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(Update) Atlantic Splash Pad likely be finished by Labor Day;

News

April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Weather permitting, work on the Atlantic SplashPad is expected to be completed by Labor Day. SplashPad Committee member Ali Pieken provided the update to Parks Advisory Commission today (Wednesday).

And, while the Fundraising Committee has exceeded its goal for the project, donations are still being accepted and welcomed, and will be used as necessary. She said plans are in the works for some sort of way to acknowledge the contributions of those whose families would like an aspect of the park to be named after a loved one.

She says the picnic tables will be secured and painted brightly, mimicking the theme of the entire Pad.

The area will have toddler and family bays with separate activators. Stamp Construction will start in-kind site preparation work in a couple of weeks.

In other business, the Atlantic Parks Advisory Commission received an update from Parks & Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen, with regard to the Harl Holt Park and the Pour-and-Play playground fall surface. Christensen said a tree was removed from the site and ground was leveled.

Christensen said also, installation of a new water pump for the Sunnyside Pool is still up-in-the-air. The company tasked with installing the pump and troubleshooting any start-up issues, has not provided a time-line for project completion. The opening date for the Sunnyside Pool, therefore, has not yet been established.

The Parks Advisory Commission heard from Steph Steffens, Wednesday, with regard to “Atlantic’s Got Talent” at the Sunnyside Park Bandshell. Steffens said the event – in partnership with the Atlantic Parks & Rec Dept. and Your Forte – will take place August 3rd, the same time the Park Celebration takes place. She spoke about what talent they’re expecting to have showcased.

The tentative deadline to apply July 1st. It will be open to persons in the surrounding communities, and practically anywhere else.

Steffens says they’re hoping to make it an annual event.  The entry fee is $20. You can sign-up at Your Forte in Atlantic.

Posted in News |

Cyclones to Open 2025 Football Season Against Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland

Sports

April 24th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State will play its first-ever football game outside of the United States when it opens the 2025 season against Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, August 23, 2025, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

“We are extremely grateful for this opportunity presented to us by Aer Lingus to provide the young men in our football program an unrivaled educational, cultural and athletic experience,” said Jamie Pollard, Iowa State’s Director of Athletics. “Iowa State fans enjoy a tremendous reputation for following the Cyclones wherever they play, and we look forward to seeing them travel with us to The Emerald Isle for the 2025 season-opener.”

The Cyclones and Wildcats will meet for the 108th time on November 30, 2024, in Ames to close the 2024 regular season. Both teams will then play on Week Zero of the 2025 campaign with the sixth college football game ever played at Dublin’s 48,000-seat Aviva Stadium, the first in Ireland to feature Big 12 Conference institutions and the first-ever meeting between the longtime rivals in a season-opener.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Big 12 Conference to play one of its classic rivalries on a global stage while showcasing our University and its football program,” said ISU head coach Matt Campbell. “We are honored that Aer Lingus selected the Cyclones to participate in this prestigious game, which will afford a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student-athletes to experience international travel while also helping to grow the game of college football outside of the United States.”

It will mark the first time since 1997, the Big 12’s second season, that Iowa State has opened its football season with a league contest and the earliest date ever that the Cyclones have kicked off the season.

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic aims to bring American college football to Ireland annually to promote Ireland as a travel destination, and 2025 will be the fourth-consecutive season that college football begins its season with a game in Dublin. Florida State and Georgia Tech will kick off the 2024 campaign in Ireland with an excess of 21,000 U.S. fans traveling overseas for game week. ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be on hand for the Aer Lingus Classic, broadcasting live from Dublin on Saturday, August 24.

“We are thrilled to welcome Iowa State and Kansas State to Dublin for the 2025 Aer Lingus Classic,” said John Anthony, Co-Founder of the Aer Lingus Classic and Executive VP, Collegiate of On Location. “Kicking off the season with this classic Big 12 Conference rivalry game will bring a heightened level of excitement to another expected sell out Aviva Stadium.

