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History made as Trojans pick up thrilling extra inning win over Anamosa

Sports

July 20th, 2021 by admin

It took 11 innings and over three hours of play, but by the end of Monday night Atlantic softball had made history with a 10-9 win over Anamosa. The Trojans accomplished two new feats for the program; a quarterfinal round win, and 34 wins in a season. A wild back and forth affair ended on a RBI single from Jada Jensen to send Atlantic to the Semifinals on Wednesday against Assumption.

Anamosa got on top first with a run scored from the first batter Emily Watters. Atlantic climbed in front in the 4th, with help from four walks and a hit batter given up by Watters in the circle. Anamosa answered with three of their own in the top of the 5th, taking advantage of a couple walks and an error from the Trojans. Atlantic grabbed a run in the 6th to tie the game at 4. Anamosa plated a run in the top of the 7th on a well executed Maddy Meeker bunt. The Trojans would respond with Maleana Woodward bunting home a run from Lauren Nicholas. The Trojans left the winning run on 3rd and to extras they went.

No one scored in the 8th and the two squads traded runs in the 9th to keep it rolling at 6-6. Both teams left a runner stranded in the tenth. Then things got a bit wild in the 11th. Anamosa brought home on run on a 2-out double from Emily Watters. They would add two more on a single by catcher Lexi Bright. Atlantic didn’t let the three run deficit bring them down. Caroline Pellett reached on an error and Ava Rush earned a walk to start frame. Madison Botos got a base hit to load the bags. A wild pitch brought Caroline Pellett home to cut the deficit to 2. Maleana Woodward then earned the 12th walk of the night from Emily Watters to fill the bases back up. Alyssa Derby then stepped to the plate sporting an 0-4 night so far. She came through with a 2RBI single to tie the game back up at 9. Derby said she took a different approach at the plate that at bat.

The next two batters were put out for the Trojans, leaving runners at second and third with two outs. Jada Jensen then ripped the first pitch she saw up the middle to bring home courtesy runner Madison Huddleson for the winning run. Derby said the team had the right mindset heading into that last half inning.

Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann was extremely proud of the attitude and leadership that got them through a wild game.

The Trojans will play in their first ever state softball semifinal on Wednesday afternoon against Davenport Assumption. The Knights advanced with an 11-1 win over Clarke in 6 innings. That semifinal game Wednesday will be a 3:00 p.m. first pitch. We’ll have coverage on KJAN starting at 2:00 p.m.

Posted in Sports |

ISU Wrestling Coach Dresser agrees to contract extension through 2026

Sports

July 20th, 2021 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State wrestling coach Kevin Dresser, the 2019 NWCA National Coach of the Year, has agreed to a contract extension through June 30, 2026.

“We are thrilled to know Coach Dresser will be leading our wrestling program for another five years,” Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “Coach Dresser has restored the excitement in our wrestling program with his tenacity and relentless energy. He has surrounded himself with outstanding assistant coaches who share his vision for the future of our wrestling program. I look forward to continuing to help them achieve their goals.”

Iowa State, which went 9-3 (4-1 Big 12) in dual action this season, had two Big 12 champions in David Carr and Gannon Gremmel and qualified eight wrestlers for the 2021 NCAA Championships. It’s the third season in a row that the Cyclones have qualified eight or more wrestlers for the national tournament – the program’s best streak since 2008-10.

Dresser has rebuilt the Cyclone wrestling program from the ground up since his arrival in 2017. His efforts have seen Iowa State climb on the national stage, highlighted most recently by a national championship for Carr at 157 pounds in 2021 – Iowa State’s first individual champion since 2015 (Kyven Gadson). Gremmel, a heavyweight, also made a run to the podium in St. Louis, finishing fifth to garner All-America honors. The Cyclones finished tied for 13th at the 2021 NCAA Championships.

Dresser has elevated the program annually. In his first season at Iowa State, Dresser took a team that won just one dual in 2016-17 and led them to an 8-10 dual mark. The following year, he was named the 2019 NWCA National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year while mentoring Jarrett Degen and Willie Miklus to All-America honors.

The 2019-20 season saw Dresser’s program make yet another leap. Iowa State went 7-1 in Big 12 duals, tied with Oklahoma State for the best record in the conference. For the first time since 2014, ISU produced two individual Big 12 champions (Ian Parker and David Carr), and the Cyclones were set to send nine to the NCAA Championships prior to the event’s cancellation due to COVID-19.

