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Deputy suffers minor injuries, 3 subjects taken into custody, following a two-county chase Friday

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Harlan, Iowa) – A chase that began in Shelby County Friday afternoon resulted in injuries to a Deputy and three subjects eventually being taken into custody. According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, at around 11:23-a.m., the Shelby County Communications Center was contacted by the Harrison County Communications Center, with regard to persons trying to pass a fraudulent check at a bank in Missouri Valley. The same people tried to pass  a fraudulent check in Washington County, Nebraska.

The suspect’s vehicle was being followed by a bank employee, into Shelby County. When Shelby County Deputies located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop north of Portsmouth on Highway 191, the vehicle briefly stopped, and one person got out. A pursuit by law enforcement began, when the vehicle sped-off. Deputies from Shelby and Harrison Counties, and the Iowa State Patrol engaged in the chase.

During the pursuit, two Shelby County Deputies lost control of their patrol cars at the intersection of Cedar Road and F-32. Both patrol cars left the road and entered the south ditch before coming to rest. One vehicle sustained minor damage, but the Deputy was not hurt. The other patrol vehicle sustained major damage. The Deputy in that vehicle was transported to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan by Shelby County Ambulance. The Deputy was treated and released, and is recovering at home.

The suspects were again located by the Iowa State Patrol near Highways 30 and 44. A second pursuit was initiated, which ended near Beebeetown. Two suspects were taken into custody, and transported to the Harrison County Jail. The third person who got out of the vehicle near Portsmouth, was arrested by Shelby County Deputies and transported to the Shelby County Jail. No names were immediately released.

Agencies assisting during the incident (in addition to those previously mentioned), include: the Panama, Earling Fire & Harlan Fire & Rescue Departments, along with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, and 712 Towing.

BULLDOGS CLAIM OUTRIGHT CONFERENCE TITLE WITH OVERWHELMING WIN AT EVANSVILLE

Sports

March 8th, 2024 by admin

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Drake women’s basketball team picked up a compelling road win over Evansville this evening to add to their already historic season. The Bulldogs trounced UE 86-53 to improve to 18-1 in league play and secure the outright regular season MVC championship.

The win was also Drake’s 10th in a row, marking the longest victory streak in Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman’s tenure.

Grace Berg finally broke a scoreless start of nearly two minutes with the game’s first basket, a three from the left wing. Drake (25-5, 18-1) then got two more on a Taylor McAulay score following two precise passes from Berg and Anna Miller.

Berg later buried another three over top of an active zone defense by Evansville. Katie Dinnebier joined in with a triple from nearly the exact same spot as Berg’s first two makes. She scored the next four for the Bulldogs to give Drake its first double-digit lead of the night at 15-5.

Drake led 18-7 after the first quarter. It was the seventh time this season that the Bulldogs held their opponents to a single digit scoring total in a quarter.

The Drake domination continued in the second period as Ashley Iiams came on and buried a transition three after an assist from Brooklin Dailey. The two reserves teamed up to give the Dogs a 28-9 advantage and force an Evansville (4-26, 2-17) timeout.

The Aces were able to chip away a bit at Drake’s healthy advantage as the clock ticked towards halftime. Kynidi Mason Striverson rattled in a corner three and took a charge on the opposite end to firmly grasp the momentum. Drake struggled over this stretch, going scoreless for over three minutes until a pair of Dinnebier freebies halted the cold streak.

Dinnebier came through again with a deep three off the glass as the first half horn sounded to give Drake a 40-22 halftime lead. Dinnebier led all scorers with 17 points at the break.

The Bulldogs built on their buzzer-beating play to end the first half as their rout continued in the third period. Drake, using their patented blistering pace, ripped off a 7-0 run over just 45 seconds of game time to grab a 23-point lead, its largest of the game up to that point.

Grace Berg keyed the Bulldogs down the stretch of the third quarter, eventually hitting the 20-point mark on the night. Drake led 61-37 after three.

