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Adair County Supervisors pass Appropriations, Transfer &other Resolution; & Fireworks permit

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting today (Friday), instead of Wednesday. During the brief session, the Board passed three Resolutions, including those for Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations, as previously approved by the Board and Department Heads, and the Transfer of funds. Board Chair Jerry Walker explains…

They passed a Resolution to destroy certain records as allowed under the Code of Iowa, and as recommended by the Auditor Retention Guide. They then approved Fiscal Year 2025 hourly salary wages as passed in the previous Budget Hearing. A Fireworks Permit application for the Adair County Fair was approved, along with a six-month raise for the Adair County Treasurer’s Clerk. County Engineer Nick Kauffman provided the Board with an update on the Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities.

Supervisor Jodie Hoadley took a moment to commend Kauffman’s crews, the numerous contractors who came in from all around the area, and Sheriff’s Department personnel, who really stepped-up and responded quickly, in the aftermath of the devastating May 21st tornado, which packed Doppler radar estimated winds of as much as 318-mph.

Sheriff Jeff Vandewater told the Board a Sheriff’s Department Tahoe was declared a total loss, and debris hung up on the communications tower has been removed, but at least one of the microwave communications dishes were damaged. Crews are not allowed to climb the tower to make repairs, because inspectors say it’s currently not safe to do so.

Big 12 Announces Women’s Basketball Conference Opponents

Sports

June 28th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference announced the schedule matrix with home and away opponents for the 2024-25 season Thursday morning. With four new members to the conference in 2024-25 for a total of 16 members, each team will play three opponents twice (home and away) and the remaining 12 opponents once.

Iowa State will play Kansas, Kansas State and UCF twice while hosting BYU, Colorado, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech and Utah. The Cyclones will travel to Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and West Virginia. Despite adding four new members each of the previous two seasons, Iowa State will only play in one new facility when the Cyclones travel to Arizona. ISU traveled to Arizona State in 1987 and 1994 and traveled to Cincinnati once in 2013.

Opponents were selected based on a combination of geography, historical results and a poll of the coaches to best balance the schedule in terms of travel and competitiveness. A full Big 12 schedule with dates and times will be released at a later date.

Iowa State’s full Big 12 schedule matrix can be found below and the full Big 12 schedule matrix can be viewed here.

Home and Away: Kansas, Kansas State, UCF

Home Only: BYU, Colorado, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah

Away Only: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, West Virginia

Clark Named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year

Sports

June 28th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa guard, Caitlin Clark, was named 2023-24 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, announced today by the Big Ten Conference Office.

Clark, from West Des Moines, Iowa, is the first Hawkeye to win the award in back-to-back years. She is also only the third repeat winner in Big Ten Conference history, joining Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor (1988, 1989, 1990) and Indiana’s Lilly King (2017, 2018).

She is also the third Hawkeye student-athlete to win the award, joining Kristy Gleason (field hockey, 1994) and Megan Gustafson (women’s basketball, 2019). She is also ninth women’s basketball student-athlete to win the award, joining Gustafson, Purdue’s Joy Holmes (1991), MaChelle Joseph (1992), Stephanie White (1999) and Katie Douglas (2001), Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante (2004), Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport (2007), and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham (2016).

It is the ninth time a Hawkeye (men’s or women’s student-athlete) has earned the Big Ten Athlete of the Year award, and the fourth time in the past six seasons. Iowa’s past winners include wrestlers Ed Banach (1983), Barry Davis (1985) and Brent Metcalf (2008), football player Chuck Long (1986), men’s basketball player Luka Garza (2021), Gleason, and Gustafson.

Clark won the 2024 Honda Cup on Monday and was named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year as by THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). She also won the 2024 Naismith, Wooden and Wade Trophies along with the Associated Press and USBWA Ann Drysdale Player of the Year honors.

She is also a three-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award and is the first-ever three-time winner of the Dawn Staley Award. She also won the Honda Sport Award for Basketball in April.

