United Group Insurance

7AM Newscast 04-12-2013

News, Podcasts

April 12th, 2013 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Fri., April 12th 2013

Podcasts, Weather

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The KJAN listening area forecast from Freese-Notis, and weather data for Atlantic….

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IA West Foundation 3rd Qtr. grant recipients announced

News

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Iowa West Foundation, headquartered in Council Bluffs, have announced $3.8 million in grants are being awarded for the first quarter of 2013. The grants will be used to assist 31 non-profit organizations and governmental entities with funding for area projects. Among the grant recipients is the following: The Green Hills Area Education Agency,$1.1 million, for preschool programs in school districts located in Pottawattamie County; The City of Griswold,$2,500,for the main entrance of the public library; Southwest Iowa Families, Inc., in Clarinda,$2,000, to upgrade its facility for disabled clients in need of health services.(A full list of southwest Iowa grant recipients can be found below)

And, these fire departments also received Iowa West Foundation funding for equipment through the Pottawattamie County Firefighters Association: Carson Volunteer Fire Department, Carter Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Lewis Township Fire Department, McClelland Volunteer Fire Department, Minden Volunteer Fire Department and Walnut Fire Department.

Funding for the foundation’s grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contracted fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. The IWRA distributes funds to the Iowa West Foundation, which is an independent 501(3) organization under the IRS Code. The foundation makes grants throughout southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Requests for Iowa West grant applications for the third quarter of 2013 will begin June 1, 2013, and will be accepted through July 1, 2013. Completed applications will be due July 15, 2013. The deadline to request applications for the second quarter has passed. For more information including deadlines, interested organizations may visit the foundation’s website at www.iowawestfoundation.org or contact Deb Debbaut, grants manager, at 712-309-3003. Guidelines and procedures can be viewed at the website, and applicants can apply online.

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The following organizations in southwest Iowa shared in $3.8 million in grants from the Iowa West Foundation awarded for the first quarter of 2013:

• Bluffs Arts Council, music and film series in downtown Bayliss Park, $10,000

• City of Griswold, main entrance awning at public library, $2,250

• Community Education Foundation Inc., grants for improved educational opportunities in Council Bluffs classrooms, $33,500

• Community of Christ Caring Ministries Corporation, transitional housing for Council Bluffs youth aging out of foster care, $40,000

• Community Opportunities Inc., start-up parenting program in Audubon County, $6,000

• FAMILY Inc., capacity building program for agency in Pottawattamie County, $115,000

• Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development, Loess Hills Visitor Guidebook and mobile website development, $40,000

• Green Hills AEA, preschool programs in Pottawattamie County school districts, $1,100,000

• Heartland Family Service, “Iowa Family Works” – residential substance abuse treatment, $275,000

• Historical Society of Pottawattamie County, capacity building program. $18,000

• HOPE-Net Ministries Inc., community re-entry support system for southwest Iowa women, $6,500

• Iowa West Foundation, “Art in the Park” initiative with city of Council Bluffs, $200,000

• Iowa Special Olympics Inc., special events in southwest Iowa, $7,500

• Merrymakers Association, entertainment in southwest Iowa nursing homes, $6,000

• Omaha Community Playhouse, tour of “The Fantasticks” in southwest Iowa, $50,000

• Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, regional six-county collaborative planning process, $75,000

• Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Inc., STD prevention education program in Omaha area, $50,000

• Pottawattamie County Development Corporation, support for downtown revitalization fund, $500,000

• Pottawattamie County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Network, general operating support, $50,000

• Santa Monica Inc., half-way house services for Pottawattamie County women, $21,504

• Southwest Iowa Families Inc., new entrance for disabled at Clarinda facility, $2,000

• Southwest Iowa Mediation Center, mediation services in family law cases, $50,000

• The Christian Worship Center, general operating support for New Visions/Mohm’s Place in Council Bluffs, $50,000

• The Kent Bellows Foundation, young artist mentoring program in Omaha area, $3,000

• Underwood Memorial Building Association, reconstruction of basketball/tennis courts in Underwood, $3,000

• Visiting Nurse Association of Pottawattamie County, “Shelter Nursing Program” for local homeless, $50,000

• Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center, southwest Iowa services for persons touched by cancer, $47,600

Posted in News |

Harkin says bill will improve mental health services

News

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin has introduced a bill he says will address the need for major improvements in mental health care highlighted by the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Harkin, a Democrat, says the bill will reauthorize programs that focus on awareness, prevention and early indetification of mental health conditions, with a focus on schools. “We haven’t really trained teachers and other school people to recognize early onset of mental health problems and to seek appropriate services,” Harkin says. “The kid who is disruptive in school and may be disciplined maybe really does need some mental health services, in terms of what is happening at home or stresses and other things that may affect their lives.”

Harkin introduced the bill in the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pension Comittee he chairs. “The focus on schools I think is appropriate, but my bill doesn’t just do that — I would say the major emphasis is on schools — but it also spills out into other aspects of society also,” Harkin says. He says schools are where the problems may first surface, but there is also training for others who may come into contact with those who need some help. “The other part of my bill also responds by focusing on first responders and training them to recognize mental health problems, and getting them adequately trained,” Harkin explains. “A lot of people just don’t know how to recognize those symptoms.”

