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Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins previews the Cyclones

Sports

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins says the Hawkeyes are preparing for a big game on Saturday when they host Iowa State. Both teams opened the season with wins.

Higgins says the Hawkeyes are used to playing in big games.

Higgins says ISU quarterback Rocco Becht is much improved with a season under his belt.

Process continues on new Council Bluffs beef plant

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The developer of a new beef processing plant near Council Bluffs says they are moving into the third round of selling units to the Co-op which will supply the cattle. Chad Tentinger says he hopes they will be able to start construction next year.

“We are waiting to see that heifers are being retained, so we know that our herd is being built back,” he says. “So right now it looks like we’re starting to see that heifer retention, and as we see more and more that we’ll be able to make a business decision come next spring to break ground or not.” The Co-op will supply the beef for the Cattlemen’s Heritage processing plant using a different model than what is used now by the major processors.

“And we sell them based on the board of trade. The C-M-E (Chicago Mercantile Exchange). The problem with it is, over the last decade, the C-M-E has gotten further and further away from the fundamentals, and today it doesn’t trade on fundamentals. It trades on computer algorithms. It trades with no people in the pits anymore,” Tentinger says. Cattlemen’s Heritage will pay for cattle based on what’s called the Boxed Beef Cutout pricing model, which he says will provide and opportunity for a share of profits to go back to the cattle producer.

Tentinger says he isn’t trying to put the big processing plants out of business, he just wants to provide cattle producers like himself more options. “That’s my belief system. I think we need more options, more regional with producer involvement, so that we can get a better deal and receive more value,” Tentinger says. “But the only way we can receive more value for our product, is take ownership in the plant.” Tentinger says it’s a new way to bring more of the profit to the producers.

“The Co-op will own 20 percent give or take, but 20 percent of Cattlemen’s Heritage true ownership. So when somebody buys, for example, somebody buys a thousand shares, they have to deliver a thousand cattle every year,” he explains. He expects to have three rounds where they sell units, and the cost rises for each round.

The processing plant will source cattle from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota and is designed to process two-thousand cattle daily for an annual total of 525-thousand. Tentinger says it not only supports family cattle producers, but will also stimulate the local economy by creating 800 direct jobs and 34-hundred indirect jobs.

PIGSKIN PAYOFF 2024

News

September 4th, 2024 by Lori Murphy

PIGSKIN PAYOFF WINNERS WEEK #1

IOWA- 40, ILLINOIS-0

1st place…Rachel Sanderson…Iowa-48, Illinois-12….$25

2nd place…Roger Charley…Iowa-35, Illinois-10… $10

3rd place… Denise Johnson…Iowa-32, Illinois- 8… $5

 

 

Iowa MBB Announces Nonconference Schedule

Sports

September 4th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team will play nine home games on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena as part of its nonconference schedule for the 2024-25 season, it was announced Wednesday by head coach Fran McCaffery.

The Hawkeyes will host Iowa State in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup on Dec. 12. Other home dates include games against Minnesota Duluth (exhibition, Oct. 25), Texas A&M Commerce (Nov. 4), Southern (Nov. 7), South Dakota (Nov. 12), Rider (Nov. 19), USC Upstate (Nov. 26), New Orleans (Dec. 15) and New Hampshire (Dec. 30).

Iowa will also play neutral-site contests against Washington State in Moline, Illinois, on Nov. 15, Utah State in Kansas City, Missouri, on Nov. 22 and Utah State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Dec. 21.

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale at hawkeyesports.com or through the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office.

The complete schedule, along with times and television information, will be announced once finalized.

Iowa partners with tech nonprofit to improve corrections outcomes and enhance public safety

News

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) announced a public-private partnership with Recidiviz, a technology nonprofit using data to enhance public safety and improve outcomes. The partnership builds on the DOC’s already impressive record of reducing recidivism three years in a row as well as legislation passed last year to streamline government operations. Iowa joins 15 other states leveraging Recidiviz’s data and tools to improve the lives of people in prison and on community supervision.

“Together, we are ushering in a new era,” said Reynolds. “This partnership will build on the landmark alignment legislation we passed last year to streamline government operations in Iowa. Better data will improve consistency, efficiency and staff performance across the agency and across the state.”

