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Dense Fog Advisories in effect this (Tuesday) morning

Weather

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas-Cass-Adair-Madison-Adams-Union-Taylor-Ringgold-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-Page Counties…DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM, for visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog.

* IMPACTS…Hazardous driving conditions due to low visibility.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Areas of light drizzle are also expected overnight with the fog.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.

Posted in Weather |

Daily fees to be reduced for Sunnyside Pool in Atlantic

News

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Bryant Rasmussen, Monday, reported to the Parks and Rec Board, that after talking with Atlantic YMCA Aquatic Program Director Chelsie Huddleson, it was decided to eliminate the membership aspect of Sunnyside pool, due to issues with people sharing memberships and other such issues. Those problems he said resulted in a loss of revenue. Instead, there will simply be a straight, reduced daily fee for now, to see how that works out.

They are also working on using the City’s seamless doc program that would enable users of the pool to pay for admission and concessions with a card instead of just cash and change.

Rasmussen said they are going to move forward with as many summer programs as possible, taking into account safety protocols. He reported also, the Parks and Rec Department will host its 2nd nnual Easter Egg Cruise, in partnership with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

The event takes place Saturday, April 3rd. Details are forthcoming.

Posted in News |

Midwest Sports Headlines: 3/16/21

Sports

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State and men’s basketball coach Steve Prohm have agreed to part ways after one of the worst seasons in program history. Athletic director Jamie Pollard made the announcement after meeting with Prohm. The Cyclones were 2-22 overall, 0-18 in the Big 12. They lost their last 18 games. Prohm was 97-95 in six seasons and led the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament three times.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Fran McCaffery signed a four-year contract extension through 2027-28 after leading the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes to the Big Ten semifinals and their highest NCAA Tournament seeding since 1987. The team is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play Grand Canyon on Friday in Indianapolis. McCaffery’s annual base salary of $2.3 million for the next two seasons will remain unchanged. He is on track to receive longevity bonuses at the end of the next two seasons. His annual salary will increase each of the last five years.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Ladell Betts will return to Iowa to coach running backs and George Barnett has been hired as the Hawkeyes’ offensive line coach. Betts starred for the Hawkeyes from 1998 to 2001 and is the only running back in program history to lead the team in rushing four straight years. Betts went on to play nine seasons in the NFL. The 41-year-old was head coach the last two years at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Barnett had been named offensive line coach at Tulane three months ago. He previously was on the staff at Miami (Ohio) for seven seasons.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The cash-strapped Kansas City Chiefs made their first big first move to rebuild their offensive line Monday, agreeing with Joe Thuney on a five-year contract to provide a durable plug-and-play option at one of their interior positions. The agent for the former Patriots standout, Mike McCartney, tweeted the sides had agreed to the deal on the first day they could discuss contracts with free agents. The deal is worth $80 million and includes some incentives, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been signed. The earliest it can become official is Wednesday, when free agency begins.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — It began with the resignation of Kansas football coach Les Miles amid accusations of sexual harassment. It continued with the resignation of athletic director Jeff Long, who was tied to the fiasco. It ended with the men’s basketball team withdrawing from the Big 12 Tournament due to COVID-19. Now, after one of the worst weeks imaginable for the Jayhawks, coach Bill Self’s team has a chance to make it all a bad memory. The Jayhawks earned the No. 3 seed in the West Region and will play No. 14 seed Eastern Washington on Saturday.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State forward Antonio Gordon has been released from his scholarship and will transfer for his junior season. The 6-foot-9 forward from Lawton, Oklahoma, started 21 games and appeared in 27 more during his first two seasons with the Wildcats. The former three-star prospect averaged 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game. He started 12 of 21 games this past season, averaging 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, before missing the regular-season finale with unspecified health issues.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: 3/16/21

News

March 16th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CDT

DOW CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Crawford County woman has pleaded not guilty in the shooting death last month of her boyfriend. The Sioux City Journal reports that 44-year-old Beth Guzman, of Dow City, pleaded not guilty Friday to a count of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Jeremy Frank. Crawford County Sheriff’s deputies say they found Frank unresponsive and bleeding after being called Feb. 21 to the home he and Guzman shared. Frank was taken to a hospital in Denison, where he was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound. Prosecutors say Guzman told investigators she and Frank had argued and that she shot Frank in a bedroom as he tried to leave.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% in January as more residents joined the workforce. The state’s Workforce Development department reported Monday the rate was down from a revised 3.7% rate for December and compared to a 2.8% rate a year ago, before the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a severe economic slowdown. Workforce Development says the state added 8,200 workers in January. There were 57,400 unemployed residents. Iowa was tied with Kansas for the nation’s sixth-lowest unemployment rate. South Dakota and Utah had the lowest rate, at 3.1%. The national unemployment rate for January was 6.3%.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Heavy snow blanketed much of northern Iowa, Monday, snarling traffic and closing schools and services, as a late winter storm moved through the region. Online reports issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation show snow and ice covering roads in north-central Iowa and partially covering roads for much of the rest of the northern half of the state. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for three dozen counties in Iowa’s northern half and a winter weather advisory for several more counties in the region. The weather service expects some areas to see up to 8 inches of snow by Monday afternoon.

