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Riverside Softball Progressed in 2024

Sports

August 7th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The 2023-2024 season for Riverside Softball ended in a 7-2 loss to Earlham in the class 1A-Region 2 semifinal and with an overall record of (20-12). No coach wants their team to end the year on a loss and that is especially true for Riverside Head Coach Lacie Patterson. However, coach Patterson did comment on the pride she felt from the tenacity that her team held throughout the entire season.

The Bulldogs stayed true to their never give up mentality and it led to a few highlight victories against some of the better softball teams in southwest Iowa. Two big comeback wins for Riverside on the year was a 6-5 triumph over Griswold and a 2-1 prevail against Woodbine.

Things look promising for Riverside softball next year as the team had no seniors in their starting lineup. The Bulldogs have plenty of skill to go around like eighth grade pitcher Peyton Schafer who showed some tremendous improvement throughout the year. Schafer had a season record of 18-8, 137 strikeouts, opponents’ batting average of .204, and an ERA of 2.91.

Schafer was not the only Riverside athlete that stood out to coach Patterson with their development. Freshman Kayden Schnak led the team in homeruns with 5 and in RBIs at 37. Sydney Somers contributed with 18 hits and 13 walks. Lastly, Adaline Martens who had 20 hits and 12 RBIs. This trio continued to refine themselves the whole summer.

While next softball season does seem a million miles away for coach Patterson, she does have one idea of what the future will hold for next year’s team and that will be the same culture as last season.

Riverside finished the 2023-2024 season with an 8-7 conference record in the Western Iowa Conference.

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Iowa money manager predicts ‘a lot of volatility’ until Election Day

News

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa investors are watching carefully as the global stock markets begin to rebound, following Monday’s sweeping selloff. Financial planner Jim Tausz of Clarion says things are beginning to move more positively for Iowans who follow the stock market, though there are still some looming clouds.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of volatility between now and maybe a month or two at the most,” Tausz says, “before we end up having Election Day.” While there are concerns, Tausz says the market’s shifting can also be seen as an opportunity, though he notes the tech sector has been dramatically impacted.

“What you’re seeing is the reaction that we’re getting to inflation and interest rates right now, and also the comments that are being made by each side, I’m talking about Democrats and Republicans right now, which are very contradictive of each other,” Tausz says, “and so I think people are getting just a little bit frustrated.”

Tausz says investors need to monitor their portfolios, though he says the Dow Jones was in positive territory at midday (Wednesday).

Posted in News |

FEMA has approved assistance for 5000+ Iowa households hit by severe weather

News

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced it has so far approved $61 million in assistance for Iowans dealing with damage from this spring’s flooding, tornadoes and severe weather.

According to a news release from the agency, FEMA has approved assistance for more than 5000 Iowa households. That includes $56 million in Individual Assistance to cover home repairs and other expenses that are not covered by insurance. Renters and home owners in 28 Iowa counties that have been declared Presidential Disaster Areas are eligible to apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance grants. The deadline for applications is Friday, August 23.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance program has paid over $5 million to Iowa policyholders.

Posted in News |

Cyclones Place Two on Biletnikoff Award Watch List

Sports

August 7th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have been named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, given annually to the top pass catcher in college football.

Iowa State was one of six schools nationally with multiple players on the list.

The senior pair ranks among the nation’s top returning duos for combined receptions (119), receiving yards (1,803) and receiving touchdowns (13).

Noel, a Kansas City, Missouri, native, finished the 2023 season with 66 receptions for 820 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He has a reception in 32 consecutive games, tied for the fourth-longest streak in both school history and actively in the nation.

Higgins joined the Cyclones last season and provided an instant threat for Rocco Becht and the Cyclone offense. The South Miami, Florida, native had 53 receptions for 983 yards and six touchdowns. His. 18.5 yards per catch ranked among the nation’s top 20. Higgins concluded his season with a 214-yard performance against Memphis in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the second-most receiving yards in a single game in school history.

Both players were recognized by Big 12 coaches in 2023. Noel was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection and Higgins an honorable mention pick.

Tickets for the 2024 football season are on sale now with a slate that features Kansas State and a Homecoming showdown with Texas Tech as well as others. Fans can purchase season tickets for as low as $299, while mini-packs, single-game tickets and parking are also on sale.

The Cyclones open the season August 31 against 2023 FCS Playoff qualifier North Dakota.

Posted in Sports |

Alston on Comeback Player of Year Award Watch List

Sports

August 7th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State wide receiver Isaiah Alston has been named to the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award watch list, presented by College Sports Communicators in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization.

The watch list includes 90 college football student-athletes from 68 different schools. Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness, or other circumstances.

Alston, a redshirt junior from Cateret, New Jersey, transferred to Iowa State from Army after the 2023 season. He played just four games last season due to an ankle injury suffered in a September game against Syracuse.

Alston finished the season with nine receptions and two touchdowns while averaging 29.6 yards per catch.

Tickets for the 2024 football season are on sale now with a slate that features Kansas State and a Homecoming showdown with Texas Tech as well as others. Fans can purchase season tickets for as low as $299, while mini-packs, single-game tickets and parking are also on sale.

The Cyclones open the season August 31 against 2023 FCS Playoff qualifier North Dakota.

Posted in Sports |

Miller-Meeks says on abortion issue, Democrats are extreme

News

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – First district Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport says Democrats making abortion a key issue in their campaigns have nothing else to run on. “They have high gas prices, high food prices, high interest rates so young people can’t buy a house and don’t think they can get ahead in the United States,” Miller-Meeks said yesterday during a campaign stop in Mount Pleasant. “They have open borders with record amounts of fentanyl coming across the border.”

