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USDA Report 05-10-2012

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

May 10th, 2012 by admin

w/ Dave York

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State Track Qualifying is Tonight

Sports

May 10th, 2012 by Jim Field

Track and field state qualifying meets are scheduled for tonight in all classes.  In Class 3-A and Class 2-A, the top two place winners in each event, plus the next eight (8) performances statewide from qualifying meet place winners will advance to the state meet. In Class 1-A, the top place winner in each event, plus the next twelve (12) best performances statewide from qualifying meet place winners will advance to the state meet.

Atlantic will host a class 3-A meet with boys and girls teams from Atlantic, Carroll, Creston, Denison, Glenwood, Harlan, Red Oak and Winterset participating.  In class 2-A, IKM/Manning, Kuemper Catholic, Missouri Valley, Tri-Center and Underwood will run at at Ida Grove.  In class 1-A, Guthrie Center will host A-H-S-T, Audubon, CAM, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Exira/EHK, Heartland Christian, Iowa School for the Deaf, Riverside, St. Albert, Treynor and Walnut.  Also in class 1-A, Corning will host Bedford, Diagonal, East Mills, Essex, Fremont-Mills, Griswold, Lenox, Mount Ayr, Nishnabotna, Sidney, South Page, Stanton and Villisca.  All meets begin at 4:00 pm.

The state track and field championships will be held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines May 17th, 18th and 19th.

Is this heaven? No, it’s the “Dream to Farm” class, offered in SW Iowa

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 10th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Iowans who’ve always wanted to become farmers but weren’t sure how to make the leap can now take a course. “Dream to Farm” is a 14-week class being offered for the first time this summer at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs. Matt Mancuso, the college’s sustainability coordinator, says it’ll appeal to entrepreneurs who are interested in food security, healthy eating and local food. Mancuso says six of the sessions will focus on developing a comprehensive business plan. “A lot of people are going to be coming in with ideas of what they want to do and they are going to be totally changed by the funding and how much you’re going to be making,” Mancuso says. “It’s going to be a learning experience for them and people will be coming in with ideas that will be totally transferred to something else by the end of the class.” The course will cover the basics of farming techniques, soils, animal husbandry, irrigation, and pest and disease management. Mancuso says the course is not designed for someone who wants to start farming 150 acres of corn or soybeans, but rather someone who wants to take their passion for gardening to the next level.

Mancuso says, “This is going to be someone who’s a local farmer who’s going to be providing for the local farmers markets, the local restaurants, the local food outlets, grocery stores and so forth in their local areas.” It will target the small-scale niche farmer who can devote a half-acre, or perhaps two or three acres, to something like raising carrots, cabbage or chickens. In addition to classroom work, there will be hands-on labs, field trips and relationship-building with mentors. Mancuso says they may be small-scale farmers, but the eventual fruits of the labor will be much larger.

“This provides a huge local economic impact, both in urban areas and in rural areas by developing these farmers,” Mancuso says. “A lot of times these farmers use local products. The money gets transferred through the local economy over and over with these local farmers.” Thanks to a grant from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, the course will only cost 39-dollars. It begins May 30th and runs through August 29th. A second class will be offered in the fall. Mancuso hopes to perfect the curriculum and will offer it to other community colleges across Iowa. 

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Thu., May 10th 2012

Podcasts, Weather

May 10th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Here’s the (podcast) forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area from Freese-Notis, and the weather stats for Atlantic….

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Nat’l. Weather Service forecast for Cass & area Counties in IA: May 10, 2012

Weather

May 10th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

TODAY…SUNNY…WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 70S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS. LOW IN THE LOWER 50S. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS. COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. NORTHEAST WIND AROUND 10 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 40S.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S.

SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW 49 TO 55. HIGH IN THE MID 70S.

Carpenter, Craig Get Big Hits, Cards Top D-Backs

Sports

May 10th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

PHOENIX (AP) — Pinch hitter Matt Carpenter lined a go-ahead double in the sixth inning, Allen Craig homered to cap a four-run burst in the ninth and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2 Wednesday night for a three-game sweep. David Freese had three hits as St. Louis won its fourth in a row. Kyle Lohse (5-1) allowed one run and seven hits in five innings. The Diamondbacks started the ninth with three straight singles to load the bases against Mitchell Boggs. Jason Motte came on to retire the side on a strikeout and a double play for his sixth save. Next up for the “Redbirds,” is a three-game home set against the Atlanta Braves. The first game is Friday night. The pre-game show begins at 6:10-p.m, with the first pitch slated to take place at around 7:05.