“I want to thank Jamie for this contract extension,” Dresser said. “I am very excited for my staff and this team moving forward. The extension is a testament to the hard work of this staff and our team.  There is much more to accomplish and we are all excited to watch this program continue to grow and succeed.  Thank you again to Jamie and all of those in our athletics department who have made these first four years so productive.”

Terms of Dresser’s new contract will be announced at a later date.

Posted in Sports |

Atlantic Parks & Rec Dept. news, 7/19/21

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Dept. Board of Directors met Monday evening at the Sunnyside Park Kiddie Korral Shelter. During the meeting, Parks & Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen reported work is expected to begin within the next couple of weeks to repair the trail washout at the Schildberg Recreation Area, along Iowa Avenue (the southwest corner of Lake #3). Leftover cement from the hospital parking lot renovation project will be used to help stabilize the bank and repair it. That section of the trail will be closed while work is underway. The washed out asphalt portion of the trail will be replaced with longer lasting concrete, once the bank is stabilized.

Bryant said also, the department is trying to incorporate more programming for young adults and adults. One of the new activities planned for this Saturday at the Trevor Frederickson Softball Field at Sunnyside Park, is Adult Kick Ball. The venture is a partnership between Atlantic Rising, the Chamber of Commerce and Parks and Rec, to have a “pick up-style” game at 5-p.m.  Teams will be divided-up once the number of participants is known. You don’t have a team of nine or 10 people, you can show-up by yourself and they will add you to a team.

Another Adult Activity, is “Art in the Park,” set for August 4th at 7-p.m. The adult version of the popular kids’ Art in the Park, called “Creation Vacation” take place in the lower center shelter at Sunnyside Park. The paint and canvas will be available for those who show up to paint on, and step-by-step instructions will be made available for those who want it. The main idea is just to have fun and by free-style creative. Bring your own drink and munchies if you wish.

Rasmussen reports the Summer Programs saw many participants: 53 kids signed-up for Tennis; 47 kids went out for Swim Team, and there is an average of 25-to 30 kids for the Art in the Park program that takes place every Wednesday. He said also, as previously mentioned, Cass County applied for a grant to install water fountains at four different locations. One is currently in-place at the Schildberg Rec Area bathhouse. That has a water bottle filling station and a lower water bowl for pets to use.

The City of Anita was supposed to get a water fountain, but they can’t, so the grant will be moved so a fountain can be installed at the Little League Sports Complex trailhead gazebo. The site already has a bike repair station and signage. Before the fountain can be installed, Bryant said they need to find someone to trench a water line about 200-feet to the gazebo. He’s working toward a solution with the Nishna Valley Trails group. He’s also been working with AMU, to get water from a well between fields five and seven. The site would allow the water to be shut-off before winter to prevent a freeze-up of the fountain.

In other business, cracks at Sunnyside basketball court will be sealed in preparation for use as an ice skating rink in the Winter, and cracks along the Eastridge and Schildberg Trails will be sealed to prevent any additional degradation. And finally, he recommends you stop by the Wildlife Refuge Area along Iowa Avenue, which features many vibrant flowers and plants, including black-eyed peas and milkweeds. Those plants and native grasses will hopefully draw monarch butterflies, some of which they hope to tag and release before they make their way to Mexico.

Iowa Avenue can be found between Buck Creek Road and Chestnut Street, north, off of State and Commerce Streets (as you head toward the Schildberg Campground Area).

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Red Oak woman arrested again for DWS

News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak, Monday (today) arrested a woman for Driving While Suspended/3rd offense. Authorities say 30-year-old Jessica Lynn Hardman, of Red Oak, was being held at the Montgomery County Jail on bond amounting to $491.25.

Posted in News |

Flight 232 crash happened 32 years ago today

News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Thirty-two years ago — on July 19th, 1989 — United Flight 232 (two-32) crashed at the Sioux City airport. The plane took off from Denver and was bound for Chicago with nearly 300 passengers when it suffered hydraulic failure. An air traffic controller told Captain Al Haynes, the pilot, to do whatever he could to avoid hitting the city.

Due to the loss of hydraulics, the pilot could only make right turns and was flying the plane manually. Emergency crews were waiting at the airport.

The plane tipped just above the ground and a wing hit the runway first. The airliner cartwheeled down the runway, broke into pieces, burst into flames and skidded to a stop in a cornfield at the edge of the airport. One-hundred-12 (112) died, while 184 people on board survived.

