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Pottawattamie County Chief Deputy retires

News

September 6th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A retirement party was held Friday, for a man whose voice has been heard from time-to-time by many in western Iowa, on KJAN and elsewhere, and whose service to the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department has spanned more than 30-years.  Chief Deputy Jim Matthai officially turned in his badge, August 31st. Matthai, who worked with the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Iowa State Patrol, Council Bluffs and Omaha police departments, Douglas County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office and other agencies during his career, told the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, that “It’s been a great ride,” and that he’s “Been lucky.”
When he was hired by former Pott County Sheriff Lynn Ford in February of 1980, the 23-year old Matthai was assigned court security as a bailiff, protecting judges. He says that allowed him to work closely with the County Attorney’s Office, learn what they expect law enforcement, and  how the legal system was handled by the courts.

One of the toughest jobs he’s had to handle, was being a traffic accident investigator from 1986 to 2001, especially those which involved serious injuries or death.  He says he saw so many deaths, where if a seat belt would have been used, lives most likely would have been saved. During his career with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department, Matthai also worked in the sheriff’s office investigations unit, and  on the SWAT team. He’s served on a bicycle patrol unit.

Matthai rose through the ranks in the sheriff’s department, until January 2001, when current Sheriff Jeff Danker promoted him to Chief Deputy. Danker credited Matthai for his work in making the Sheriff’s Office a progressive, professional agency.  The Sheriff says he hates to see Matthai retire, and that he will be missed.

John Reynolds, a 24-year member of the Sheriff’s Office, will replace Matthai as Chief Deputy.

ALICE L. KYNDESEN, 84, of Exira (svcs 9-8-11)

Obituaries

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

ALICE L. KYNDESEN, 84, of Exira, died Sun., Sept. 4th, at the Audubon County Memorial Hospital in Audubon. Funeral services for ALICE KYNDESEN will be held 2-p.m. Thu., Sept. 8th, at the Exira Lutheran Church. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family will be present from 6-8pm Wed., Sept. 7th.

Burial will be in the Exira Cemetery.

ALICE KYNDESEN is survived by:

Her children – Paul (Jennifer) Kyndesen, of Council Bluffs; Tim (Shawn) Kyndesen, of Prairie Village, KS; & Luann Kyndesen & special friend, Denny Becker, both of Des Moines.

Her sister – Catherine Schmidt, of Audubon.

Her brother – Don (Julien) Back, of Eagle Grove.

4 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, other relatives, and friends.

A-P Iowa High School Football Poll (9-5-11)

Sports

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

 

Rank      School                  # of 1st place votes (in parentheses)     won-loss record      total  points     position  last week

8-man

  1. Armstrong-Ringsted     (14) 3-0 149 1
  2. NE Hamilton 3-0 128 2
  3. Fremont-Mills (1) 2-0 102 4
  4. Preston 3-0 92 3
  5. Stanton 2-0 64 5
  6. East Mills 2-0 59 6
  7. West Bend/Mallard 2-0 53 T7
  8. Clarksville 3-0 51 9
  9. Remsen-Union 2-0 34 10
  10. Riceville 2-0 17 (Not ranked)

Class A

  1. West Hancock (9) 2-0 135 1
  2. Le Mars Gehlen Catholic (4) 2-0 128 2
  3. North Tama (1) 2-0 121 3
  4. Lisbon (1) 2-0 113 4
  5. WACO 2-0 83 6
  6. Postville 2-0 82 7
  7. Bedford 3-0 65 8
  8. Mason City Newman 2-1 38 5
  9. Lone Tree 2-0 20 NR
  10. BGM 1-1 10 NR

Class 1-A

  1. Emmetsburg (10) 2-0 141 1
  2. St. Albert (5) 2-0 136 2
  3. Woodward-Granger 2-0 112 5
  4. Dike-New Hartford 2-0 95 6
  5. Logan-Magnolia 2-0 77 7
  6. Aplington-Parkersburg 1-1 47 4
  7. North Cedar 2-0 42 8
  8. West Lyon 1-1 41 10
  9. Lawton-Bronson 2-0 23 NR
  10. Wapsie Valley 2-0 16 NR