Drake bested their largest lead of the game with three-straight deep balls, the first from Brooklin Dailey for her first score of the evening, and two in transition from Courtney Becker. That trio of treys extended Drake’s lead to 34 points with just over six minutes to play.

The fourth quarter concluded moments later with Drake’s massive advantage intact. The Bulldogs left Meeks Family Fieldhouse with an 86-53 victory to secure sole possession of the MVC title. It marks the eighth outright regular season conference championship in program history and first since 2019.

Katie Dinnebier led all scorers with 25 points followed by Grace Berg’s 22. Dinnebier also dished out eight assists to lead the game. She surpassed the 500-career assist mark in Thursday’s win, becoming just the seventh player in program history to do so.

Drake’s double-digit scorers were rounded by Courtney Becker with 13 points and Anna Miller with 12. Miller saw her streak of five-straight double-doubles end, but still led the Bulldogs on the glass with six boards along with four blocks.

As a team, Drake’s persistent defensive effort forced 15 turnovers, a season high for the squad.

“It’s easy to get overly critical, especially this time of year,” Pohlman said. “We’re not expecting perfection, but you want to watch their chemistry and their confidence grow and what we see every day in practice shine through and we did that. Being able to come on the road and show up the way we did…I loved our energy. We executed extremely, extremely well.”

The Bulldogs will wrap up their regular season this weekend with a trip to Terre Haute, Ind. and a meeting with Indiana State. The Bulldogs and Sycamores will tip off at noon.

Atlantic RAGBRAI Receives $50,000 Check from RAGBRAI

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic ®RAGBRAI committee were presented with a $50,000 check at the RAGBRAI Overnight Community Meeting Thursday, March 7th.

“RAGBRAI is generously investing $50,000 in each overnight community this year to help alleviate event expenses and to help show their gratitude to each host community. We’re grateful for their partnership and look forward to using the funds to create the hospitable experience RAGBRAI goers have come to love when visiting Atlantic,” Bailey Smith, Atlantic RAGBRAI Exec Chair stated.

Atlantic last hosted in 2019, welcoming just under 20,000 people to town. The committee raised a record $50,000 that was divided between the Atlantic Police Department, Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department, Atlantic School Booster Club and Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. Smith is looking forward to having another record year.

“RAGBRAI gives Atlantic a lot of positive exposure while supporting local organizations and non-profits. A lot of work goes into planning the event, and we’re eager to get the ball rolling with our 20 committee chairs and their committee members,” Smith stated.

The official Atlantic RAGBRAI website, www.atlanticragbrai.com, was launched by NISHNANET and is live now for individuals looking for information regarding housing, vending and volunteer opportunities. Information regarding sponsorship opportunities will be available in the coming weeks as well as a schedule of entertainment.

Atlantic will host RAGBRAI Monday, July 22nd. Follow Atlantic RAGBRAI on Facebook to receive live updates when information is made available. Visit www.atlanticragbrai.com or call 712-250-5343.

Cass County Master Gardeners Invite Public to Tree Care Workshop March 23

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Planning to replace a tree? Have questions about tree care or diseases? Attend the Cass County Master Gardener’s Tree Care Workshop on Saturday, March 23 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds in Atlantic (805 W. 10th St. Atlantic, IA 50022).

Iowa DNR District Forester Sarah Bell will give a presentation on native trees and current tree diseases and pest concerns, including emerald ash borer. Bell will discuss how to select appropriate trees for the area, including trees native to southwest Iowa. She will share helpful tree information and resources, as well as advise on how to select and purchase a new tree.

Following the presentation, Bell will lead a walking tour of the Cass County fairgrounds which will cover tree evaluation, pruning, and planting. Looking for symptoms of decay, weakly attached branches, splits, and root problems are examples of tree evaluation. Bell will also demonstrate tree pruning and planting a new tree as time and weather allow.

