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Brewers beat Cardinals 6-4 to open 3-game wild-card lead

Sports

September 25th, 2018 by admin

By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A chuckling Eric Thames said it felt so good he almost ripped third base out of the ground and hoisted it above his head.
A lot of that going around for Milwaukee these days.

Thames tripled and scored on reliever Bud Norris’ throwing error in the eighth inning, and the Brewers improved their playoff positioning by topping the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Monday night.

“You have to capitalize on errors and bad pitches, wild pitches and stuff like that,” Thames said. “Tonight we did that.”

Ryan Braun homered and Christian Yelich drove in two runs as Milwaukee won for the fourth time in five games. The Brewers (90-67) opened a three-game lead over St. Louis for the top spot in the wild-card standings and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs, who lost 5-1 to Pittsburgh.

“Offensively, we did a heck of a job,” manager Craig Counsell said.

Corbin Burnes (7-0), the seventh of nine Milwaukee pitchers, got two outs for the win, and Corey Knebel worked the ninth for his 16th save. With a runner on, Jose Martinez fouled off four two-strike pitches before taking a called third strike for the final out.

Chase Anderson was slated to start before Counsell announced Sunday that the team had decided to go with a bullpen game instead. Dan Jennings made his first career start and retired Matt Carpenter on a grounder to second before the left-hander was replaced by Freddy Peralta, beginning a parade of relievers for the Brewers.

“Props to everybody who came in behind me and the position players for getting it done,” Jennings said. “That’s a grind right there.”

Martinez and Marcell Ozuna homered off Josh Hader in the rain, but St. Louis (87-70) was unable to close out a one-run lead. The Cardinals’ advantage in the race for the second NL wild card was trimmed to a half-game over Colorado, which cruised to a 10-1 win over Philadelphia.

“It’s not frustrating, at all,” Martinez said. “We’ve got two games to win the series.”

Thames has played sparingly this year with the Brewers in playoff contention. But Counsell sent him up to hit for Burnes in the eighth and he tripled past a sliding Martinez in right field with one out.

“Oh man, it felt amazing,” Thames said.

After Mike Moustakas was intentionally walked, Norris (3-6) tried a pickoff throw that hit the baserunner before bounding away from first baseman Matt Carpenter.

“It was called from the dugout. … A decent throw, but obviously crept in and got him and the ball bounced away,” Norris said. “Just a tough break. Very unfortunate.”

Thames scored easily and Yelich added an RBI double in the ninth as Milwaukee improved to 9-8 against St. Louis this season. Yelich, one of the top candidates for NL MVP, also walked and scored on Braun’s bases-loaded walk as the Brewers scored two runs in the sixth without a hit, opening a 3-1 lead.

St. Louis staged a dramatic rally as the showers intensified on a soggy night at Busch Stadium.
Martinez led off the sixth with a drive to center for his 17th homer, sending a charge through the crowd of 36,508. After Paul DeJong walked, Ozuna put the Cardinals in front with a screaming liner just over the wall in center.

Hader had given up just six homers in 51 appearances this year, and none since Anthony Rizzo connected for the Cubs on Sept. 3.
But Milwaukee quickly answered. The Brewers loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Jordan Hicks, and Keon Broxton scampered home with the tying run on Yelich’s fielder’s choice back up the middle.

UP NEXT
Brewers left-hander Gio Gonzalez (9-11, 4.28 ERA) and Cardinals left-hander Austin Gomber (6-1, 3.63) pitch on Tuesday night. Gonzalez is 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA in three starts since he was acquired in a trade with Washington on Aug. 31. Gomber is coming off a solid start at Atlanta, allowing one run in five innings for an 8-1 victory.

Posted in Sports |

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th

Trading Post

September 25th, 2018 by Jim Field

FOR SALE: Swing set/slide/fort. $125. Call 712-243-1485 in Atlantic. SOLD!

FOR SALE: Exercise bike $25. Call 712-243-1485 in Atlantic.  SOLD!

FOR SALE: bedroom set including dresser, chest, bedside table, and king platform bed with under bed storage. $400. Call 712-243-1485 in Atlantic.  SOLD!

GARAGE SALE: This Friday 8-6 and Saturday 8-noon, 804 E. Mahogany. New seasonal craft items, baby kitchen pot holders, towels and lots of other new craft items, books, toys, clothes, misc.

FOR SALE: 2003 Suzuki Aerio 4 door, blue, good shape. 712-420-3016 or 712-420-2609.

FOR SALE: Used refrigerator, good size, works fine. Has a freezer on top. $50. 249-0233 in Atlantic

Posted in Trading Post |

Authorities say man died in jail while awaiting murder trial

News

September 25th, 2018 by admin

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man died in Polk County Jail while awaiting trial on a murder charge.

Court records say case against 51-year-old Ricky Hascall was dismissed because he died in the jail on Sept. 16 of natural causes.

He’d pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery charges in the January 2017 slaying of 31-year-old Michael Huckleberry. Police say Hascall and two accomplices robbed and assaulted Huckleberry at his apartment. A neighbor found Huckleberry dead two days later.

