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Midwest Sports Headlines: 1/4/2019

Sports

January 4th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Carsen Edwards scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half and Purdue beat 25th-ranked Iowa 86-70. Matt Haarms had 14 points and Aaron Wheeler added 10 for the Boilermakers, who have won three straight for the first time since starting the season 4-0.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Megan Gustafson scored 28 points with 17 rebounds but Hannah Stewart had two offensive rebounds off missed free throws on the same possession with less than 20 seconds to play and No. 19 Iowa held off Nebraska 77-71. The Cornhuskers cut a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to 73-71 as Leigha Brown made two free throws with 38 seconds to play and 13 seconds later converted a turnover into a jumper.

UNDATED (AP) — For the first time in a decade the AFC’s top seed isn’t led by Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. This time it’s second-year sensation and first-year starter Patrick Mahomes who led the Kansas City Chiefs to the No. 1 seed, their first since 1997. The Patriots have their usual first-round bye and the other four playoff teams are newcomers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs know their playoff history is littered with disappointments. They haven’t been to the Super Bowl since winning the fourth one. They have a lone appearance in the AFC title game since then. But with Patrick Mahomes leading the way the Chiefs believe they have the pieces to scrub away the stink from all those lackluster performances starting next weekend.

UNDATED (AP) — Five-time All-Pro defensive lineman Jared Allen missed the competition when he retired from the NFL so he went searching for another sport that could fill the need. He decided to take up curling, putting together a foursome of former football stars with the goal of qualifying for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, Jan. 4, 2019

News

January 4th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:25 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has hired former Iowa Department of Transportation director Paul Trombino III as her chief operations officer to provide leadership of state government agencies. Reynolds said Thursday Pat Garrett is her new communications director and former campaign field director Nick Boeyink is the governor’s director of boards and commissions. Nate Ristow, a former staffer for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, is Reynolds’ public safety policy adviser.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s newly elected U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn will be one of the first two Republican women to ever serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blackburn confirmed in a Wednesday tweet that she had been appointed to the committee alongside Sen. Joni Ernst from Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Chicago-area for-profit college has agreed to reform its recruiting and enrollment practices and forego collecting about $493 million in student debt. Career Education Corp., of Schaumburg, Illinois, agreed to a settlement with attorneys general from 48 states and the District of Columbia. New York reached an earlier agreement. California is considering joining the settlement. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says the agreement will end what he termed deceptive practices.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa legislators must create rules to regulate hemp production in the state now that Congress has legalized the crop. Many Iowa farmers are eager to start planting. Hemp comes from the same plant as marijuana but doesn’t contain THC, the compound that causes a high. Hemp is used in clothing, textiles, building materials, paper and food. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa attorney general and state agriculture officials will meet this month to discuss regulations.

Posted in News |

High School Basketball Scoreboard 1/3/2018

Sports

January 3rd, 2019 by admin

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Ar-We-Va 71, St. Mary’s, Storm Lake 47.
Denison-Schleswig 72, Sioux City, West 44
Lawton-Bronson 58, OA-BCIG 45
Mount Ayr 81, Clarke, Osceola 55
Murray 62, East Union 28
Panorama 58, IKM-Manning 43
South Page 43, West Nodaway 28
Treynor 59, Creston 37
Westwood, Sloan 89, Sioux City, North 29

BOYS BASKETBALL
Ankeny Christian Academy 65, Martensdale-St. Marys 49
IKM-Manning 46, Panorama 42
Mount Ayr 63, Clarke 43
Sioux City, West 62, Denison-Schleswig 49
Treynor 66, Creston 38

Posted in Sports |

Atlantic/CAM wrestling stays unbeaten in duals with two wins at Harlan

Sports

January 3rd, 2019 by admin

Trojan LogoThe Atlantic/CAM wrestling team kept their unblemished dual record in tact on Thursday night with two wins at Harlan.  The Trojans beat the also previously unbeaten Harlan Cyclones 39-31. Atlantic/CAM also topped Denison-Schleswig 78-6. Harlan defeated Denison-Schleswig 76-6 in the other dual of the night.

Here’s the run down of the bout between Atlantic/CAM and Harlan.

