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Reports say more rain is needed for crops

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Rain fell in parts of Iowa this weekend providing some much needed moisture to Iowa corn and soybean fields, but the showers were isolated, for soil that has been drying back out. Iowa State Extension Agronomist Clark McGrath covers the counties from Carroll to the Missouri border. He says it’s dry, but conditions are better than last year.  “Last year at this time, it was entire fields, and this year, luckily, it’s portions of fields. So, yeah, we could us moisture,” McGrath says. “But after talking to people from across the state — actually RAGBRAI just came through and I talked to farmers from southeast Iowa and east-central Iowa — and they said that they felt like southwest Iowa here was some of the best stuff they’d seen, and I kinda agree with that.”

Joel DeJong is another extension agronomist who covers nine-western-Iowa counties from Sibley to Missouri Valley. He says the rain is important as the corn crop hits a critical stage.
“We’re entering that time period when it’s the most critical time period. It’s at pollination where we really determine where how many kernels we end up with on those ears. The next five weeks after that, it’s kernel fill, but the next four weeks determines what our ultimate potential is,” Dejong explains. “And so, if we can’t get rainfall we would like to bring our average daily temperatures down into that highs into the lower to mid-80s rather than the lower to mid 90s because, that drops daily moisture demand almost in half.”

Dejong says the crops are showing moisture stress. “We haven’t had but a half inch of rain in the last three, four weeks, so we’re starting to see more and more on a daily basis, those plants curling, particularly in the corn fields — and in the lighter soils — the corn is basically turning white,” according to DeJong. He says the plants need an inch of rain daily at this stage of their growth.

(Radio Iowa)

Due to upturn in whooping cough cases, booster shot is now mandatory for Iowa 7th graders

News

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Iowa students who will be starting seventh grade next month have to be vaccinated for whooping cough, or pertussis. Dr. Patty Quinlisk, the state’s chief epidemiologist, says it’s a new requirement this year. Dr. Quinlisk says, “Kids need a booster shot just to keep them safe from this disease and to keep them from spreading it to other people.” The chemistry in the shots was changed about 15 years ago, allowing for an upturn in the number of cases. Because of that, she says a whooping cough booster is now mandatory for Iowa middle schoolers.

“That’s about the time the shots they got before they started kindergarten are waning,” Quinlisk says. “In other words, that immunity starts to not be as strong and makes the kid susceptible to this disease again.” When you take your child in for the booster, she recommends checking with your health care professional to see what other shots might be a good idea, too.

“For example, there’s the new papilloma virus vaccine, there’s some other recommended ones, like the meningococcal vaccine,” Quinlisk says. “There’s others that may not be required but they’re strongly recommended and as long as you’re there, it’s a good time just to make sure your kid’s up to date for everything.” Last year, Iowa reported nearly one-thousand cases of whooping cough, though the numbers have fallen dramatically this year to about 150 cases so far.

(Radio Iowa)

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Tue., July 23rd 2013

Podcasts, Weather

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

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

Play

Monday’s Area Sub-State Baseball Scores (from 7/22/13)

Sports

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

CLASS 3-A:

  • Harlan 6, Carroll 2
  • Glenwood 7, Greene County 2
  • ADM 11, Nevada 1 (5 innings)
  • Bishop Heelan Catholic 7, Spencer 4

CLASS 4-A:

  • Sioux City North 8, CB Abraham Lincoln 4

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE (7/23/13)

CLASS 1-A:

  • Martensdale-St. Marys vs. Underwood @ Creston
  • Coon Rapids-Bayard vs. Woodbury Central @ Denison-Schleswig

CLASS 2-A:

  • St. Albert vs. Kuemper Catholic @ Harlan

State Softball Tournament Scores from 7/22 & Schedule

Sports

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Class 1-A 

  • Akron-Westfield 9, Janesville 7
  • Don Bosco 6, Lynnville-Sully 5
  • Newell-Fonda 14, Remsen St. Mary’s 1 (4)
  • New London 3, Martensdale-St. Marys 2

Class 2-A 

  • Treynor 3, Iowa City Regina 2 (11)
  • AGWSR 8, Jesup 2
  • Ridge View 3, Fort Dodge St. Edmond 1
  • Durant 2, Lawton-Bronson 0