“We’re harnessing the power of data to build a fairer and safer system,” said DOC Director Beth Skinner. “Through this collaboration, we’re continuing our work to transform our corrections system into a rehabilitation engine, enhancing public safety by getting people the support they need to reintegrate into our communities and build meaningful lives.”

Agency staff, elected officials, and communities need real-time data to improve the criminal justice system. But today, most criminal justice data is scattered, siloed and not actionable to decision-makers. Recidiviz stitches together disconnected databases to create a standardized, state-wide data layer. The nonprofit then builds technical tools that save staff time and improve agency operations. Using Recidiviz tools, leadership can view and monitor trends and better serve people in their custody and on supervision.

“Staff will have real-time data at their fingertips,” said DOC Deputy Director Sally Kreamer, who leads community supervision work. “Better data on clients’ needs and officer performance will ensure that there is consistency and efficiency statewide in community corrections.”

Probation and parole officers will get personalized dashboards showing live analytics about their caseloads, to help them better support their clients.

The partnership is currently focused on improving outcomes for the 40,000 people on supervision – including pretrial, probation and parole. By improving these outcomes, the DOC aims to improve population management within the broader system.

Recidviz Executive Director Clementine Jacoby added, “Recidiviz is thrilled to support the forward-thinking leadership and dedicated staff at the Iowa DOC. We know the tools we’ve deployed in 15 other states can support Iowa and help save corrections staff time, so that they can direct energy to people most in need.”

Recidiviz started as a volunteer project at Google to uncover how technology could standardize criminal justice data and improve the system nationwide.

Recidiviz became a standalone nonprofit in 2018. Today, the team develops an open-source software platform for corrections agencies, cleaning and connecting data from existing systems to provide a complete, timely, actionable picture of what is and is not working to agency leadership and line staff.

The group launched public data dashboards in both Pennsylvania and North Dakota that provide real-time visibility into statistics like the prison and parole populations, reasons for incarceration, parole success rates and racial disparities. In Idaho, its line staff tools identified that 5% of the people in the state’s parole program were already eligible for early release or a supervision-level downgrade; a figure like that for Iowa could identify thousands of people on the wrong level of supervision, leading to swift actions that increase efficiency and save the state money.

 

No. 4 Wartburg football prepares for season opener

Sports

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Hopes are high for the Wartburg football team heading into Saturday’s season opener at Monmouth of Illinois. After back-to-back trips to the national semifinals The Knights are ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III preseason poll and coach Chris Winter says a run defense that gave up less than 50 yards per game last season looks solid, again.

A new quarterback will lead an offense that expects to be good up front.

Several key players graduated from last year but a number of reserves who have played a lot of football will step into those spots.

Hearing set for Libertarian congressional candidates seeking ballot access

News

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A Polk County District Court judge has ordered the state to delay the certification of Iowa ballots for this year’s election. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) to give three Libertarian candidates a chance to argue they should be listed as candidates for the U-S House of Representatives.

Libertarians running in three of Iowa’s congressional districts were kicked off the ballot last week. A state panel agreed with Republicans in those congressional districts who said the Libertarian Party violated state law by holding caucuses and county conventions on the same day. First district candidate Nicholas Gluba of Lone Tree, third district candidate Marco Battaglia of Des Moines and fourth district candidate Charles Aldrich of Clarion are appealing that decision in court.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was the day Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was to certify the list of candidates who’ve qualified for the ballot. Pate says he’ll wait until he gets direction from the court about the three Libertarians, but he’s certified the rest of Iowa’s 2024 General Election candidates.

3 arrested on drug charges in Mills County

News

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested recently on drug charges. Two of those individuals were arrested August 28th at around 11:30-a.m.: 46-year-old Lisa Rose Moyer, of Sidney (IA), was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Bond: $1,300). And, 53-year-old David Dean Balford,of Nebraska City, NE, was arrested for 2 counts Possession of Controlled Substance (Bond: $6,000). Both were arrested in the area of Deacon Road and Highway 34. And, 20-year-old Obbie Mariah Avirgin, of Omaha, NE, was arrested Monday night (Sept. 2nd) at the Harrison County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Failure To Appear on a charge of Possession of Controlled Substance/2nd Offense (Bond $2,000)

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also:

William Robert William, of Saint Helen, MI, was arrested Aug. 31st for OWI/2nd offense (Bond: $2,000), and, 40-year-old Michael J. Mahoney, Sr, of Plattsmouth, NE, was arrested on that same date, for Disorderly Conduct ( Bond: $300).

