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EVELYN MARIE WOLF, 94, of Yale (Svcs. 5/7/13)

Obituaries

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

EVELYN MARIE WOLF, 94, of Yale , died Fri., May 3rd, at the Hospice Kavanagh House in Des Moines. Funeral services for EVELYN WOLF will be held 10-a.m. Tue., May 7th, at the Yale United Methodist Church, in Yale. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora has the arrangements.

Burial will be in the Willow Township Cemetery, in rural Bayard.

2 Hamburg men charged in vehicle shooting Saturday

News

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s deputies in Fremont County arrested two people Saturday on weapons-related offenses, after authorities investigated the reported shooting of a vehicle early that same day, in the 1100 block of Hamburg. During their investigation, authorities executed a search warrant at a residence in the 2700 block of Bluff Road in Fremont County, which led to the arrest of 20-year old Dalton Shane Haler and 22-year old Joshua Allen Reafling, both of Hamburg.

Both men face Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, Reckless Use of a Firearm and Conspiracy, charges. They were brought to the Fremont County Jail, where Raefling posted at $17,000 bond, and Haler was still being held on $17,000 bond.

 

Senate panel to hold hearing on veterans home

News

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state Senate panel will hold a hearing to review the quality of care at the Iowa Veterans Home. The Monday meeting comes after more than 40 former staffers signed a letter that was printed in The Des Moines Register complaining about the current leadership at the home. A news release from Senate Democrats says David Worley, the commandant of the Veterans Home, will testify at the hearing.

The home in Marshalltown is Iowa’s largest nursing home and among the biggest in the nation for veterans and their spouses. The home is made up of two separate facilities. One provides nursing care for about 500 residents. The other is a residential care facility where 100 more people live mostly independently.

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties in Iowa: Mon., May 6th 2013

Weather

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

411 AM CDT MON MAY 6 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLOUDY. AREAS OF FOG. NORTH WIND AROUND 5 MPH.

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. WARMER. AREAS OF FOG THROUGH MID MORNING. HIGH AROUND 70. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 40S. EAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.

TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 60 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY…CLOUDY. THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 70 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. LOW IN THE MID 50S. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 60 PERCENT.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH AROUND 70.

Week #17 of 2013 Iowa legislative session!

News

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Legislators return to the statehouse today (Monday) with all the major issues they’ve faced since January unresolved. Ten-member negotiating committees have been assigned to find compromises on property tax reform, education reform and a new health care plan for low-income, uninsured Iowans. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs won’t speculate on which deals may be easier to strike. “We’re working on all of them, people of good faith really are and there’s ideas being exchanged,” Gronstal said late last week.

House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, is also striking a positive tone. “We’re very pleased with a lot of the progress that was made,” Paulsen says, “….remain optimistic that the conference committees will be able to work out some of these differences.” The 10-member conference committee assembled to strike a deal on education reform didn’t meet last week, however. Paulsen says he’s “extremely frustrated” about that lack of action, but he’s still unwilling to declare that any of the disagreements have reached the stalemate stage.

“We’re trying to set it up for success and I’m expecting to have success,” Paulsen said late last week. “That’s what Iowans expect.” Gronstal wants to keep all 150 legislators in Des Moines this week rather than sending most home if they’re not involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations over key issues. “We’ll make that judgement as we move along,” Gronstal said late last week. “I’m not a great fan of having people leave because they’re all part of this process. Everybody has a vote. We need to share concepts and things with each other as we’re working though our differences.”

The 2011 legislative session ended on June 30th, but through most of May and June that year it was just legislative leaders who stayed at the statehouse to negotiate. Legislators receive an annual salary, plus daily expense money to cover the cost living in Des Moines during the legislative session. However, those daily expenses in even-numbered years like 2012 last just 110 days — so their daily expense allotments ended last Friday.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa Speedway prepares for new season

Sports

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

In a little more than a month the Iowa Speedway will host the first of five racing weekends and it will be capped off on June eighth by the Dupont Pioneer 250, the first of two NASCAR Nationwide series events this season. Spokesman Craig Armstrong says Iowa Speedway officials requested the race be move from May to June for this season. The Indy car series returns for the seventh straight year with the running of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on June 23rd.

