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Fatal crash in SE Iowa on Sunday

News

May 27th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Wilton, Iowa) – A collision at an intersection southeast of Wilton, in eastern Iowa’s Muscatine County, Sunday, resulted in one person dead and two others injured. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee was traveling east on 120th Street a little after 6-p.m., when the driver failed to obey a stop sign at the intersection with Taylor Avenue.

The SUV entered the intersection and struck a southbound 2017 Chevy Equinox broadside. The impact caused the Chevy to roll over. One of the occupants of the vehicles died at the scene. One person was transported by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, while another was transported by EMS to Genesis East Hospital.

All of the accident victims were wearing their seat belts. No names were immediately released. The accident remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Wilton Police Department and Iowa DNR.

DUANE L. STEFFENS, 79, of Atlantic [& formerly of Wiota] – Celebration of Life 5/31/24

Obituaries

May 27th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DUANE L. STEFFENS, 79, of Atlantic [& formerly of Wiota], died Saturday, May 25, 2024, at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. A Celebration of Life Memorial service for DUANE STEFFENS will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 31st at the First Lutheran Church, south of Wiota, Roland Funeral Service in Atlantic has the arrangements.

The service will be live-streamed and a link will be available on the funeral home website the day of the service.

Burial will be in the First Lutheran Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the family.

DUANE STEFFENS is survived by:

His wife – Sharon Steffens.

His sons – Todd (Julie) Steffens and  Denny Steffens

His daughters – Stacy Socha-Steffens, and Tracy (Jim) Christiansen.

His sister – Sandy (Mike) Eversole.

9 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

MRS. JACQUE RATTENBORG, 70, of Webster City [formerly of Audubon] – (Mass of Christian Burial 6/1/24)

Obituaries

May 27th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

MRS. JACQUE RATTENBORG, 70, of Webster City (& formerly of Audubon), died Sunday, May 26, 2024, at her residence in Webster City. A Mass of Christian Burial service for  MRS. JACQUE RATTENBORG will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, June 1st, 2024, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, in Audubon. Schmidt-Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the mass, also held at the church.

Interment will take place at Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon following the mass. A luncheon will be held following the interment at the St. Patrick’s Catholic Hall.

Memorials may be directed to the Jacque Rattenborg Family or mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 201, Audubon, IA 50025.

MRS. JACQUE RATTENBORG is survived by:

Her Hoesing (family)  siblings – Janet Hall, Jean Perkins, Joy Ahlquist, June Carlile, Joletta Hoesing, Jerri Fisher, and foster siblings – LaVonne Wernimont, Robert Kuker & Rilla Soetmelk.,

and other relatives.

2024 Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Poll: Week 2

Sports

May 27th, 2024 by Seth Tiegs

Class 4A

1

Johnston

10-0

2

Cedar Rapids Kennedy

10-0

3

Iowa City High

9-1

4

Dallas Center-Grimes

8-0

5

Ankeny Centennial

4-1

6

Cedar Rapids Prairie

5-2

7

Southeast Polk

9-1

8

Dowling, West Des Moines

4-1

9

Linn-Mar

7-2

10

Sioux City East

7-1

Others

Cedar Falls

5-2

Others

Indianola

4-2

Others

Urbandale

4-2

Others

Waukee

5-3

Others

Waukee Northwest

6-5

 

Class 3A

1

Western Dubuque

4-1

2

North Polk

5-2

6

Marion

6-0

3

Heelan

6-1

5

Central DeWitt

1-0

6

Wahlert

5-3

7

Bondurant-Farrar

6-2

8

Harlan

5-1

9

Assumption

2-3

10

Solon

5-1

Others

Boone

5-2

Others

CPU

6-0

Others

Lewis Central

4-2

Others

Pella

4-1

Others

Xavier

3-4

 

Class 2A

1

Underwood

2-0

2

West Marshall

8-1

3

Beckman, Dyersville

6-1

4

Van Meter

7-1

5

Mid-Prairie

4-1

6

Estherville- Lincoln Central

7-0

7

Pleasantville

3-2

8

New Hampton

6-1

9

Des Moines Christian

4-0

10

Roland-Story

7-2

Others

Anamosa

2-2

Others

Cascade

1-2

Others

Kuemper Catholic

2-2

Others

Pella Christian

5-3

Others

Spirit Lake

5-0

 

Class 1A

1

Burlington, Notre Dame

3-0

2

Akron-Westfield

6-0

3

Lynnville-Sully

5-0

4

St. Mary’s Remsen

4-0

5

Wapsie Valley

7-1

5

Saint Ansgar

2-1

7

Newman Catholic

5-2

8

North Linn

3-1

9

Tri-Center

5-0

10

Grand View Christian

5-0

Others

Ankeny Christian

4-1

Others

Coon Rapids-Bayard

2-4

Others

Hillcrest Academy

1-0

Others

Sigourney

3-0

Others

South Winneshiek

0-1

Corning woman arrested on an Assault charge

News

May 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman was arrested this (Sunday) afternoon, on an Assault charge. Authorities say Deputies in Adams County arrested 34-year-old Cassandra Kate Mitchell, of Corning, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Mitchell was taken into custody at around 1:35-p.m., and transported to the Adams County Jail, where she was being held without bond.

