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(Update) Squirrel causes power outage in Atlantic on Monday

News

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A squirrel that got into a line at 7th and Mulberry in Atlantic, Monday afternoon, causing power to be knocked-out to some 300 customers of Atlantic Municipal Utilities. AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes told KJAN the incident caused a couple of “phase” issues, which resulted in scattered sections of the eastern side of Atlantic were without power for about an hour while crews effected repairs on the system. A loud boom could be heard just before the power went out, followed by the sounds of a transformer shorting out. The Cass County Communications Center reported traffic lights were out in areas mainly east of Chestnut Street, including 7th and Plum.

Various locations, including the Dollar General Store, Hy-Vee, McDonalds, the Atlantic High School and Middle School, Murphy USA and the AmericInn were in the dark for a while, while other sites, including WalMart (which has an emergency generator), were up and running as usual. Others commented their lights only flickered, but stayed-on.

 

NW Iowa native and her dog to appear on nationally-televised talent show

News

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A former Storm Lake resident will be featured on the season premiere of “America’s Got Talent.” Amy Freese (Freeze) will be on the show Tuesday with her basset hound Daisy, who does obstacle course runs. “We’ve been practicing together for about four to five years and what we’ve been doing is posting our videos on our social media just because she’s funny but also it’s just really nice to showcase that, a little tiny dog like her can do something that typically big dogs have an easier time doing,” she says.

Freese says one of her social media followers works on the show. “Sent me a message that he had a basset himself and he knew how hard it was to train a basset hound to go through a tunnel and go over jumps and even just listen,” she says, “because basset hounds do tend to be a little stubborn. And he just said, ‘Hey, it’s amazing what she does,’ and he just suggested that we audition for America’s Got Talent.”  She decided to do it. “In December and January, we created a video audition. Later in January, we heard that they wanted us to come and do a live audition. So very quickly had to kind of pull our act together,” Freese says. “My husband drove the dog all the way out to California. I flew and then you’re there for two days. You’re there for a day of practice, and then you’re there for a day of filming your act in front of a live audience.”

Freese says you face a lot of competition to get on the show. “I’ve heard there’s approximately 6,500 video auditions each season and then about 120 to 130 make it to the stage in front of the judges, so that’s very exciting,” she says. “From there, the judges vote on you, yes or no. And then of the 130 that get on stage, maybe 30 go to the live show, which will happen later in the season.”

Freese’s act also includes her other dog, a bloodhound named Clifford. Her audition will be part of the “America’s Got Talent” season premiere at 7 pm on NBC. Freese graduated from Storm Lake High School in 1993, and graduated from Buena Vista University in 1997. She lives in Chicago and works as a special education administrator.

WEEK OF MAY 27, 2024

Trading Post

May 28th, 2024 by Jim Field

FOR SALE: 4 brand new Ivory Lace panel curtains with scalloped edges.  58″x64″. Not wide enough for intended windows. $18 each. Call 712-268-2609

WANTED: A small pickup to buy or trade for a 2002 Ford Explorer. Also looking for a driver side seat for 2002 Ford Explorer…or someone to look at mine to see if it can be fixed. Also looking for a owner’s manual/fix it book for a Deluxe scooter. Call Fred at 712-243-4016

FOR SALE: Super Boom Turbo Diesel New Holland Skid Loader. Put new Catepillar wheels on it. Hoses have been placed. Cylinders have been rebuilt. Asking $16,000 or would consider a trade in for it. Also, Nissan Titan pickup. Has new wheels on it. Replacing transmission on it. Should be ready to go in the next two weeks. Asking $16,000 for it or make an offer. FOR SALE: A state of the art Westinghouse Hot Water Heater. Bought it for $2,400, asking $700. Call 712-355-1566 in Council Bluffs.

Garage Sale: Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 at 1101 Roosevelt Drive in Atlantic. Boys and Girls clothing size 4 and up. Lots of knick knacks and miscellaneous.

FREE:  Maytag washer/dryer set, old but good.  712-250-1005GONE!

FOR SALE:  2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab LT pickup 4D, Z71, Brown, 99,500 miles, very clean with no rust. Tires with less than 5,000 miles.  Asking $17,500.  Call 712-254-1177SOLD!

WANTED:  Caring, responsible person wanted to provide part-time oversight of a high functioning special needs person.  Competitive pay, expenses paid.  Background check required.  Call 402-659-2752.