“This matchup was selected because of the high-quality play from both teams, as well as the passionate fan bases that follow them,” he added. “We look forward to providing the experience of a lifetime to the student-athletes and their loyal fans who travel to Ireland. Special thanks to Coach Campbell and Jamie Pollard for embracing this special opportunity for all of Iowa State University.”

Aviva Stadium, which opened in 2010, was built on the site where historic Lansdowne Stadium once stood. Previous college football games played in Aviva Stadium include a pair of Notre Dame-Navy games (2012 and 2023), a Georgia Tech-Boston College game in 2016 and the 2022 Nebraska-Northwestern game. All-told, the ISU-KSU football game will be the 10th played on Irish soil.

“I welcome the news that Kansas State University and Iowa State University have been chosen to play the fourth match in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic series”, said Catherine Martin, Ireland’s Minister for Tourism.  “This event is now a firm fixture in the Irish sporting calendar and provides a huge boost to tourism and hospitality in Ireland and indeed creates a great atmosphere in Dublin for visitors and locals alike. We look forward to welcoming the teams and supporters to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and beyond, as they go on to explore other parts of Ireland, in August 2025.”

As title sponsor, Aer Lingus is responsible for transporting the teams and their delegations to Dublin on dedicated chartered flights. Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, operates from 17 North America destinations direct to Ireland as well as offer seamless connections to Europe for U.S. travelers via its hub at Dublin airport.

“The Aer Lingus College Football Classic provides us with a unique opportunity to drive awareness of the Aer Lingus brand in our key North American market,” said Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer. “We have a proud history of connecting the U.S. and Ireland – flying to 17 destinations in North America this summer – and we are committed to growing this transatlantic network so we can continue connecting North America to Ireland and Europe through our Dublin hub.

“The Aer Lingus Classic draws substantial numbers of American visitors and gives the opportunity to showcase Ireland as a destination through this exciting event,” Carberry said. “We look forward to welcoming both the Kansas State and Iowa State teams to Ireland for the game in 2025.”

Iowa State fans can visit Cyclones2Ireland.com to learn more about the game and sign up for ticket updates including official Iowa State travel and hospitality packages which will become available in late May.

2025 Iowa State Football Schedule

 

Aug. 23            vs. Kansas State, Dublin, Ireland

Aug. 30            vs. South Dakota

Sept. 6             vs. Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series)

Sept. 13           at Arkansas State

Home Big 12 Games, Dates TBA:  vs. Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Kansas

 

Away Big 12 Games, Dates TBA:  at Colorado, TCU, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati

FBS Games Played In Ireland

 

Date                 Game                                                   Venue

11/19/1988        Boston College 38, Army 24                   Lansdowne Road Stadium

12/2/1989         Pitt 46, Rutgers 29                                 Lansdowne Road Stadium

11/2/1996         Notre Dame 54, Navy 27                       Croke Park

9/1/2012           Notre Dame 50, Navy 10                       Aviva Stadium

8/30/2014         Penn State 26, UCF 24                          Croke Park

9/3/2016           Georgia Tech 17, Boston College 14       Aviva Stadium

8/27/2022         ^Northwestern 31, Nebraska 28             Aviva Stadium

8/26/2023         ^Notre Dame 42, Navy 3                        Aviva Stadium

8/24/2024         ^Georgia Tech vs. Florida State              Aviva Stadium

8/23/2025         ^Kansas State vs. Iowa State              Aviva Stadium

8/28/2027         ^Pitt vs. Wisconsin                                 Aviva Stadium

Posted in Sports |

Fifth suspect arrested in the deaths of 2 women from Kansas

News

April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

TEXAS COUNTY, OK – As the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation continues its investigation into the deaths of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, officials today (Wednesday)  announced an additional arrest was made on April 24th. (As mentioned in KJAN’s previous reports, Jilian Kelley was the wife of Pastor Heath Kelley, who served as a Youth Minister at the Church of Christ in Griswold.)
Based on the evidence and information gathered from the case, 31-year-old Paul Grice was arrested and booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree.

Suspect Paul Grice

Both Butler and Kelley went missing on March 30 and found deceased in rural Texas County on April 14. This is still an ongoing investigation at this time.

