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RICHARD JENSEN, 88, of Audubon (Memorial Svcs. 9/28/24)

Obituaries

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

RICHARD JENSEN, 88, of Audubon, died Thursday, September 19, 2024 at his daughters home, in rural Casey. Memorial services for RICHARD JENSEN will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the Audubon Church of Christ. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Burial with Military Honors will follow, at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

The family will greet friends during a luncheon in the church fellowship hall following the burial.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the family and can be sent in care of Schmidt Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 201 Audubon, IA 50025.

Posted in Obituaries |

Hawkeyes Finalize 2024-25 Schedule

Sports

September 19th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s basketball finalized its 2024-25 schedule Thursday when the 18-game Big Ten Conference slate was released live on BTN Today.

2024-25 SCHEDULE NOTES
– The Hawkeyes will play back-to-back road games (at Oregon (1/19) and Washington (1/22); at Minnesota (2/6) and Nebraska (2/10) twice during the regular season.
– Iowa will play on New Year’s Day at Penn State. It is the team’s first game on New Year’s Day since 2023.
– The start and end of Iowa’s conference slate is balanced with two away/home contests.
– The Hawkeyes will host their first three conference games on Sundays (Purdue (12/29), Maryland (1/5) and Indiana (1/12).
– Six of Iowa’s nine Big Ten home games will be played on Sundays.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a season where they won a school-record 34 games, claimed a Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Championship game for a second consecutive season. Iowa returns a pair of starters in 2024-25 under P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jan Jensen, who is in her first season as head coach.

Game times and television info will be released in the coming weeks. The Iowa Athletics Department anticipates a season long sellout for women’s basketball. Donors and season ticket deposit holders are currently being contacted.

2024-25 SCHEDULE
Oct. 30 – Missouri Western (Exh.)
Nov. 6 – Northern Illinois
Nov. 10 – vs. Virginia Tech (Charlotte)
Nov. 13 – Toledo
Nov. 17 – at Drake
Nov. 20 – vs. Kansas (Sioux Falls)
Nov. 24 – Washington State
Nov. 28 – vs. Rhode Island (Cancun)
Nov. 29 – BYU (Cancun)
Dec. 7 – vs. Tennessee (Brooklyn)
Dec. 11 – Iowa State
Dec. 15 – at Michigan State
Dec. 20 – Northern Iowa
Dec. 29 – Purdue
Jan. 1 – at Penn State
Jan. 5 – Maryland
Jan. 9 – at Illinois
Jan. 12 – Indiana
Jan. 16 – Nebraska
Jan. 19 – at Oregon
Jan. 22 – at Washington
Jan. 28 – Northwestern
Feb. 2 – USC
Feb. 6 – at Minnesota
Feb. 10 – at Nebraska
Feb. 13 – Rutgers
Feb. 17 – at Ohio State
Feb. 23 – UCLA
Feb. 26 – at Michigan
Mar. 2 – Wisconsin

Posted in Sports |

Winterset Football expects tough game against Atlantic

Sports

September 19th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The 2-1 Winterset Huskies football team are taking on the 4-0 Atlantic Trojans Friday night in Winterset. The Huskies are recently coming off a 28-26 physical win against Carlisle, but also have a 31-6 victory against Creston, and a 31-9 loss to ADM. Those first three games of the year really helped Winterset Head Coach Zach Sweeney understand the strengths of his Huskies squad and pushed them to be better.

A key factor to Winterset’s two victories is the dual threat ability of senior quarterback Hunter Lyon. Lyon has thrown for 522 yards and 3 touchdowns and on the ground, Lyon has scrambled for two scores. His versatility and persistence have credited praise from Coach Sweeney.

Defensively the Huskies have seen great effort from junior Wyatt Swanson and senior Gavin Day who both have collected two interceptions through three games. Winterset’s leading tackler is a hard hitting junior named Jace Bellamy and Bellamy has 23.5 tackles so far into the season. Coach Sweeney likes the consistent tenacity from his defense and labels it as a strength for Winterset this year.

Next up for Winterset is a steadfast Atlantic team that continues to count on its overwhelming run game for success. Senior running back Tyson O’Brien is the leading rusher for Atlantic with 780 yards and five touchdowns through 95 carries. In the backfield with O’Brien is the strong junior fullback Gavin McLaren with his 37 carries, 257 yards, and seven scores. Those two combined with sophomore Ethan McNeal’s 153 yards on the ground have created a run game that most squads struggle with.

Coach Sweeney is keeping it simple for his team heading into Friday as he wants his defense to limit turnovers and focus on stopping the Trojans run game.

KJAN and KJANTV will have the broadcast for Friday’s matchup with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 PM and kickoff is at 7:00 PM.