FOR SALE: 3 coolers with drain plugs. One is a Yeti. Asking $100 on the Brand New Yeti, $20 each on the other 2. Also have a Huffy bicycle for sale. Make offer. 712-243-4308

FOR SALE: SOLD A pair of H&H brown cowboy boots, size 12-D. Never worn. $20. Still available: An MTD 4.5 horsepower engine with new oil and new air filter. $20. Call 712-304-4550.

WANTED:  New to Atlantic Iowa and needing a vehicle to get me from my home to my job at Fareway. It can be old and ugly and barely going, just need something to help get around town. 720-629-8624

FOR SALE:   ODL Encapsulated Add On White Aluminum Door Blind. 29 1/2 × 68 3/8. New, never used. Would not fit over our door trim. Great for adding blinds for privacy that don’t have to be dusted. Less expensive that buying a new door. Call 712-249-5206. We paid $175.00 and would take $125.00 or best offer.

Heartbeat Today 5-28-2024

Heartbeat Today

May 28th, 2024 by Jim Field

Ryan Graham gave the keynote address at Monday’s Atlantic Memorial Day service.  Here it is if you missed it.

Play

Cass County man arrested in Montgomery County for OWI

News

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Cass County (IA) was arrested this (Tuesday) morning, in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 29-year-old Daniel Albert Ward, of Lewis, was arrested at around 4:30-a.m. for OWI/2nd offense, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. Ward was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

2 arrested in Creston

News

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two drivers were arrested on separate Driving While Suspended charges. 34-year-old Jennifer Ann Self, of Creston, was arrested Monday night, and 43-year-old Megan Marie Brown, of Lorimor, was arrested this (Tuesday) morning.

Both women were cited and released from the scene of their respective traffic stops.

Hot cars can quickly become deathtraps for tots

News, Weather

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – When Iowa’s weather gets warmer, the risks rise of a child dying of heatstroke after accidentally being left in a vehicle by a parent or caregiver. It’s a rare tragedy in the state, but it still happens far too often, according to Laura Dunn, a highway safety specialist with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Unfortunately, seven children have died from heatstroke in Iowa since 1988,” Dunn says, “and the national per capita death rate is about 16.3, and Iowa falls kind of in the mid range at 11.8.” Iowa may not get as hot as Arizona during the summer, but the danger is still significant here. While the risk of hot car deaths is highest when temperatures are hottest, heatstroke can be fatal at any time of year — and at outside temperatures as low as 60 degrees.

“In just about 10 minutes, a car can heat up by about 20 degrees, and that keeps increasing exponentially as time goes on,” Dunn says. “Cracking a window, parking in the shade, it really does very little to help. It’s kind of like what you would call a greenhouse effect.” An average of 37 children die in hot vehicles nationwide every year, and during the summer months, Dunn says it’s roughly two each week.

“We’re launching a new campaign with the Ad Council to remind parents when they park to ‘Stop. Look. Lock.’ and with that, we are hoping to prevent one of the primary ways that hot car deaths happen,” she says, “from a parent or caregiver forgetting their child in a vehicle.” Forgotten children make up about 53-percent of hot car deaths, while some 26-percent of the deaths are from a child getting into a car but they can’t get out. About 20-percent of hot car deaths come from a parent intentionally leaving a child in the car without realizing how quickly it will heat up. Studies show a child’s body temperature rises three-to-five times faster than an adult’s, and when a child’s body temperature reaches 107 degrees or higher, it can lead to death.

“When you park, look in the backseat before locking and leaving the car,” Dunn says. “When you’re driving with your child, make sure that your child’s been dropped off where they’re supposed to be at school or childcare. Keep an item in your vehicle, like a child’s toy, and put that toy up front with you when your child’s in the car seat.” She also suggests leaving something you need during the day — like your phone, a purse or a briefcase — in the back seat with the child.

The NHTSA says heatstroke from hot cars is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related death for kids 14 and younger.

Project to deter Mississippi River carp with sound sees some success

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa)- Researchers on the Mississippi River say two years of work to try and deter invasive carp using sound has yielded some promising results. Christa Woodley with the Army Corps of Engineers says four types of invasive carp were intentionally brought here in the late 60s and early 70s, but they led to problems that include reducing water quality that leads to increased dredging and bank destabilization. “When you’re thinking about something like the Mississippi River where we already have quite a bit of flood risk and flood elements, the fish can actually increase those impacts,” she says.