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., May 10th 2012

News

May 10th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has adjourned a session in which lawmakers took on some big issues but emerged with little legislation. It took an additional three weeks past the scheduled adjournment before lawmakers adjourned yesterday.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Lin Television Corp. is buying 17 television stations in eight markets from New Vision Television. The companies say the sales price is $330.4 million, with Lin Television assuming $12 million in New Vision debt as well. The deal was announced Monday. It is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of the year. The deal includes Mason City television station KIMT.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An attorney for a suspended Iowa prosecutor says his client will contest allegations that his failure to do his job posed a threat to public safety. Attorney David Brown said yesterday that Richard Scott wants to return to his job as Appanoose County attorney. Brown says Scott plans to appear at a May 29th hearing and seek to have the suspension lifted.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman accused of faking a brain tumor to get prescription drugs has been arrested on six counts of identity theft. Iowa City policy arrested Amanda Malek of Perry, on Tuesday. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports a criminal complaint filed in Johnson County District Court says Malek tried to convince health care providers that she had a brain tumor six times in 2010. Healthcare workers couldn’t substantiate her condition, and doctors who allegedly signed the letters say they’re forgeries.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake has signed a pair of frontcourt players to round out its latest recruiting class. Bulldogs coach Mark Phelps says Daddy Ugbede and Robert Puleikis have signed letters of intent and will join the team next season. The pair round out a list of eight newcomers for the Bulldogs, who lost star Rayvonte Rice to transfer.

Iowa Legislature adjourns 3 weeks into overtime

News

May 9th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has adjourned a session in which lawmakers took on some big issues but emerged with little legislation. It took an additional three weeks past the scheduled adjournment before lawmakers agreed on the state’s $6.2 billion budget and adjourned Wednesday. The state will end the year with a large ending balance. That reflects an improving economy, which has boosted tax revenue, and a Republican desire to spend less than the state receives in tax revenue. The state also will have hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve. Gov. Terry Branstad called for bold education reform but got an unfunded policy bill. Lawmakers failed once again to find compromise on his property tax reform proposal despite trying up to the final hour.

New plan: rural Iowa post offices to remain open, but with reduced hours

News

May 9th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Nearly 180 post offices in Iowa that were on a list for possible closure will now remain open, but with limited hours. The decision announced today (Wednesday) by the U.S. Postal Service follows months of backlash from rural residents at public meetings. USPS spokesman Rich Watkins says Iowa’s smallest post offices, if they’re still open, will remain open under the revised plan. “We’ll keep the post office there, the zip code and the community identity,” Watkins said. “There will still be a postal service employee there, but due to the declining workload, it would be open two, four or perhaps six hours a day.” The revised plan is expected to save the USPS $500 million a year. Watkins said the “multi-phased” strategy would be implemented over a two-year period, through September 2014. Around 13-thousand (13,000) post offices around the country are included under the new plan – including 178 of the more than 900 post offices in Iowa. Watkins said the reduced hours are needed to address an ever decreasing mail volume. “We have to better match our workforce in the facilities that we maintain with a declining work load,” Watkins said. “Going forward, we think this strikes a healthy balance for both our customers and the postal service.”

In the KJAN listening area, these are just some of the post offices that would be affected: (City, current & proposed hours of operation)

Adair 8/6; Bridgewater 8/4; Brayton 8/2; Carson 8/6; Casey 8/4; Cumberland 8/4; Defiance 8/4; Earling 8/4; Elk Horn 8/6; Elliott 8/4; Exira 8/6; Grant 4/2; Irwin 8/4; Kimballton 8/4; Lewis & Macedonia 8/4; Macksburg 4/2; Marne 6/4; Menlo 8/4; Manilla 8/6; Massena 8/4; Neola 8/6; Orient 8/4; Panama 8/4; Persia 8/4; Portsmouth 8/4; Prescott 8/4; Redfield 8/4; Shelby 8/4; Stanton 8/6; Underwood 8/6; Walnut 8/6; Wiota 4/2.

The complete list can be found at: http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/our-future-network/assets/pdf/postplan-affected-post-offices-120509.pdf

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

AVA PAULINE SCOTT, 88, of Waukee and formerly Dexter (SVCS 5/11/12)

Obituaries

May 9th, 2012 by admin

AVA PAULINE SCOTT, 88, of Waukee and formerly Dexter died on Tuesday, May 8 at Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines.  A celebration of life service for AVA SCOTT will be held on Friday, May 11 at 10:00 AM at the Dexter United Methodist Church in Dexter.  Johnson Family Funeral Home in Dexter has the arrangements.

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Memorial contributions can be made to the Dexter United Methodist Church and/or Maple Grove Methodist Church and may be sent in care of Johnson Family Funeral Home, PO Box 57, Dexter, IA 50070.

Online condolences may be left at johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.