AUDREY ANN PHILLIPS, 87, of Aspinwall (Svcs. 5/30/24)

Obituaries

May 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

AUDREY ANN PHILLIPS, 87, of Aspinwall, died Sunday, May 26, 2024. A Mass of the Christian Burial for AUDREY PHILLIPS will be held 10:30-a.m. Thursday, May 30, 2024 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manning. Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Manning on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 from 5-until 7-p.m., with a Christian Wake Service at 7-p.m.; Additional visitation will be held at the church on Thursday, from 9:30-until 10:15-a.m. (prior to the Mass).

Burial will be in the Manning City Cemetery.

AUDREY PHILLIPS is survived by:

Her daughters – Becky (Steve) Zinke, of Corning, and Lisa (Daryl) Rohe, of Manning.

Her son – Lynn (Mary) Phillips, of Aspinwall.

Her brother – Alan (Alma) Leinen, of Omaha.

Her sister – Doris (Bob) Semback, of Wisconsin.

10 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; other relatives, and many good friends.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com

Omaha NWS office confirms a total of 12 spin-up tornadoes across Nebraska/SW IA on Friday

News, Weather

May 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Omaha/Valley, NE) – Officials with the National Weather Service in Omaha, Sunday, said they had confirmed 12 EF-0 spin-up tornadoes associated with the derecho that moved through the region on Friday, May 24th. The Weather Service says “Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) moved acrossthe area during the late night hours where several scattered tornado spin-ups were reported. QLCS tornadoes tend to be weaker and shorter-lived on average than those associated with supercell thunderstorms.”

In southwest Iowa, tornadoes occurred Friday south of Treynor, 3-miles east of Henderson, and two-miles north of Westphalia. Details are posted below:

..South of Treynor Tornado…

Survey Summary:
This very brief spin up remained near Aspen Road and 300th street south of Treynor. Three grain bins were destroyed as well as numerous trees.

Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 83 mph
Path Length /statute/: 0.25 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 60 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start Date: 05/24/2024
Start Time: 03:00 AM CDT
Start Location: 4 S Treynor / Pottawattamie County / IA
Start Lat/Lon: 41.175 / -95.6151

End Date: 05/26/2024
End Time: 03:01 AM CDT
End Location: 3 S Treynor / Pottawattamie County / IA
End Lat/Lon: 41.1782 / -95.613

..Henderson Tornado…

Survey Summary:
This brief spin up tornado damaged trees at a farmstead as well as outbuildings.

Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 74 mph
Path Length /statute/: 2.09 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 60 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start Date: 05/24/2024
Start Time: 03:10 AM CDT
Start Location: 3 E Henderson / Montgomery County / IA
Start Lat/Lon: 41.1316 / -95.3649

End Date: 05/24/2024
End Time: 03:10 AM CDT
End Location: 4 ENE Henderson / Montgomery County / IA
End Lat/Lon: 41.1582 / -95.3457

..Westphalia/Earling Tornado…

Survey Summary:
This brief spin-up tornado damaged roofs off an outbuilding and downed several trees.

Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 80 mph
Path Length /statute/: 0.09 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 40 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start Date: 05/24/2024
Start Time: 03:13 AM CDT
Start Location: 2 N Westphalia / Shelby County / IA
Start Lat/Lon: 41.7524 / -95.3859

End Date: 05/24/2024
End Time: 03:13 AM CDT
End Location: 2 N Westphalia / Shelby County / IA
End Lat/Lon: 41.7531 / -95.3844

*********

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0…Weak……65 to 85 mph
EF1…Weak……86 to 110 mph
EF2…Strong….111 to 135 mph
EF3…Strong….136 to 165 mph
EF4…Violent…166 to 200 mph
EF5…Violent…>200 mph

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the events and publication in
NWS Storm Data.

YouTube personality/meteorologist raises $93k for Greenfield tornado victims

News

May 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO-TV] – Ryan Hall is a YouTuber and Meteorologist who live-streams severe storms. He and his team were live-streaming Tuesday (May 21st), when an EF4 tornado hit the town of Greenfield in Iowa.

Andy Hill, one of the storm chasers part of Hall’s team was on the ground Tuesday and said that they started raising money as soon as they saw the damage to the town. The non-profit Y’all Squad stream was activated following the Greenfield tornado event, and made available to everyone watching. In the next few hours, they raised $93,000 from those people watching the stream and talking about it.