Woodley and Marybeth Brey with the Geological Survey designed a 16-speaker soundbar and installed it at Lock 19 to try to deter invasive carp while minimizing impacts on native species. The soundbar plays sounds specifically at the frequencies the carp can hear. Woodley says the sounds should be irritating to the carp, so they don’t come near. “In some cases it should stop them from wanting to cross, sometimes it will actually cause them to turn around,” Woodley says. The soundbar can be controlled both on site and remotely. It is on for three days and eight hours, then off for three days and eight hours. The scientists can then compare how many fish cross the lock when the system is active and how many cross when it is inactive. Brey and Woodley’s team puts transmitters in 700 to 800 fish a year to track their movements.

The Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Iowa and Illinois Departments of Natural Resources are all involved in the fish tagging. Brey says the data from 2022 shows a 50 percent decrease in silver carp specifically. “So, for every two fish that pass upstream when it’s off, one would pass when it’s on,” Brey says. Most native species in the Mississippi do not hear at the same frequencies as the carp. So far, the system seems not to bother them. Bigmouth buffalo are crossing the lock at similar rates when the system is off and on, but they have not seen significant impacts on the freshwater drum, the paddlefish, or the white bass. “But all things considered on the fish side, it’s looking definitely better than not having it there,” Brey says.

The data from 2023 will be analyzed soon. Though Brey and Woodley provide the results, they don’t decide if the system should be implemented on a broader scale. That decision is left to the states. Besides studying the movement of fish, Brey and Woodley have also been tracking how well their equipment functions over longer periods of time. Woodley says the technology developed for this project can be used for other projects as well. It is already being used by others trying to attract fish towards certain areas, or cover up construction noise. “It’s had a lot of applicability and some really neat science going in to it that we’re able to track and hopefully push out to the people that need it for whatever purpose,” she says. Researchers are studying other deterrent strategies as well.

Carbon dioxide, electricity, and walls of bubbles can all be used to deter the passage of fish. But those methods all deter native fish as well. Brey says some groups are also working on combining removal methods with deterrent methods. “We’re trying to say how can we, if we’re deterring fish, how can we remove them at the same time,” Brey says.

The underwater acoustic deterrent system study is set to continue through the end of the year. It may be extended with different research questions depending on needs of the partner agencies.

Iowa’s Schulte on a new challenge for the defense

Sports

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa safety Quinn Schulte says a new season is a new challenge for him and the Hawkeye defense. The Cedar Rapids native opted to return for his final season and is one of nine starters returning from one of the nation’s top defenses.

Schulte says spring drills and summer workouts are about building depth.

Schulte is one of several embers of the defense who opted to return and not enter the NFL Draft.

Iowa opens next season at home on August 31st against Illinois State.

One-third of Grinnell College power to come from solar energy with new solar array

News

May 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Grinnell College has made a “decisive step” forward in the direction of operating without emissions with the completion of a 9,000-panel solar array. College President Anne Harris says one-third of Grinnell College’s campus is now running on renewable energy with the array, the largest private solar installation in the state. As Grinnell College reaches this milestone in its goal of hitting net-zero emissions by 2040, a community-wide solar project could have more than half of the university’s power come from renewable sources.

A third-party developer, Sunlight General Capital LLC, owns the array, and Grinnell College has purchased all of the energy generated from it for the next 20 years, with the possibility of a 10-year extension. The array, which Grinnell College environmental and safety manager Chris Bair said has been in operation for around one month, provides four megawatts of power that flows to almost every building on campus. There are six other smaller solar power stations utilized by the university, he said, which provide energy to buildings off of the main meter like the facilities building and environmental education center.

Each of the panels is double-sided, Bair said, allowing them to gather energy from reflected light like that off snow, and are able to follow the path of the sun from east to west to more efficiently absorb power. Beyond the daily power the solar array provides, a battery connected to the system can store a certain amount of energy for when it’s needed. Bair said this will be most useful when the university’s energy usage is at its highest, like on a hot day in August with all of the air conditioning units on campus running constantly. The battery will help curb the peak, at least a little bit, helping save some money on the energy bill.

The Grinnell College Solar farm, the largest privately owed solar farm in the state of Iowa May 19, 2022.
(Photo by Justin Hayworth/Grinnell College)

Another solar array project spearheaded by Alliant Energy and community partners will provide the university with an additional two megawatts of solar energy, Bair said, ensuring more than half of campus power will come from solar once it is up and running.

Grinnell College is one of many institutions with sustainability plans and practices, Harris said, and all universities should be thinking about solutions like these because they can make a tangible impact on more than just the campus itself, but the community that houses it.