Clark, who now plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, is the NCAA basketball all-time leading scorer and the only player in NCAA Division I men’s or women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons. Clark led the nation in 10 different offensive categories, including averaging 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game and also broke the NCAA women’s tournament scoring record during the Hawkeyes’ final NCAA Tournament run.

Off the court, she is a three-time First Team Academic All-American and was named the 2024 CSC Academic All-America of the Year.

The Big Ten Athletes of the Year are selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each institution.

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Supreme Court upholds the State’s six-week abortion ban

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court today (Friday), voted to uphold the State’s six-week ban on abortions. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart made the following statement following the Court’s decision: “Today Iowa women have been stripped of reproductive rights that they have maintained for more than 50 years. We’ve already seen the effects that these new and extreme abortion bans have on states like Alabama – where IVF is in jeopardy – and in Texas, where women have been forced to miscarry in lobby restrooms because hospitals refused to help them while they’re experiencing medical emergencies.  It’s obvious Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans do not trust women to make their own decisions regarding their own medical care or for doctors to use their best judgment while treating their patients.  Republicans went too far with this abortion ban, and Iowa voters will hold them accountable this November.”

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican leaders released the following statements in response to the Iowa Supreme Court ordering the district court to dissolve the injunction on Iowa’s Fetal Heartbeat Law:

Gov. Kim Reynolds:  “There is no right more sacred than life, and nothing more worthy of our strongest defense than the innocent unborn. Iowa voters have spoken clearly through their elected representatives, both in 2018 when the original heartbeat bill was passed and signed into law, and again in 2023 when it passed by an even larger margin. I’m glad that the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa.

“As the heartbeat bill finally becomes law, we are deeply committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, and promoting fatherhood and its importance in parenting. We will continue to develop policies that encourage strong families, which includes promoting adoption and protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF). Families are the cornerstone of society, and it’s what will keep the foundation of our state and country strong for generations to come.”

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver:  “Today’s decision marks a step in the right direction for the protection of life. While litigation continues, I appreciate the clarity the Supreme Court has provided on this issue. I am optimistic the common-sense law passed again last year to protect life at the sound of a heartbeat with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother will be found constitutional.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley:

“This ruling is a victory in the fight to protect unborn children in Iowa.  The Legislature is elected by the people, and for too long, the courts have stood in the way of Iowans having their voices heard on this matter.  “We are a pro-life and pro-family state. In Iowa, we respect both the life of the unborn child and the life of the mother. While out-of-touch, far-left political groups fight for abortion up until the day of birth, we will continue to fight for common sense policies that promote and protect life.  “We will continue to promote strong families in all that we do in the Iowa House. We must build on the work we’ve already done to expand access to affordable child care, extend postpartum coverage on Medicaid, and improve our foster care and adoption systems.”

2 detained/cited in Creston for Poss./purchase of alcohol under the legal age

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people under the legal age were detained and then cited, early today (Friday), for the possession and/or purchase of alcohol by a person 18/19/20-1st offense. The Creston Police Department reports 20-year-old Nathaniel Glenn Butler, and 18-year-old Jaden L. Ingram, both of Creston, were arrested at 1211 N. Poplar Street, in Creston, at around 1:50-a.m.

Butler and Ingram were issued their citations and a promise to appear in court.

Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals Reported at 7:00 am on Friday, June 28, 2024

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

June 28th, 2024 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  ,22″
  • 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .31″
  • Massena  .37″
  • Elk Horn  .1″
  • Bridgewater  .5″

Heartbeat Today 6-28-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

June 28th, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Museum of Danish America Genealogy & Education Center Youth and Community Educator Alissa LaCanne about July events sponsored by the museum.

