested on a Pott. County warrant in December and is being held in jail on $1-million bond.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber told the paper there was no indication that Alvarez-Hernandez’s death was a hate crime. Wilber said investigators are seeking to identify more suspects. Sanchez told investigators he did not know Alvarez-Hernandez and had never been to the scene of the crime. He said he had no idea why his DNA might be at the crime scene.

Court documents allege that Sanchez and Alvarez-Hernandez were both known drug users and that the location of the slaying was a drug house.

Bluffs woman faces OWI charge following a rollover accident

News

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs say the driver of a Mazda faces a 1st offense OWI charge following an accident on Interstate 29 over the weekend. The Daily NonPareil reports the driver, 22-year old Elizabeth E. Cox, and her passenger, 22-year old Nathanael Long, both of Council Bluffs, were injured during the crash that happened at about the 55-mile marker of I-29 at around 3:30-a.m., Saturday.

Authorities told the paper Cox had just entered the southbound I-29 on ramp off I-480 in a 2006 Mazda 3 when she lost control of the vehicle and made contact with the right hand curb. The vehicle left the roadway, entered the grassy portion off the right hand of the interstate, and continued down the hill. The car rolled and hit a tree and a fence at the bottom of the hill before coming to rest.

Cox, who was trapped in the car, was extricated by mechanical means. She suffered a broken neck and lacerations, and was transported by Council Bluffs Rescue the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where officials were unable to release information on her condition. Long  was able to get out of the wreck on his own. He complained of back pain and was transported by Council Bluffs Rescue to Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital for treatment. Both occupants of the vehicle were wearing seat belts.

Authorities arrested Cox on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol-first offense and failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle.

Shot fired in Council Bluffs over a cell phone bill

News

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs say a dispute between a father and son over a cellphone bill escalated into gunfire Saturday afternoon. According to the Daily NonPareil the incident happened at around 3-p.m. in an alley outside a residence at 16th and High Streets. Sgt. Chad Meyers told the paper 28-year old Jonathan F. McDowell and his father were arguing when the father allegedly came at his son with a clenched fist, and the son, feeling threatened, pulled out a .45-calber handgun before firing a single round into the ground.

A neighbor called police, who arrived to find the father had fled the scene.Meyers said McDowell legally owned the gun and had a concealed carry permit. Officers cited the 28-year-old for unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits.

Area basketball scores from Mon., Feb. 17 2014

Sports

February 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

BOYS REGULAR SEASON BASKETBALL
Carroll 68, Atlantic 56
Abraham Lincoln 53, Bishop Heelan Catholic 40
Denison-Schleswig 70, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 64

BOYS DISTRICT BASKETBALL

1-A District 13 First Round
CAM 63, Stanton 47
Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 60, Audubon 53

1-A District 14 First Round
Essex 46, Riverside 43
Nishnabotna 58, South Page 42

1-A District 15 First Round
Logan-Magnolia 57, Whiting 13

2-A District 14 Quarterfinals
Interstate 35 52, West Central Valley 49
Panorama 65, Clarke 39

2-A District 15 Quarterfinals
Clarinda 64, Missouri Valley 44
Shenandoah 66, Red Oak 43
St. Albert 59, Southwest Valley 24

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board looks to create activities for Senior Citizens

News

February 17th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A couple of local groups have stepped forward to offer their labor and funds to construct a horseshoe pit at Sunnyside Park in Atlantic, as one of many activities designed for those 55 and older, looking for outdoor fun. Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring spoke to the Parks Board Monday evening about the potential uses for a 63-by 100-foot area south of the new Maintenance Building on the park grounds. Herring said the Trevor Fredericksen Foundation and Dean Orstad family have agreed to make the horseshoe area a reality.

Atlantic Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring talks about the proposed Senior Activities Area at Sunnyside Park.

Atlantic Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring talks about the proposed Senior Activities Area at Sunnyside Park.

The Board approved Herring moving forward with plans for a Senior Activities Area at Sunnyside, which will include getting the costs for engineering grading the site in preparation for use. Herring said there is money set aside in the budget specifically for Senior Activities, and with the two groups agreeing to provide the labor and expertise for the horseshoe throwing pit, there shouldn’t be any extra costs involved.

In other business, the Parks and Rec Board approved the 2014 Summer Recreation Program, which includes men’s slow pitch softball and the possibility of merging that with a group from Marne, and swimming pool fees along with the hiring of an on-site manager for the pool. Herring proposed opening the pool on Memorial Day weekend (the day after school closes) and closing it the day before school begins. In the past, the pool was open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The hours of operation would also be reduced,  from 1-to 6-pm, which is a change from last years hours of 1-to 8-pm, due to a lack of demand for the later hours. Options will be available for those groups wishing to hold parties at the pool outside normal hours of operation, such as from 6-to 8-pm.

Rates for the pool would be $4 per day for persons 12 years of age and up, and $3 for ages 3 to 11. Under three would be admitted free. There would also be a reduction in the price of a family pass from $105 per season to $90, and the single adult fee would go from $70 to $60 for the season. Herring also proposed, and the board agreed, to cut the number of life guards from 11 to 8, and eliminate the concession stand workers, with the idea being to save money by giving the lifeguards longer shifts or more hours, and rotating some of them into the concession stand operations when the number of persons in attendance at the pool is less.

The Board also agreed to raise the fee for youth tennis by $5, but the swim teams fees would remain the same. The Special Recreation Playground program would be eliminated because the YMCA currently offers that service.