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Woman charged with 1992 southeast Iowa beating death

News

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A woman has been accused of swinging a baseball bat to kill a 22-year-old man in southeast Iowa more than 25 years ago. Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren said Thursday that Annette Dee Cahill, of Tipton, is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 13, 1992, slaying of Corey Lee Wieneke. He was found dead on his bedroom floor in rural West Liberty.
Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her.

A criminal complaint says someone reported last year that Cahill made comments a few weeks after the slaying that she was responsible. Officials also say she told another person that a baseball bat had been used to kill Wieneke, something only she could have been certain of at the time. An aluminum bat with blood on it was found a mile from his home.

Injury accident in Council Bluffs Friday morning

News

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

An accident early this (Friday) morning, in Council Bluffs, is under investigation. Bluffs Police say officers were called to North 15th Street and K Avenue at around 2:11-a.m., with regard to an injury accident. The suspect vehicle collided with a parked vehicle, the action of which caused the driver to lose control, and run into a residence at 1500 Ave K. The home however, did not sustain heavy damage. The driver of the vehicle was transported to the hospital for further medical evaluation. Their name was not immediately released.

Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor for the accident. The Council Bluffs Traffic Unit is investigating.

Red Oak woman arrested on Delivery of Meth charge

News

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday, arrested 37-year old April Marie Watson, of Red Oak, on a Felony, Delivery of Methamphetamine charge. Her arrest stems from an investigation conducted in March, 2018. Watson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Skyscan Forecast & weather data for Atlantic 6/1/18

Weather

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly cloudy. High 93. SE @ 10-15.

Tonight: P/Cldy to Cldy w/scattered shwrs & tstrms, especially toward morning. Low 70. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Showers & thunderstorms, mainly in the morning. High 80. NW @ 10-15.

Sunday: P/Cldy. High 82.

Monday: P/Cldy. High 84.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 93. Our Low this morning was 60. Last year on this date our High was 83 and the Low was 52. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 99 in 1934. The Record Low was 36, in 1956.

Midwest Sports Headlines: 6/1/18

Sports

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yairo Munoz capped St. Louis’ five-run ninth inning with a three-run homer, rallying the Cardinals to a 10-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Francisco Cervelli hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth to give Pittsburgh an 8-5 lead. But the Pirates couldn’t hold on and lost in St. Louis for the fifth straight time and 12th in the last 14.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alex Reyes’ return to the St. Louis Cardinals after a 20-month absence lasted just four innings. The 23-year-old right-hander was put on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained latissimus dorsi muscle in his right side. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Reyes was hurt on Wednesday when he allowed three hits over four scoreless innings at Milwaukee in his first big league appearance since Sept. 29, 2016.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — No one was less surprised that Tyler Cook decided to come back to Iowa than coach Fran McCaffery. The biggest question now for the Hawkeyes is whether Cook’s return will be enough to get them back on track after a disappointing season. Cook, who will be a junior next winter, is withdrawing from the NBA Draft. He led the team last season with 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

SIRWA customers under a Boil Advisory beginning at 8-a.m. today

News

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The entire City of Creston, and all customers of the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) will be under a Boil Water Advisory beginning at 8-a.m. today (Friday), and until further notice.The order was issued, according to SIRWA, because “Due to problems at the 12-mile Treatment Plant, there is a chance for bacterial contamination, and it is being recommended that the water be boiled before it is used for drinking, or cooking, or that an alternative source be used.”

Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one-minute and then let it cool, or, used bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing your teeth and food preparation, until further notice. Boiling the water kills bacteria and other organisms that may be present. The water is safe for bathing and other, similar purposes.

The Advisory, which affects SIRWA customers in Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union Counties, is a precaution until bacterial sample results are available. For more information, call 641-782-5744.

Customers of the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) include:

Adams County: Nodaway, Prescott and surrounding rural areas

Clarke County: Murray and surrounding rural areas west of Interstate 35

Decatur County: Grand River and surrounding rural areas west of Interstate 35 Madison County: Macksburg and surrounding rural areas

Ringgold County: Beaconsfield, Benton, Delphos, Diagonal, Ellston, Kellerton, Maloy, Mt. Ayr, Redding, Sun Valley, Tingley and surrounding rural areas

Taylor County: Bedford, Blockton, Conway, Clearfield, Gravity, Lenox, Sharpsburg and surrounding rural areas

Union County: Afton, Arispe, Creston, Cromwell, Kent, Lorimor, Shannon City, Thayer and surrounding rural areas

For more information on guidelines to reduce risk of infection, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

Iowa early News Headlines: 6/1/18

News

June 1st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa legislator who dropped his Republican Party affiliation after comments by then-candidate Donald Trump won’t seek re-election. Sen. David Johnson of Ocheyedan announced Thursday he won’t seek re-election in his northwest Iowa district. The 67-year-old didn’t explain his decision but noted in a statement that the political process had become more polarizing and partisan. Johnson dropped his party affiliation in 2016 after Trump made comments about a federal judge of Mexican heritage