This workshop is open to the public. Cost to attend is $10. Find more information or register for the Tree Care Workshop by calling the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or visiting www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Preregistration is encouraged by Thursday, March 21 to ensure materials are available. A variety of resource materials will be available for participants to take home, and light refreshments will be available.

For more information about this event and other Master Gardener activities in Cass County, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, stop by the office at 805 West 10th street in Atlantic, email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.  You are also invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG to keep up with local events and tips for gardening!

Atlantic Rising Trivia Night Tradition

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Rising will be hosting the 7th Annual Trivia Night Fundraiser on Saturday, March 16th at The Venue. The organization continues to hold this event to fundraiser for the annual Christmas Box program. Kelsey Beschorner, Atlantic Rising Social Chair says “This event has been very successful in the past. In 2023, we had 10 teams register and were able to raise over $2,500 for the program. We are excited to have Ann & John McCurdy returning to emcee ‘A Night at McCurdy’s Pub.’ We can’t wait to see what questions they have in store for our teams.”

The event will include eight rounds of ten questions each. Categories range from math to music to Queens of the Decades and everything in between. There is a prize awarded to the winning team. Teams are also encouraged to dress for the St. Patrick’s Day theme to add to the fun of the evening. A prize is awarded to the best dressed team and will be chosen by the staff at The Venue.

Beschorner says “Our goal is to have everyone come out to enjoy a fun night while raising money for a project that does so much good for our community.”

For more information on Trivia Night or to register a team, contact Kelsey Beschorner at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017 or visit www.atlanticiowa.com.

20th annual Johnny Cash tribute concert planned for April

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Musicians from across the region will be playing a concert in central Iowa next month that pays tribute to the Man in Black. Growing up in the southwestern Iowa town Atlantic, Randy Burk says he had -heard- Johnny Cash, but when he hit his mid-20s, he realized that’s the kind of music he wanted to write — and play.

“I would go into a country venue, and there’s Johnny Cash. I would go into a rock and roll venue, and you heard Johnny Cash,” Burk says. “You could go into punk-metal, you could go into the theater, he transcends everything and I always thought that was amazing.”

Randy Burk

This marks the 20th year Burk has organized and performed in a Cash tribute concert in Iowa, and he says the beginnings of the long-standing tradition were relatively humble back in 2003.

In addition to the heart-felt lyrics and catchy, toe-tapping tunes, Cash had incredible memorization skills and performed songs like “I’ve Been Everywhere” that are almost-impossible for any other singer to cover.

Burk will be playing with his band, The Prisoners, along with a host of other artists on Sunday, April 7th at X-B-K Live in Des Moines.

https://xbklive.com/

Iowa State women play No. 17 Baylor in Big 12 Tourney on Saturday

Sports

March 8th, 2024 by admin

The Iowa State women play 17th ranked Baylor on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. The Cyclones are the four seed while fifth seeded Baylor advanced with a 71-60 victory over Texas Tech earlier today. ISU won the only regular season contest in Ames.

 

That’s Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly who says it will be a competitive weekend.

Burn Ban Lifted for Pottawattamie County

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa)  – With the precipitation western Iowa received this (Friday) morning, officials with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management has requested the State Fire Marshall lift the current ban in Pottawattamie County effective today.

Open burning is now allowable throughout the county EXCEPT in any municipal city limits where there is a standing ordinance prohibiting open burning on a regular basis. Before burning within any city limits, check with your local fire department or city clerk to determine whether your community has such an ordinance.

Residents are to continue using extreme caution whenever burning. The county is still experiencing abnormally dry conditions and seasonal outlooks indicate that will remain the case or even deteriorate in the upcoming months.

Emergency Management urges all residents to sign up for Alert Iowa emergency notifications at https://pcema-ia.org. During emergencies or critical events communication is key, and the Alert Iowa system is the primary method of distributing alerts and information in Pott. County.

