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Trial in shooting death of Algona police officer set for closing arguments

News

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) -The defense rested without calling any witnesses in the Kyle Ricke murder trial today.

The defense is not disputing that Ricke killed Algona police officer Kevin Cram last September, but says it was not premeditated.

Prosecutors called DCI investigator Evan Thompson to testify as he interviewed Ricke after his arrest in Minnesota following the shooting. Thompson says Ricke told him he blacked out and could not remember what happened during the shooting. But Thompson says Ricke did know what he’d done before the shooting and after.. Jurrors also heard from the state medical examiner as well before the prosecution wrapped up its case.

Officer Kevin Cram (Algona PD photo)

Closing arguments are tomorrow in Spriti Lake.

Fundraiser to support Iowa Senate leader and others with brain cancer

News

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – There’s a fundraiser in Ankeny tomorrow night to support cancer research and medical expenses for State Senator Jack Whitver and other families with medical expenses related to a diagnosis of brain cancer.

State Senator Brad Zaun said over 450 tickets have already been sold. “This isn’t about Republican-Democrat,” Zaun says. “It’s not about politics. It’s about trying to help out the Whitver family.”

Whitver, who is 43, announced in mid-May he is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Dan McCarney, Whitver’s coach when Whitver was a starting wide receiver for the Iowa State football team, has helped plan the event and current Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz is among those who’ll attend.

Zaun said many of Whitver’s former teammates from Iowa State are coming, too, including some who’d be familiar names to longtime Iowa sports fans. “Like Seneca Wallace and Lane Danielson and some of those people,” Zaun said. “Certainly Jack had a lot of big plays himself when he was at Iowa State.”

Zaun, who described himself as a Hawkeye fan, says it’s been a privilege to listen as Whitver’s former coach and teammates talk about Whitver.

“He’s certainly done some incredible things as a former athlete, walking on at Iowa State,” Zaun said. “I always tell him: ‘Hey, listen. This cancer’s nothing because you beat the heck out of the Hawkeyes. You can certain beat this cancer after beating the Hawkeyes. Jack’s in good spirits.”

Iowa State beat Iowa in four of the five seasons Whitver was on the Iowa State football team.

The money raised at Thursday’s event are going to a foundation. Proceeds that aren’t used to cover Whitver’s out-of-pocket expenses for cancer treatment will be used to support cancer research and other families facing a similar diagnosis.

Whitver and his wife Rachel are the parents of three children. Whitver was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2011 and has been Senate Majority Leader since March of 2018.

Morning Availability for Iowa Golf Tournament in Memory of Chris Street

Sports

July 10th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The annual University of Iowa Basketball Golf Tournament in memory of Chris Street will be held on Monday, Aug. 26, at Finkbine Golf Course with a rain date of Aug. 27.

For those interested in participating, which is a four-person best ball, team spots are available for the 8 a.m. (CT) shotgun start. The $800 entry fee includes golf, cart, tournament participant bag, continental breakfast, lunch and a post-tournament awards ceremony at Kinnick Stadium.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams in each of the five flights. There are also hole prizes on all 18 holes, contests on Hole 4, 8 and 17 as well as a raffle and a silent auction.

To reserve a spot for your team, either email (shelly-deutsch@hawkeyebasketball.com) or call Iowa Basketball at 319-335-9744 and ask for Shelly. The deadline is Aug. 12, unless sold out beforehand.

West Named Academic All-American

Sports

July 10th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Austin West was named to the CSC Academic All-American First Team on Tuesday.

West is the first men’s Academic All-American at Iowa since 2012. He joins women’s athlete Mariel Bruxvoort, who was named Academic All-American Third Team on Tuesday.

College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) began the Academic All-America program in 1952. The recognition is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all levels.

West was a six-time All-American during his career at Iowa, earning first-team honors in the indoor heptathlon this season with a sixth-place finish at nationals (5,900 points). This outdoor season, West was an NCAA decathlon qualifier, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

The Iowa City native bounced back with a sixth-place showing in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer, where he posted a personal best in the shot put (15.09 meters) and season-bests across four other events.

West previously was a first-team All American in 2022 and 2023 in the decathlon and earned second-team honors in the heptathlon from 2021-2023.

Big 12 Conference Launches First-Ever Big 12 Alumni Council

Sports

July 10th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

LAS VEGAS – Today, the Big 12 Conference announced the formation of the first-ever Big 12 Alumni Council.

Membership of the Big 12 Alumni Council includes:

Arizona Richard Jefferson
Arizona Jennie Finch
Arizona State Lawrence Guy
Arizona State Briann January
Baylor Whitney Canion
Baylor Robert Griffin III
BYU Steve Young
BYU Ashley Hatch
UCF Tacko Fall
UCF Shaquem Griffin
Cincinnati Jordan Thompson
Cincinnati Kevin Youkilis
Colorado Joel Klatt
Colorado Shelley Sheetz
Houston Andre Ware
Houston Natara Holloway Branch
Iowa State Ashley Joens
Iowa State Georges Niang
Kansas Wayne Simien
Kansas Lynette Woodard
Kansas State Kindred Wesemann Orpin
Kansas State Tyler Lockett
Oklahoma State Tiffany Bias Patmon
Oklahoma State Brandon Weeden
TCU Marshall Newhouse
TCU Zahna Medley Kindred
Texas Tech Cody Campbell
Texas Tech Carolyn Thompson
Utah Stevenson Sylvester
Utah Charmelle Green
West Virginia Georgeann Wells
West Virginia Mike Gansey

“I’m thrilled to serve on the first-ever Big 12 Alumni Council,” said former BYU QB and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Steve Young. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the Big 12, and I look forward to being a resource for Commissioner Yormark and his team as the Conference continues to thrive.”

