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Research shows back up assist technology not always perfect

News

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Triple-A Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner says national research is once again showing drivers shouldn’t count on technology to do everything for them. Ortner says research found that technology designed to keep drivers from hitting things when they back has some issues. “You know the testing that was done by by the Foundation for Traffic Safety resulted in collisions with mock vehicles and pedestrians, so it shows that we have to remain alert to not become overly reliant on technology,” Ortner says. He says the system called reverse automatic emergency braking system does provide some help to drivers.

“It’s a great tool. It’s proven to reduce rear-end collisions, but what we found is not foolproof,” he says. “So you know being responsive and being responsible and checking your surroundings when you drive is still the key. It’s one of those things it assists in making your drive safer but it’s not foolproof,” he says. Ortner says technology should be used as another tool for a driver, not a replacement for being engaged.

“When you’re driving the vehicle, you’re using all your senses, your mental, your physical, your visual, and your audible senses. So making sure you keep all of that intact is very important, but use the tool for sure if it helps reduce the chances for a crash or a pedestrian injury,” Ortner says. Ortner says that advice holds true for any technology you use in your car or truck.

NE Iowa deputy awarded medal for bravery

News

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A Delaware County sheriff’s deputy is being awarded the county’s first Medal of Valor for acts of bravery last fall. Deputy Matt Menard intercepted a shooting suspect in Hopkinton on November 7th, tried to take him into custody peacefully, but ended up shooting the man — then rendered him first aid. Deputy Menard was nominated for the medal by his co-worker, Deputy Travis Hemesath, who says Menard is a role model for the department.

Deputy Matt Menard (in blue shirt & tie) receives the medal (Photo by Janelle Tucker, KMCH)

The county’s emergency management coordinator says Menard’s actions prevented further loss of life and that’s why he’s being recognized as the first recipient of the new award.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Wed. Feb. 28, 2024

Weather

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny & breezy. High near 33. NW winds @ 10-25 mph. Wind chill values as low as -5.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 21. S winds @ 10-25 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunny & windy. High near 57. S/SW winds 15-35 mph.
Friday: Sunny & windy, with a high near 62.
Saturday: Sunny & breezy, with a high near 70.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 54. The Low was 6. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 42 and the Low was 23. The Record High for Feb. 28th was 71 in 1972. The Record Low was -23 in 1962. Sunrise: 6:58. Sunset: 6:08.

House passes anti-smash and grab bill & legislation to ban traffic stop quotas

News

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has voted to join more than a dozen states in establishing felony charges for organized retail theft of at least a thousand dollars in stolen property. Representative Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis, cites the case of three people arrested about two years ago after being accused of shoplifting at a Walgreens.

“The police recovered about $50,000 of product in their vehicle. The individuals also had a list of Walgreens stores and addresses in their car, leading the police to later confirm that they were at 18 separate Walgreens locations over the course of two different days,” Collins says, “so this is clearly an issue and I hope this bill addresses it.” House Republicans have had this bill on their list of 2024 priorities.

House Speaker Pat Grassley says it’s needed to deter so-called “smash and grab” episodes being reported in other states. The House has passed another bill to ban traffic stop quotas. Republican Representative Joshua Meggers is a state trooper from Grundy Center. “Current law already prohibits quotas on citations issued by law enforcement officers,” Meggers says. “This also would prohibit a quota on the number of traffic stops an officer must make, whether a traffic citation is issued or not.”

During a subcommittee hearing on the bill, a lobbyist for the Iowa Peace Officers Association said the organization favors anti-quota policies because police aren’t interested in stopping motorists just to meet a quota and want to focus on catching people who are actually breaking the law.

Appeals Court upholds Iowa law banning mask mandates in schools

News

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A federal appeals court has upheld a 2021 state law that bans schools from issuing mask mandates. A group of families filed a federal lawsuit, arguing Iowa schools must allowed to require masking to protect their children who have disabilities that make them vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the families do not have legal standing to sue the state. Governor Kim Reynolds issued a written statement after the ruling. Reynolds said while children were the least vulnerable, they paid the highest price for COVID lock-downs and mandates in other states and she would sign a mask ban for Iowa schools again if she has to.

Senate passes ‘Fair Labels Act’ to crack down on meatless meat

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has voted to establish fines for food processors that sell products in Iowa with labels suggesting food made with plant or insect based protein is a meat-based product. Senator Dawn Driscoll, of Washington, raises Angus cattle on her family farm near Williamsburg. “For far too long states like California have been legislating for us and today Iowa takes the stand and takes the offense for once in agriculture,” Driscoll said.

That’s a reference to rules on how big the living space for pigs, chickens and baby calves must be in order for products like veal, eggs and bacon to be sold in California. If the bill passed by the Iowa Senate becomes law, food processors could be fined as much as 10-thousand dollars for selling something labeled as meat in Iowa when it’s not.

“Lab grown products are emerging technology and the Fair Labels Act is an important first step for making sure that consumers understand the difference between lab grown or plant-based products and real beef, pork, turkey, lamb, goat and chickens raised by farmers and ranchers.” The bill would provide some latitude to marketers, however.

“A cell-cultivated, insect or plant protein product is permitted to use an identifiable meat term such as a drumstick or sausage if the label includes…terms such as…meatless, lab grown or plant based,” Driscoll said. The bill had included a ban on research at the state universities into the production or use of manufactured meat products, but that was removed. An addition to the bill calls for state officials to seek a waiver that would not allow food stamps or benefits for women with infants and young children to be used to buy manufactured meats.