Records say 25-year-old Sarah Saltz pleaded guilty to robbery and theft for her role in the slaying and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The remaining suspect, 27-year-old Monica Fagan, is scheduled to enter pleas in January.

Posted in News |

Skyscan Forecast Tuesday 09/25/2018

Podcasts, Weather

September 25th, 2018 by admin

Skyscan Forecast  Tuesday, September 25, 2018  Dan Hicks

Today: Mostly cloudy. Showers and a few isolated thunderstorms. Windy and cooler. NW @15-25. High 65.

Tonight: Clearing skies. Diminishing winds. Low 40.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. W @ 10-15. High 68.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High 68

Friday: Mostly cloudy. A few showers. High 62.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (647.9KB)

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Posted in Podcasts, Weather |

Council Bluffs native/woman’s body found in ravine near Fremont, NE; man arrested

News

September 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man paroled in June is suspected of killing a Council Bluffs native and dumping her body in a ravine near Fremont, NE. Omaha police say 39-year-old Jeremiah Connelly was arrested Friday after a foot chase that began when he ran from a stolen car he was driving.

Officers say he spoke to them about the death of a woman, and investigators later found the body of 22-year-old Jeanna Wilcoxen. She’d last been seen Sept. 17th.  According to reports, Wilcoxen was raised in Council Bluffs, attended Wilson Middle School and Thomas Jefferson High School. She is survived by her 4-year-old son, Jace, and others.

Connelly had been serving time in prison for attempted kidnapping, robbery and other crimes before being released June 28th.

Posted in News |

Weather impacting Iowa fall leaf colors

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The ping-pong nature of the weather so far this year could impact the type of quality of the fall leaf colors. Iowa D-N-R state forester Jeff Goerndt says things were trending toward an early pop of color. “Look for possibly an early fall leaf change because of some of the drier weather, but that could change with some of the cooler temperatures in the forecast,” Goerndt says. He admits there’s no easy way to tell exactly when the leaves will change.

“Fall color is really a hard thing to predict, there’s just so many different factors that are involved in how leaves turn color,” according to Goerndt. “Generally hot or dry weather is not a bad thing for fall color. It’s usually produce some brighter colors — especially some of the brighter red colors — as long as it doesn’t get too hot or too dry.” Goerndt says the trees may be like most people as the weather patterns switch back and forth.

“This year it was hotter and drier earlier and then it’s sort of gotten wet in some areas, and so you’ve got some of that back and forth. So, the trees are probably wondering what to do,” Goerndt says. There are some conditions that usually always lead to a colorful leaf display. “Generally for fall color, brighter sunny days and cool nights are usually a good thing for fall color,” Goerndt says. “If we get some wet weather from here on out — that could kind of make for some duller, slower changing trees.”

Goerndt says weather that is too hot and dry causes trees to drop their leaves early, or causes them to turn brown.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Start of harvest wraps up very oddball growing season

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — It’s the first week of fall and many Iowa farmers are already starting the harvest. Even weather experts admit it’s been an unusual growing season. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says 2018 is turning out to be a year of extremes, to be sure.

“The northern part of the corn belt, we had snows in April, we had wet conditions, we were slowed down from planting well into May in some places,” Todey says. “The southern part of the corn belt had some delays but not too badly.” After the late start due to the cold, wet conditions, the heat wave rolled in.

“We’ve had pretty regular heat throughout the summer, very warm conditions back in May and June,” Todey says. “Over Memorial Day, we had 90s which is really pretty high for that time of year. We had a lot of heat early on, then, kind of mellowed after that.” Despite the ups and downs, it ended up being a decent season for most growers.

“Crops matured pretty quickly so that’s moved us along,” Todey says. “We went from being behind to caught up now. We’re getting into a situation where we’re seeing corn maturing along with soybeans or even ahead of soybeans in some places.” Updated computer models show cooler-than-normal temperatures across the region through the end of this month and into October, which may bring the first frost.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Highway 20 Association sets date to dissolve

News

September 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa)  — The Highway 20 Corridor Association has been fighting to get the highway made into a four-lane roadway from the east all the way to the west side of the state for decades — and with that task nearing completion in western Iowa — the group held their final regular meeting Friday. Ann Trimble-Ray has been an officer of the association for several years and says with the celebration of the completion of their goal in October, they voted to set a date to end their work.

“As we think about what’s coming, that celebration on October 19th is a real big deal for us of course. But then we know we need to conclude our business in a manner full of integrity and doing the right thing. So, a motion was made and a vote taken that the Highway 20 Association will be dissolved as of December 31st,” she says. Trimble-Ray says the mood was both celebratory and melancholy — as several past members didn’t live to see their efforts successfully completed.