“The Big 12 Conference is home to thousands of student-athlete alumni who have had great success on and off the field following their time on campus,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. “As we enter into a new chapter as a 16-team league, the insights and perspectives of the Big 12 Alumni Council will be an incredible resource.”

The Big 12 Alumni Council is comprised of 32 former student-athletes from men’s and women’s programs across each Big 12 institution. The Council was created to leverage the experience and expertise of some of the Big 12’s most notable student-athlete alumni as the Conference enters a new era. These alumni will provide guidance and insights surrounding a variety of topics, including brand building, athlete relations, storytelling, digital content and much more.

In turn, each Council member will receive a variety of resources and amenities, including networking access to the Big 12’s Business Advisory Board for professional networking, league support of council member’s community initiatives, media opportunities on behalf of the league and VIP access to all Big 12 Championships and Conference events.

The Council will be overseen by Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark and VP of Communications & Strategy Clark Williams. The Council will kick off in August 2024, as the Big 12 officially becomes a 16-team league.

Iowa Breweries bring home awards

News

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Five Iowa breweries brought home awards from the 2024 U-S Open Beer Championships in Oxford,Ohio. Noreen Otto is the executive director of the Iowa Brewers Guild. “Iowa craft breweries broght home 13 medals at that national competition. It’s a really diverse competition with thousands and thousands of entries. So we’re really excited to see the Iowa brewing recognized for the quality craft that that’s coming out of the state,” she says.

There were more than nine-thousand beers representing over 170 different styles. Otto says the Iowa brewies won in several categories. “From Sioux City and Council Bluffs over to Decorah and then in the Des Moines area, it was really exciting to see you know some big names but also some emerging exciting breweries doing incredible things,” she says.

The following Iowa craft breweries received medal recognition:
Toppling Goliath Brewing, Decorah; Full Fledged Brewing Company, Council Bluffs;
Marto Brewing Company, Sioux City; Exile Brewing Company, Des Moines; Barn Town Brewing, Des Moines.

Update: Grain elevator rescue in Harlan

News

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Harlan, Iowa) – In an update to our previous post, Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Londo says that at around 1:45-p.m. Tuesday, July 9th, 2024, an employee called Emergency Management personnel stating that the elevator at the Farm Service Cooperative in Harlan, had broken and there were two employees stuck at the top of the grain elevator.

Shelby County 911 was notified and they dispatched Shelby County Sheriffs Office, Shelby County Ambulance, Emergency Management, and Harlan Fire to the scene. A high angle rope rescue was conducted, and the employees were able to climb down the ladder on the side of the grain elevator without incident.

All agencies left the scene around 3:00PM.

Summer feeding programs for Iowa kids in low income households

News

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Hunger Coalition analysis has found there are 21 more sites for Iowa kids who qualify for free or reduced priced meals at school to pick up free meals this summer. Governor Reynolds used 900-thousand dollars in federal pandemic relief money for grants that opened 61 summer meal sites, but 40 of those have replaced locations that had closed. Iowa Hunger Coalition chair Luke Elzinga says if Reynolds had accepted 29 million dollars in federal funds for the “Summer E-B-T” program, 245-thousand Iowa children would have been guaranteed better meals at home.

“Summer EBT is the first new, permanent federal childhood nutrition program we’ve had in two decades,” Elzinga says. “…This is such an impactful program to address childhood food insecurity during the summer in a really effective, efficient way.” The program provides an extra 120 dollars in June, July and August for each child in a low income household. Reynolds turned down the 29 million dollars for the program in December, citing the administrative cost of nine-dollars per eligible child — and Reynolds said the program also failed to address the obesity epidemic among children. Elzinga says pilot programs tested the Summer E-B-T concept for a decade before all states were allowed to participate.

“We know from the data that Summer EBT leads to increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy,” Elzinga says. “It does not increase consumption of sugar sweetened beverages.” The Iowa Hunger Coalition has started a petition drive to encourage Reynolds to sign Iowa kids up for the Summer E-B-T program next year. Elzinga says Iowa food pantries have been seeing an increase in usage during summer months. On July 2nd, the 14 food pantries Elzinga oversees for the Des Moines Area Religious Council set a single day usage record, assisting well over 21-hundred individuals.

The council has operated a food pantry network in the Des Moines metro for 50 years.

KENNY CUNNINGHAM, 34, of Greenfield (Celebration of Life at a later date)

Obituaries

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

KENNY CUNNINGHAM, 34, of Greenfield, died Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Guthrie Center.  Celebration of Life services for KENNY CUNNINGHAM will be held at a later date. Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

Memorials may be made to the Kenny Cunningham Memorial Fund to be established at a later date.

KENNY CUNNINGHAM is survived by:

His sons – Nicholas, Elijah and Cayson.

His father -Dennis Cunningham, of Greenfield.

His brothers – Brian Cunningham, of Des Moines, and Joseph Cunningham, of Greenfield.

His sister – Victoria (Jonathan) Robertson, of Pekin, Illinois.

Other relatives and friends.

Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfuneralhomes.com.

Iowa’s Addison Ostrenga on depth at tight end

Sports

July 10th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Tight end has always been a strength of the Iowa offense and next season will be no different. Junior Addison Ostrenga had 31 receptions last season for 192 yards and joins senior Luke Lachey, who suffered a season ending ankle injury in week three after compiling 10 catches for 131 yards. Lachey turned down a chance to enter the NFL Draft to return for his final season. Ostrenga says the tight end room is deep.

Ostrenga says summer drills have been a good time to work on the new offense under coordinator Tim Lester.

Ostrenga had thumb surgery in the spring but says he is ready for fall camp.

The Hawkeyes open the season at home on August 31st against Illinois State.