Results:
145-Oscar Olmos (Harlan Community) over Kadin Stutzman (Atlantic-CAM) (MD 13-4)
152-Connor Pellett (Atlantic-CAM) over Brian Trevino (Harlan Community) (Fall 1:51)
160-Kenny Jimerson (Atlantic-CAM) over Thomas Frederick (Harlan Community) (Fall 2:29)
170-Carter Bendorf (Harlan Community) over Sam Martin (Atlantic-CAM) (Fall 4:47)
182-Chase Mullenix (Atlantic-CAM) over Jesse Schwery (Harlan Community) (MD 11-3)
195-Nathan Henry (Harlan Community) over Mitchell Williamson (Atlantic-CAM) (Fall 1:33
220-Cale Roller (Atlantic-CAM) over Joseph Arkfeld (Harlan Community) (Dec 7-4)
285-Derec Weyer (Harlan Community) won by FF
106-Garrett McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Luke Freund (Harlan Community) (MD 12-0)
113-Aybren Moore (Atlantic-CAM) won by FF
120-Joe Weaver (Atlantic-CAM) over Luke Musich (Harlan Community) (Dec 8-0)
126-Ethan Lemon (Harlan Community) over Steele McLaren, (Dec 6-2)
132-Harlan wins by FF
138-Chase McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Dalton McKinley (Harlan Community) (Fall 2:50)

Posted in Sports |

Stewart’s boards help No. 19 Iowa women hold off Huskers

Sports

January 3rd, 2019 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Megan Gustafson scored 28 points with 17 rebounds but Hannah Stewart had two offensive rebounds off missed free throws on the same possession with less than 20 seconds to play and No. 19 Iowa held off Nebraska 77-71 on Thursday night.

The Cornhuskers cut a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to 73-71 as Leigha Brown made two free throws with 38 seconds to play and 13 seconds later converted a turnover into a jumper.

Nebraska fouled Tania Davis and made the first of two free throws at 18 seconds with Stewart grabbing the rebound on the second. Alexis Sevillian was fouled and Stewart again grabbed her miss after the first free throw was good at 14 seconds. Even though Gustafson missed two free throws on that extra possession, it took five more seconds off the clock. Gustafson closed it out with two free throws after Nebraska missed a 3-pointer.
Stewart scored 14, and Davis and Kathleen Doyle had 11 points each for the Hawkeyes (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten). Gustafson has an NCAA best 12 double-doubles this season and 67 in her career.

Brown finished with 20 points for Nebraska (7-7, 2-1) and Hannah Whitish had 14.

Posted in Sports |

Edwards scores 21 to lead Purdue over No. 25 Iowa, 86-70

Sports

January 3rd, 2019 by admin

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There’s no place like home for the Purdue Boilermakers.

Carsen Edwards scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half and Purdue beat 25th-ranked Iowa 86-70 on Thursday night to snap the Hawkeyes’ five-game winning streak.

Purdue is winless on the road so far, but everything came together at Mackey Arena once again as the Boilermakers won their seventh straight home game this season and ninth in a row dating back to 2017-18.

Matt Haarms had 14 points and Aaron Wheeler added 10 for the Boilermakers (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten), who have won three straight for the first time since starting the season 4-0.

Purdue refused to settle for low-percentage shots early and instead attacked inside. That game plan produced 42 points in the paint, and the bench led by Haarms contributed 39 points.

Tyler Cook had 24 points, Isaiah Moss scored 13 and Ryan Kriener finished with 10 for the Hawkeyes (11-3, 0-3), still searching for their first conference victory this season.

UP NEXT

Iowa: Hosts No. 24 Nebraska on Sunday.

Purdue: At No. 8 Michigan State on Tuesday.

Posted in Sports |

Grassley is now president pro tempore of US Senate

News

January 3rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is now third in the line to the presidency. Vice President Mike Pence swore Grassley in as Senate President Pro Tempore today (Thursday). Since 1890, the president pro tempore of the senate has traditionally been the senator with the longest continuous tenure — from the party that’s in the majority. And Grassley has been in the U.S. Senate longer than any other Republican currently serving.

“I look forward to serving Iowa and the nation as president pro tempore during the 116th congress,” Grassley said in a video statement. The president pro tempore is to preside over the U.S. Senate when the vice president is absent. Vice President Pence and his predecessors have also been the presiding officers in the U.S. Senate and given authority to cast tie-breaking votes.

For the past 60 years, the president pro tempore of the senate has been third in line to the president, behind the vice president and the speaker of the U.S. House.

Posted in News |

State tax haul for past six months up seven percent

News

January 3rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — State tax collections were nearly five percent higher last month when compared to the state’s tax haul during December of 2017. Jeff Robinson is a senior fiscal analyst for the Iowa Legislative Services Agency. “Iowa net General Fund revenue continues to grow at a healthy pace, aided by the automatic Iowa income tax increase that results from a federal income tax decrease,” Robinson says. That happens because of the IOWA income tax deduction for FEDERAL taxes paid.

