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Bohannon, Cook lead Iowa past Minnesota 94-80

Sports

January 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jordan Bohannon led six Hawkeyes in double figures with 20 points and Iowa rolled past Minnesota 94-80 on Tuesday night, its second straight home win. Tyler Cook scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and Isaiah Moss had 16 for the Hawkeyes (12-12, 3-8 Big Ten), who’ve split their last six league games after starting 0-5 in the conference.

Iowa opened the game on an 11-1 run before it resorted to its typical shoddy defense, allowing Minnesota (14-10, 3-8) to jump back out front late in the first half. But Iowa rallied with a 13-4 run to open up a 50-37 lead. The Gophers tried to keep pace, but the Hawkeyes caught fire from beyond 3-point range — at one point hitting five out of six in the second half to go up 70-58.

Jordan Murphy had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Davonte Fitzgerald scored 16 for Minnesota. Gophers sophomore guard Amir Coffey (14 points per game) sat out after tweaking his injured right shoulder in a loss to Northwestern last week. The Hawkeyes have begun to get some traction as the league season drags on. It’s far too late for them to actually push for an upper-division finish, but it’s a good sign heading into 2018-19 — and this season started being about next season weeks ago.

The Hawkeyes travel to Penn State on Saturday.

Southern Illinois uses late surge to top Drake 78-67

Sports

January 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Aaron Cook scored 18 points, including five in a game-ending 11-0 run, and Southern Illinois rallied for a 78-67 victory over Drake on Tuesday night. Reed Timmer’s layup with 4:19 left to play pulled Drake into a 67-all tie, but Armon Fletcher hit a pair of free throws with 3:09 left and Cook had back-to-back layups to carry the Salukis (15-9, 7-4 Missouri Valley Conference) to their fourth straight win.

Tyler Smithpeters finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for Southern Illinois, which outrebounded the Bulldogs 37-25. Kavion Pippen added 14 points and Fletcher scored 11 as the Salukis shot 51 percent from the floor in a game that saw 16 lead changes.

Timmer topped Drake (12-12, 6-5) with 22 points, while Nick McGlynn scored 12 with 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Drake lost for just the second time at home this season. The teams split the season series after Drake posted a 70-67 win on New Year’s Eve.

Top administrator is out at Iowa Secretary of State’s office

News

January 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is confirming the recent and abrupt departure of his chief of staff. The secretary of state’s office tells The Associated Press that Mark Snell’s employment ended Jan. 3. The AP had asked about Snell’s departure three weeks earlier but spokesman Kevin Hall didn’t provide information until Tuesday. Hall says Snell was an at-will employee, which means he could be fired for any reason. He said no documents exist that would explain the reason for Snell’s departure, and Snell didn’t submit a resignation letter.

Snell had a $132,000-annual salary and had served as the top administrator since Pate took office in 2015.  Pate, a Republican, is gearing up to run for re-election this year.

No. 22 TCU women win 7th straight, beat Iowa State 75-52

Sports

January 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jordan Moore scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds and No. 22 TCU beat Iowa State 75-52 on Tuesday night for its seventh straight victory. The Horned Frogs went into the locker room on a 7-0 run for a 43-29 lead as Iowa State didn’t score for the final 3:40. TCU scored the first nine points of the second half and the Cyclones were just 3-of-12 shooting for 11 points in the third quarter.

Amber Ramirez added 12 points for TCU (16-5, 7-3 Big 12), which outrebounded Iowa State 41-24. Moore made all nine of her free throws and TCU went 15 of 17 at the line. Emily Durr scored 10 of her 21 points in the first quarter for Iowa State (9-13, 3-8). Bridget Carleton had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Iowa State opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run, but Toree Thompson made two free throws to end the Frogs’ three-plus minute scoreless stretch.

3 arrests in Red Oak, Tuesday

News

January 31st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak Police report three people were arrested, Tuesday. At around 8:42-p.m., 26-year old Devon Keith Hale, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on an active Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Probation. Hale was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, 19-year old Ciara Lianne Hebb, along with 23-year old Shae Daiel Lewis, both of Red Oak, were arrested for Violation of a Protective Order. Hebb was taken into custody at around 4:07-p.m., and Lewis was arrested at around 3:50-p.m.  Both were being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

2nd quarter drought dooms Atlantic girls against Harlan

Sports

January 30th, 2018 by admin

The Atlantic girls basketball team started the game well on Tuesday night against Harlan but a second quarter drought would put the game out of reach. Harlan took the victory 63-39. It was 14-11 in favor of the Cyclones at the end of the first quarter. The Cyclones would then outscore Atlantic 18-2 in the second quarter to blow the game open.

