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Tri-Center Trojans Boys Basketball 2023-2024 season recap

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

The Tri-Center Trojans boys basketball team ended their season with a 51-49 loss to the Woodbine Tigers in the second round of the Class 1A-Region 8 bracket. The Trojans were led in scoring that night by freshman AJ Harder who had 15 points.

Tri-Center will be losing five seniors to graduation this year: Avery Reed, Christian Dahir, Zach Murley, Matt Eikenberry and Isaac Wohlhut.

Trojans coach Chad Harder talked about the close loss in the post season to Woodbine.

Coach Harder had this to say to his team in the locker room after the Woodbine game.

Coach Harder commented on how well freshman AJ Harder has played this season.

Coach Harder found out his Trojan broke a record this season by making 171 made three pointers surpassing the previous record of 165 three pointers.

Coach Harder says he doesn’t really set concrete goals for next season but says his goal is be the best you can be.

The Trojans did end the season with an overall record of 14-9 and went 9-8 in the Western Iowa Conference. The players are going to work hard over the summer and play around 20 summer league games.

Feldkamp Receives At-Large Selection for NCAA Championships

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State 184-pounder Will Feldkamp has received an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Championships March 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo.

Feldkamp, ranked No. 12 nationally by InterMat, becomes Iowa State’s ninth NCAA Qualifier for next week’s tournament. His selection marks the fourth time under head coach Kevin Dresser that nine Cyclones have qualified for the national tournament and ISU’s sixth consecutive season with at least eight qualifiers.

A Dexter Township, Mich. Native, Feldkamp will wrestle in his third NCAA Championships after competing in the tournament twice at Clarion prior to transferring to Iowa State. Feldkamp placed seventh at last season’s national tournament.

Feldkamp placed sixth at the 2024 Big 12 Championship, one spot shy of automatically qualifying, and has a 12-9 record with five falls and three tech falls this season.

The full 2024 NCAA wrestling Division I championship brackets will be revealed during a selection show streamed live on NCAA.com Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m.

 

Dabagia Ties for 11th, Hawkeyes Place 6th at Tulane Classic

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by admin

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The University of Iowa women’s golf team fired a final round 298 – its best round of the tournament – to conclude play Tuesday at the Tulane Classic presented by Chad Brownstein. The Hawkeyes finished in sixth place (out of 17 teams) at the English Turn Golf and Country Club, posting 54-hole score of 905 (300-302-298).

Sophomore Madison Dabagia finished as the team’s low scorer at 6-over par. The Indiana native shot a one-over par 73 on Tuesday to move into a tie for 11th place, finishing with a 222 (79-70-73).  Dabagia finished the round with three birdies and 11 pars.

It is the third straight tournament that Dabagia has either tied for or led the team.  She has posted three straight top 20 finishes.

Sophomore Shannyn Vogler tied for 30th place as she shot 74 (+2) – her best round of the weekend — in the tournament’s final round. Vogler’s play was consistent throughout the tournament, carding rounds of 75-77-74 over the course of three days.

Freshman Ximena Benites, competing individually, tied for 18th place with a seven over par 223 (74-71-78).  It is tied for the best finish of Benites’ career.

Colorado State won the tournament by a single shot over Cal Poly, finishing with an 18-over par 882.  Missouri’s Fluer van Beek was the individual medalist with a three-under par 213, two shots better than Notre Dame’s Lauren Beaudreau.

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes will have three weeks off before resuming their spring season in Tennessee at the Chattanooga Classic from April 7-9.

 

Guthrie County Woman Charged with Insurance Fraud

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau report a Guthrie County woman, 54-year-old Jeannette Gerloff, of Yale, was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony) and one count of Theft in the 2nd Degree (Class D Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

The charges against Gerloff stem from an investigation that began in October 2023. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Gerloff provided false statements to her insurer as part of and in support of a claim for payment on her renters insurance policy. Gerloff obtained $2,487.34 from her insurer which she otherwise would not have been entitled to.

On March 8, 2024, Gerloff was arrested. She was released on her own recognizance after making a court appearance.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Iowa’s Owen Freeman is B1G Freshman of the Year

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Iowa forward Owen Freeman has been named the Big Ten Freshman-of-the Year. The native Moline, Illinois, is averaging better than 10 and-a-half-points and six and-a-half rebounds for an Iowa team that takes an 18-13 record into this week’s Big Ten Tournament in the Twin Cities.

Freeman says his confidence grew during this season and hopes to take his game to another level next season.

Freeman says his faith has been a big part of his success on the court.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was not surprised Freeman had immediate success.

McCaffery says Freeman had no trouble adapting to the college game.

Miller Earns Women’s Basketball State Farm Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Sports

March 12th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

 ST. LOUIS, Mo. –Drake junior Anna Miller has been rewarded for a stellar year in the classroom and on the court as the recipient of the 2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball State Farm Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Miller highlights the six-person Scholar-Athlete First Team and is one of four Bulldogs included between First, Second, and Third Teams plus honorable mention.