Harkin says the “Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act” passed the committee with support from both parties. He says most people can recover from mental health issues with the proper identification and treatment.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in News |

Report: 16% of Iowa now out of drought conditions

News, Weather

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A new report shows the drought has officially ended in a wider section of eastern Iowa. The weekly USDA drought monitor shows 16-percent of the state is now out of drought conditions. That’s up from 7-percent a week ago. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker points out that 20-percent of the state remains in extreme drought conditions. “In the long term, we do have some very substantial precipitation deficits, especially over north-central and northwestern Iowa,” Hillaker says. “It’s certainly not because of recent weather. We’ve been quite wet here for the last few months and especially the last week.” The statewide average rainfall for this week is over 2.6 inches.

“This has actually been our wettest week since June 2011,” Hillaker says. “So, things have been turning around here recently. But, we still have a ways to go, especially in terms of subsoil moisture in the northwestern part of the state.” Hillaker expects the next drought monitor will show even greater improvement across the state. The drought monitor report released Thursday is based on information gathered through Tuesday morning. “It reflects conditions prior to when about half of the rain from this last system came through, so things are even more moist now than what the monitor is indicating,” Hillaker said.

The drought recovery in Iowa began last October and the last four months have all been slightly wetter than normal, according to Hillaker. Meanwhile, the first 11 days of April have been extremely wet and more rain is in the forecast for early next week.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in News, Weather |

Rookie backup batting .643 for Cardinals

Sports

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — If St. Louis Cardinals rookie Matt Adams had enough at-bats to qualify for the league leaders, he’d be ahead by nearly 200 points. Since earning one of the final roster spots in spring training, the 24-year-old backup first baseman has maximized just 14 trips to the plate with two homers, seven RBIs and a ridiculous .643 batting average.

Adams’ first career pinch-hit homer was the go-ahead hit in a victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. He added another two-run homer and RBI double on Wednesday. After Adams made the team, manager Mike Matheny said he’d try to give the former 23rd-round draft pick a couple starts a week. Regular first baseman Allen Craig got a day off Wednesday and also can play the corner outfield spots.

Posted in Sports |

NWS Forecast fo Cass & area Counties

Weather

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

330 AM CDT FRI APR 12 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

TODAY…CLOUDY…BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.

TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. NOT AS COOL. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF  THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. LOW AROUND 40.

MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S.

Posted in Weather |

Alford apologizes for handling of Iowa incident

Sports

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford is apologizing for the way he handled a sexual assault charge involving a player on his team in 2002 when he coached at Iowa. Alford says he “instinctively and mistakenly” came to the defense of Hawkeyes player Pierre Pierce before he knew all the facts. Pierce pleaded guilty to a charge of assault involving injury. He was kicked off the Iowa team in 2005 after another incident involving an ex-girlfriend.

Alford says he is apologizing for publicly proclaiming Pierce’s innocence before the legal process had run its course. He says his reaction was inappropriate and insensitive to the female victim. Alford says he’s learned and grown from that experience, and he wants the UCLA community to know that he would handle the situation differently today.

Alford made his comments in a statement distributed Thursday through UCLA.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, April 12th 2013

News

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald is urging Republican Governor Terry Branstad and state lawmakers to expand Medicaid in Iowa. Fitzgerald, a Democrat, said yesterday that a Medicaid expansion would cost the state less than an alternate plan proposed by Branstad. Fitzgerald is basing his analysis on data from the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency and Senate Democrats’ data.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) during an upcoming trade trip to China. In a press release announcing the Monday meeting, Branstad says he is looking forward to the visit with an “old friend.” Branstad’s ties to Xi date back to a 1985 diplomatic trip that Xi took to Iowa, during Branstad’s first stint as governor. Xi returned to Iowa last February for stops in Muscatine and the Des Moines area.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in eastern Iowa say one person has died in a head-on collision between an ambulance and a vehicle. Yesterday morning’s crash in Davenport involved a Hyundai Tiburon and a medic ambulance. The ambulance was in a non-emergency mode but it was carrying two medics and a patient. Police have not released the deceased driver’s name.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people face prostitution charges after fighting about payment for a sex act. Twenty-three-year-old Alysia Talbert and 27-year-old Hamed El Mohamd were arrested Wednesday after police received a report about a dispute.

 

Posted in News |

DEBRA J. STUETELBERG, 47, of Exira (Svcs. 4-16-2013)

Obituaries

April 11th, 2013 by admin

DEBRA J. STUETELBERG, 47, of Exira died Thurs., Apr., 11th at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. Funeral services for DEBRA STUETELBERG will be held at 1:00 PM Tues., Apr., 16th in the Eastside Christian Church in Council Bluffs. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where a family visitation will begin at 6:00 PM Mon., Apr., 15th.

Burial will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

DEBRA J. STUETELBERG is survived by:

Her husband – Wesley Stuetelberg of Exira.

Her children – Chelsey Stuetelberg and Joshua Stuetelberg, both of Exira.

Her step-children: Elizabeth Stuetelberg and Megan Stuetelberg, both of Kansas City, MO.

Her parents – Duane and Barbara Snyder, of Elk Horn.

Her  sister – Kimberly and husband Chris Stuetelberg of Atlantic, and her brother -Timothy Snyder, of Elk Horn.

Her brother-in-law: Brian and wife Laura Stuetelberg, of Atlantic

A step-grandson, other relatives and friends.

 

 

Posted in Obituaries |