The Y’all Squad is a charity that Ryan Hall created to help support victims of tornadoes and other severe storms. Caleb Beacham, the Y’all Squad Field Coordinator, said that the charity was formed about 17-months ago for severe storm events, to make it possible for live-stream viewers to donate.

The Y’all Squad arrived hours after the tornado stuck Greenfield and provided critical supplies and meals. They also gave one of the families whose home was destroyed by the tornado $30,000 to help recover.

To learn more about the Y’all Squad, visit the charity’s website.

7 Cyclone men advance to NCAA Track & Field Championships in OR

Sports

May 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (Via Cyclones.Com)– Cyclones had a dominant day, Friday, as seven men booked their trips to NCAA Championships in the third day of NCAA West Prelims. The No. 17 Iowa State men end action totaling nine in seven events to move on to nationals.

Kevin Sakson is set to make his second appearance at NCAA Championships, qualifying in the discus finishing 10th. Sakson threw 190-5 (58.05m) on his first attempt and fouled on his next two, but that mark would remain among the top 12 to move on to Eugene. The Cyclones then secured multiple national entries in the 1,500m as Peter Smith and Ezekiel Rop took to the track. Smith raced in the first heat, remaining in the lead pack throughout to finish fifth and grab the last auto-qualifying slot. The senior turned in a personal best of 3:40.80 to move up a spot to ninth in ISU history.

Rop then booked a return trip to nationals in the third heat as he took the lead in the final turn to cross the line first in 3:39.70, beating out 2023 national champ Nathan Green and runner-up Joe Waskom from Washington. Rop clocked a final 400 meters of 54.14 to seal the win.

Gable Sieperda advanced to NCAA Championships for the first time as he dominated the 3,000m steeplechase. Racing in the second heat, Sieperda traded the lead with Oklahoma State’s Victor Shitsama throughout the race. With Sieperda in an automatically qualifying position in the lead pack of three, the steeplechaser comfortably crossed the finish line third in 8:39.99 in the humid 80-degree weather. Sieperda is the first ISU men’s steeplechaser to advance to nationals since 2021.

The next qualifiers came in the 800m, where another pair of Cyclones advanced to nationals. Racing alongside each other in the third and final heat, Finley Mclear worked his way from fourth to the front to win in 1:47.74 while Darius Kipyego also auto qualified in third with 1:48.03.

Said Mechaal was the seventh Cyclone of the day to advance as he grabbed fifth in the second heat of the 5,000m, securing an automatic qualifying spot with 13:54.97. Mechaal, who qualified for nationals in the 5K in indoor season, will race at outdoor nationals for the first time of his career. Sophomore Jack Latham capped his season in the regional 110m hurdles quarterfinal, once again going sub-14 seconds with 13.90w at a wind reading of 2.4 m/s. Latham finished 19th overall and fifth in his heat racing in lane nine. In the high jump, redshirt freshman Braden Goellner cleared his first two bars, ending competition in 28th with 6-10 1/4 (2.09m).

4 ISU women advance to NCAA Championships

Sports

May 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (Via Cyclones.com) – Four more women solidified their spot at NCAA Championships, Saturday, in the fourth and final day of NCAA West Prelims. The Cyclones will send 14 to NCAA Championships, nine men in seven events and five women in five events. The total is the largest amount of outdoor entries in program history. In recent years, Iowa State totaled 11 entries in 2021 and six in 2023 and 2022.

Janette Schraft booked a return trip to outdoor nationals in the steeplechase. In the second heat, the senior took the lead in the fifth lap and after remaining in auto-qualifying position out of the final water jump, Schraft comfortably crossed the finish line second to move on to Eugene.

For the third time this outdoor season alone, sophomore Rachel Joseph broke the 400m program record. Joseph clocked 51.38, a major time cut of .22 seconds from her previous record set at Big 12 Championships. Not only does the time set an all-time ISU best, it sends the 400m star to nationals as Joseph notched the ninth-fastest time in the region. Joseph made her first appearance at NCAA Championships this indoor season, earning Second Team All-America honors.

Sophomore Makayla Clark will keep her outstanding season rolling as she moves onto nationals for the first time. The 800m specialist grabbed an automatic qualifier in her heat crossing third in 2:04.30.

The Cyclones then raced under the lights, while Maelle Porcher punched her ticket to Eugene in the 5,000m. The sophomore clocked the ninth-fastest time in the elite West region while automatically qualifying in her heat with 16:02.07 to set the stage for her first NCAA Championships.

Madelynn Hill ended her outstanding Iowa State career with a 42nd-place 5,000m finish of 17:27.98. In the discus, Betty Rosvold ended her strong season with a 24th-place mark of 176-9 (53.89m).

With NCAA West Prelims now in the books, all sights are set on NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon June 5-8.