United Group Insurance

Iowa school board votes to drop Native American mascot

News

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

CAMANCHE, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa school board has voted to drop the district’s “Indians” nickname and mascot following renewed appeals to do so from Native American tribes and organizations. Television station KWQC reports that the Camanche Community Schools board voted 5-1 Monday night to stop use of the mascot by the end of the school year. The decision comes as teams on all levels across the country are changing or reconsidering mascots considered to be culturally insensitive.

Most spoke in favor of keeping the mascot during the meeting’s public forum segment, citing pride in the nickname and some denouncing the move as “cancel culture.” But board member Shane Bark noted there have been calls for 30 years for the district to drop the mascot.

 

Posted in News |

Repairs underway to save historic warship taking on water

News

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A decommissioned warship that is one of the main attractions at Buffalo’s naval and military park has been taking on water and an emergency fundraising campaign is under way to keep it afloat. The 78-year-old destroyer is named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, who were killed in action during World War II.

This photo, provided by the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, in Buffalo, NY, on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, shows the destroyer USS The Sullivans, that’s taking on water and listing at its dock in Buffalo’s inner harbor and began emergency repairs. The 78-year-old vessel is named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, who were killed in action when the USS Juneau was sunk by the Japanese in the South Pacific during World War II. (Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park via AP)

Crews recently discovered the USS The Sullivans listing and found that 15,000-20,000 gallons of water had poured in through three holes in its hull. The $1 million repair bill comes at a difficult time. Officials say nearly all of the park and museum’s revenue has dried up during the pandemic.

 

Posted in News |

Garza becomes 2-time AP First-Team All-American

Sports

March 16th, 2021 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Senior Luka Garza has become the first University of Iowa men’s basketball player to be voted first-team All-America by the Associated Press (AP) in consecutive seasons.

The AP announced its 2021 Men’s Basketball All-America teams on Tuesday, which included Garza for a second straight year. Garza received every vote to be the only unanimous selection by the 63-person media voting panel. Joining Garza on the first team are Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois, Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, Jared Butler of Baylor, and Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham.

The Associated Press is one of four outlets used by the NCAA to determine its consensus All-America teams (AP, National Association of Basketball Coaches, United States Basketball Writers Association, and Sporting News). Garza was named to the first-team All-America squad by Sporting News last week with USBWA and the NABC expected to make their announcements in the coming weeks.

2021 LUKA GARZA HONORS

  • Big Ten Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
  • Sporting News National Player of the Year
  • USBWA District VI Player of the Year
  • First Team All-America (Associated Press, Sporting News)
  • Wooden Award National Ballot
  • Senior CLASS Award Finalist
  • Naismith Trophy Semifinalist
  • Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy Finalist
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalist
  • Lute Olson Award Midseason Top 30

Posted in Sports |

Garza, Wieskamp receive USBWA All-District 7 accolades

Sports

March 16th, 2021 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa men’s basketball senior Luka Garza and junior Joe Wieskamp received all-district accolades on Tuesday.

Garza and Wieskamp were both selected to the 10-player United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District VI team. Garza was also named the USBWA District VI Player of the Year for the second year in a row and earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 7 First Team.

Garza was also named one of three finalists for the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top collegiate basketball player. Other finalists include Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu.

Garza and Dosunmu are two of the five-player NABC District 7 First Team selections along with Purdue’s Trevion Williams, Indiana’s Trace Jackson-Davis, and Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell.

Garza is also a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Senior CLASS Award, and the Lute Olson Award.

Garza (6-foot-11, 265 pounds) has led the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes to 21 victories this season, including wins in eight of their last 10 contests. The Washington, D.C., native leads the nation in total points (687); player efficiency rating (35.84); 30-point games (7); field goals made (258); and 20-point games (19). Garza is seventh nationally in free throw makes (134) and attempts (188), and 10th in double-doubles (13).

The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 21.9 points per game during the 20-game conference schedule, becoming the third player since 1990 to lead the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons (Michigan State’s Steve Smith and Evan Turner of Ohio State).

Garza broke the Iowa’s 32-year old scoring record held by Roy Marble on Feb. 21, 2021. His 2,246 points rank eighth-best in Big Ten history. In addition to ranking first in career scoring, Garza is tops at Iowa in conference scoring (1,399), total field goals made (847), field goal attempts (1,558), and 40-point games (2); second in rebounds (916) and 30-point games (12); fourth in double-doubles (34); fifth in blocked shots (153); sixth in free throw makes (439) and attempts (625); and 13th in 3-pointers made (113). He is the only men’s basketball player in Big Ten history to accumulate 2,200 points and 900 rebounds.

Wieskamp (6-foot-6, 212 pounds) ranks second on the team in points per game (14.7) and rebounds per contest (6.6). The Muscatine, Iowa, native ranks third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per game (2.38) and 10th in defensive rebounds per game (5.38). He led all players in 3-point accuracy, making 49.5 percent of his attempts (51-of-103) in Big Ten play. Wieskamp, who was a second-team all-conference honoree this season, has scored in double figures 25 times this season, including netting 20 or more points five times. He has made a season-high five 3-pointers six times this season, the most by a major conference player in 2020-21.

A Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalist, Wieskamp became the 50th player in program history to score 1,000 career points on Jan. 20, 2021. He is the first Hawkeye junior in school history to amass 1,250+ points, 550+ rebounds, 175+ 3-pointers, 100+ assists, and 75+ steals.