United Flight 232 with visible tail damage. Photo taken just before the plane landed, cartwheeled and exploded in Sioux City, in 1989.

Posted in News |

200 Iowa families offered free online preschool, starting next month

News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa families will have a new option for early education this year. The nonprofit organization Waterford-dot-org is offering free preschool to 200 children in the state. The program is called Waterford Upstart and works with children and parents through online lessons. Spokeswoman Kim Fischer says the online approach is imperative, which is why the software and internet access will be made available for free.

“What we aim to do is close the gap between the children who are doing well and the children who are not,” Fischer says. “So if there are children that don’t have access to early education, those are the children that we’re looking to reach.” Although the application is open now to all families, the program will focus on children in need and those in underserved populations. Fischer says the program centers on Iowans who don’t have access to brick and mortar schools, and on those who don’t speak English fluently.

“Those are the children we want to reach,” she says. “So truly, it is about finding the children that don’t have access and giving them this access to early education.” Previous C-D-C research found Hispanic students have the lowest rates of access to in-person schools. The program will run from August through May.

(By Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio)

Posted in News |

State Softball Scoreboard Monday 07/19/2021

Sports

July 19th, 2021 by Jim Field

CLASS 1A

#1 Newell-Fonda 2, #8 North Butler 0
#4 Southeast Warren 9, #5 Sigourney 6
#2 Wayne 7, #7 Remsen St. Mary’s 2
#3 Lisbon 10, #6 Clarksville 0 (5 innings)

CLASS 2A

#1 Wilton 7, #8 Pella Christian 2
#4 Earlham 7, #5 North Union 4
#2 North Linn 5, #7 Iowa City Regina 2
#3 Central Springs 11, #6 Underwood 0 (5 innings)

CLASS 3A

#1 Davenport Assumption 11, #8 Clarke 1 (6 innings)
#4 Atlantic 10. #5 Anamosa 9 (11 innings)

Posted in Sports |

Pickup strikes Post Office building in Guthrie Center

News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported after a pickup truck struck the Guthrie Center Post Office building at 500 Main Street, Saturday afternoon. Authorities say 94-year-old Theodore Keith Hansen, of Guthrie Center, was driving a 2021 Toyota pickup and pulling into a parking spot in front of the Post Office, when he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake. The pickup accelerated out of control, hopped a curb, and hit the building near the door.

The accident, which happened at around 3:05-p.m., Saturday, caused $12,000 damage to the pickup, and an estimated $6,000 damage to the Post Office. Hansen was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

Posted in News |

Online calculator to help counties determine ‘lost revenue’ that can be covered by ARA funds

News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The state auditor says there’s a new tool to help Iowa counties determine how much federal assistance they can use to cover pandemic-related losses in tax revenue. State Auditor Rob Sand says the National Association of Counties online calculator takes a lot of guess work out of a complicated process. “What we’re trying to do is make sure folks across the state of Iowa are aware of that,” Sand says, “because that’s going to make their work more efficient in trying to figure out how to spend American Rescue Plan dollars.”

Sand says his office has fielded questions from local officials asking for help in calculating tax revenue losses that can be linked to the pandemic. “They can head to the calculator and essentially answer a couple of questions and it will spit a number back out to you that is your allotment for lost revenue,” Sand says. Counties, as well as cities and states, must use American Revenue Plan money by 2026. Funds may be used on infrastructure projects as well. Sand says the sooner local governments come up with budgets for the pandemic relief, the sooner they can line up contractors to get the projects done on time.

Posted in News |

A message from the IKM-Manning School Board regarding an upcoming bond vote

News

July 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The IKM-Manning School District has posted a message on social media, with regard to an upcoming bond vote. In their message, school officials said, “At its meeting Thursday night, the IKM-Manning School Board unanimously approved petition language that would call for a bond vote. If enough signatures are gathered, the vote would take place Tuesday, September 14.

“In the petition, the dollar amount was set at $19,950,000. While that number is larger than the bond vote from a year ago, the board made clear that the cost to taxpayers would remain the same. In fact, the higher bond amount is due to lower interest rates available to the school district at this time compared to last year.

“IKM-Manning,” officials say, “would benefit from the lower interest rates, allowing the district to address more of its facility needs with no increase in the taxpayer impact. Our community is simply getting more bang for its buck. Currently, a petition is circulating to gather the signatures needed to put the bond issue on the ballot. After that, the board could place the question on the ballot for September 14.

Posted in News |