Atlantic Head Coach Kelly Juhl said the second quarter has  been a problem for the Trojans ever since the holiday break. He thought they responded well at the end of the first quarter to a run so their lack of response in the second was perplexing. He said he was proud of the way the girls fought at the end of the game so he’s hoping they carry that into the next couple of games.

Harlan was led by a big night from Nicole Lange who dropped in 19 of her 25 total points in the first half. Macie Leinen chipped in 13 for the Cyclones. They improve to 8-9 and will host Glenwood on Friday night.

Atlantic got 11 points from Baylee Newell and 9 from Alyssa Ginther. The Trojans fall to 2-15 and they will next host Abraham Lincoln on Friday.

Bible literacy bill clears first hurdle in Iowa House

News

January 30th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

State officials would be required to draw up standards for high school courses on the Bible if a bill that has cleared a House subcommittee becomes law. The bill’s backers say an elective course on “the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament of the Bible” will help students better understand politics, society and culture. Chuck Hurley is vice president of The Family Leader, a Christian evangelical organization that supports the bill.

“Biblical principles helped lead to the unalienable rights that we ensconced in our Constitution,” Hurley says. “For students not to be aware of that background would be, in my opinion, educational negligence.” Opponents of the bill say some educators might use the course to preach rather than teach and they fault the bill for picking one religious tradition to the exclusion of all others. Daniel Zeno of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says a third of Iowa schools are already offering courses about religion.

“As long as they are academic courses, we don’t think there’s any problem,” Zeno says. “…There are ways that school districts can do this right now without singling out the Bible.” The bill HAS cleared a three-member House panel and is now eligible for debate in a full House committee. If the bill becomes law, Iowa school districts would not be forced, but could choose to offer a Bible literacy course. At least seven other states let local school boards choose to offer a Bible literacy course as part of the social studies curriculum.

(Radio Iowa)

RICHARD “DICK” NEAL, 83, of Orient (Graveside svcs. 2/6/18)

Obituaries

January 30th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

RICHARD “DICK” NEAL, 83, of Orient, died Tuesday, January 30th, at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.  Graveside services for DICK NEAL will be held 11-a.m. Tue., Feb. 6th, at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter. Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends on Monday, February 5, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield.; Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Full military graveside rites will be conducted American Legion Post No. 403. A luncheon will follow the graveside service, at the American Legion Post No. 403 in Van Meter.

Memorials may be directed to the Richard Neal memorial fund to be established by the family at a later date.

RICHARD “DICK” NEAL is survived by:

His daughter – Joyce Robinson

His sons – Louis and Richard Neal

His sister – Emily Sulgrove.

5 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild; other relatives and friends.

HARRY AHL, 96, of Greenfield (Svcs. 2/2/18)

Obituaries

January 30th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

HARRY AHL, 96, of Greenfield, died Tuesday, January 30th, at the Good Samaritan Society in Fontanelle.  Funeral services for HARRY AHL will be held 10:30-a.m. Friday, Feb. 2nd, at the United Methodist Church in Greenfield. Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends at the funeral home in Thursday, from 5-until 7-p.m.; Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Burial will be in the Greenfield Cemetery, with a luncheon at the church to follow the committal service.

Memorials may be directed to the Harry Ahl memorial fund to be established by the family.

HARRY AHL is survived by:

His daughter – Karen Johnson (& special friend Vern Blazek), of Greenfield.

His special friend – Ruth Baudler.

4 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

DAVID ALLEN HAFNER, 62, of Omaha (formerly of Griswold) – Svcs. 2/2/18)

Obituaries

January 30th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DAVID ALLEN HAFNER , 62, of Omaha (formally of Griswold), died Monday, Jan. 29th, at home. A memorial visitation for DAVID HAFNER will be held on Friday, February 2nd,  from 2:30 PM until 4:30 PM at the Rieken Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold, with a time of sharing at 3:30.

DAVID HAFNER is survived by:

His wife – Lynn Hafner, of Omaha.

His children – Natalie and Brent Hafner, both of Omaha, NE;

His sisters – Linda Jane Griswold, of North Highlands, CA, and Teresa Hafner-Johnson of Council Bluffs.

His brother – Edward Dean Hafner, of Griswold

His step brothers and sister: Jack Evans, Bruce Evans, and Rhonda Evans Hafner;

His mother – Biruta Hafner

His step-mother: Darlene Hafner; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.