Posted in News |

Hawkeyes Set For Big Ten Championships

Sports

April 24th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

THIS WEEK

The University of Iowa men’s golf team is set to travel to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the Big Ten Championships April 26-28 at Scioto Golf Club.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The 54-hole tournament tees off on Friday and concludes Sunday, with 18 holes to be played each day. The tournament is set to tee off at 9 a.m. (ET) Friday and Saturday with the final round teeing off at 8 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

You can follow this week’s action by visiting golfstat.com for live scoring. Links can be found on the men’s golf schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.

THE FIELD

All 14 Big Ten opponents will be competing in the tournament, the field features five Spikemark top-50 ranked opponents: No. 18 Illinois, No. 46 Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, No. 44 Northwestern, No. 36 Ohio State, Penn State, No. 28 Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.

THE COURSE

Designed by renowned Scottish-born architect Donald Ross, with the opening of the golf course in 1916, a decade later the course hosted the 1926 U.S. Open Championship won by golfing legend Bobby Jones.  Scioto is one of only five golf courses in the United States to have hosted five different major championships.  The 1931 Ryder Cup, the 1950 PGA Championship, the 1968 U.S. Amateur, and the 1986 Senior U.S. Open each added to the tournament legacy and prestige of the Club.

Scioto has been acclaimed around the world as a strategic routing and a course that demands precise shot-making.  The golf course, recently renovated in 2021 by Andrew Green, where fairway widths were widened to original size, Ross designed features such as hummocks and flat bottom bunkers were again restored to showcase the original design while built for the modern player.  Features that were removed in previous renovations, were restored and the greens were rebuilt in the style that represented the era when the course first opened over 100 years ago.  

Today, the course provides a great test to the finest players in the world, ready to host major championships, and yet is one that is most enjoyable for all levels of players.  The USGA will return to Scioto for the 2026 U.S. Senior Open and the 2036 U.S. Amateur Championship.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Iowa has earned one team Big Ten Championship in program history. The Hawkeyes won the conference title in 1992 at Finkbine Golf Course.

Mac McClear was the co-medalist in 2023 where he became the first Hawkeye to win multiple conference championships after also winning the event in 2021. McClear became the 16thmen’s golfer to win multiple Big Ten Championships with the victory last season. 

McClear is one of four Hawkeyes to win the individual medalist at the Big Ten Championships, joining Carson Schaake (2015), Brad Klapprott (1992) and John Jacobs (1946).

Illinois won the Big Ten Championships in 2023 at eight-under par, leading the field by 17 strokes. Iowa tied for fifth place.

Posted in Sports |

Planting is delayed in NE Iowa due to a lack of rain

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Planting season is underway for most of Iowa, except in the northeast, where the tractors are being stalled by unpredictable rainfall and a lack of moisture. The region’s been in extreme drought for three years, but in the past few weeks, it’s gotten several inches of rain. That’s thrown off planting plans for many farmers who anticipated a drier spring. Iowa State University field agronomist Terry Basol says it means the region still has a lot of catching up to do.

“Our 30-year average is roughly 30 inches of rain,” Basol says, “and last year, that total was 13.8.” Basol says moisture levels in the region’s topsoil are nearly drained, which makes rainfall even more critical. He says that lack of topsoil moisture is troubling for farmers, especially when compared to last year.

“Fast forward to 2024, that’s been depleted for the most part,” he says, “so we’re going to rely heavily on timely rains to carry us through.” Despite the rainfall of recent weeks, the yearly moisture average is down by more than 50 percent.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Update on wind farm planned in three northwest Iowa counties

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Developers of a northwest Iowa wind farm plan to erect 18 turbines in Emmet County. The Red Rock Wind Energy Center project is being scaled back in neighboring Dickinson County, though, as officials consider changes to Dickinson County’s wind turbine ordinance.

Joe Crowley is project developer for Invenergy, the company building the wind farm. “We’ve definitely been delayed,” Crowley said Tuesday. “…That being said, working with counties is how we build successful projects.”

