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2 from Red Oak arrested Sunday

News

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report two people were arrested Sunday night. 28-year-old Nikolus Benton Schooling and 37-year-old Katie Marie Pierce, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody at around 10:50-p.m., in the 700 block of E. Market Street, in Red Oak. Schooling was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense-Methamphetamine (A Class-D Felony), and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Pierce was arrested on a valid, outstanding Montgomery County warrant for Violation of Probation.

Pierce and Schooling were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond, each. Red Oak Police were assisted at the scene by Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and K9 Unit.

Upstairs Interior work at the Atlantic Public Library to begin on March 4

News

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Andersen reports the Library plans to begin the upstairs interior updates project in two weeks. Beginning Monday, March 4th, the Atlantic Public Library will be open with limited or no access to the upstairs for the duration of the project. The public is encouraged to check out more items than normal by March 2nd.

Andersen says the library will be installing flooring and painting throughout the upstairs and stairwells of the library. She says it’s an opportunity to bring the more modern look the library achieved in the 2020 renovation of the downstairs, to the rest of the building.

Atlantic Public Library (Kathy Somers, photo, via www.atlantic.lib.ia.us)

Library staff, Andersen says, should be able to access upstairs shelves on most days but the public will not be allowed upstairs until it is safe to do so. Library card holders may continue to request items from the adult services collection through the online catalog or by contacting the library by phone, e-mail or text. It may take longer than normal to prepare the holds for pick up. Please wait for a notification that your material is ready before coming to pick it up. The library thanks you, in advance, for your understanding and patience.

The project is being funded by private gifts, donations, and grants.

Those who grow crops and livestock preferred to be called farmers

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The latest “Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll” answers the question of what we should call the men and women who grow the crops and livestock in our state.   J. Arbuckle runs the I-S-U Extension poll and says he noticed that people who work with those in agriculture tend to call them growers or producers. He put a question in the poll and the result was pretty clear, with 75 percent preferring the term “farmer.” Ten percent said they want to be called farm operator, eight percent preferred producer, while rancher and grower each received two percent of the vote. Arbuckle says it’s not surprising, as farmer is an all-encompassing term that indicates more of a lifestyle than a profession. But he says he didn’t anticipate that it would be as big percentage. He says everyone should know what farmers think to be able to communicating effectively with them.

“It’s important for people across the private and public sectors, you know stakeholders who work with farmers, to recognize that and to use the kinds of terminologies that farmers prefer,” Arbuckle says. He says no one seemed to ask the question before. “It’s just very interesting to me that the terminology that we at the university and then some of the private sector firms, and even the public sector, like the conservation agencies and stuff, often times use the term grower or producer,” he says. “And these are actually the least popular terms that the farmers think about when they when they think about terms that they would like to when they think about themselves, I guess.”

You can see more about the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll on the I-S-U Extension website.

Pork Producers holding educational conferences

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A series of regional educational conferences for Iowa hog farmers will be held this week at four strategic locations around Iowa. Zoey Dinkla is producer education director for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, which is helping put on the seminars.  Dinkla says, “The Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Pork Industry Center and Iowa State Extension and Outreach partner together to meet our production employees, our veterinarians, and any swine industry stakeholders, bringing them educational material, updates to the industry, and any kind of engagement that we can get with our producers where they are.”

She says there are several nationally-known speakers who will be sharing their knowledge at the conferences, including: “This year, we have Dr. Brett Kaysen with the National Pork Board,” Dinkla says. “He’s the senior vice president of producer and state engagement, so he’ll be discussing program of states that they’ve been working really hard in domestic and international markets, as well as all their success in foreign animal disease preparedness and prevention.”

The meetings are being held today (February 19th) in Orange City, February 20th in Webster City, February 21st in Nashua, and February 22nd in Washington.
iowapork.org

Bill requires labels on ‘manufactured meat’

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that’s cleared an Iowa Senate committee targets protein products marketed as meat, but that are made from insects, plants or even stem cell cultures. Selling something labeled as beef, chicken, pork, turkey, goat or lamb that contains even a small percentage of protein that’s not meat would become illegal in Iowa. The fine for the crime would be 855-dollars and the potential for up to 30 days in jail. Senator Dawn Driscoll, a Republican from Williamsburg, is the bill’s sponsor.

“We are trying to promote meat in the state of Iowa,” Driscoll says, “and we are trying to not mislead customers.” Driscoll raises Angus cattle on her family farm in Iowa County. “Our taxpayer dollars should be supporting our agriculture here in Iowa, not some hedge funding fake meat company,” Driscoll says. “…We are also protecting the consumers as far as labeling.” The bill would prohibit the three state universities from conducting research into the production or use of manufactured protein products.

“The Regent universities are not doing it now,” Driscoll says. “We’re setting a precedent in Iowa.” Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, says cutting off research is unwise. “We may learn things that are dangerous from cultivated food products. We may learn things that can have potential healing properties that were never thought of before,” Boulton said. “This bill seems to have the effect of knocking the peanut out of George Washington Carver’s hand before he could get started.”

Senator William Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, says the bill pits the livestock industry against farmers who’re raising protein-rich soybeans. “We need to continue to have research on all our products so that we can have value added agriculture in this state,” Dotzler said.

If the bill becomes law all of the state’s school districts, Iowa’s community colleges as well as Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I would be required to have policies preventing the purchase of plant- or insect-based food labeled as meat.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Monday, Feb. 19, 2024

Weather

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today (President’s Day): Sunny & breezy. High near 53. S @ 10-20. Wind chill values as low as 10 early.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 59.
Thursday: Mostly sunny & breezy, with a high near 53.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 48. The Low was 16. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 46 and the Low was 24. The Record High for Feb. 19th in Atlantic, was 71 in 2017. The Record Low was -22, in 1936. Sunrise today: 7:09. Sunset: 5:58.

MARLIN LEWIS, 84, of Audubon (Svcs. 2/23/24)

Obituaries

February 19th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

MARLIN LEWIS, 84, of Audubon, died Tue., Feb. 13, 2024, at the Friendship Home in Audubon. Funeral services for MARLIN LEWIS will be held 10:30-a.m. Friday, Feb 23rd, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

A family visitation will be held at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, on Thursday, Feb. 22nd, from 5-until 8-p.m.

Burial is in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

MARLIN LEWIS is survived by:

His wife – Mary Kay Lewis, of Audubon.

His daughter – Krista (Brentt) Snow, of Lineville (IA).

His sons – Jim (Shari) Lewis, Bob (Joyce) Lewis, and Steve Lewis, all of Audubon.

His sister – Norma (Bernie) Bolton, of Oakland.

His brother – Darrell (Bev) Lewis, of Roach, MO.

7 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, other relatives, in-laws, and many friends.

DORIS E. GUSTAFSON, 100, of Atlantic & formerly of Adair (Svcs. 2/22/24)

Obituaries

February 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DORIS E. GUSTAFSON, 100, of Atlantic (& formerly of Adair), died Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the Heritage House in Atlantic. Funeral services for DORIS GUSTAFSON will be held 2-p.m. Thursday, February 22, 2024, at St. John’s Lutheran Church northwest of Adair. Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Adair has the arrangements.

Visitation with the family present, will be held at the funeral home on Wed., Feb. 21st, from 4-until 6-p.m.

Interment will take place at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery following the funeral.

Memorials may be directed to the St. John’s Cemetery Association in memory of Doris and may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523. Atlantic, IA 50022.

DORIS GUSTAFSON is survived by:

Her sons – Gary (Marcia) Gustafson, of Slater; Neil (Judy Roberts) Gustafson, of Urbandale; and Dan Gustafson, of Kingston, OK.

Her daughters – Sandy Chavez, of Papillion, NE; and Sally (Mike) DuHoux, of Atlantic.

Her brother – Paul (Joyce) Faga, of Harlingen, TX.

13 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildre, other relatives and her in-laws.

2 from rural Atlantic win Center for Rural Affairs 7th Generation Award

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

LYONS, NEBRASKA – Officials with The Center for Rural Affairs, Thursday (Feb. 15, 2024), announced recognition of outstanding people and entities in two states. Among were two from rural Atlantic. Winners of the Seventh Generation Award were Denise O’Brien and Larry Harris, Rolling Acres Farm ( Atlantic, Iowa), for lifetime service in making major contributions in improving rural life and protecting our land and water.

CRA Executive Director Brian Depew says “Each year, we honor the rural champions who help us accomplish so much for rural America. This group of award winners have gone above and beyond to lay the foundation for a better rural future.”

Awards will be presented to each recipient this spring.

The Center for Rural Affairs works to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues.

Northern Iowa men beat Bradley

Sports

February 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The UNI men have moved into a share of fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference race. The Panthers built a 21 point second half lead then held of a furious Bradley rally for a 74-63 victory in the McLeod Center. Jacob Hutson led the Panthers with 14 points. Bowen Born added 12 and Nate Heise (Hi-Z) returned from an ankle injury to score 11.

The Panthers built an early 19 point advantage by scoring 44 points in the opening half.

The Panthers are 9-7 in the Valley.