Early Monday morning (Sept. 2nd), 56-year-old Joel Saucedo, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Mills County for OWI/1st offense ( Bond: $1,000).

Authorities said also, a man from Emerson reported Monday morning, an incident of Theft in the 5th Degree in the vicinity of Edwards Street. Additional information was not provided.

Court grants Iowa Libertarians’ request to block ballot certification

News

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Three Iowa Libertarian candidates, blocked from the 2024 general election ballot last week, have won a court order to delay certification of the ballot while they challenge their omission. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, District Judge Michael Huppert granted a temporary injunction of ballot certification Tuesday after an expedited hearing. He found there was “a likelihood that the petitioners may prevail on the merits if afforded an opportunity for a full-blown presentation of the evidence and legal authorities.”

The Iowa Secretary of State’s office was expected to certify ballots Tuesday with candidates’ names for the November general election. Libertarian Party of Iowa congressional candidates in three Iowa districts — Nicholas Gluba in the 1st District, Marco Battaglia in the 3rd District and Charles Aldrich in the 4th District — were removed Aug. 28 from the ballot by the State Objection Panel in a 2-1 decision.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and Attorney General Brenna Bird, both Republicans, voted to remove the candidates, arguing that the state Libertarian Party had violated Iowa law by holding its precinct caucuses and county conventions on the same day, despite state law stating that delegates selected at caucuses do not officially begin their roles until the following day.

Auditor Rob Sand, the sole Democrat to hold statewide elected office in Iowa, voted in favor of keeping Libertarians on the ballot, stating that the panel did not have the authority to challenge a party’s convention process. He also argued the Republican objectors did not have standing to bring the complaint, as they did not participate in the Libertarian candidates’ nominating process. Judge Huppert wrote in the Tuesday decision that among the arguments made by the Libertarians challenging the decision, he found the most “potentially meritorious” challenge to be whether the Republican objectors’ complaint was appropriate, and if their objections were properly brought before the panel in accordance with Iowa Code on the subject.

The court decision came shortly after the three Libertarian candidates filed petitions in district court Friday asking for a judicial review the objections panel decision. The candidates also requested a temporary injunction ordering the pause of the Secretary of State’s Office certifying ballots until their challenge has been resolved as part of their petition. Ashley Hunt, the communications director for the Iowa Secretary of State’s office said that the office was not certifying any candidates or races Tuesday, while awaiting further clarification from the courts on the timeline for certification.

There is a deadline that requires ballots to be ready by Sept. 21 for overseas and military voters that will likely be part of discussions on how the challenges will proceed. Hunt said that the court’s quick turnaround for responding to the challenge means that the Secretary of State’s office is expecting to have a decision within the time constraints.

State moves to revoke license of car dealer with a history of violations

News

September 4th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – A Polk County judge has temporarily blocked the state’s efforts to revoke the license of a car dealer convicted of a long series of misdemeanors related to his business. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports court records show that in 2022, Dayton Ericson, the owner of Ericson Auto in Ankeny, was convicted of three counts of fraudulent use of a vehicle registration – charges that Ericson says are tied to the fact that he had placed old, expired dealer plates on some of his vehicles.

In October 2023, those convictions led to the Iowa Department of Transportation sending Ericson a notice that it was revoking his dealership license. Ericson filed an appeal, but the DOT’s decision was upheld by an administrative law judge and then by the director of the agency.

Ericson is now seeking judicial review of that decision. Polk County District Court Judge Christopher Kemp recently issued an order that placed the revocation order on hold at least until a hearing on the matter can be held. Refusing to grant such a stay, Kemp ruled, “would place Ericson at significant risk of catastrophic irreparable injury.”

Ericson said that if the DOT has its way, he’ll be put out of business. He acknowledged he has an extensive history of misdemeanor convictions related to vehicle registrations, storage of cars on his residential property in Des Moines, and parking dealership vehicles on city streets. Many of those cases, he said, stem from disputes with neighboring property owners.