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Audubon & Griswold School Boards set to hold separate meetings Monday evening

News

August 18th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The Audubon School District’s Board of Education will hold a regular meeting 7-p.m. Monday, in their Boardroom at the High School. Action items on their agenda include (But are not limited to): Approving a Transportation Committee recommendation; Approve quotes from – Carroll Glass, for door repairs, & chimney repair; Approve ILO Physics, and action on Personnel matters. The Board will also discuss the upcoming School Board Elections, including who is up for re-election, important dates and processes. And, they will receive updates on Summer projects and the PPEL/SILO Budget.

The Griswold School Board will hold their regular meeting following public hearings on proposals to sell the Lewis and Elliott properties. The hearings in the Middle School/High School Library begin at 5:30-p.m. with the presentation of a proposed sales agreement for the Lewis property, followed at around 5:35-p.m. by a proposal of the sales agreement for the Elliott Property. Once the Public Hearings are closed, the Griswold School Board will open their regular session, which includes action on approving: Change Orders; Resolutions authorizing the execution of Deed for the Lewis and Elliott Facilities, and Resolutions approving the Deeds as well as authorizing delivering for those properties.

The Board will also hold discussion with regard to Daycare.

Ernst says EPA’s ethanol waivers ‘very damaging’ to Trump’s pro-farmer image

Ag/Outdoor, News

August 18th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Senator Joni Ernst says there’s a strong, negative reaction to the Reuters report indicating President Trump directed the E-P-A to grant oil companies waivers reducing the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline. “I’m very disappointed,” Ernst said during a news conference this morning. “Our farmers are angry.”

The E-P-A last week granted 31 so-called “hardship” waivers that exempt a refiner from blending ethanol into gasoline. The ethanol industry says the waivers are a back-door way for big oil to avoid the federal ethanol mandate — and experts say this year’s waivers already have reduced ethanol consumption by at least 10 percent.

Ernst says former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who’s now the U.S. Ambassador to China, hopes to bring up the issue during a meeting with Trump. “This is a conversation that we will have to have with the president,” Ernst said. “I spoke to Ambassador Branstad two days ago and he will be spending some time in Washington, D.C. and so not only was he going to talk about the China trade issue and what’s happening in Hong Kong, but he was hoping to be able to speak directly to the president about the issue of the small refinery exemptions.”

Trump traveled to Iowa in June to announce E-P-A rules had been changed to allow year-round sale of gasoline with a higher, 15 percent blend of ethanol. And Trump has repeatedly talked about how loyal voters farmers are to him. Ernst suggests these ethanol waivers are endangering that. “It is very damaging to him,” Ernst said.

On Friday, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley bluntly said the E-P-A had “screwed” farmers by giving oil companies like Exxon and Chevron permission to avoid blending ethanol into gasoline.

Skyscan Forecast – Sunday, August 18, 2019

Weather

August 18th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: Showers and thunderstorms ending this morning; Mostly cloudy. High near 80. South southwest wind 10 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight:
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 60. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light north northeast.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind 5-10 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night:
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Tuesday:
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 3 to 6 mph.
Tuesday Night:
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Wednesday:
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 83. Our Low was 65. Rainfall in Atlantic (up until 7-a.m. today was 2.36″ [the rain began at around 4:30-a.m.) Last year on this date our High was 83 and the Low was 60. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 111 in 1936. The Record Low was 40 in 2012.

Iowa early News Headlines: Sunday, August 18, 2019

News

August 18th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

ELDORA, Iowa (AP) — A man and woman who confined the man’s son in a basement in central Iowa have each been sentenced to 30 years in prison. The Des Moines Register reports that 31-year-old Alex Shadlow and his girlfriend, 40-year-old Traci Tyler, were sentenced Friday. Prosecutors say Tyler and Shadlow in the summer of 2017 locked his 8-year-old son in a space beneath the basement stairs of their Ackley home, where he had no access to a bathroom and food was withheld.

IDA GROVE, Iowa (AP) — A man Iowa authorities say was intoxicated when his vehicle crashed into another, killing three men, has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case. The Sioux City Journal reports that 21-year-old Ryan Childers, of Odebolt, entered the written plea Friday in Ida County District Court to three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of serious injury by motor vehicle. Authorities say Childers was driving a pickup truck the wrong way in March when he hit a car head-on.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A homeless shelter in downtown Des Moines is building a 24-unit, $4.3 million apartment building made out of shipping containers for the chronically homeless. The Des Moines Register reports that Central Iowa Shelter and Services was recently awarded $2.7 million from the National Housing Trust Fund program and the Iowa Finance Authority to complete the project. It will be built in the water retention basin just south of the shelter, where homeless have frequently set up tents.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Warren and at least six other Democratic White House hopefuls are due to meet with tribal leaders and members in Iowa next week on issues of concern to Native American voters. Warren has sought to mend relations with these voters since apologizing to the Cherokee Nation early this year. That was after she pointed to DNA test results as evidence of her tribal heritage. Warren is expected to face scrutiny at the Sioux City forum over how she addresses that issue.

Aquino, Reds drop Cards into first-place tie with 6-1 win

Sports

August 18th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aristides Aquino keeps hitting historic home runs.
Cincinnati’s red-hot rookie had a three-run homer, Nick Senzel added a leadoff shot and the Reds dropped the St. Louis Cardinals back into a tie with Chicago for first place in the NL Central Division with a 6-1 victory on Saturday.