MAXWELL, Iowa (AP) — Sudden meat shortages last year because of the coronavirus led to millions of dollars in federal grants to help small meat processors expand. The goal was to help the nation lessen its reliance on giant slaughterhouses to supply grocery stores and restaurants. However, the money flowing to small slaughterhouses shows no sign of solving the meat problem. There’s little doubt the grants will help small processors and in turn provide sorely needed rural jobs, but the economics of meat now centers on larger, highly efficient slaughterhouses, not smaller plants whose numbers have been decreasing sharply.

Posted in News |

ISU women grab 7 seed for NCAA tournament

Sports

March 16th, 2021 by admin

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State women’s basketball team has been selected to play in its 19th NCAA Tournament, and 12th appearance in the last 15 years. The seventh-seeded Cyclones will face No. 10 seed Michigan State in the first round, Monday, March 22 in the Mercado Regional.

Tipoff time is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN. The winner of the Iowa State/Michigan State game will advance to play the winner of the Texas A&M/Troy contest on Wednesday, March 24.

Iowa State (16-10, 12-6 Big 12) is one of just 15 teams nationally to earn NCAA Tournament berths in 12 of the last 15 years. All 19 of the Cyclones’ NCAA Tournament appearances have come under the direction of head coach Bill Fennelly.

Michigan State is 15-8 overall and finished 8-7 in the Big Ten

Posted in Sports |

Hawkeye women earn NCAA tournament bid

Sports

March 15th, 2021 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s basketball team received an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, its 27th appearance in the tournament, including its 15th under P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Coach Lisa Bluder.

Iowa (18-8) received a No. 5 seed in the River Walk Region and will play 12th-seeded Central Michigan (18-8) on Sunday in San Antonio. It will be the second meeting between the two teams. The first meeting was during the 2010-11 season — Iowa won 90-79. The other two teams in Iowa’s first-weekend bracket include No. 4 Kentucky and 13th-seeded Idaho State.

Information on pre-tournament news conferences and open practice times will be released in the coming days.

Posted in Sports |

Prohm and Iowa State will part ways

Sports

March 15th, 2021 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State and men’s basketball coach Steve Prohm have agreed to part ways. Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard met Prohm in person Monday night. Pollard will have additional comment Tuesday.

Prohm, compiled a 97-95 record in six seasons with the Cyclones, but his 2020-21 club was 2-22 overall. Prohm led Iowa State to three NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament berths and two Big 12 Tournament Championships in his tenure.

Pollard, who is serving on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, will begin the search for a replacement immediately.

Posted in Sports |

VIRGINIA ANNE JOHNSON, 92, of Harlan (Svcs. 3/18/21)

Obituaries

March 15th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

VIRGINIA ANNE JOHNSON, 92, of Harlan, died Sunday, March 14th, in Harlan. Funeral services for VIRGINIA JOHNSON will be 11-a.m. Thursday, March 18th, at the Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home, Inc., in Harlan.

CDC guidelines will be observed and masks are required.

A public viewing be held from 3-until 8-p.m. Wed., March 17th, at the funeral home.

Online condolences may be left at www.burmeisterjohannsen.com.

Burial is in the Jacksonville Cemetery at Jacksonville (IA)

VIRGINIA ANNE JOHNSON is survived by:

Her son – Frank Johnson, of Plant City, FL.

Her daughters – Ellen (Dr. Kevan) Whitsett, of Columbia, MO., & Catherine (William) Neumann, of West Des Moines.

4 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

Chiefs, Thuney agree to 5-year deal as O-line rebuild begins

Sports

March 15th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The cash-strapped Kansas City Chiefs made their first big first move to rebuild their offensive line Monday, agreeing with Joe Thuney on a five-year contract to provide a durable plug-and-play option at one of their interior positions. The agent for the former Patriots standout, Mike McCartney, tweeted the sides had agreed to the deal on the first day they could discuss contracts with free agents.

Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle Chris Jones (95) stretching during NFL football practice Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. (Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP)

The deal is worth $80 million and includes some incentives, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been signed. The earliest it can become official is Wednesday, when free agency begins.

 

Posted in Sports |

Ernst says stimulus bill will be a campaign issue

News

March 15th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the economic stimulus package will be a campaign issue for Republicans in 2022 even though it means many people are getting checks. Ernst says there are many people who think the relief should have been more targeted.  “They come to me. I heard even over the weekend when I was out doing county tours folks saying ‘you know I really don’t need this 14-hundred dollars payment, what do I do with it?,” Ernst says. “So you do have people who have been working and they don’t understand, why I’m getting a payment.”

Ernst says the euphoria of getting the checks will eventually wear off when people realize the long-term cost. “At some point in the future, very near future, we do expect that the Democrats to pay for all of this will end up raising taxes — and that will be extremely unpopular — for all the goodies that were handed out in this package,” according to Ernst. She says she’s also heard from government leaders who don’t like the bailouts in the bill for poorly run states and cities.

“That have said, hey we had to tighten belts during COVID, we did the right thing, we balanced our city’s budget, and now our taxpayers’ dollars are going to go to the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois,” Ernst says. Ernst says the enthusiasm seen as the payments start arriving this week will subside when people realize the real cost of the bill. “When all of that other stuff comes to light — that’s when it becomes extremely unpopular. And we have seen this in previous administrations too, if you go back to times when previous economic stimulus plans were used,” Ernst says.

The relief bill was pushed through by Democrats without any votes from Republicans. Ernst made her comments in a call with Iowa reporters.

Posted in News |