The Rochester, Minn. native owns a 4.0 grade point average as a health sciences major at Drake. She is among the top overall players in The Valley with 13.2 points and a league high 9.9 rebounds per game. Miller is second in the conference with a .543 field goal percentage and has been the premier rim protector with 83 total blocks and 2.7 per game.

Other Bulldogs included on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams include Katie Dinnebier (Second Team), Courtney Becker (Third Team), and Anna Brown (Honorable Mention).

The criteria for nomination to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team voting matches the College Sports Communicators standards. Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and must be enrolled at their school as an undergraduate of graduate student. The full list of this year’s Scholar-Athlete student-athletes is listed below.

First Team

Kiley Bess, Sr., Indiana State

Grace Boffeli, Jr., UNI

Tuti Jones, Sr./RJr., Belmont

Anna Miller, Jr., Drake

Tessa Miller, Jr., Belmont

Barbora Tomancova, Gr., Evansville

Second Team

Olivia Brown, 5Yr., Valparaiso

Kate Bullman, Sr., Illinois State

Katie Dinnebier, Jr., Drake

Ella Sawyer, 5Yr., Indiana State

Katelyn Young, Sr., Murray State

Third Team

Courtney Becker, Sr., Drake

Paige Clubb, Jr., Southern Illinois

Leah Earnest, Sr., Valparaiso

Cailyn Morgan, Sr., UNI

Callie Ziebell, Jr., Bradley

Honorable Mention

Anna Brown, Gr., Drake

Ryley Goebel, So., UNI

Kayba Laube, Jr., UNI

Adrianna Katcher, Sr., Southern Illinois

Maya McDermott, Jr., UNI

Taryn Wharton, So., UNI

RISE grants approved for Des Moines, Sioux City, Mt. Pleasant

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The State Transportation Commission approved millions of dollars today (Tuesday) for economic development road projects. The D-O-T’s Deb Arp presented a request from the city of Des Moines and its airport authority to add more funding to its previous request for the new airport terminal.

“This application requests an additional amendment to the scope and grant award to provide additional roadway improvements for public access to the new terminal facility. Commercial vehicle lanes will be accessible to all public passengers and to facilitate the growth of ride sharing and ride hailing transportation network companies hotel shuttles, taxi services and public transit services,” she says. The money comes from the Rebuild Iowa’s Sound Economy or “RISE” funds.

“The total amended RISE eligible roadway costs would increase by over seven million to 19-million-663-thousand-391 dollars, ” Arp says. “And the city of Des Moines has requested three-million-513-thousand-350 dollars in additional Rise funds.” The design of the roadway is expected to be complete in April 2025 and construction completed by July 2026. The city of Mount Pleasant submitted a RISE application for a new roadway project.

“Requesting a grant to assist in construction of approximately one-thousand-33 feet of Eugene Way located in the west side of town. The proposed RISE roadway will provide access to three lots totaling more than 13 acres for light industrial purposes,” she says. Mount Pleasant was awarded half of the cost of the roadway project which is estimated to be around 487-thousand dollars, the city will provide the other half.

Sioux City was approved for an award to build a roadway along Highway 75 on the northeast side of the city for a water park.”The proposed rise roadway will support tourism and provide access to the proposed Siouxland Splash Waterslide Park development to be developed by Frontline Development L-L-C,” Arp says. She says the award is based on the benefits the water park will bring. “An economic impact study expects over 150-thousand visitors to be attracted annually by the third year of operation, 12-thousand-547 overnight visitors and the creation of 55 jobs,” Arp says.

A commissioner asked if the award was to benefit just one business as other projects benefiting a single entity had not been funded. Sioux City business development coordinator, Chris Meyers, told the commission the city purchased 43 acres at the site with the hopes of developing the area around the water park as well. “The waterpark phase one is developing ten acres of that. And the waterpark developer has an option on the remaining 30 acres specifically for the intention of expanding the waterpark. And they would like to in the next year or two put up a hotel on the site as well,” he says.

The Transportation Commission approved the request of more than one-point-two million dollars ($1,250,957) or 50 percent of the project. Design of the roadway is expected to be complete by July 2024, with construction completed by December.

Consumer Connection: Insurance Needs for Spring Storms

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

By Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

Spring storms, characterized by heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and even tornadoes, pose significant risks to homes and properties.  From water damage to wind-related destruction, these seasonal hazards can lead to substantial financial losses.  According to the Insurance Information Institute, natural catastrophe losses in the United States during 2023 topped $79.6 billion.

A fundamental step in preparing for spring storms is a review of your homeowners policy and initiating a conversation with your licensed insurance agent to scrutinize the coverage.  This review should encompass the types and amounts of coverage in place, verifying they align with the potential risks associated with spring storms, and ensuring an understanding of the policy terms, exclusions, and limitations.

For optimal protection, homeowners should explore additional coverage options beyond the basic replacement cost policy.  Annual inflation adjustment is one consideration to ensure coverage keeps pace with the rising costs of materials and labor.

Extended replacement cost is another valuable option to consider. This coverage goes beyond the limits specified in the policy, providing an extra layer of financial protection by extending the dwelling coverage by 10-50% of the cost of rebuilding your home.  In the wake of a severe storm, where rebuilding costs may surpass initial estimates, extended replacement cost coverage can be crucial.

