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Kirk Ferentz passes Fry, Iowa rolls past NIU 33-7

Sports

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kirk Ferentz’s record-setting 144th win at Iowa could not have been more emblematic of his tenure in Iowa City. There were times when every play on offense looked like a struggle — especially early on. But they kept grinding, finally breaking through with a win powered by mental toughness, the running game and a punishing defense.

Nate Stanley threw for 108 yards and a touchdown, Ferentz passed mentor Hayden Fry as Iowa’s all-time leader in wins and the Hawkeyes rolled past Northern Illinois 33-7 in a season opener on Saturday. Fry, who counted Ferentz among his assistants for nearly a decade, went 143-89-6 in 20 seasons before Ferentz took over in 1999.

The often-stoic Ferentz couldn’t hold back his emotions as the seconds ticked down, sharing a tearful embrace with his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. “I’ve just enjoyed coaching … there’s a lot of luck involved, too. Because everything pretty much in my whole career has happened by chance. I swear to God it has,” Ferentz said. “I never had a master plan or a list of things I was trying to accomplish. But the commonality is that I’ve just been around really good people.”

It was a signature Ferentz win, with the Hawkeyes running for 209 yards while holding the Huskies to just 211 yards overall.

The Hawkeyes were missing their starting left and right tackles against one of the better Group of Five programs in America in their opener. The goal was survival, not style points, and in that regard Iowa did what it had to do. But Iowa’s defense was so dominant that its offense had time to find its footing.
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Iowa hosts Iowa State on Sept. 8.

Iowa legislative candidate jailed on harassment charges

News

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Libertarian candidate for the Iowa Legislature has been arrested and jailed on harassment charges. The Des Moines Register reports that 39-year-old Chad Roye Brewbaker, of Clive, was jailed Friday afternoon after police say he repeatedly ignored a court order to stop all communication with a woman. Brewbaker remained in the Polk County Jail on Saturday.

Brewbaker is running for the Iowa House District 43 seat, which includes the cities of Windsor Heights and Clive. It’s not Brewbaker’s first harassment case. Court records show that in 2009, he was convicted of third-degree harassment for harassing a female student while he was a graduate assistant at Iowa State University. In 2010, Brewbaker was given a one-year suspension from Iowa State.

BERNICE D. WOLTMANN, 94, of Avoca (Svcs. 9/5/18)

Obituaries

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

BERNICE D. WOLTMANN, 94, of Avoca, died Friday, Aug. 31st, at Avoca Specialty Care. Funeral services for BERNICE WOLTMAN will be held 2-p.m. Wed., Sept. 5th, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Avoca. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends at the funeral home on Tue., Sept. 4th, from 5-until 7-p.m.

Burial will be in the Shelby Cemetery.

BERNICE WOLTMANN is survived by:

4 nieces, including (locally) Connie Wise, of Avoca, and Karen (Dave) Larson, of McClelland.

Racist calls mock Florida’s black Democratic candidate

News

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Racist phone calls mocking Florida’s black Democratic gubernatorial nominee appear to be from a white supremacist podcast that has also taken credit for inflammatory robocalls in Iowa and California.

In the recorded calls, someone falsely identifying himself as Andrew Gillum speaks in a racist, old-time minstrel dialect while asking voters for their support. The calls, which according to the Gillum campaign started Friday, are said to be paid for by The Road to Power — an Idaho-based video podcast. Gillum campaign spokesman Geoff Burgan said it’s unclear how widespread the calls have been, but that he’s only heard reports of them in Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor.

Gillum’s Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, is not affiliated with the podcast behind the calls. His campaign spokesman, Stephen Lawson, called them “absolutely appalling and disgusting.”

In Iowa , anti-immigrant robocalls from The Road to Power began Tuesday — two days after the funeral of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student who authorities say was abducted and killed by a man believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

Mason City man dies after falling into Rockwell grain bin

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

ROCKWELL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Mason City man died has died after falling into a grain bin at Five Star Co-op in Rockwell. The Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened Friday morning. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 56-year-old Jeffrey Alan Sprague.

Investigators say employees discovered Sprague was missing sometime after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Authorities searched the property. Official say the grain was removed from the bin, uncovering Sprague’s body.

Officials say the investigation will continue through the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

Officials: Iowa man attacked in July has died from injuries

News

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Decorah man severely injured in an attack in July has died from his injuries. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office tells the Courier that 46-year-old David Hansen was injured in an attack on July 12. He died Thursday.
A man and a teenager have been charged.

Officials say 18-year-old Dalton Adam and a 17-year-old boy, both of Decorah, were arrested after the assault. Officials say they currently face charges of attempted murder, but those charges could be upgraded in the wake of Hansen’s death. The Associated Press generally does not name juveniles charged with crimes.

Court records say someone called 911 to report the attack, and deputies and medics found Hansen severely beaten with a bloody and swollen face.

High school football score is 99-81, setting Iowa record

Sports

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs Jefferson beat Sioux City North 99-81 on Friday night in the highest-scoring game in the history of Iowa high school football. Council Bluffs led 57-21 at halftime. North rallied to score 60 points in the second half but still managed to lose by 18, according to an unofficial box score provided to The Associated Press by Sioux City coach Brant Anderson.

Jefferson put up 99 points on the strength of a rushing attack that put up a staggering 749 yards on 67 carries. Cameron Baker had 358 yards and eight touchdowns. Jermaine Green added 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Sioux City North QB Matt Hagan threw for 310 yards and nine touchdowns in the losing effort. Neither team punted.

Weather related and other announcements

News

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Due to the weather, the following events or services are cancelled and/or rescheduled:  (For additional announcements as available, see the Cancellations page under Community Hub)

9/1/18 – Anita Masonic Golf Night – postponed (Reset for Sept. 15th)

Unrelated to the weather:

9/2/18 – The Marne and Buck Creek United Methodist Church services have been cancelled for today (Sunday).

Anita Masonic’s Night Golf for tonight (9/1/18) is postponed

Sports

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Anita Masonic Night Golf event slated for 6:30-p.m. today (Saturday), has been postponed due to the weather. The event was rescheduled to 6:30-p.m., Sept. 15th.

August 2018 weather stats for Atlantic

Weather

September 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The month of August, here in Atlantic, was slightly warmer than average, but much wetter than normal. Weather data compiled at the KJAN studious (The official National Weather Service reporting site), showed the average High for the month, was 84.3-degrees, which 1.1-degree warmer than the norm. The average Low of 60.1 was slightly cooler than the norm of 60.6.  Rainfall for the month amounted to 8.85 inches, which was well above the norm of 3.88, and 1.72-inches shy of the greatest amount ever recorded for the month.

Looking ahead to the month of September in Atlantic: The High is typically 76  degrees, and the Low 51. Rainfall usually amounts to around 3.81 inches, according to the records.