United Group Insurance

MARJORIE L. KNUDSEN, 94, of Audubon (Svcs. 12/27/17)

Obituaries

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

MARJORIE L. KNUDSEN, 94, of Audubon, died Saturday, Dec. 23rd, at the Friendship Home in Audubon. Funeral services for MARJORIE KNUDSEN will be held 2-p.m. Wed., Dec. 27th, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family visitation is from Noon until the time of service, Wednesday.

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery, in Audubon.

MARJORIE L. KNUDSEN is survived by:

Her daughters – Sally (& husband Jo) Porsch, Judy (& husband Bob) Ruhs, and Cheryl (& husband Dennis) Hansen, all of Audubon.

8 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great grandchildren, other relatives, her in-laws, and friends.

Pickup hits DOT snowplow in Council Bluffs – alcohol a likely factor

News

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

No injuries were reported after a pickup struck an Iowa DOT snowplow early this (Sunday) morning on Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs. According to Bluffs Police, the accident happened at around 2:40-a.m. on I-29 southbound near mile-marker 53.

Their investigation determined the snow plow driver had pulled to the right side shoulder and off the road before exiting the truck to remove debris from the roadway. As the driver was removing the debris he was forced to run out of the way of a silver 2011 Dodge Ram truck driven by 24 year old Steven Clark of Belton, MO.

Clark drove into the rear end of the parked snow plow which still had its flashing yellow hazard lights on. Clark was arrested for Driving While Revoked and Resisting Arrest. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash and additional charges are pending.

The Council Bluffs Police Department would like to remind drivers to slow down and give road crews plenty of room to work.

Iowa county to consider composting food waste

News

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa county plans to explore options for keeping food waste out of the landfill, a category that amounts for about 20 percent of residential trash. Waste Commission Director Kathy Morris says Scott County will consider collecting food waste for composting, rather than sending it to the landfill.

Morris told the Quad-City Times that she plans to recommend in March that they outsource a study into food waste collection, composting options and community impact. She anticipates the study to cost between $20,000 to $40,000. It could be complete by the fall.

The study would also assess whether the Davenport Compost Facility has the capacity to accept the county’s food waste. Iowa’s 1987 Ground Water Protection Act prompted efforts to divert items away from landfills.

Escaped goat proves a tough capture for police

News

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An elusive goat is in custody, but only after a lengthy police chase through the streets of Des Moines. A resident called police Saturday night after seeing a goat on the loose. The Des Moines Register reports that no one knew where the goat came from but it had a cut on a front leg that needed a veterinarian’s attention.

Catching the wayward goat provided difficult — the animal was surprisingly fast despite the leg injury and evaded officers for 20 minutes over five blocks. Finally, officers corralled the goat behind an elementary school and the Animal Rescue League soon arrived.

After a veterinarian cares for the leg injury, the goat will be put up for adoption unless its owner comes forward.

Unclear if Iowa lawmakers will touch privatized Medicaid

News

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — There appears to be consensus among Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature that there are problems with Iowa’s privatized Medicaid program, but there is less agreement over what, if anything, legislators should do about it when they return to the Capitol in a few weeks.

Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled statehouse are expected to address a range of issues when they gather in January, including taxes and water quality. But Medicaid, the massive health care program for poor and disabled people in Iowa, is less certain to be on their to-do list.

That’s because there are a range of opinions about whether lawmakers should enact legislation to respond to ongoing issues, or if change should come administratively through the state agency that contracts with private insurance companies now running the program.

Pilot dies in small plane crash near Oskaloosa

News

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a fatal plane crash in south-central Iowa. Authorities believe the small plane crashed Saturday afternoon after striking a power line near the town of Oskaloosa. The pilot was killed, but authorities have not disclosed the pilot’s name. No one else was on the plane.

Authorities have not said why the plane was flying so low to the ground.

DORIS SOTHMAN, 87, of Washington Township in Cass County (Celebration of Life, 12/27/17)

Obituaries

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DORIS SOTHMAN, 87, of Washington Township in Cass County, died Friday, Dec. 22nd, at home. A Celebration of Life for DORIS SOTHMAN will be held 11-a.m. Wed., Dec. 27th, at the Atlantic United Church of Christ. Roland Funeral Home, in Atlantic has the arrangements.

No visitation is planned. Online condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

A private family burial will take place in the Atlantic Cemetery prior to the Celebration of Life.

Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation to the Open Door Mission, in Omaha.

DORIS SOTHMAN is survived by:

Her sons – Vaugh (Cindy) Sothman, of Colby, KS., and Val Sothman, of Lewis.

and 3 grandchildren.

Area High School Basketball Scores from Saturday, 12/23/17

Sports

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Non-Conference double-header at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines:

Girls Basketball

Exira-EHK 72, Nodaway Valley 49

(The Exira-EHK girls now have 7 wins and 0 losses on the season. They are one of 8 remaining undefeated teams in Class 1A.)

Boys Basketball

EHK-Exira 79, Nodaway Valley 53

Iowa early News Headlines: Sunday, 12/24/17

News

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:00 a.m. CST

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — One person is dead and another seriously injured after the stolen SUV they were in crashed during a police pursuit in central Nebraska. WOWT-TV reports that 25-year-old Autumn Stadley of Omaha died at the scene of the crash Friday night, and 26-year-old Luis Elias was airlifted to a hospital. Authorities say a deputy began pursuit of a Dodge Durango stolen from IOWA, when the SUV failed to stop after a traffic violation.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — An extensive restoration of a historic one-room school in an eastern Iowa city now includes power. But lighting and outlets have been hidden to ensure the structure appears as it did in 1923, when there was no electricity. The Quad-City Times reports that the Forest Grove School in Bettendorf was built in 1873 and closed in 1957. The building is being restored through a community effort to return the structure to its 1923 condition. It will open as a museum and interpretive center.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A visit by Santa Claus to a Muscatine City Council meeting ended with police escorting him from the room after he gave council members and the city administrator lumps of coal. The Muscatine Journal reports Muscatine resident Max Kauffman dressed as Santa to deliver the gifts Thursday. Kaufman has been a critic of the council’s efforts to remove Mayor Diana Broderson from office. After giving Broderson candy, Kauffman gave coal to the others before the police chief escorted him from the room.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Insurers for the city of Des Moines paid $2.1 million to a lawyer who alleged he suffered head injuries when he was hit by a falling garbage can. The city this week released a copy of its November settlement with Jaysen McCleary in response to open records requests. McCleary alleged that he was struck in January 2014 by a solid waste container that fell from a city truck collecting it outside his home

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic and the KJAN listening area, Sunday – 12/24/17

Weather

December 24th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Today: Winter Weather Advisory until 9-a.m. for parts of the listening area including Cass County; Cloudy w/snow ending this morning.  High near 24. W/NW winds at 5-15mph w/gusts to around 25. Wind chill values as low as 5. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible during the day.
Tonight (Christmas Eve): Mostly clear, with a low around 8. W @ 5-10. Wind chill values as low as zero.
Tomorrow (Christmas Day): Partly sunny, w/scattered flurries after noon. High near 19. N/NW @ 5-10. Wind chill values as low as zero.
Monday Night: Scattered flurries before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -1.
Tuesday: Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 10.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -4.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 16.

As of 6-a.m. today in Atlantic, we had received 2 inches of snow at the KJAN studios, with light snow continuing to fall. Saturday’s High was 25. Our Low this morning (as of 6-a.m.) was 15. Last year on this date, the High was 40 and the Low was 23. The All-time record High in Atlantic on Dec. 24th was 55 in 1893 & 1964. The record Low was -23 in 1983.