The season begins later and will end earlier this year. The final race, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is on September eighth. The Nationwide Series will return on August third with the U-S Cellular 250.

(Radio Iowa)

Rain and snow help erase drought

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The recent rain and snow have played havoc with outdoor events and activities, but all the moisture has a positive side. Tim Hall of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says moisture of any type is important after the severe drought that hit the state. “This is exactly what we’d hoped for, is sustained long-term, better then normal precipitation during the months when we typically get a lot of rain anyway. And March and April and May are pretty wet months, and we are getting more than normal right in those months,” Hall says.

April set a new statewide average for rainfall at six-point-five-two inches (6.52), with normal rainfall for April at three-point-five-one (3.51) inches. A new drought map comes out Thursday, and Hall expects to see the areas with severe problems continuing to shrink. “We’re making some real improvement in the drought conditions in the state, and I think we’re gonna continue to see improvement in the near future,” according to Hall. Not only has the amount of rain increased, it is coming at a time where the frost is out of the ground — so the rain that falls or snow that melts — sinks into the soil.

“In fact our groundwater folks who work with a lot of the water utilities in northwest Iowa are starting to see that reflected in the water levels in some of the wells that are used to supply drinking water,” Hall says. “So we’re starting to see some gradual recovery in the levels in wells, which is indicative of the water making it down into the ground where it is going to do some real good.” He says those areas that were not hit as hard by the drought are building up some reserve with the rains that’re falling now. Hall says that makes it less likely they’ll get back into a water shortage.

“I think if the rainfall stopped for a couple of weeks, which it probable will — I mean we go through periods where we don’t get rain for a couple three weeks — the real danger is if that rainfall slows down or stops and we get excessively hot where the demand for water also starts to go up in conjunction with the rain going down,” Hall says. Hall says farmers are probably really hoping the rain will stop for awhile so they can get into the fields — but he says even they will be happy that all the moisture is replenishing the groundwater.

(Radio Iowa)

Garcia pitches Cardinals past Brewers 10-1

Sports

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jaime Garcia pitched eight innings and Allen Craig drove in four runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-1 win over Milwaukee and the franchise’s first four-game sweep of the Brewers. Matt Holliday also homered for the Cardinals, who have won six straight, their most since taking eight in a row from July 11-21, 2010. It was the first time the Cardinals have four in a row from the Brewers, who moved to the NL and have been in the Cardinals’ division since the 1998 season.

Garcia (4-1), who won his third straight game, gave up one run on eight hits. He had three strikeouts and only one walk. Marco Estrada (2-2) lasted 3 1-3 innings for the Brewers, who lost for the fifth straight game.

Iowa early News Headlines: Mon., May 6th 2013

News

May 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The legislative session will look different starting today. Friday was the last day for much of the temporary staff and the student pages who work in the Legislature. The Republicans who control the House and Democrats who rule the Senate are still trying to find resolution on education funding, property tax reductions and low-income health care.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 50 Iowa sex offenders have permits to carry guns in public because a two-year-old law makes it harder for sheriffs to deny permits. Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar says he worries about sex offenders having guns because many of them use intimidation to get what they want. He says a gun would help that.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Generational farm owners have until June 1st to apply for the century and heritage farm program. It recognizes families that have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years. More than 17,000 farms across Iowa have been recognized as century farms since 1976.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been charged with using a 16-year-old girl in a prostitution business. The girl offered to have sex with an undercover police officer who contacted her for $70. Police say that the investigation led them to arrest 20-year-old Brittany Lanier on suspicion of human trafficking.

Some Iowa sex offenders receive gun permits

News

May 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 50 Iowa sex offenders have permits to carry guns in public thanks to a two-year-old law that makes it harder for sheriffs to deny permits. The Des Moines Register reports law enforcement officials and some state lawmakers are worried about armed sex offenders. Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar says he worries about sex offenders having guns because many of them use intimidation to get what they want and a gun could help that.

Most of the sex offenders who have obtained gun permits in Iowa were convicted of misdemeanors like lascivious conduct with a minor. Ronald Hahn Jr. says he doesn’t pose a threat to public safety and he uses guns for hunting, so why should his indecent exposure conviction keep him from getting a gun permit?