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A third person has been sentenced to federal prison in a case that saw the trio using stolen identities and debit card numbers for a buying spree across Iowa. Prosecutors say 21-year-old Liliany de Armas Mena, a Cuban national, was sentenced Wednesday to three years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say she and two other men stole account information last year from at least 35 accounts using “skimming” devices.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in north-central Iowa say the body of a missing kayaker has been found in the Des Moines River. Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter told The Messenger on Thursday afternoon that family members had located the remains of 26-year-old Alex Dencklau, of Clare, in the river south of the Fort Dodge Water Treatment Plant. Dencklau’s body will be taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Ankeny for an autopsy.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Concepts for a riverfront revitalization plan in Council Bluffs include an elevated walkway through the trees, a pavilion with a rooftop restaurant and a marina. The Omaha World-Herald reports that those were among ideas floated Wednesday during a community meeting on plans to transform the Council Bluffs side of the Missouri River. On June 12, the Riverfront Revitalization Planning Committee plans to present a master plan for the Omaha riverfront during an open house at Gallup in Omaha.

McCaffery not surprised Tyler Cook returns to Iowa

Sports

May 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — No one was less surprised that Tyler Cook decided to come back to Iowa than coach Fran McCaffery. The biggest question now for the Hawkeyes is whether Cook’s return will be enough to get them back on track after a disappointing season.

Cook, who will be a junior next season, announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the NBA Draft. Though it seemed like at times that Cook’s days in Iowa City might be numbered — and he acknowledged Thursday that he was unsure about his future until Wednesday morning — McCaffery said that the process went almost exactly as he envisioned it.

Cook, who averaged team highs with 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a game in 2017-18, wasn’t expected to be selected. “It was time for him to explore his options, and that’s exactly what he did … and I’m sort of baffled by everybody’s surprise. I mean, the kid wants to play in the NBA. I want him to play in the NBA. I want to be part of him reaching his dream,” McCaffery said. “If the indications were that he was going to be a first-round pick, he’d be gone. … I think everybody overanalyzed what happened. He did exactly what he said he was going to do.”

Cook and fellow junior-to-be Isaiah Moss both went through the NBA draft evaluation process before deciding to re-commit to the Hawkeyes. That left Iowa in the position of bringing nearly every key contributor back in 2018-19. That could be either a good or a bad thing for a team that lost 19 games and was just 4-14 in the Big Ten.

The Iowa defense was, at times, perhaps as bad as any Power Five team in America. Iowa allowed nearly 80 points a game and let opponents shoot 46.2 percent from the floor. Both McCaffery and Cook said Thursday that Iowa’s defense will have to improve if the team wants to escape the league basement. The Hawkeyes should have the depth to make that happen, as they return all five starters from a year ago.

We need to “make sure everyone is locked in and ready to go,” Cook said. As for Cook’s future, McCaffery said that NBA scouts want to see Cook improve as much next season as he did between his freshman and sophomore seasons, when his points, rebounds and assists all went up. They also want him to improve defensively to the point where Cook would be able to guard all five positions.

If Cook can become a better defender next season, it should help the Hawkeyes make the necessary strides on that end of the floor — and solidify Cook’s status as the leader Iowa has been looking for. “He wants to lead this team. That’s what I love about this guy. He has to be the guy that leads in the locker room and on the court. I encourage him to be that guy,” McCaffery said.

Senator who dumped GOP after Trump comment won’t run again

News

May 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa legislator who dropped his Republican affiliation after comments by then-candidate Donald Trump has decided not to seek re-election.
Sen. David Johnson of Ocheyedan announced Thursday he won’t run in his northwest Iowa district.

The 67-year-old didn’t explain his decision but noted in a statement that the political process had become more polarizing and partisan. Johnson, a lifelong Republican who served two terms in the House before being elected to the Senate in 2002, dropped his affiliation in 2016 after Trump made comments about a federal judge of Mexican heritage.

Johnson began voting as a no-party affiliated senator. That led Republicans, who took control of the Senate after the 2016 election, to remove Johnson from committees.
Three Republicans and no Democrats are running in Tuesday’s primary for Johnson’s seat.

Riverfront revitalization ideas floated in Council Bluffs

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Concepts for a riverfront revitalization plan in Council Bluffs include an elevated walkway through the trees, a pavilion with a rooftop restaurant and a marina. The Omaha World-Herald reports that those were among ideas floated Wednesday during a community meeting on plans to transform the Council Bluffs side of the Missouri River.

On June 12, the Riverfront Revitalization Planning Committee plans to present a master plan for the Omaha riverfront during an open house at Gallup in Omaha.
A national team of experts is working to develop a master plan for areas in and around River’s Edge from north of Hanafan Park to the Union Pacific Bridge in Council Bluffs, as well as Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis and Clark Landing in Omaha.