Class 3-A

  • Sergeant Bluff-Luton 13, Estherville-LC 4
  • Bondurant-Farrar 8, Monticello 2

Tuesday, July 23

Class 3-A
11:00 a.m. – Clarke (26-9) vs. East Marshall (28-5)
11:30 a.m. – New Hampton (27-9) vs. Mid-Prairie (30-10)

Class 4-A

1:00 p.m. – Denison-Schleswig (26-12) vs. Dallas Center-Grimes (35-5)
1:30 p.m. – Winterset (33-8) vs. Indianola (32-9)
3:00 p.m. – Waverly-Shell Rock (34-8) vs. Carlisle (32-7)
3:30 p.m. – Washington (29-11) vs. Solon (40-2)

Class 5-A 

5:00 p.m. – Cedar Rapids Prairie (28-14) vs. Ankeny (32-10)
5:30 p.m. – Dubuque Senior (33-7) vs. Dowling Catholic (31-11)
7:00 p.m. – West Des Moines Valley (26-15) vs. Johnston (30-11)
7:30 p.m. – Cedar Rapids Jefferson (31-11) vs. Ottumwa (36-6)

NWS forecast for the KJAN listening area: Tuesday, 7/23/13

Weather

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Today: Isolated showers and thunderstorms between 9am and 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 80. Northeast wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light in the evening.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 9 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.

Chiefs, Fisher still negotiating rookie deal

Sports

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs are still talking with the agent for No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher, but the right tackle has yet to sign a contract and has not reported to training camp. Rookies, quarterbacks and injured players reported to the Chiefs’ camp headquarters on the campus of Missouri Western on Monday, giving them a few days of extra work before the full squad reports on Thursday. The first full practice is Friday.

It’s unclear when Fisher will join the mix, though coach Andy Reid said that GM John Dorsey and Fisher’s agent, Joel Segal, were talking. A rookie wage scale introduced in the latest collective-bargaining agreement took much of the drama out of rookie contract negotiations. Still, Reid said he’s not surprised the negotiations with Fisher are ongoing.

Chiefs trickle into Reid’s first training camp

Sports

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs are arriving on the campus of Missouri Western for their first training camp under coach Andy Reid. Rookies and quarterbacks were reporting Monday ahead of the full squad, which will begin practice in earnest on Friday. The Chiefs play their first preseason game Aug. 9 at New Orleans, and then open the regular season Sept. 8 at Jacksonville.

After going 2-14 last year, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt fired coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli this past offseason. Longtime Packers personnel man John Dorsey was brought in as the new GM and Reid was hired after spending the past 14 years with the Eagles. Together, they’ve overhauled the roster in the hopes of a quick turnaround.

Iowa interactive trail app under development

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new interactive smartphone and computer app featuring Iowa’s trails is under development and organizations behind the development hope to launch it later this year.  Once completed, the “Iowa by Trail” app will feature an interactive map that allows users to locate their position, find the closest trail and find points of interest along the way. It also will keep track of distance, weather, news and events and communicate with friends and followers about their experience.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is working with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of West Des Moines, and other private partners to raise money to produce the app and website. The foundation needs $59,000.  The expected release date for the app is late this year.

Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., July 23rd 2013

News

July 23rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press….

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) – Officials are still investigating the cause of an explosion that injured five men performing electrical work at a manufacturing plant in northwest Iowa. The Sioux City Journal says TimeWell Drainage officials were still hunting for answers at the Sibley plant yesterday. The accident was reported shortly before noon Saturday. It happened while workers were switching power lines to a new transformer, according to the Osceola County sheriff’s office.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) – Crews are continuing to search for the body of a man believed to have drowned at a dam on the Upper Iowa River east of Decorah. KWWL-TV reports authorities identified the man as 29-year-old Eric Langland of Decorah. Winneshiek County Sheriff’s officials say Langland was last seen struggling in the water Saturday night. A friend then saw him pulled under by the water coming over the dam.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An FBI official says a 30-year prison term for a New Jersey man convicted of sex trafficking in Iowa will protect the public from an “evil predator.” Johnelle Bell must serve 85 percent of the term, handed down Friday by a federal judge.

WESLEY, Iowa (AP) – A state patrol plane helped authorities capture a man suspected in the shooting of a northern Iowa man. The Globe Gazette newspaper reports the incident began early Sunday with a dispute between two men in Wesley, a small town about 10 miles east of Algona. Officers have arrested 25-year-old Andrew Zeitler of Wesley.