Class 2-A

  1. Iowa City Regina (10) 2-0 143 2
  2. West Marshall (5) 2-0 138 1
  3. Dyersville Beckman 2-0 115 4
  4. North Polk 2-0 70 5
  5. S. Central Calhoun 2-0 65 6
  6. Mediapolis 2-0 51 7
  7. Ft. Dodge/St. Edmond 2-0 46 10
  8. Spirit Lake 3-0 35 NR
  9. Osage 2-0 32 NR
  10. Sheldon 3-0 30 NR

Class 3-A

  1. Bishop Heelan Catholic (15) 2-0 150 1
  2. Clear Lake 2-0 119 3
  3. La Porte City Union 2-0 110 4
  4. Denison-Schleswig 3-0 94 5
  5. Webster City 2-0 88 6
  6. Harlan 1-1 48 7
  7. Solon 1-1 40 2
  8. Williamsburg 2-0 39 9
  9. Newton 2-0 34 10
  10. Waverly-Shell Rock 2-0 21 NR

Class 4-A

  1. Cedar Falls (14) 2-0 149 1
  2. Iowa City High 2-0 120 2
  3. West Des Moines Valley (1) 3-0 115 3
  4. Bettendorf 2-0 105 4
  5. Ankeny 3-0 95 5
  6. SE Polk 3-0 75 6
  7. West Des Moines Dowling 2-1 51 7
  8. Marion/Linn-Mar 2-0 38 8
  9. Iowa City West 2-0 31 9
  10. Cedar Rapids Xavier 2-0 23 10

Coon Rapids man dies after fight with roommate

News

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A western Iowa man is dead after authorities say he had a fight with a roommate. It happened Saturday afternoon in Coon Rapids. The victim, 28-year-old Bill Smith, was taken to a hospital in Carroll before being flown to a Des Moines hospital where he died Sunday evening. Coon Rapids Police Chief Joel Roetman says Smith had been fighting with a roommate when he was injured. Smith’s mother, who live across the street, called 911. “Nobody has been arrested in the case yet,” Roetman told Radio Iowa. “We’re still interviewing the people who were at the residence at the time. There were five people in the home when the altercation began.” The names of the other people in the home are not being released. It’s unclear how the fight started. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

“If the cause of death is relating to an injury (Smith) sustained, then we’re looking at some kind of charges being filed in the case,” Roetman said. Alcohol was “not a contributing factor” in the incident, according to Roetman. He says it appears the altercation was limited to a fist fight. “It’s believed at this time that there were no weapons involved,” Roetman said. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are assisting the Coon Rapids Police Department in the investigation.

(www.radioiowa.com)

9-11 Call to Service to include cleanup of Iowa State Parks

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is putting out a call for volunteers to help clean up five state parks tomorrow (Tuesday). Linda King is volunteer coordinator for the DNR. She says the work will involve picking up trash and sticks and possibly some painting. The state park clean up is part of the national “9-11 Call to Service” — an effort to unite one million Americans through volunteering in honor of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. King expects the parks will need a lot of attention. “We’re hoping for a big turnout. Over the last few three day holidays, our state parks have had a lot more garbage and litter left behind,” King said. “That’s why we’re doing it on Tuesday after the long Labor Day weekend to help our park rangers pick up the parks.” Volunteers are urged to come prepared for some serious labor.

