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Hinson backing border immigration bills

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is pushing a couple of measures she says would address issues at the southern border. The Republican from Marion says the Biden Administration has created the border crisis.

She says the Biden Administration is ignoring the problem.

Hinson says one piece of legislation called the “PRINTS Act” would keep men from using kids to make it appear they are part of a family so they be quickly released if taken into custody.

She says the kids are recycled and used over and over again by men trying to cross the border. The other bill is the Southern Border Transparency Act.

Hinson says it will force the Biden administration to be fully transparent with the American people about their catch-and-release policy.

Des Moines business owner sentenced for Failure to Pay Employment Taxes and File Federal Tax Return

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Bondurant man was sentenced today (Friday), to 15 months in federal prison for failure to pay over employee trust fund taxes and failure to file a federal tax return.

According to court documents, from 2015 to 2020, 50-year-old Thomas James Morford, who operated a local concrete business, failed to pay $355,049 in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This included the failure to pay taxes that he had collected from employees through withholding, as well as matching employer contributions to Social Security and Medicare. Morford also failed to file federal tax returns for 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Morford will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Morford was also ordered to pay $355,049.68 in restitution to the IRS.

“Withholding employment taxes from employee wages and willfully failing to remit them to the IRS is a serious offense,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock. “Not only does this harm employees, but it also robs the Treasury of funds and that has the potential to harm all those who rely on support from government programs.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.

Bridge collapse causes fertilizer and diesel to enter Tarkio River near Stanton

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

STANTON, Iowa – Montgomery County Emergency Management, today (Friday), reported a fertilizer spreader in the Tarkio River at 10:30 a.m. today, following a bridge collapse on a private drive. The collapse caused a fertilizer spreader to enter the waterway, resulting in an unknown amount of mono ammonium phosphate (MAP), sulfur, and potash being spilled into the Tarkio River approximately one mile north of Stanton. The collapse also ruptured a fuel tank, spilling roughly 100 gallons of diesel into the creek.

Bridge collapse near Stanton (DNR photo)

Field office staff from the Department of Natural Resources were on-site, collecting both upstream and downstream samples from the Tarkio River. Booms were placed downstream of the incident and samples will be submitted to the State Hygienic Lab for analysis. No dead fish were observed. Cleanup efforts are currently ongoing. The DNR will continue to monitor cleanup efforts and consider appropriate enforcement action.

Missing Rockwell City man was found dead Friday (Dec. 1st) – Foul play not suspected

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Calhoun County, Iowa) – A northwest Iowa man missing for more than a month was found dead today (Friday), in Jolley (Iowa). The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office reports 54-year-old Mark Riesberg, of Rockwell City, was found in a Chrysler PT Cruiser with an apparent self-inflicted single gunshot wound. Foul play is not suspected, but an investigation is ongoing. His body was sent to the State Medical Examiner for autopsy. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Calhoun County EMS and the United Cajun Navy group during the initial response.

Mark Riesberg

His employer in Lytton had reported him missing on November 1st.  The Calhoun County sheriff had said previously that Riesberg’s last known contact with anyone could be traced back to Oct. 28th. His sister, Mary Brown, said Reisberg’s phone and wallet were found in his home, but his tan PT Cruiser was gone.

The search for Riesberg comes to an end with the discovery of his body. Search efforts continue, however, for 53-year-old David Schultz, of Wall Lake, who disappeared  in neighboring Sac County. Schultz was reportedly last heard from Tuesday morning, November 21st. His wife Sarah said her husband’s truck was found northeast of Sac City, parked on northbound U.S. Highway 71, about five miles north of the old U.S. Highway 20 intersection. The truck was reportedly turned off but wasn’t pulled over and the trailer was still loaded with young pigs.

The United Cajun Navy, a Louisiana-based nonprofit organization that performs search and rescue operations, as of Thursday, had reportedly covered close to 50-thousand acres of land in the effort to find him. The group resumed operations Friday morning.

David Schultz

No. 16 Iowa faces No. 2 Michigan for B1G Championship Saturday night

Sports

December 1st, 2023 by Asa Lucas

Iowa will try to shock the college football world on Saturday night when the 16th ranked Hawkeyes play number-two Michigan in the Big Ten Championship in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Hawkeyes are a better than three touchdown underdog and coach Kirk Ferentz says the first key is to avoid an early knockout.

Ferentz says the Hawkeyes must perform at a high level in all phases.

Ferentz on the formula it will take for the Hawkeyes to win.

Ferentz says the Hawkeyes know what they are up against and relish the role of underdog.

Six Cyclones Named Academic All-District

Sports

December 1st, 2023 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Six members of the Iowa State women’s soccer team earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the 2023 season, the College Sports Communicators announced. It marks the second straight season that six Cyclones earned the honor.

Iowa State’s six honorees include Maddie Brant, Alex Campana, Olivia Edwards, Mira Emma, Abigail Miller and Hanna Reid. It marked the second straight season that Edwards, Emma and Miller made the Academic All-District Team.

To qualify for All-District recognition, each student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 GPA and demonstrate athletic excellence while meeting a game participation threshold.

“We are really proud of our women for earning this honor and are completely unsurprised by it,” said Head Coach Matt Fannon. “Each of them embodies exactly what it means to be a Cyclone every day on and off the field and they are all wonderful representatives of our program.”