“This is a preventative measure against an activist federal government that wants to see our children eat from a petri dish,” Driscoll said. Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, says most Iowans can buy Beyond Meat or Impossible Burgers at the grocery store, but low income Iowans couldn’t if the bill becomes law. “Why are we denying them a choice? But this is food — food!” Bisignano said. “It’s for people to choose and eat and it’s not our decision, because they get assistance, to tell them what to eat.”

Despite those objections to a section in the bill, Bisignano and every other senator present voted for the total package. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

Fatal UTV accident in eastern Iowa

News

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

WHEATLAND, Iowa – A UTV crash Tuesday evening in eastern Iowa’s Cedar County resulted in the death of one juvenile and injuries to another. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the accident happened a little after 6-p.m. near Wheatland.

Investigators say a 10-year-old was driving a Polaris Ranger UTV eastbound on 210th St with an 11-year-old passenger, when the machine went out of control and entered the north ditch before rolling over.

Officials say the 11-year-old passenger suffered fatal injuries. The 10-year-old driver was injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

The crash remains under investigation.

DALE N. SLOTH, 98, of Audubon (Svcs. 3/2/24)

Obituaries

February 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DALE N. SLOTH, 98, of Audubon, died Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, at The Friendship Home, in Audubon. Funeral services for DALE SLOTH will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, March 2nd, 2024, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Saturday, from 9-a.m. until the time of service, with the family present.

Burial is in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

DALE SLOTH is survived by:

His sons – Rick (Merrie Ann) Sloth, of Elk Horn (IA), and Duane (Becky) Sloth, of Audubon.

His daughters – Sandy (Bob) Bushe, of Ankeny, and Shelly (Don) Counsell, of Osage.

Numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, step-grandchildren and step great-grandchildren, his AFS granddaughter, in-laws, other relatives and friends, both in the U-S and Denmark.

Bastida Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week

Sports

February 27th, 2024 by admin

IRVING, Texas – Yonger Bastida has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season, the league office announced Tuesday. It is the third Big 12 weekly honor of Bastida’s career and the fourth time this season a Cyclone has been recognized.

Bastida put an exclamation point on a perfect regular season with a major decision over Missouri’s No. 5 Zach Elam on Sunday.

The heavyweight bout was the featured match in the Iowa State-Missouri dual, pitting two unbeatens against each other. The match was all Bastida, as the Cyclone established control early with a first-period takedown and added takedowns in each of the final two periods for an impressive 13-4 win over Elam.

Bastida finished the regular season with a 20-0 record, an 83:2 takedown ratio, 13 bonus-point victories and six top-10 wins.

Iowa State is back in action March 9-10 at the Big 12 Championship in Tulsa, Okla.

Hawkeyes Qualify 7 to NCAA Championships

Sports

February 27th, 2024 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa Track and Field qualified seven student-athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8-9.

Three-time indoor All-American Austin West has qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships for the fourth consecutive year. Fellow senior and two-time indoor All-American Grant Conway is making his third appearance at the championships.

Seniors Paige MageeTionna Tobias and Kalen Walker, along with junior Rivaldo Marshall and freshman Daniela Wamokpego are making their first NCAA DI Indoor Championship appearances of their career.

West, a multi-event specialist from Iowa City, Iowa, was the Big Ten’s runner-up in the heptathlon on Feb. 24, tallying a lifetime-best 5,975 points. His new career high ranks second at Iowa. West has earned second-team All-America honors three times, improving from 13th in 2021 to 10th in 2022 to 9th in 2023.

Conway, a hurdler from St. James, Missouri, qualified with a personal-best 7.66 at the Big Ten Championships on Feb. 24. The mark ranks fourth in program history. He ultimately finished fifth at the conference meet. A two-time second team All-American, Conway made his first appearance in 2022, placing 15th with a 7.84. Last season, Conway improved to 12th in 7.83.

Magee, a native of Columbia, Missouri, is Iowa’s school record holder in the 60-meter hurdles and is making her NCAA Indoor Championships debut. Magee clocked the program’s first sub-8.00 time at the Big Ten Championships on her way to a runner-up finish on Feb. 24. She enters the NCAA meet as the six seed. Magee is a two-time Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honoree in 2024.

Tobias, a senior from Sicklerville, New Jersey, qualified in the long jump following a 6.41-meter (12’ 0.5”) mark at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Feb. 2. Tobias is within one-hundredth of the school record. Among 57 competitors, Tobias placed fifth in Albuquerque.

Walker, a sprinter from Eddyville, Iowa, is the program’s school-record holder in the 60-meter dash, clocking a 6.51 in the preliminary round at the Big Ten Championships. He is the Big Ten’s runner-up in the event and enters the NCAA meet ranked third in the nation. Walker is a two-time conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Week.

Marshall, a junior newcomer from Indian Hills CC, was the 2023 NJCAA 800-meter champion with a 1:50.56. The Kingston, Jamaica, native avenged a second-place finish in 2022. Marshall set Iowa’s school record with a personal-best 1:46.86 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Feb. 10. Following his 1:47.83 finish at the Jimmy Grant Invitational on Dec. 9, Marshall was named the DI Men’s National Athlete of the Week by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. It was Marshall’s first National Athlete of the Week honor as a Hawkeye and fourth of his career. The award also marked the first ever indoor National Athlete of the Week honor for the Iowa men’s program.

Wamokpego, a triple jump specialist from Meaux, France, broke Iowa’s school record at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 10, leaping 13.24 meters (43’ 5.25”). She finished fifth in her Big Ten Championships debut. Wamokpego was named the Big Ten’s Women’s Field Athlete of the Week on Dec. 13 and Feb. 14.

The NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships begin on Friday, March 8th, at 8:30 a.m. (CT) and will air on the ESPN family of networks.