King suggests volunteers bring gloves, wear closed toed shoes and bring something to drink. The five parks involved in the volunteer effort are Lake Ahquabi near Indianola, Big Creek in Polk County, Backbone State Park near Dubuque, Lake of Three Fires in southwest Iowa’s Taylor County and Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area near Cedar Rapids.  Persons wanting to volunteer for the  Lake of Three Fires State Park clean-up should meet at the park office. The clean-up will take place from 9 to 11 a.m., Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa)

Farmers get advice on cropland repairs after flood

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Farmers in Nebraska and Iowa whose cropland has been covered all summer by Missouri River floodwaters can get help dealing with the damage to their land. Experts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Iowa State University Extension are planning a Sept. 12 workshop for farmers. The event from 9:30 a.m. to noon will be broadcast to 14 different locations along the river in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota that day.

Some flood damage, like erosion and sand deposits, will be obvious once the floodwaters recede. But some damage to the soil won’t be so easy to see or repair. Experts from both universities will offer advice on dealing with flood damage, and farmers will have an opportunity to ask questions. Details are available online at http://flood.unl.edu or http://bit.ly/qBTnfF .

STEVEN ALLEN LINTHICUM, 56, of Atlantic (private svcs)

Obituaries

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

STEVEN ALLEN LINTHICUM, 56, of Atlantic, died Mon., Sept. 5th, at his residence. A private family service for STEVEN LINTHICUM will be held at a later date.  Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic is assisting with the arrangement.

ERIC ALLAN LARSEN, 48, of Atlantic (svcs 9-8-11)

Obituaries

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

ERIC ALLAN LARSEN, 48, of Atlantic, died Sun., Sept. 4th, at his home. A Celebration of Life service for ERIC LARSEN will be held 10:00-a.m. Thu., Sept. 8th, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, in Atlantic. Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Visitation with the family is from 6-8pm Wed.,  Sept. 7th, at the funeral home.

Memorials may be directed to the family, for later designation.

Burial will be in the Layton Township Cemetery at Walnut, at a later date.

ERIC LARSEN is survived by:

His wife – Rhonda Larsen, of Atlantic.

His mother – Betty (Dennis) Akers, of Walnut.

His children – Sierra Larsen, and Lane Freeman, both of Atlantic, & Tyller Freeman, of Grimes.

His sisters – Lori (John) Baldwin, Karol (Mark) Beckendorf, Rachel (Ronald) Hamilton, & LeAnne Larsen.

Associated Press College Football Top 25 (9/5)

Sports

September 5th, 2011 by Jim Field

AP Top 25
RK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1 Oklahoma (32) 1-0 1448 1
2 LSU (17) 1-0 1415 4
3 Alabama (9) 1-0 1409 2
4 Boise State (2) 1-0 1310 5
5 Florida State 1-0 1196 6
6 Stanford 1-0 1154 7
7 Texas A&M 1-0 1033 8
8 Wisconsin 1-0 1031 11
9 Oklahoma State 1-0 981 9
10 Nebraska 1-0 947 10
11 Virginia Tech 1-0 906 13
12 South Carolina 1-0 843 12
13 Oregon 0-1 828 3
14 Arkansas 1-0 752 15
15 Ohio State 1-0 606 18
16 Mississippi State 1-0 594 20
17 Michigan State 1-0 530 17
18 Florida 1-0 382 22
19 West Virginia 1-0 357 24
20 Baylor 1-0 284 NR
21 Missouri 1-0 242 21
22 South Florida 1-0 221 NR
23 Penn State 1-0 147 NR
24 Texas 1-0 135 NR
25 TCU 0-1 130 14

Fast-paced offense off to slow start for ISU

Sports

September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State wants to push the tempo on offense this season, in the hopes that a faster pace will wear out opponents. The Cyclones speedy attack got off to a slow start in the opener. Iowa State, behind new quarterback Steele Jantz, mustered only 20 points in a one-point win over Northern Iowa of the FCS on Saturday night. It took the Cyclones 30 minutes to score against the Panthers, and through three quarters they had just 185 yards of offense. Those kind of numbers likely won’t be good enough when Iowa State hosts rival Iowa on Saturday. The Hawkeyes have three straight over the Cyclones while allowing just 15 points.