Building code upgrades represent coverage that address the need to comply with materials. Spring storms often expose vulnerabilities in structures, prompting the need for repairs to meet current safety standards. This coverage ensures that the financial burden of these mandatory upgrades does not fall solely on the homeowner.

Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

Review the policy for the coverage of your home’s roof. Insurance companies may change the coverage allowed under your policy as the roof ages.  For example, the actual cash value of your roof declines as it ages, and this coverage may only cover a portion of your claim based on the roof’s age and condition.  Check your declarations page and policy for roof coverage information.

Damage caused by flooding is often a standard exclusion in home, renter, and property insurance policies.  Water and sewer backup coverage is different from flood insurance.  While some homeowners policies include these provisions, neither are automatically included as part of a regular homeowners policy and will need a special endorsement to provide coverage.

Read all letters and policy renewal information received from the insurance company, as these may contain policy and coverage changes.  Verify any changes in coverage for exterior surfaces such as siding, gutters, downspouts, soffit, fascia, and windows due to cosmetic versus functional damage.  Call your agent if you have questions on any coverage changes.

A spring check up of your homeowners policy, and a collaboration with your insurance agent is pivotal in ensuring that the right amount and types of coverage are in place to protect against the financial aftermath of spring storms.

House panel dismisses ethics complaint over vote for private school money

News

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House Ethics Committee has unanimously dismissed a complaint alleging Republican Representative Dean Fisher of Montour has violated House rules by voting to commit state funding to private schools and helping start a new school.

Fisher backed last year’s law that created state-funded Education Savings Accounts to cover private school tuition and other expenses. He’s board president of the Tama Toledo Christian School that’ll open next year.

“(Fisher) claims he held up his campaign promises to his constituents…and he claims the complaint is politically motivated and simply a difference of opinion on legislation signed into law,” Representative Anne Osmundson of Volga, House Ethics Committee chair, said during today’s meeting in explaining Fisher’s response to the complaint.

All six Republicans and Democrats on the ethics panel voted to dismiss the complaint.

“I am concerned about what the complainant has stated. It just gives me a bad feeling overall,” Representative Monica Kurth, a Democrat from Davenport, said. “However, I don’t think it rises to a point of being a violation of the ethics code.”

Representative Stanley Gustafson, a Republican from Cumming, is another member of the panel. “I don’t think that Dean Fisher’s personal interest was necessarily the driving force behind the effort to have vouchers for a private school,” Gustafson said.

House rules say members should abstain from voting on bills that are a conflict of interest due to personal gain, but teachers in the legislature, for example, routinely vote on state spending for schools because the bills have broad benefit.

Barbara Kalbaugh of Dexter filed the complaint against Fisher and spoke with reporters at the statehouse. “Fisher’s actions are self-dealing and self-servicing,” Kalbaugh said. “Some would say they’re corrupt and the House Ethics Committee is letting him get away with it and that’s shameful.”

Fisher released a written statement after the committee vote.

“This complaint was clearly just a politically-motivated attempt to smear me,” Fisher said. “It’s wrong to attempt to use the mechanisms of government to attack someone you simply disagree with on policy.”

Fire risk is so high, it’s ‘like pouring gasoline on the ground’

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

March 12th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Warm temperatures, dry conditions and gusting winds are combining to make conditions extremely dangerous for open burning in many areas of Iowa, with burn bans active in 22 counties.

In southwest Iowa, Glenwood Fire Chief Matt Gray says his department tackled a ditch fire along Interstate 29 on Monday afternoon, but as crews were working to contain the blaze, the winds shifted and the flames quickly spread into a nearby cornfield.

“A bunch of the stuff that was leftover from the previous harvest, the corn and stuff like that, was so dry and with the speed of the wind, it was all we could do to keep it contained,” Gray says. “It got up on a levee and burned through that. There was a bunch of high brome grass in there that burned and there were several trees that caught fire.”

Gray says they requested mutual aid from the Oak Township Fire Department as well as from Malvern once the fire spread. Ultimately, he says the blaze consumed between five and eight acres. Despite recent precipitation, Gray says conditions are still ripe for brush fires.

RED — 22 active burn bans, BLUE — 12 recent ban lifts.

“With the wind speeds and all the dry fuels laying on the ground. That’s basically like pouring gasoline on the ground, lighting it, and letting it go,” Gray says. “It’s very flammable, spreads fast, and with the wind, it’s just hard to control.”

Even in areas where burn bans are not in effect, Gray urges everyone to be extremely cautious, and that includes campfires, grills and farm equipment.

“Basically, you’re not supposed to be doing any open burning at all unless you have a burn permit signed from the fire chief who goes out and selects the area that you’re going to burn,” Gray says. “That’s the only way you can do any type of open burning right now.”

During burn bans, residents are reminded not to throw cigarettes from moving vehicles and to stop burning yard waste, piled tree debris, or other items. Violations of a burn ban can subject a person to criminal penalties and civil liabilities for any damages, losses, or injuries resulting from a fire.