Posted in Sports |

2024 FOURTH Iowa High School Volleyball Rankings

Sports

September 19th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Class 5A
School
Record
LW
1
Ankeny Centennial
14-3
1
2
Pleasant Valley
15-2
4
3
Ankeny
19-3
2
4
Dowling Catholic
16-5
3
5
Waukee Northwest
14-4
7
6
Indianola
15-2
5
7
Cedar Falls
9-2
6
8
Waukee
8-8
8
9
Iowa City High
9-2
11
10
Iowa City Liberty
7-10
12
11
Sioux City East
7-5
9
12
Cedar Rapids Prairie
10-8
10
13
West Des Moines Valley
7-14
NR
14
Bettendorf
6-9
14
15
Linn-Mar
11-8
NR
Dropped Out: Dubuque Hempstead (13), Johnston (15)
Class 4A
School
Record
LW
1
North Scott
15-2
2
2
Cedar Rapids Xavier
12-1
1
3
Sioux City Bishop Heelan
16-2
5
4
Clear Creek-Amana
17-4
3
5
Pella
18-4
4
6
Lewis Central
13-4
6
7
Glenwood
17-2
7
8
Norwalk
12-6
9
9
Sergeant Bluff-Luton
8-5
10
10
ADM
10-5
NR
11
Marion
9-7
14
12
Carlisle
9-4
13
13
Dallas Center-Grimes
12-6
8
14
Knoxville
7-4
11
15
Decorah
8-1
NR
 
Dropped Out: Grinnell (12), MOC-Floyd Valley (15)
 
Class 3A
School
Record
LW
1
Mount Vernon
15-2
1
2
Dubuque Wahlert
10-3
2
3
Western Christian
10-7
4
4
West Delaware
17-2
9
5
Davenport Assumption
10-6
3
6
Sioux Center
12-1
5
7
Kuemper Catholic
21-0
7
8
Cherokee
12-1
8
9
Center Point-Urbana
8-5
10
10
Solon
13-6
11
11
West Liberty
12-5
10
12
Mid-Prairie
14-5
6
13
Union
11-2
13
14
Van Meter
5-1
14
15
Wilton
17-0
15
 
Dropped Out: None
 
Class 2A
School
Record
LW
1
Denver
20-1
1
2
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
13-2
2
3
Beckman Catholic
15-2
3
4
South Hardin
13-2
4
5
Hinton
7-1
5
6
Dike-New Hartford
5-8
6
7
Aplington-Parkersburg
10-4
7
8
Boyden-Hull
6-6
8
9
Sumner-Fredericksburg
10-3
10
10
West Burlington
17-4
9
11
Pella Christian
9-4
11
12
Iowa City Regina
8-8
15
13
Wapsie Valley
8-7
13
14
Grundy Center
6-3
12
15
South Central Calhoun
17-5
NR
 
Dropped Out: Lisbon (12)
 
Class 1A
School
Record
LW
1
Ankeny Christian
11-4
1
2
St. Ansgar
13-4
4
3
Riverside
17-1
2
4
Holy Trinity Catholic
4-2
5
5
Janesville
6-4
6
6
River Valley
13-1
3
7
BCLUW
9-1
8
8
Don Bosco
8-7
7
9
East Mills
13-3
9
10
North Tama
11-12
10
11
Burlington Notre Dame
12-4
12
12
Gladbrook-Reinbeck
10-8
11
13
Coon Rapids-Bayard
9-0
14
14
Sidney
7-5
13
15
Stanton
9-8
15
Dropped Out: None

Posted in Sports |

Iowa’s offense gets ready for Minnesota

Sports

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa’s offense has made progress in three games but faces a big test in Saturday’s Big Ten opener at Minnesota. It’s early but after ranking at or near the bottom of the country in total offense the past few years Iowa is currently 53rd. Quarterback Cade McNamara.

The Hawkeyes have been much better this season on third down.

One part of the offense that the Hawkeyes hope to get going is tight end. Senior standout Luke Lachey only has nine catches in three games and has yet to score a touchdown.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa State’s defense prepares for Arkansas State

Sports

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State defensive back Jontez Williams says the Cyclones are not focused on their role as heavy favorite entering Saturday’s game against Arkansas State. The 20th ranked Cyclones are a better than three touchdown favorite against a Red Wolves team that is 2-1 after a 28-18 loss at Michigan.

The task for the defense this week is to slow down Arkansas State dual threat quarterback Jaylen Raynor. The sophomore has passed for more than 700 yards and also has two rushing touchdowns.

It has been next man up at linebacker for the Cyclones at a position that has been hit with injuries. Sophomore Kooper Ebel  made his first start in a 20-19 win at Iowa and finished with six tackles.

Ebel says the injured players are still having an impact.

Posted in Sports |

Wartburg and Central collide in American Rivers Conference showdown

Sports

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Two of the contenders collide the opening week of the American Rivers Conference football race when 13th ranked Wartburg visits Central. Wartburg is coming off its first regular season loss since 2021 with a 35-13 setback at St. Johns of Minnesota.

That’s Wartburg coach Chris Winter who says the defense will face a similar challenge against Central.

It is always a big game when these two teams meet.

Central coach Jeff McMartin says the Knights have an experienced team.

McMartin says Wartburg has the ability to change the game on special teams.