A fifth-year senior team captain, Brant picked up her first CSC Academic All-District honor, starting all 18 matches for the Cyclones. Brant had one assist on the season, tallying one point and played 1,079 minutes of action.

Campana, a fifth-year transfer from Marquette, earned her first CSC Academic All-District recognition after a year with the Cyclones. She played in all 18 matches, starting 11 and playing 1,068 minutes. She recorded one assist for one point and notched 23 shots on the year.

For the second straight season, Edwards earned Academic All-District honors with the Cyclones. A four-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll as well as a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member, Edwards got it done both on the pitch and classroom again this season. She ended her year with one score and one assist, playing 1,473 minutes.

Emma, like Edwards, earned her second straight Academic All-District honor. The fifth-year team captain recorded 14 points, netting five goals and a team-high four assists. Along with being a two-time member of the CSC Academic All-District Team, Emma has also been an All-Big 12 First Team member three times and has been on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll four times.

After earning her first CSC Academic All-District honor last year at Arkansas State, Miller was recognized again for her academic prowess as a Cyclone. Miller played in 17 contests for the Cyclones, making 16 starts. She tallied five points on the season, scoring a pair of goals and recording one assist. She was the third-highest point scorer on the team.

A two-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll member, Reid added an Academic All-District honor to her resume. The senior from Eagle Mountain, Utah, played in all 18 matches for the Cyclones and tallied her first career point against Houston, assisting on a Salomé Prat goal.

Feenstra seeks limit on federal rules for farmland

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says any federal regulation that would impact over half of American farmland should be approved by congress. The U-S House has voted to insert Feenstra’s proposal in a budget bill for the Department of the Interior. Feenstra says American farmland belongs to American farmers, not un-elected bureaucrats.

A U-S Supreme Court ruling this past May limited the authority of the E-P-A to regulate wetlands, ruling the agency may only regulate wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to other bodies of water, like streams, rivers or lakes.

Iowa’s congressional delegation votes to expel Santos

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The four Iowans serving in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos, the now-former New York congressman accused of using campaign funds on personal expenses and making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on donors’ credit cards.

Three members of Iowa’s U.S. House delegation released written statements after today’s vote. First District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks said a recent House Ethics Committee report documented “considerable evidence” that Santos had “engaged in criminal activity.”

Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson said Santos is “unfit to serve” in congress and he “should deal with his legal challenges as a private citizen.” Third District Congressman Zach Nunn said Santos has “repeatedly proven he’s a con man” and Nunn is planning to sponsor legislation that would deny government pensions to expelled members of congress.

Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra announced on November 17 on the social media platform X that he would vote to expel Santos, who Feenstra said “has proven his ethics do not align with what is expected” from elected leaders.

All four members of Iowa’s congressional delegation are Republicans, as is Santos.

AHSTW Boys Basketball Looking to Bounce Back After Opening Game Loss

Sports

December 1st, 2023 by admin

The AHSTW Vikings boys’ basketball team didn’t start the season the way they wanted to. On Tuesday night the Vikings hosted the Riverside Bulldogs a team they had won 18 consecutive games against, but this Bulldogs team is different from years past. The Vikings a young team that has only 1 senior is still learning and growing together as a team. Riverside was able to jump out to lead after the first quarter and the Vikings could never get back into it. Head Coach of the Vikings G.G. Harris gave all the credit to the Bulldogs and their players for making timely plays whenever they were needed and said it was an uphill battle trying to fight back.

Although AHSTW took a tough loss there were lots of positives to take away from this one, and probably none bigger or more encouraging for the Vikings coach staff was the play of sophomore big man Kaden Jorgensen who had 12 points and 7 rebounds in his varsity debut. Coach Harris said you could see Jorgensen improving and getting more comfortable possession by possession.

The page turns quickly for the Vikings as tonight they are on the road at a 2-0 Underwood Eagles team. Underwood has averaged over 70 points over their first two games and allow just 35 a game. Coach Harris knows is well aware of how good a team Underwood is and how well coached they are.

As the Vikings travel to Underwood in their second game of the season the odds will be stacked against the Vikings. Coach G.G. Harris says to get the first win of the year tonight that the Vikings will have to own the glass on both ends of the floor and have to take care of the basketball.

Tipoff tonight for AHSTW @ Underwood is 7:30pm.

 

Community Invited to join the Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Griswold, Iowa) – Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson reports that “In Cass County, mental health was identified as the top health concern in the 2021 Community Health Assessment. This summer, a group of local organizations and individuals began meeting to work towards improving mental health and wellness support across the county. This fall a new coalition was formed to help address these vital needs. The mission of the Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness is To build resilience, reduce stigma, and promote mental wellbeing in the community.”

Olsen says the coalition is committed to working collaboratively with community members, service providers, health officials, business owners, and more to:

  • Identify gaps in mental health services in Cass County.
  • Improve accessibility to mental health services.
  • Reduce stigma by normalizing conversations about mental wellness.
  • Strengthen support for those dealing with mental health issues and their families.
  • Promote mental well-being and resilience.

The coalition meets monthly at the Griswold Community Building (601 2nd St, Griswold, IA 51535). Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday each month from 10:30-11:30am. All individuals, organizations and businesses are encouraged to join these open meetings.

Questions regarding this coalition should be directed to Michelle Hartfield ccc4mw@gmail.com or Gina Moulas Gina.Moulas@va.gov.