When FEDERAL taxes decrease, the deduction shrinks — and Iowans wind up paying more in STATE income taxes. State tax collections for the past six months are more than SEVEN PERCENT higher than during the same period last year. “Tax reduction legislation enacted by the Iowa Legislature in 2018 will begin to impact the Iowa revenue stream in January,” Robinson says.

The CURRENT state fiscal year that ends June 30th. Experts predict state tax revenue will grow by four-point-seven percent for the entire 12-month period.

Posted in News |

Illinois college settles unfair practice case with 48 states

News

January 3rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Chicago-area for-profit college has agreed to reform its recruiting and enrollment practices and forego collecting about $493 million in student debt owed by 179,529 students. Career Education Corp., of Schaumburg, Illinois, agreed to a settlement with attorneys general from 48 states and the District of Columbia to close an investigation that began in 2014.
New York reached an earlier agreement. California is considering joining the settlement.

The average student debt relief will be about $2,750. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says $1.4 million owed by 715 Iowa students who took online courses will not be collected. Miller says the agreement will end what he termed deceptive practices, including misrepresenting total cost and transferability of credits.

The company denies allegations of wrongdoing and says it will work “to demonstrate the quality of our institutions and our commitment to students.”

Posted in News |

Federal judge orders settlement talks in soybean seed suit

Ag/Outdoor

January 3rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge ordered settlement talks Thursday in a lawsuit filed by black farmers from Mississippi and Tennessee who claim a company sold them faulty, low-yield soybean seeds because of their race.

During a court hearing in Memphis, U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes told the farmers and Stine Seed Co. to begin mediation in a lawsuit alleging the company conspired with a seed salesman to sell thousands of dollars’ worth of defective seeds to the farmers because they are black. Fowlkes also questioned whether the farmers have enough proof of a conspiracy and facts that support claims of discrimination, or if they were just making “speculative comments” in their lawsuit.

The farmers allege the seeds were much less productive than expected and salesman Kevin Cooper misled them with claims of good yields from soybean plants grown in fertile Mississippi Delta fields. The suit filed in April alleges the good seeds the farmers thought they had bought from Stine were replaced by inferior seeds before delivery. The farmers claim they were given the bad seeds as part of a larger pattern of discrimination and “racial animus” against them.

Stine and Cooper have denied accusations of false advertisement, fraud, racketeering and discrimination, calling them baseless, irresponsible and inflammatory. They have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it doesn’t cite a single racist comment or instance where the black farmers were treated differently from white farmers. “It seems to me that the parties need to sit down and talk about this,” the judge said.

In March 2017, farmer Tyrone Grayer met Cooper at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis, the lawsuit states. Cooper said he had soybean seeds that were suitable for Mississippi’s growing conditions. The farmers ordered 12,000 pounds of Stine seeds. The farmers say they planted the seeds correctly and under optimal farming conditions in Sunflower and Quitman counties in May 2017. They soon observed that the plants were germinating slowly, did not stand uniformly, and were too short.
The farmers had expected 48 bushels or more of plump soybeans per acre, based on prior performance from other seeds. Instead, they got about 25 bushels per acre, and sometimes less — as little as five bushels per acre, the lawsuit claims. The farmers allege Cooper and another man, Greg Crigler, swapped out the good seeds for the bad ones at a warehouse in Sledge, Mississippi. The black farmers were given the inferior seeds, and white farmers got the good ones, the lawsuit claims.
Daniel Van Horn, an attorney for Crigler, has denied Crigler switched out the seeds. Van Horn said accusations of racism are bad, but “falsely accusing someone of racism is equally as bad.”

Maria Calaf, a lawyer for Adel, Iowa-based Stine, said the racism accusations were “rank speculation.”
And, Fowlkes asked the farmers’ lawyers if they had any facts supporting their racism claims.
“How do we make the leap?” Fowlkes said. One of the farmers’ attorneys, J. Gerard Stranch, said that while he only joined the case late last year, he could file an amended complaint with more facts. The defense opposed that. Stranch did accuse Stine of engaging in a “continuous pattern of racketeering conspiracy.”

Fowlkes set a March 15 mediation deadline. David Hall, one of the farmers, said he would rather go to trial than discuss a settlement. “I’m not happy with it,” Hall said of the mediation order. Defense attorneys declined comment after the hearing.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |