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Pheasant Hunting opens Sat. in IA: Best bird numbers in northern part of the state

Ag/Outdoor, Sports

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Iowa pheasant hunters can expect to find the best bird numbers in northwest, north central and central Iowa during the open of the season this weekend. And while the number of birds in the field is well below peak years, good hunting opportunities still exist.Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says “Even with low counts some hunters will have excellent hunts and plenty of opportunities and others will be able to flush a bird or two and put one in the bag. The key is good habitat and good dogs.”

The latest crop harvest reports indicate nearly half of the corn remains in the field. As more corn is harvested, pheasants will be concentrated in available habitat.  Areas with excellent winter cover like cattails or switch grass have the potential to hold some birds, and currently, the best cover is primarily on public land.

Bogenschutz said “Hunters looking for birds and are flexible should identify public land with good winter cover in north central, central or northwest Iowa. Those regions have the better pheasant numbers.”  Hunters can use the DNR’s online hunter atlas to do some “online” scouting of these areas.

Also available is more than 7,500 acres of private land in 27 counties; to be utilized for public hunting through Iowa’s Hunting and Access Program (IHAP). A list of areas and maps is available at www.iowadnr.gov/ihap

Hunting pressure will be highest during the first two weekends of the season, and then around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Based on the results of Iowa’s upland game survey, hunters should expect to harvest 100,000 to 150,000 pheasants during the October 26-January 10 season.

School names stadium for Cardinals’ Shannon

Sports

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcaster Mike Shannon is being honored at the Catholic high school where he starred more than 50 years ago. The former Cardinals third baseman was a three-sport star in the mid-1950s at Christian Brothers College High School as well as Missouri prep player of the year in football and basketball. His father, three sons and three grandsons are also CBC graduates. The private school is raising money toward a new Mike Shannon Stadium at Cadet Park.

The 74-year-old announcer recently had heart surgery and limited his broadcast duties to Cardinals home games during the National League Championship Series.

No bet: Slay, Menino passing on World Series wager

Sports

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) – In a break from tradition, there will be no bet between the mayors of this year’s World Series cities.  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay tweeted Monday night that there will be “no mayoral sports bet.” But the Democrat said he would welcome a visit to St. Louis from Boston’s longtime mayor, Thomas Menino.

Menino was trending Tuesday on Twitter, after telling reporters he hoped the Boston Red Sox would win the “World Series cup.”  Menino wasn’t impressed with what he called “fried raviolis” that Slay sent to him to settle a bet after the Cardinals lost the 2004 World Series to Boston. Toasted, not fried, ravioli is a St. Louis specialty.

Boston, St. Louis archbishops make baseball bet

Sports

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

BOSTON (AP) – At least one cardinal is rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, is wagering that the Boston Red Sox will beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the series that begins Wednesday at Fenway Park.

If the Red Sox win, St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson will donate $100 to Boston Catholic Charities. Should the Cardinals win, O’Malley will donate $100 to the St. Louis archdiocese’s charity fund. Catholic Charities in Boston and St. Louis provide a spectrum of social service care to thousands of people.

Weather Forecast the KJAN listening area: Wed., 10/23/13

Weather

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A Freeze Warning Continues until 8-a.m. for: Cass, Adair, Adams, Madison, Union, Taylor & Ringgold Counties

Today: Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. West wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 7pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 28. North northwest wind 5 to 7 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind 5 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Light south southwest wind increasing to 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 56.

USDA payments ready to go after shutdown delay

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers should begin getting payments soon for land set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is sending out checks several weeks late because of the partial government shutdown. About 390,000 farms nationwide have enrolled land in the CRP program covering nearly 27 million acres.

In exchange for an annual rental payment farmers take environmentally sensitive land out of production and plant grass or trees on it to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and prevent erosion. Payments to corn and soybean farmers enrolled in the Average Crop Revenue Election program will begin going out Thursday. The USDA says 1.7 million farms are enrolled in the program, which provides farmers a revenue guarantee based on market prices and average yields for certain commodities.

3 injured in Page County crash Tue. afternoon

News

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Page County say three people were transported to the hospital following a crash that occurred at around 2:45-p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Highway 48 and B Avenue, about a mile north of Shenandoah. Officials say 24-year-old Meaghan Baker, of Red Oak, was traveling south on Highway 48 and attempting to pass another vehicle, when Baker failed to yield to oncoming traffic. The van she was driving collided head-on with a car driven by 19-year-old Douglas Clark, of Sidney.  The impact caused Clark’s vehicle to be pushed into the southbound lane of traffic, where it collided with another car.

Two passengers in Baker’s van, 34-year-old Michael Irvine, of Red Oak, and 19-year-old Shannon Barnard, of Shenandoah, suffered unknown injuries and were flown by Mercy One-Clarinda to a hospital in Omaha. Baker was taken by Shenandoah EMS to the Shenandoah Medical Center.

The accident remains under investigation.

Texarkana friends meet in World Series

Sports

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

BOSTON (AP) — Michael Wacha remembered passing Will Middlebrooks a few years ago back in Texarkana, the small northeast Texas city where they grew up. “One of the guys that everyone looked up to,” Wacha said Tuesday. “Like he’s walking by, ‘That’s Will Middlebrooks there.’ It’s pretty crazy.”

Texarkana has a population of 36,411, according to the last U.S. census. That’s slightly fewer than the crowd that will jam into Fenway Park on Wednesday night to watch the old friends face each other when the Boston Red Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series opener.

Middlebrooks was a senior at Liberty-Eylau High School in 2007, when Wacha was a sophomore at Pleasant Grove High, about a 10-minute drive away. Now the pair will be in the spotlight as Series rivals. Wacha, 22, has been a sensation since joining the Cardinals’ rotation in September. The 25-year-old Middlebrooks has seen extensive action at third base for Boston during the last two seasons.

Iowa early News headlines: Wed., Oct. 23rd 2013

News

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An overnight freeze warning is in effect for central, south central and southeast Iowa and weather officials say minor snow could fall in the northwest part of the state. The system early Wednesday is expected to produce light rain across the southwest half of the state and possibly a dusting of snow to the northwest.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man convicted in connection with his son’s death has had his request for a new trial rejected. The Globe Gazette reports that 30-year-old Kenneth L. Adams was convicted of child endangerment in the October 2012 death of his 18-month-old son. Prosecutors say Adams put the boy face down in a pillow, cutting off his breathing.

JEFFERSON, Iowa (AP) — Suspicious fires in a school bus and building in the central Iowa city of Jefferson are being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s office. KCCI-TV reports that the bus that burned was in a school district parking lot where it had been locked. The other fire was in a 3½-story building being used to store tools. That structure was heavily damaged.

CARTER LAKE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa official says there’s no easy solution or quick fix to a persistent algae problem at a lake in western Iowa. Chris Larson with the state Department of Natural Resources told the Carter Lake City Council that unusual weather conditions over the last three years have made it difficult to clean up Carter Lake. Larson said routine maintenance from the city’s mechanical harvesters may be the best long-term solution for the lake.

Iowa DNR: No quick fix to persistent algae at lake

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

CARTER LAKE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa official says there’s no easy solution or quick fix to a persistent algae problem at a lake in western Iowa. Chris Larson with the state Department of Natural Resources told the Carter Lake City Council that unusual weather over the last three years have made it difficult to clean up Carter Lake.

Larson said routine maintenance from the city’s mechanical harvesters may be the best long-term solution for the lake. The Council Bluffs Nonpareil reports that DNR recommended the city begin using harvesters in mid-April or early May. Priority areas for algae removal will be discussed at a later date.