House bill creates crime of human smuggling

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Human smuggling of undocumented immigrants — to conceal them from law enforcement — would become a crime in Iowa if a bill that’s passed the Iowa House becomes law. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says the human smuggling that’s happening is horrific and inexcusable.

“Why is this legislation necessary? Never in my lifetime and likely never in the history of this country have we seen the chaos on our southern border that we are seeing today,” Holt said. “…A very real and profoundly serious crisis on our southern border demands that we stand up as a state and protect our citizens and our sovereignty and perhaps discourage human trafficking, labor trafficking, sex trafficking and all of the garbage that is happening at our southern border and transferring into our state.”

The crime of human smuggling would apply to someone who knowingly and for their own benefit transport and try to conceal illegal aliens from Iowa law enforcement agencies. “Or encourages or induces a person to enter or remain in the United States by concealing, harboring or shielding that person from detection,” Holt says.

The bill passed with the support of House Republicans. Representative Mark Thompson, a Republican from Clarion, says human smuggling is a disgusting business and the bill is needed because some of the demand comes from Iowa businesses. “They employ these people if you want to use the word ’employ’ because they’re not given any decent wage and then when they complain about it or something goes wrong, they’re thrown to the street, so their immigration status is used against them. It’s blackmail. We’re not going anyone coming across our border any fair shake, any favors by letting them come across and just come up to Iowa,” Thompson said. “…The federal government is not enforcing its own laws. We have to have our law protect these people.”

Democrats opposed the bill. Representative Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque, says immigration is a federal issue. “I think we can all agree that the immigration system needs some work,” James said. “There has been bipartisan legislation on the federal level that imploded because of the politics of Donald Trump and the Republican do nothing congress.”

The bill now goes to the Iowa Senate, which already has passed a requirement that Iowa businesses check a federal database to see if their employees are U-S citizens or legal residents of the country. Employers caught hiring undocumented immigrants twice in two years would lose their license to do business in Iowa if that bill becomes law.

Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors Visit Pymosa Lodge #27

News

March 8th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by the Masonic Pymosa Lodge Thursday, March 7th, 2024. The Ambassadors learned about the Annual Masonic Scholarship Fundraiser, which includes a St. Patrick’s Day Stew Feed on Sunday, March 17th.

John Bricker & Mike Blevins shared about the rich history of philanthropy of the Masonic organization and their annual fundraiser for the scholarship fund. Annual scholarships are awarded to area seniors to help offset the cost of tuition and vary in amount depending on donations the organization has received throughout the year. The Mason’s have been handing out scholarships to graduating Atlantic High School Seniors for over 30 years. The organization thanks the community for their continued generosity.

The Irish Stew Feed is the main fundraiser for the organization, but the Mason’s also collect aluminum cans to be recycled. The money made through the can redemption goes directly into the scholarship fund. The Mason’s now have three drop-off locations: The Masonic Lodge, Boes Repair Inc, and the Cass County Landfill. Community members can also contact a Mason to have cans picked up from their home or business.

Ambassadors and Masons (Left to Right): Jeff Christensen, BJ Hart, Mel Newton, Alisha Wagner, Mike Blevins, Graydon Schmidt, Krysta Hanson, John Bricker, Dr. Keith Leonard, Kathie Hockenberry, Jim Kickland, Lana Westphalen

The 8th Annual Masonic Scholarship St. Patrick’s Day Stew Feed Fundraiser will be held Sunday, March 17th from 5-7:30 PM. They will be serving Beef Stew, Vegetable Stew and Irish Soda Bread for a free will donation at the Masonic Lodge. The meal can be enjoyed inside the Lodge or via drive through lane alongside the building.

For further information about the Annual Irish Stew Feed, Scholarship Program, or to donate, please contact 402-740-1717.

The Masonic Lodge/ Pymosa Lodge #271 is located at 1010 SW 7th Street in Atlantic.