(Radio Iowa) — The popularity of a sport called “pickleball” is spreading in Iowa. Rick Kramer, director of parks and recreation in New Hampton, heard about pickleball at a recent conference. “It is so new to us that I really don’t know what it is,” Kramer says. “It is table tennis on a floor, or on the ground.” The sport combines tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It is played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes. Enthusiasts can play indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court, hitting the balls over a 36-inch high net.  “Sometimes you just have to change things up a little bit,” Kramer says. “It’s for people that don’t want to do the tennis and the racketball…Another way to get (people) out in the parks, getting them enjoying the fresh air and a little exercise.”

Photo from USA Pickleball Association.org.

Kramer used social media to announce a pickleball court was available in New Hampton and six people soon showed up to play. “And then we put a picture on Facebook and got a lot of comments that people have been waiting for it,” Kramer says. The Enhance Iowa Board recently awarded nearly 22-thousand dollars in a CAT grant to a project for the construction of six pickleball courts on a currently underutilized tennis court located on the Mount Pleasant Middle School property. Iowa Economic Development Authority spokesperson, Jessica O’Riley, says it’s not the first time they’ve helped build the courts. She says they also have given an award to Keokuk for pickleball courts. “This one is sort of spearheaded by the school. They started a pickleball club that sort of caught on and they have community pickleball.”

O’Riley says it has created some unique pairings in Mt. Pleasant.  “They mentioned that the senior citizens are playing with the high schoolers and it has really brought a sense of community across the courts there,” according to O’Riley. She says the latest project has found a solution to a problem. “It was a tennis court that wasn’t getting used, but now the pickleball court is getting use and is an asset to the community instead of an eyesore,” she says.

The U-S-A Pickleball Association says the game was invented by three fathers trying to keep their kids busy on a beach in Washington state — but it soon became an adult activity. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, more than three-point-three MILLION Americans played pickleball at least once last year — making it one of the lastest-growing sports in America.

In addition to the new court in New Hampton, the U-S-A Pickleball Association has a list of 31 other Iowa cities and towns with pickleball courts. Among them, is Atlantic, Glenwood, Neola, and Red Oak. For information about Pickleball in Atlantic, contact the Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is building up his organization in Iowa this month, with an eye on the state’s early caucus.
Buttigieg is racing to catch his better-known 2020 rivals, who have spent months building organizations in the state that marks the first test for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The South Bend, Indiana, mayor plans to put himself into serious contention thanks to his campaign taking in during the last quarter nearly $25 million in contributions, money he’s using to create an army of peer-to-peer foot soldiers.

Buttigieg faces pressure to assemble it in time to generate a surge by the Feb. 3 caucuses. But his team has confidence in his strategy, particularly the personal influence of his early supporters.

The male driver of a pickup was transported by Medivac Ambulance to the Cass County Memorial Hospital following a rollover accident at around 7:54-a.m., about a mile east of Marne, on the Marne Road (Hwy 83). The pickup appeared to have been traveling westbound when it left the road to the right before skidding across the road and rolling into the south ditch. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Corey Larsen told KJAN News the man was injured, but his name, and the extent of his injuries won’t be released until Tuesday. Larsen did say the accident victim was conscious and breathing when he was put on a backboard and placed into the ambulance.

Marne Fire & Rescue, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Cass County Emergency Management and Medivac Ambulance responded to the scene.

Ric Hanson (Photos)

(Radio Iowa) — A hulking, vacant John Deere tractor factory in Waterloo that was built in 1947 has been saved from the wrecking ball and transformed into an upscale hotel. Originally called the C-2 Building, the six-story structure is now a Courtyard by Marriott. Michael Morain, at the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, says the project has won on a top historic preservation award from the state of Iowa. Morain says, “It was an opportunity and a challenge for the architect to come in and figure out how to turn this empty brick box into a stylish, swanky hotel for modern guests.”