No. 2 seed Iowa (21-8) will open NCAA Tournament play on Saturday against 15th-seeded Grand Canyon (17-6). Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 5:25 p.m. (CT) at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa police: 7-year-old accidentally shot in foot by father

News

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police in central Iowa’s Webster City say they’re investigating after a 7-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the foot by his father. Television station KCCI reports that the shooting happened Saturday. Webster City police say the father was pulling a gun out of his waistband when it went off and hit the boy in the foot.

Officials say the boy is expected to recover. Police say the Hamilton County prosecutor is reviewing the case and will determine whether any charges are filed.

 

Posted in News |

Texas woman arrested on a Page County warrant

News

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Page County Sheriff’s Deputies, Monday, arrested a woman from Texas. Authorities say 26-year-old Krista Leighann Wheless, of Borger, TX, was arrested at the Page Courthouse, on a Page County Warrant for Burglary in the 3rd Degree. The warrant is in connection with the burglary that Sheriff’s Deputies foiled during the early morning hours of March 13th.

Krista Leighann Wheless

Wheless was transported to the Page County Jail and held on a $5,000 bond. On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office reported Deputies had been checking on a  property due to suspicious activity. At around 2:40-a.m., they arrested 37-year old Bradley Roy Lewis, of Broken Bow, NE, on an active warrant for Failure to appear on original Felony Drug charges out of Atchison County Missouri, and for Burglary 3rd Degree, in Page County.

Bradley Roy Lewis

Authorities are searching for a third, unidentified suspect. Lewis was currently being held in the Page County Jail on a $5,000 cash only bond for the Burglary, and $7,500 bond for the Atchison County Missouri warrant.

Posted in News |

Ice-out channel catfish are biting

Ag/Outdoor, Sports

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa DNR News) – Channel catfish move close to shore and are eager to bite in many lakes and the large reservoirs across Iowa just after the ice is gone. The bite starts sooner in southern Iowa impoundments since they lose ice a week or two before northeast Iowa natural lakes. After eating light during the winter, channel catfish put the feed bag on in early spring cleaning up small fish that died over the winter. Search for actively feeding fish on windblown shorelines and points where dead fish are piled up and the shallow water warms quickly. Keep the wind in your face and move often until you find actively feeding fish.

Use cut bait or shad sides fished on the bottom. To keep the bait on the hook, try using a 1/0 to 3/0 bait holder hook and enough weight (3/8th to ½ ounce) to cast into the wind. Bring along disposable latex gloves to handle the bait and help keep the smell off your hands.

Ice-out catfishing can be good in any lake that has an abundant catfish population.  Iowa’s flood control reservoirs, Rathbun, Red Rock, Coralville and Saylorville usually offer the best action. Try catfishing in Storm Lake, East Okoboji, Clear Lake, North Twin, or Black Hawk Lake in northwest Iowa soon after the ice is gone.  Small impoundments in southern Iowa, like Don Williams, Big Creek, Lake Darling, Lake Wapello, Green Valley Lake, Lake Manawa or Lake Icaria, also offer good early spring catfishing.

Catfish can be found in almost every body of water across Iowa. Check the weekly fishing report to find out where catfish are biting.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, Sports |

Viking Lake still recovering from 2019 drawdown

Ag/Outdoor, Sports

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The water level at Viking Lake near Stanton was lowered eight feet during the summer of 2019 to improve the fish population. Now a year and a half later, the lake’s water level has yet to return to normal levels. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) closed the outlet gate in January 2020, after repairs to the gate were completed. Viking Lake’s water level was on the rise with normal rainfall last spring. Then the rains stopped in July and drought conditions set in for the remainder of 2020.

Lake drawdowns are a common fish management practice that crowds the fish population for a period of time. “Crowding fish into a smaller area makes them more susceptible to predation by largemouth bass and reduces the number of small bluegills in the lake to improve growth in the coming year,” said Bryan Hayes, DNR fisheries management biologist.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, Sports |

Northwest, Hawkins look to advance to Elite Eight tonight

Sports

March 16th, 2021 by admin

The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats men’s basketball team will be trying to earn their way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tonight. The Bearcats (24-2) will square off against the Northern State Wolves (19-1) in the NCAA Central Region Tournament Final at 7:00 p.m. at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, SD.

The Bearcats are coming off an emphatic 85-44 win over Washburn in the second round. Atlantic native Ryan Hawkins dropped in a game high 27 points in that win and hit 7 threes.

Catch the Regional Final tonight HERE.

Posted in Sports |

Cass County Board of Supervisors approve 2022 budgets

News

March 16th, 2021 by Part Time

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday, March 16th. During their session, they approved:

  • Both the 2022 Cass County and Secondary Roads Budgets
  • County Compensation Board’s recommendations for elected officers’ compensation for the 2022 fiscal year.
  • The appointment of Jacob Reynolds as Sheriff’s Deputy. Reynolds will begin his duties next week.
  • They also approved Laurie Ohms as the new Lincoln Township clerk. Ohms will hold the position until the end of the term on December 31, 2024.

There was also a brief discussion during the Supervisor’s meeting, with regard to COVID-19 numbers in the area. Unofficially, 50% of people aged 18 years or more have had the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine in Cass County. Over 1,100 vaccines were administered in a large event last week. Around 500 more vaccines are expected to be administered at another clinic Friday (tomorrow), March 17th.

Posted in News |