Play

U.S. Election Assistance commissioner prepares for 2024 election with Iowa officials

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

As distrust in election integrity rises nationwide, Christy McCormick with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission said the agency is working with local election officials to combat misinformation about election security, check that voting systems are working correctly and ensure they are prepared for Nov. 5. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports McCormick spoke at the Iowa State Association of County Auditors summer conference in Des Moines Thursday, going over resources available through the EAC to local and state officials. In the lead-up to the 2024 general election, McCormick said election officials are facing new challenges with public perception.

“There’s a new interest in elections and every part of the election process that we never used to see back, you know, 10, 15 years ago,” McCormick said. “There’s a lot more scrutiny on election officials now, every single move that they make is being watched. So they have to be careful, they have to be as perfect as they possibly can. … They’re under a lot of stress, so we’re trying to provide them with resources, trying to get new election officials up to speed.”

The commission, created through the 2002 Help America Vote Act, is the federal government body dedicated to overseeing and providing resources on election administration to officials throughout the country, including ensuring voting systems meet federal guidelines, certifying voting equipment and maintaining the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

In Iowa, the EAC official spoke about resources through the commission available to county auditors and local election offices ahead Nov. 5. For example, McCormick said, Iowa uses the voluntary EAC program for testing and certifying voting systems. Other resources are available to ensure election systems are secure, she said, like the Field Services Program bringing EAC staff to test machines and conduct manufacturer audits, and a “learning lab” launched to train new election officials.

The EAC also works with states and Congress on HAVA grants, federal funding for election security efforts distributed to states. Congress approved $55 for these grants in 2024, a compromise reached between the Democrat-controlled Senate’s proposal of $75 million and the Republican-controlled House proposal of zero dollars. The most recent appropriation falls below the $75 million approved in fiscal years 2023 and 2022.

U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Christy McCormick spoke at the Iowa State Association of County Auditors summer conference in Des Moines June 27, 2024 about federal resources available to local election officials. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

According to EAC data compiled in 2023, Iowa has received more than $46 million in federal funds for election security and maintenance since 2003.

McCormick said the EAC is also working with local and state election officials on safety precautions, including trainings with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on how to respond to potentially hazardous mail, or how to take private information off online search engines to prevent stalking or doxxing.

Though elections officials are facing more attention because of heightened concerns about integrity, McCormick encouraged people with questions and concerns to be in contact with their local election offices. One of the best ways to learn about how the election process works is to get involved, she said, encouraging people to become poll workers and to vote.

Officials are preparing for an “interesting” election season, she said, but that the EAC is working with officials on how to respond to situations where problems do arise, encouraging transparency on processes like auditing and recounts, as well as making contingency plans in case emergencies arise on Election Day.

 

The $100,000 reward for info on Iowa news anchor missing for 29 years has expired

News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

MASON CITY, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — Thursday marked 29 years of searching for answers in the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit. It was also the final day for a $100,000 reward offered by a private investigator, for information that leads to her remains. Earlier this year, private investigator Steve Ridge upped his reward for information from $50,000 to $100,000.

Jodi Huisentruit (file photo)

Huisentruit was reported missing in 1995 after she never showed up for work in Mason City. Investigators believe she was kidnapped. Huisentruit was legally declared dead six years later.

Two more Iowa dairy herds reported with avian flu

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 28th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Two more reports of avian flu in Sioux County dairy herds were announced on Thursday, marking the 13th report of bird flu in dairy cattle herds in Iowa for June.  Sioux County’s problems with bird flu continue as these two recent reports leave the county with 12 reports of cattle herds and one chicken flock infected with the virus. These two most recent cases of bird flu infected a 980-cow herd and one with 2,500 cattle. Cows generally recover from the virus within two weeks. The virus is typically deadly to poultry and flocks are culled to prevent spread of the infection.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced new rules for dairy cattle in exhibitions on Tuesday in hopes of limiting the spread of the disease.  Also on Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced four states – Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas – would voluntarily test for bird flu in bulk milk tanks at dairies. Pasteurization kills the virus, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is urging people to avoid drinking raw milk.

Outside of Sioux County, Sac, Plymouth, Cherokee and O’Brien counties have each had one report of bird flu.