She says they do plan to acknowledge those who have served on the board and passed on with a display at the ribbon cutting celebrating the completion of the final segment of the highway. There is some historical significance attached to the date chosen of the event in Holstein to celebrate the completion of the four lanes. “The first four-lane segment of Highway 20 in Iowa — it was three miles east of Moville — opened on October 19th, 1958” Trimble-Ray says. “So, on October 19th 2018 we are going to be celebrating the completion statewide Highway 20.”

Posted in News |

A-P Iowa Prep Football Poll

Sports

September 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school football polls of the 2014 season with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right:

Class 4A
Record Pts Prv
1. West Des Moines Valley (9) 5-0 108 1
2. Cedar Falls (1) 5-0 97 2
3. Ankeny Centennial (1) 5-0 88 3
4. Bettendorf 4-1 68 4
5. Johnston 4-1 53 5
5. Iowa City West 4-1 53 6
7. West Des Moines Dowling 3-2 49 7
8. Indianola 5-0 39 8
9. Waukee 3-2 21 9
10. Cedar Rapids Prairie 4-1 17 10

Others receiving votes: Fort Dodge 10. Ankeny 1. Muscatine 1.

Class 3A
Record Pts Prv
1. Cedar Rapids Xavier (10) 5-0 109 1
2. Council Bluffs Lewis Central (1) 5-0 98 2
3. Solon 5-0 88 3
4. Pella 5-0 78 4
5. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 4-1 51 6
6. Eldridge North Scott 4-1 48 8
7. Epworth Western Dubuque 4-1 39 10
8. Clear Creek-Amana 5-0 37 9
9. Harlan 4-1 28 NR
10. Sioux City Heelan 4-1 18 5

Others receiving votes: Independence 4. Waverly-Shell Rock 4. Decorah 3.

Class 2A
Record Pts Prv
1. Monroe PCM (11) 5-0 110 1
2. Spirit Lake 5-0 94 2
3. Boyden-Hull-RV 4-1 87 3
4. Algona 5-0 72 5
5. Greene County 5-0 64 6
6. Waukon 4-1 59 7
7. Clear Lake 4-1 44 8
8. State Center West Marshall 4-1 34 10
9. Van Horne Benton 4-1 15 4
10. Union, La Porte City 3-2 13 NR

Others receiving votes: Waterloo Columbus 5. Des Moines Christian 4. Tipton 2. Chariton 2.

Class 1A
Record Pts Prv
1. Dike-New Hartford (3) 5-0 96 2
(tie) Van Meter (4) 5-0 96 3
3. Bellevue (2) 5-0 76 5
4. South Central Calhoun (1) 5-0 75 4
5. Mediapolis 5-0 56 6
6. West Branch 4-1 49 1
7. Hawarden West Sioux 4-1 48 7
8. Inwood West Lyon 4-1 35 8
9. Truro Interstate 35 5-0 25 T9
10. Sumner-Fredericksburg 5-0 23 T9

Others receiving votes: Wilton 13. Cascade 10. Pella Christian 3.

Class A
Record Pts Prv
1. Hudson (8) 5-0 105 1
2. A-H-S-T-W, Avoca (3) 5-0 95 2
3. Algona Garrigan 5-0 88 3
4. Belmond-Klemme 5-0 69 4
5. Hinton 5-0 46 5
6. Packwood Pekin 4-1 41 7
(tie) Traer North Tama 4-1 41 6
8. St. Ansgar 4-1 39 9
9. Brooklyn BGM 5-0 25 NR
10. Edgewood-Colesburg 4-1 24 NR

Others receiving votes: Grundy Center 10. Southwest Valley 7. Fairbank Wapsie Valley 6. Riverside Highland 4. Mason City Newman 3. Sioux Rapids Sioux Central 1. Alta 1.

Class 8-Man
Record Pts Prv
1. Gilbertville-Don Bosco (8) 5-0 102 1
2. New London (2) 5-0 95 2
3. Elk Horn-Kimballton Exira 5-0 84 3
4. Westside Ar-We-Va 5-0 68 4
5. Marengo Iowa Valley (1) 5-0 57 5
6. Newell-Fonda 5-0 50 6
7. Liberty Center SE Warren 6-0 47 8
8. Fremont Mills, Tabor 4-1 36 9
9. Central City 5-0 30 NR
10. Northwood-Kensett 5-0 17 NR

Others receiving votes: Jackson Junction Turkey Valley 7. Wyoming Midland 7. Stanton 4. HLV, Victor 1.

Posted in Sports |

Mistrial declared in 1990 killing of 9-year-old girl

News

September 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The third trial in the 1990 killing of a 9-year-old girl has ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict after three days of deliberations.

The Quad-City Times reports a judge Monday declared the mistrial in the trial of Stanley Liggins. He’d twice been convicted of murder in the killing of 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis, of Rock Island, Illinois. Her burned remains were found Sept. 17, 1990, in a field in Davenport.

She had been sexually abused, strangled to death and then doused with gasoline and set on fire. Liggins knew Jennifer’s mother and investigators focused on him as a suspect. He was twice convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but both convictions were overturned.

The third trial was moved to Black Hawk County from Scott County because of pretrial publicity.

Posted in News |