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LOIS J. JESSEN, 84, of Atlantic (Celebration of Life at a later date)

Obituaries

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

LOIS J. JESSEN, 84, of Atlantic, died Sunday, Oct. 27th, at the Heritage House in Atlantic. Following cremation, a Celebration of Life Memorial Service for LOIS JESSEN will be held at a later date. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

LOIS J. JESSEN is survived by:

Her daughters – Rhonda Kuskulis, of Ankeny; Lori Harper, of Kansas City, MO, and Ellen Jessen, of Ontario, OR.

Her son – Jeff Jessen, of Exira.

Harris campaign cuts headquarters staff, moves some to Iowa

News

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Sen. Kamala Harris is increasing the Iowa stakes for her sagging Democratic presidential campaign, with her campaign laying off several dozen staff members and transferring others from early states Nevada and New Hampshire to the lead-off caucus state.

“Plenty of winning primary campaigns, like John Kerry’s in 2004 and John McCain’s in 2008, have had to make tough choices on their way to the nomination, and this is no different,” her campaign manager, Juan Rodriguez, wrote in a memo to staff that was shared by the campaign Wednesday.

Harris had already pledged to go all-in on Iowa, joking she was moving there, and earlier Wednesday her campaign touted the 15 days she spent in the state this month as the “October Hustle.” It was more than any of her competitors spent there in October, but she’s still polling behind competitors such as Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren.

Harris is the most prominent Democratic candidate so far to announce a major campaign restructuring less than 100 days out from the Iowa caucus. The changes come a full month after Rodriguez visited Iowa to evaluate the campaign’s organization and on the eve of an important Iowa Democratic fundraiser. The campaign, which has not yet run any television advertising, hopes to spend at least $1 million on a media campaign in the weeks before the Feb. 3 caucus, the memo said.

Harris plans to spend significant time in Iowa again in November, including over Thanksgiving, her campaign said. She’s in Iowa through this weekend and has announced a trip to New Hampshire next week. Her campaign hasn’t released her schedule beyond that.

NE man arrested after Council Bluffs bank is robbed

News

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

A man from Nebraska faces Robbery and other charges following an incident this (Wednesday) morning, in Pottawattamie County. Council Bluffs Police say officers were dispatched at around 10:50-a.m. to 350 34th Ave., US Bank, in Council Bluffs, for a bank robbery that had just occurred. Bank employees were able to provide a description of the suspect and the vehicle that the suspect fled the area in.

Brandon N. Bird

As officers were arriving at the scene, a call came in that a subject and vehicle that matched this description were now at an address in the 5100 Block of Gifford Road in Council Bluffs, attempting to break into the residence and garage, in an attempt to steal a vehicle parked there. A short time later officers arrived in that area and observed the vehicle leaving that scene. Officers used stop sticks on the vehicle, causing the tires to go flat.

A short time later the suspect, later identified as 40-year old Brandon N. Bird, of Hastings, NE., lost control of the vehicle, which went off the road into a ditch. Bird was taken into custody at the scene. At this time, Council Bluffs Police along with the FBI are investigating all crimes that took place during the incident. Bird was set to be booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail on charges of Robbery 2nd, Burglary 1st, Theft 1st and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Red Oak woman arrested on theft charge

News

October 30th, 2019 by admin

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of 63-year-old Sheryl Franzen of Red Oak in the 900 Block of North 4th Street in Red Oak Wednesday at 1:26pm. Franzen was charged with Theft 5th Degree after taking an item from the Red Oak Public Library on Tuesday at about 2:30pm. The item was valued at less than $200. Franzen was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 cash bond.

SHARON K. BRECKERBAUMER, 80, of Atlantic (Celebration of Life Svc. 11/4/19)

Obituaries

October 30th, 2019 by Jim Field

SHARON K. BRECKERBAUMER, 80, of Atlantic died Tuesday, October 29th at Atlantic Specialty Care.  A Celebration of Life Memorial Service for SHARON K. BRECKERBAUMER will be held on Monday, November 4th at 4:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church in Atlantic.  Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

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The family invites you to join them immediately following the service for a time of visitation and a light supper at the Atlantic Golf & Country Club.

A private family burial will be held prior to the service at the Oakwood Cemetery in Lewis.

Memorials may be directed to the family for designation at a later date.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

SHARON K. BRECKERBAUMER is survived by:

Husband:  Randall

Daughter:  Jan Muller of Atlantic.

Brother:  Richard (Darla) Casady.

Brother-in-Law:  Daryl Henningsen.

Sister-in-Law:  Pat Marshall Burk.

6 Grandchildren

19 Great-Grandchildren

Audubon Police report (10/30/19)

News

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(12-p.m. News) — Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer today (Wednesday) released a report on arrests. On Tuesday, 66 year old Darold Ray Otten, of Audubon, was arrested for Keeping a Vicious Dog.  Otten was cited and released on promise to appear. On Sunday, 26 year old Matthew Scott Tillman, of Audubon, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree.  Tillman was cited and released on promise to appear.

Last Thursday, 22 year old Andrew Allen Malloy, of Omaha, was arrested in Audubon for Driving Under Suspension.  Malloy was also cited and released on scene on promise to appear. On Oct. 22nd, a 17 year old juvenile was referred to the Juvenile Court System for Theft in the 3rd degree. Oct. 18th, Audubon Police arrested 49 year old Brian Lane Berry, of Des Moines, for Driving While Revoked.  Berry was transported to the Audubon County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond, pending a court appearance.

And, on Oct. 10th, Audubon Police arrested 19 year old Jatana Nejla Gist, of Audubon, for Domestic Abuse Assault.  Gist was transported to the Audubon County Jail and held pending an appearance before a magistrate.

BETTY JOYCE MAASSEN, 87, of Walnut (Graveside Svcs. 11/2/19)

Obituaries

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

BETTY JOYCE MAASSEN, 87, of Walnut, died Oct. 25th, at Avoca Specialty Care. Graveside services for BETTY MAASSEN will be held 1-p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2nd, at Graceland Cemetery, in Avoca. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.

BETTY MAASSEN is survived by:

Her sons – Jeff (Davon) Maassen, of Hancock; Bruce (Jacque Koch) Maassen, of Springfield, IL; and Roger (Jennie) Maassen, of Avoca.

5 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren, 5 step great-grandchildren, and her daughter-in-law Allison Maassen, of Neola.

Malvern man arrested for OWI Wed. morning

News

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

A man from Malvern was arrested following a traffic stop at around 2:40-a.m. today (Wednesday), in Mills County. Sheriff’s officials say 41-year old Kent Eric Hertz was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

Tips for Iowa parents to keep trick-or-treating from becoming a real-life scare

News

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Even with snow flying and very chilly temperatures in the 20s, many Iowa kids won’t let wintry weather get in the way of trick-or-treating tonight (Wednesday) or tomorrow night, depending on the community. Besides bundling up and staying visible, Poison Control Center educator Lauren Prnjat offers a few suggestions to parents for keeping kids safe.  “A big thing for this year would be medicines that look like candy,” Prnjat says. “A lot of pills can be really colorful or just attractive to young children, so making sure you keep all medications up high and away is the biggest prevention tip that we would share.”

Halloween can be a scary time for kids if they wind up with something dangerous in their trick-or-treat bags.  “We do encourage parents still to check candy to make sure everything’s in their original unopened wrapper,” she says, “and also just to check for choking hazards as well.” In addition, she suggests checking the Halloween bags for things like laundry detergent pods and liquid nicotine. The Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center is open round-the-clock at 800-222-1222.

Iowa & South Dakota tie for top ACT score among students in Class of 2019

News

October 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa high school students who took the A-C-T have tied for the best average score in the country with students from South Dakota. The ranking is among states with more than half of students in the Class of 2019 who took the A-C-T. Two-thirds of the Iowa students who graduated from high school last spring took the A-C-T. Their average composite score was 21-point-six out of a possible 36. That’s slightly about the national average — and slightly below the average score among Iowa students in the Class of 2018 who took the A-C-T.

A-C-T is based in Iowa City. The organization reports a growing number of high school graduates in the United States are inadequately prepared for success in college. The national average scores in the math and English sections of the A-C-T were the lowest they’ve been in 15 years.