With the Reds leading 2-1 in the fifth, Aquino followed two-out singles by Josh VanMeter and Freddy Galvis with a no-doubt drive to center field on Miles Mikolas’ first pitch for his second homer in two nights, his 10th in his last 11 games and 11th in his 17th career games. Aquino is the first rookie since 1900 with 11 homers in his first 17 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
THROWBACK SATURDAY
The Reds wore replicas of the uniforms worn by the 1976 team, the 11th in a series of 15 throwback outfits the team is wearing to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of baseball’s first all-professional team. The Cardinals wore for the 10th time this season the road alternate “victory” blue uniforms the team wore in the 1980s. St. Louis is 1-9 in those uniforms.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (6-6) has allowed 10 hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in 11 1/3 shutout innings over two starts against Cincinnati this season.
Reds: LHP Alex Wood (1-1) has issued three walks and amassed 15 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings over his first four starts since coming off the injured list on July 28.

Pre-game coverage on KJAN at 11:15-a.m.  First pitch at 12:10.

Steelers honor Drake, keep Chiefs in check in 17-7 victory

Sports

August 18th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The shirts read “shut out the noise.” Shutting out the pain of suddenly losing the man behind the mantra will take far longer for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still, there was something about the game-day routine that brought a sense of relief and normalcy just six days removed from the death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake.

The receivers walked out to pregame warmups wearing gear with “shut out the noise” emblazoned on them, the phrase Drake adopted for his group heading into the 2019 season. The Steelers took the field with “DD” stickers on their helmets, stickers that will remain there all season. Players gathered on the sideline to kneel in prayer. A moment of silence was held just before the national anthem.

Then the ball was kicked off and Pittsburgh went back to work, keeping Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in check in a 17-7 victory on Saturday night.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Host San Francisco next Saturday.

Sluggers from Iowa, Florida win home run derby at LLWS

Sports

August 17th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — A softball slugger from Iowa and a baseball player from Florida won the inaugural Little League Home Run Derby on Saturday at the Little League World Series.

Everest Ouellette of Palm Harbor, Florida, topped in the baseball competition after he hit his 15th home run — the one that sealed the victory — in walk-off fashion. He edged Nate Hawton-Henley of Oakton, Virginia, who had a few dozen family and friends from his hometown in attendance.

“Everest was incredible,” said ESPN analyst and former big leaguer Mark Teixeira, who was an honorary coach for the event. “He really won it because of the last minute there of the final round. When he gets on, you can see a lot of home runs in a row.”

Everest and Nate both advanced from the East Regional, which was held at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, and have gotten to know each other well throughout their journeys to Williamsport. “(Nate) is very competitive,” Everest said. “He’s one of my best friends of the tournament and he’s just super friendly and nice.” Everest hit a total of 37 home runs throughout all three rounds.

Aubrey Clark of Johnston, Iowa, beat Jeylene Joza of Jersey City, New Jersey, in a tiebreaker in the championship round of the softball bracket. Even though Aubrey admitted afterward that she got nervous as the two-minute clock wound down in each round, she was aided a couple of times by late home runs to advance to the championship round, where she defeated Jeylene.

“Once I got my first (home run), that’s when I started to feel not as much pressure,” Aubrey said. “When I know that it’s my last pitch, I just put a lot more into it.”
Aubrey finished with 12 total home runs, including the winning home run that came on her final swing in the tiebreaker of the championship. But she almost didn’t get that far.

In the first round of the competition, she hit a home run on her final swing in the tiebreaker of the round just to move on to the second round. “It feels great,” Aubrey said. “I never thought I would be able to come here.”

Added to the opening weekend of Little League World Series to generate a little buzz and expand the number of players exposed to LLWS atmosphere, a few hundred fans gathered and cheered each home run that sailed over pink fences set up in the outfield. The event was held at Bowman Field in downtown Williamsport, where the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates will play in the Little League Classic on Sunday night.

Ft. Dodge motorcyclist dies from crash injuries Saturday morning

News

August 17th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

A collision Saturday morning in Fort Dodge has claimed the life of a 51-year old man. The Iowa State Patrol reports Sean Mannel, of Ft. Dodge, died from his injuries after being transported to Trinity/Unity Point Hospital, in Ft. Dodge. The Patrol says Mannel was driving a 2002 Honda motorcycle southbound on S. 19th Street at around 9:40-a.m., when the cycle collided with a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling eastbound, on 7th Avenue South. When the vehicles entered the intersection at the same time, the cycle hit the left side of the Jeep.

The driver of the Jeep, 54-year old Kevin Thielen, of Ft. Dodge, was treated for his injuries at the scene.

Iowa man, woman each get 30 years in prison for abusing boy

News

August 17th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

ELDORA, Iowa (AP) — A man and woman who confined the man’s son in a basement in central Iowa have each been sentenced to 30 years in prison. The Des Moines Register reports that 31-year-old Alex Shadlow and his girlfriend, 40-year-old Traci Tyler, were sentenced Friday.

Shadlow had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree kidnapping and two counts of child endangerment causing serious injury. Tyler had pleaded guilty to three counts of child endangerment causing serious injury.

Prosecutors say Tyler and Shadlow locked his 8-year-old son in a space beneath the basement stairs of their Ackley home for at least nine hours a day in summer 2017. The boy told authorities he slept on concrete, had no access to a bathroom and food was withheld.

Iowa man pleads not guilty to charges in fatal March crash

News

August 17th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

IDA GROVE, Iowa (AP) — A man Iowa authorities say was intoxicated when his vehicle crashed into another, killing three men, has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case.

The Sioux City Journal reports that 21-year-old Ryan Childers, of Odebolt, entered the written plea Friday in Ida County District Court to three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of serious injury by motor vehicle.

Authorities say Childers was driving a pickup truck the wrong way on Highway 59 just north of Holstein on March 16 when he hit a car head-on. The car burst into flames, killing its occupants, 21-year-old Francisco Joel Nicia Guerro, 25-year-old Jose Danilo Gonzalez Guerro, and 39-year-old Felipe De La Cruz Nava, all of Denison. Childers and his passenger were seriously injured.