Posted in Sports |

Study: Majority of Iowa parents take kids out of car seats too soon

News

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A new study finds many Iowa parents stop using child seats and booster seats as their children grow, despite those seats being an important safety measure — plus, it’s the law. In Iowa, kids between one and six years old must be secured in a child restraint system — a safety seat or booster seat, not a seat belt — or the driver faces fines. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the study is based on five years of government crash data and it reveals a concerning trend.

“Child seat and booster seat use declines after children turn three, and those are needed safety devices,” Ortner says. “In Iowa, 93% of parents and caregivers we found transition their children to an adult seat belt too soon, and 24% transition their kids to a booster seat too soon.” The study found 74-percent of car seats that were inspected were not being used correctly or were improperly installed. Ortner says some common mistakes when a child seat or booster seat is installed include being too loose.

Also: “Not using the tether when installing a forward-facing car seat with either the lower anchors or seatbelt on the back, or the harness is too loose when securing a child in the car seat,” Ortner says. “So those are things that can be easily fixed and when used correctly, car seats, booster seats and seat belts do protect young passengers.” Parents go to great lengths to protect their children, but even with the best intentions, Ortner says they may be endangering their children by putting them in the wrong type of seat or not securing them properly.

Between 2018 and 2022, the study found four-million children under age 12 nationwide were involved in car crashes, resulting in 547-thousand injuries and nearly three-thousand deaths.

Posted in News |

State Climatologist says welcome rain is in forecast through month’s end

News, Weather

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says rain is in the forecast for the next several days, but Iowa has been abnormally dry this month. “Going back to 1895, when the federal records starts, this is the second driest September through the 18th,” Glisan says. The latest Iowa Drought Monitor shows moderate drought conditions exist in about four percent of the state — affecting five counties in northeast Iowa as well as Fremont County in the southwest corner of the state. The rest of Iowa is rated abnormally dry.

“If you look at the statewide average right now, we’re about at a tenth of an inch and that’s about 5% of normal,” Glisan says. “Now again, in the forecast we do see the potential of an inch and a half to two inches across much of the state with the potential for thunderstorms tonight, but widespread rainfall over the weekend.” Warm temperatures this month have depleted some moisture in the top soil and, if that isn’t replenished before the ground freezes, it will be a concern heading into spring planting, however Glisan says it’s not a concern right now during harvest season.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan (Official photo from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship photo.)

“Basically the crop is done, so it’s not using a lot of water,” Glisan says. “Stream flows are still near normal or slightly above.” The storm front that’s moved into the state today (Thursday) has displaced the large ridge of high pressure that prevented thunderstorms from forming. “Now we’re starting to shift that ridge further east and we’re going to have a low pressure system across the upper Midwest swing a cold front through the state and that’s where you get lift and instability to go along with the moisture that we have readily available,” Glisan says, “and that’s where we’re going to fire thunderstorms off.”

Glisan says the outlook is for near normal rainfall in Iowa through the end of September.

Posted in News, Weather |

Sara Beth Jones, RN, BSN Selected as Hospital Hero

News

September 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

( Atlantic, Iowa)— Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced that Sara Beth Jones, BSN, RN was selected to receive the Hospital Hero award from the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA). Jones is one of 11 recipients this year and will be formally recognized in October at the IHA Annual Meeting in Des Moines.

Jones was nominated by her coworkers primarily due to her role as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and work with a particular patient. Jones was helping provide care to a patient in the Emergency Department when she recognized warning signs that the patient was a victim of sexual assault and trafficking. Jones helped the patient connect with resources to secure her safety, even going so far as to provide a meal and new clothing and personally escort the patient to another city where she was connected with a human trafficking advocate. The patient has since said, “She turned my life around. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”

Sara Beth Jones, BSN, RN

Beyond this one act, Jones has been a model of compassionate care and nursing leadership. In her primary role, Jones serves as the Director of Nursing Supervision. She also took on the role of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator, ensuring that Cass Health staff are trained and ready to provide 24/7 coverage for sexual violence victims in our community. She is known around the state as a leader in developing and sustaining one of the most robust SANE programs in Iowa.

Additionally, Jones is a Clinical Instructor, working with nursing students of all levels. She also volunteers her time to help parents impacted by miscarriage and infant loss, and she recently began a chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard, a volunteer group that pays tribute to a nurse’s legacy at their funeral or celebration of life with a simple ceremony.

“I became a nurse simply because I find joy in helping others. Being recognized as a Hospital Hero means so much to me that someone felt I deserved it. There is no magic here in what I do, I just love making others feel safe and cared for,” said Jones.

Jones became an RN in 2013. She earned her BSN in 2020, and she is currently working on her Masters in Nursing Education from Chamberlain University.

Since 2007, the Hospital Heroes program has celebrated employees who have acted courageously in a moment’s crisis or who have selflessly served their hospitals and communities throughout their careers. Hospital Heroes are nominated by their peers and award recipients are selected by other state hospital associations.

The Iowa Hospital Association is a voluntary membership organization representing hospital and health system interests to business, government, and consumer audiences.

Posted in News |