Christina Bohannan, the Democrat running against Miller-Meeks, has just released a campaign ad accusing Miller-Meeks of “pushing to ban all abortions nationwide with no exceptions for rape or incest.” On the campaign trail, Bohannan cites Miller-Meeks’ previous support of a constitutional amendment that says life begins “at fertilization,” which would ban all abortions. Miller-Meeks did not sign on as a co-sponsor of the proposal during the current two-year session of congress. “I am pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother,” Miller-Meeks said. “I’ve been very consistent on that.”

Last year, Miller-Meeks voted to set five-year-old prison sentences for health care providers who do not try to save the life of a baby that’s born alive during an attempted abortion. The bill was opposed by Democrats. “That is an extreme position such as North Korea and China have,” Miller-Meeks said. “That is not in keeping with the majority of Americans and the majority of Iowans.”

A 2003 federal law bans so-called “partial birth” abortions and it is considered murder to kill a baby that is born alive.

Posted in News |

VIRGINIA MAAS, 89, of Atlantic (Celebration of Life Graveside Svc. 8/19/24)

Obituaries

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

VIRGINIA MAAS, 89, of Atlantic, died August 7, 2024, at Caring Acres in Anita. A Celebration of Life Graveside service for VIRGINIA MAAS will be held on 1-p.m. Monday, August 19th (2024),in the Massena Center Cemetery, north of Massena. Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

The service will be recorded and available on the funeral home website by noon on Tuesday, August 20th.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

Posted in Obituaries |

9-mile High Trestle Trail extension to the Raccoon River Valley Trail expected to open Aug. 15th

Ag/Outdoor, News

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Perry, Iowa) – Officials with the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association have announced that a 9-mile extension of the High Trestle Trail to connect with the Raccoon River Valley Trail will now be completed on time. Work on the projects has taken more than a decade, with organizers raising millions of dollars to accomplish the feat. Last month it appeared that the opening of the connection between the two trails would be delayed. However, the contractor has informed Dallas County Conservation that the extension will be done on time, August 15th.
Grand opening for the trail, complete with a ribbon-cutting, will take place 1-p.m. August 17th, in Bouton. The event will be preceded by a leisurely (ride at your own pace) bike ride that starts at 11-a.m. at the trailhead in Perry, near the iconic Big Bike. Riders will traveling along the route from Perry to Bouton and Woodward before returning to Bouton for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Food and beverages are available at various businesses along the trail in Perry, Bouton, and Woodward. Helmets are strongly recommended for everyone’s safety. The event is being hosted by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and BIKEIOWA.com.
Learn more here: https://www.raccoonrivervalleytrail.org/…/raccoon-river…

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Attorneys General from Iowa & 10 other states seek EPA rule on Roundup

Ag/Outdoor, News

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The attorneys general from Iowa, Nebraska and nine other states are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to make it clear there’s a national standard for labeling of Roundup and other weed killers that contain glyphosate. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says a new E-P-A rule is needed because California has proposed cancer warnings on Roundup and other products that contain the world’s most commonly used herbicide. “If we don’t stop it now…the glyphosate situation — that is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be other things that states like California try to do to tell our farmers how to farm and that future will make it very hard for farmers to be able to grow their crops, which is what it’s all about,” Bird says. “Food does not come from a grocery store. It comes from a farm.”

The E-P-A has said glyphosate is not likely to cause cancer in humans and in November, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Monsanto — the maker of Roundup — and said California did not have authority to require a cancer warning on Roundup’s label. Bird says it’s time for the E-P-A to set things straight.”Farmers have a lot to deal with…sometimes low crop prices, high input prices, natural disasters,” Bird says. “They shouldn’t have to worry about the types of things that are happening in other states on the coasts to figure out how they’re going to make their family farm work.”

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers says it’s about protecting the freedom to farm. “What we’re trying to do with our action today is to ensure access to this critical input,” Hilgers says, “…to give our farmers the option that they’ve had for decades to be able to use this technology to be able to manage their own crops and be able to help produce the that come out of Iowa and Nebraska.”

Kevin Ross, a farmer from Underwood who’s a former president of the National Corn Growers Association, joined the attorneys general at a news conference this (Wednesday) morning in Omaha. Ross told reporters there is no real substitute for glyphosate. “It’s been one of the most tested chemicals ever on the marketplace and it’s known to be safe and very effective,” Ross said, “so EPA — set the regulations, do your job in DC and let us farmers do our job on the ground here in the U.S.”

Monsanto’s attorneys have argued that a warning label on Roundup violates the company’s First Amendment right to be free from compelled speech that it disagrees with. This spring, the Iowa Senate passed a bill to block lawsuits against farm chemical companies based on how the products are labeled, but it stalled in the House. Similar bills were introduced in other states. Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, has settled about 100-thousand lawsuits and the company estimates there are more than 50-thousand pending.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins previews the season

Sports

August 7th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins says an experienced Iowa State team is confident heading into the season. The transfer from Eastern Kentucky had 53 catches a year ago, and gave the Cyclones a big play threat by averaging 18 and-a-half yards per reception. He is one of 18 starters returning.

After a 7-6 season a year ago the Cyclones are picked by many to be a contender in the Big 12.

Taylor Mouser is ISU’s third offensive coordinator in three years but Higgins says the changes have been minimal.

The Cyclones open the season at home on August 31st against North Dakota.

Posted in Sports |