The company originally planned to build 83 wind turbines in Dickinson County, but Crowley says that’s been pared back to around 70 wind turbines due to expected changes in the county’s ordinance. Yesterday, Crowley briefed Emmet County Supervisors on Invenergy’s prep work in their county.

“We’ve been doing geo-technical studies as well diligence to make sure that the sites that we currently have are suitable for the turbines that we’re contemplating,” Crowley said, “as well as just keeping up on working with landowners and refining our layout to make sure that they fit the needs as best as possible.”

The Red Rock Wind Energy Center is planned for Emmet, Dickinson and Clay Counties. Invenergy has built 17 other wind farms in Iowa.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

ENOLA MARIE HANSEN, 85, of Wiota (Svcs. 5/1/24)

Obituaries

April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

ENOLA MARIE HANSEN, 85, of Wiota, died Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Iowa Methodist Hospital, in Des Moines. Funeral services for ENOLA HANSEN will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the Brayton Lutheran Church in Brayton. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Open visitation with family will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Exira.

Interment is at the Oak Hill Cemetery, west of Brayton. A luncheon will be held following the committal service in the fellowship hall of the Brayton Lutheran Church.

ENOLA HANSEN is survived by:

Her sons – Mark (Marlene) Hansen, of Wiota; Steven (Sandy) Hansen, of Atlantic, and Brian (Kari) Hansen, of Anita.

Her daughter – Laura Hansen, of Clive.

Her sister – Janet (Duane) Clark, of Guthrie Center.

9 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren; her brother-in-law, other relatives & friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

Atlantic Police report, 4/24/24

News

April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Police Department report 10 arrests took place over the past week.

  • On Tuesday, April 23rd, Officers with the A-PD arrested 30-year-old Jesse Boken, of Atlantic, for Public Intoxication.
  • On the 22nd, 39-year-old Mathew Rigen, of Shelby, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). Rigen was cited into court and released at the scene.
  • On the 21st, 34-year-old Benjamin Sonish, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
  • On April 20th, 37-year-old Robert Hackwell, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
  • There were 3 arrests in Atlantic on April 19th:
    • 63-year-old Susan Bashor, of Atlantic, and 47-year-old Amanda Bashor, of Clarinda, were arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order, and,
    • 28-year-old KR Takauo, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intox.\
  • On April 18th, Atlantic Police arrested:
    • 30-year-old Chad Arbuckle, of Atlantic, for Theft in the 4th Degree
    • 30-year-old Edward Parrott, of Council Bluffs, for Simple Assault, and
    • 37-year-old Jessica Blumberg, of Atlantic, for Domestic Abuse Assault.

Each of the named individuals mentioned above (With the exception of Mathew Rigen) were taken into custody and booked into the Cass County Jail.

Posted in News |

Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa ready for NFL Draft

Sports

April 24th, 2024 by admin

Iowa All-American Cooper DeJean will be the latest Iowa defensive back to be taken in the NFL Draft. DeJean is projected to be taken in Thursday night’s first round in Detroit. Hawkeye defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

Parker says the program has produced so many defensive backs in part because of how they study the game.

Parker on the work ethic players take to the next level.

Iowa State corner T.J. Tampa is projected as a second or third round pick in the draft. Cyclone cornerback coach Hank Poteat (poh-teet) says Tampa’s versatility is a strength.

Poteat says Tampa will fit in a lot of different systems at the next level.

Tampa was a third-team All American this past season.

Posted in Sports |

B1G baseball to move to 30-game conference schedule

Sports

April 24th, 2024 by admin

Iowa baseball coach Rick Heller says the Big Ten will move to a 30-game conference schedule next year when the league adds USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon. The Big Ten currently has an eight week, 24-game schedule. Beginning next year the Hawkeyes will play 10 conference foes and make one trip to the west coast each season.

Heller says Big Ten coaches had advocated for divisional play.

The Big Ten footprint will expand to 14 states but Heller says the new schedule will preserve regional rivalries.

The top eight teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. Heller believes that will expand to 10 or 12 teams beginning next season and the format may resemble the one used by the ACC.

The Hawkeyes return to Big Ten play this weekend by visiting Nebraska for a three-game series.

Posted in Sports |