It’s unusual for Marriott to convert a historic property but Morain says the company saw an opportunity to open a high-end boutique hotel in an area of Waterloo that was being overlooked. “If you get a chance to walk in, it feels like an old building,” Morain says. “You can immediately see the historic elements, but it also feels like a modern, stylish hotel that is polished and has all of the creature comforts that guests are used to.” Davenport developer Rodney Blackwell worked with the state and with Marriott to preserve the 200-thousand square foot building, which had been vacant for years, and give it new life.

“One cool solution the architects came up with, on each floor, there were lots of windows to let in light but the windows were too high to see out of, so they raised the floor,” Morain says. “On each floor, they built false floors which let people see out those windows, but those raised floors also provided space to hide all of the wires and ductwork and things.” Residents all across Iowa are encouraged to take a closer look at their local history and consider ways to repurpose old buildings instead of knocking them flat. “So often we find that the easier, quicker solution might be to bulldoze down and build new,” Morain says, “but there are all kinds of examples of communities in Iowa that have rallied around historic properties and turned them into anchors for arts and culture and vibrant gathering places.”

The Iowa State Historical Society says the project displays one of the best, recent examples of historic preservation in the state.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Two Iowans died in separate crashes Sunday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol reports the first accident happened at around 2:30-p.m. Sunday in southern Iowa’s Clarke County. Authorities say a 2007 Pontiac G6 driven by 33-year old Gregory A. Patterson, of Des Moines, was traveling south on 330th Street at a high rate of speed, when the vehicle went onto the left shoulder. Patterson over-corrected and drove onto the right shoulder, causing the car to go out of control and roll over several times.

Patterson died from his injuries. Two passengers in the vehicle, 20-year old Wyatt A. Pett, of Garden Grove, and 17-year old Ryan G. Coe, of Osceola, refused medical treatment at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

The second accident happened at around 2:55-p.m. Sunday, in northern Iowa’s Worth County. The Patrol says a 2017 Nissan Murano, driven by 61-year old Peggy Julseth, of Kensett, was westbound in the eastbound lane of travel. Curtis Johnson, of Lake Mills, was driving a 2003 Dodge Ram, and was unable to avoid hitting the SUV. The vehicles collided near the intersection of 410th Street and Jonquil Avenue. Both drivers were transported to a local hospital, where Julseth died from her injuries.

The accident remains under investigation.

Police in Red Oak arrested a man for Public Intoxication, Sunday night. 20-year old Dylan Thomas Griffeth, of Red Oak, was taken into custody near 4th and Market Streets at around 11-p.m., and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. His bond was set at $300.

(Radio Iowa) — A child was seriously injured in a hit-and-run in Linn County on Saturday afternoon.The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says a child was struck by a vehicle south of Central City on Highway 13 around 4:30. When they arrived on the scene, they found three-year-old Hunter Lee Perez injured and lying on the shoulder of the road.

The vehicle that struck Perez had left the scene. Perez was airlifted to University Hospitals in Iowa City with serious injuries. The driver has not yet been identified. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on the identify of the driver to contact their office.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — One person is dead after fire broke out an apartment complex in Indianola. KCCI-TV reports that the fire was reported at 6:37 a.m. Sunday at Foxwood Apartments. The apartment belonged to a 64-year-old woman. An autopsy will be conducted to determine if she was the person killed in the blaze. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but authorities say foul play is not suspected.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa sailor killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 will finally be laid to rest in his home state. The Des Moines Register reports that William James Shanahan Jr. of Cedar Rapids was killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that pushed the U.S. into World War II, but his remains went unidentified for 78 years. DNA donated by his sister led to a match in May. Burial is Tuesday in Cedar Rapids.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — The city of Ames has been awarded a $1.66 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to put more electric buses into the city’s public transportation fleet. The city recently announced that CyRide will use the money to replace several diesel buses that have exceeded their useful life. The public transportation entity will also buy battery chargers/dispensers and complete facility modifications to support the technology.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man is charged with first-degree murder in what police say was the city’s 10th homicide of 2019. Police responded to a call about a shooting Saturday afternoon and found the body of 45-year-old John Lee Belcher of Des Moines inside a home. Charges were filed against 47-year-old Stanley Paul Wofford of Des Moines. Witnesses told police they heard four to six gunshots. Police have not disclosed a potential motive.