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Bradley beats Drake 76-66 in MVC tournament semifinal

Sports

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Darrell Brown scored 25 points to lead five in double-figure scoring as No. 4 seed Bradley beat eighth-seeded Drake 76-66 to advance to a second straight Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship. Liam Robbins scored 19 points and grabbed 2 rebounds to lead Drake. Bradley never trailed after the opening minute.

The Bulldogs pulled to 52-49, but the Braves answered with a 7-0 spurt. Drake cut the deficit to six points in the final five minutes but didn’t get closer. Bradley will play for the title against the Valparaiso-Missouri State winner.

EARL EDWARD ECKMANN, 87, of Persia (Svcs. 3/10/20)

Obituaries

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

EARL EDWARD ECKMANN, 87, of Persia, died Friday, March 6th, at the Elm Crest Retirement Community. Funeral services for EARL ECKMANN will be held 10:30-a.m. Tuesday, March 10th, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Persia. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held at the funeral home in Monday, March 9th, from 3-until 8-p.m., with the family greeting friends from 5-until 7-p.m.

Burial is in the Minden Cemetery.

EARL EDWARD ECKMANN is survived by:

His wife – Marian Eckmann, of Persia.

His son – Calvin (Karen Siebels) Eckmann, of Persia.

His daughter – Beverly (Larry) Shriver, of Underwood.

His sisters – Dorothy Eckmann, of Harlan; Lavina Glotfelty, of Davenport, and Martha Eckmann, of Omaha, Ne.

4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Ex-Hillel House director convicted of molesting 9-year-old

News

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former director of a Jewish center in Iowa City has been convicted of molesting a 9-year-old boy. A Johnson County jury found 29-year-old David Weltman guilty Thursday of second-degree sexual abuse. Prosecutors say Weltman abused the boy last year as he gave the boy Hebrew lessons at the Hillel House.

Police say the boy reported that Weltman once picked him up, carried him into another room and touched him inappropriately. Police say Weltman also confessed to a one-time friend that he has touched a child and that he is sexually attracted to young boysl Weltman is set to be sentenced on April 27.

Governor orders partial activation of the State Emergency Operations Center

News

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered a partial activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Johnston to ensure State of Iowa agencies are prepared in the event COVID-19 is detected in the state.

“While no positive tests of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Iowa at this time, we are proactively coordinating plans across state agencies to protect the health of Iowans and assess our operational needs so we are as prepared as possible,” said Gov. Reynolds. “We will continue to work with President Trump and his Coronavirus Task Force to make sure Iowa has the resources, information, and expertise to keep our communities safe.”

The partial activation began on March 4th and was followed by a state agency conference call led by Gov. Reynolds on March 6th to discuss preparedness strategies. The SEOC  provides a mechanism for face-to-face coordination and information sharing between State agencies and other partners. Beginning Monday, March 9th, twice-weekly agency coordination briefings will be held to provide the latest information on COVID-19 and to ensure necessary preparedness measures are in place. Should the situation change, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is prepared to transition the State Emergency Operations Center to an increased level of activation.

President Trump recently signed a $8.3 billion spending bill to combat the coronavirus through prevention, research, and other efforts. The governor’s office continues to receive regular updates from Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force.

(Podcast) KJAN 8-a.m. News, 3/7/20

News, Podcasts

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

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

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(Podcast) KJAN Morning Sports report, 3/7/2020

Podcasts, Sports

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Ric Hanson.

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(Podcast) KJAN Morning News & Funeral report, 3/7/20

News, Podcasts

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

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

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US cruise ship (w/2 Iowans onboard) in limbo as anti-virus controls spread

News

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. officials are deciding where to dock a cruise ship in California with 21 virus cases aboard and four American universities canceled in-person classes as Western countries follow China’s lead by tightening travel and other controls to contain the outbreak. The cruise ship Grand Princess, with 3,500 people aboard, was circling off San Francisco. Among the passengers are a couple from eastern Iowa’s Dubuque County. Shelley and George Goeppner, of Asbury were headed home when the outbreak was reported.

Officials want the cruise ship to dock in a non-commercial port for everyone aboard to be tested. Authorities in Florida reported the first two U.S. deaths away from the West Coast. The Netherlands reported its first virus death, while Serbia, Slovakia, Peru, Togo, Colombia and Cameroon announced their first infections. The number of cases worldwide has climbed past 100,000. More than 3,400 people have died.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the area: Saturday, 3/7/2020

Weather

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

**RED FLAG WARNING for extreme Fire Danger from Noon until 6-p.m. for counties along & south of I-80**

Today: Mostly sunny, warm & windy. High around 68. SW @ 15-30+

Tonight: Fair to Partly cloudy. Low 42. S @ 10-15.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High around 68. S @ 10-20.

Monday: Mo. Cldy w/rain. High 47.

Tuesday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High near 50.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 52. Our Low was 19. Last year on this date, the high was 30 and the low was 19. The Record high in Atlantic on March 7th was 78 in 2000. The Record Low was -11 in 1982.

Midwest Sports Headlines: 3/7/2020

Sports

March 7th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dorka Juhasz had 15 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 6 seed Ohio State beat No. 3 seed and 19th-ranked Iowa 87-66 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State will face No. 7 seed Michigan in the semifinals. After the Hawkeyes scored the first point of the game on a free throw, the Buckeyes went on a 25-4 run, including 19 straight points, capped by Juhasz’s 3-pointer for a 20-point lead with 2:50 left in the first quarter. Ohio State led by double digits the rest of the way, going into halftime with a 48-31 lead. Kathleen Doyle led Iowa with 16 points.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa star big man Luka Garza says working vacations in Bosnia and California last summer helped elevate his game. Now he’s one of the leading candidates for national player of the year. Garza did two-a-day basketball workouts with his uncle and cousin in Bosnia and three-a-day workouts with his father and grandpa in California. Garza has led the Big Ten in scoring since November. He’s scoring 23.7 points per game and is on a streak of 15 consecutive games of 20 points or more in Big Ten play. That’s the longest streak in the Big Ten in 26 years.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Isiaih Mosley scored on a putback as Missouri State grabbed the lead midway through the opening period and hit the gas, eliminating No. 3 seed Indiana State from the Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinals 78-51. The top three seeds in the MVC tournament — Northern Iowa, Loyola Chicago and the Sycamores were bounced in the quarterfinals. Missouri State, the No. 6 seed, faces seventh-seeded Valparaiso, which ousted second-seeded Loyola Chicago in overtime. Gaige Prim scored 17 points to lead five Bears into double-figure scoring. Indiana State was led by 14 points apiece from Jordan Barnes and Jake LaRavia.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) — Roman Penn scored a career-high 26 points, including 12 straight to start a game-breaking 18-0 run midway through the second half, and eighth-seeded Drake shocked Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa 77-56 in a quarterfinal game. It started with a pair of free throws at the 10:50 mark. He followed up with a couple of layups and then a pair of 3-pointers. After teammate Liam Robbins scored inside, Penn hit another jumper and Garrett Sturtz capped it with free throws for a 67-48 lead with 2:28 to play. Northern Iowa was led by AJ Green with 19 points.

SAINT LOUIS, Mo. (AP) — John Kizer drove the left side of the paint, drawing two defenders and passed to Eron Gordon for the winning layin as Valparaiso stormed from 18 points down to knock No. 2 seed Loyola Chicago out of the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference 74-73 in overtime. Kiser finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots for the seventh-seeded Crusaders. All nine Loyola Chicago players scored but only Keith Clemons reached double figures with a career-high 28.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Matheny was let go two seasons ago from his job as St. Louis Cardinals manager. Now as Ned Yost’s replacement with Kansas City, Matheny is excited about an opportunity to build the Royals from the ground up, and his players are ready for his enthusiasm. The Cardinals won three NL Central titles and one pennant in 6 1/2 years under Matheny. They missed the postseason in 2016 and ’17, and he was fired midway through the 2018 season. Matheny joined the Royals in their player development department a year ago.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska men’s basketball player has been cited after leaving the scene of a minor accident. Lincoln police say sophomore guard Cam Mack also was cited Wednesday for negligent driving. Court records don’t list an attorney for him. A woman told police Mack’s car struck hers from behind and left the area before officers arrived. She gave officers his car license number. The Nebraska Athletic Department released a statement saying coach Fred Hoiberg was aware of the incident and wouldn’t comment until all information about the matter was known.