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Hosmer, Perez lift AL to 4-2 All-Star win, Series home field

Sports

July 13th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez made sure the Kansas City Royals will start at home, sweet, home if they get a chance to defend their World Series title. The Royals duo homered off former Kansas City teammate Johnny Cueto during a six-pitch span in the second inning, Hosmer added an RBI single and the American League beat the Nationals 4-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight win in the All-Star game.

David Ortiz found himself in the middle of the most touching moment at Petco Park, embraced by his AL teammates near first base after exiting his final All-Star Game. The popular Big Papi plans to retire at 40 after this season with Boston.

Kris Bryant of the Cubs led the parade of sparkling young talent with a first-inning home run. Dellin Betances flashed his 100 mph heat and Astros reliever Will Harris came on to throw a called third strike past Cardinals rookie Aledmys Diaz on a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner with the bases loaded to end the eighth.

 

NWS forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: 7/13/16

Weather

July 13th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Today: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. West wind 3 to 8 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. North northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 81.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 85. Our Low this morning was 65. Last year on this date, our High in Atlantic was 91 and the low was 67. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on this date was 108 in 1936. The Record Low was 44 in 1897.

Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., 7/13/16

News

July 13th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:00 a.m. CDT

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa park ranger is being credited for saving two Council Bluffs men whose boat on Lake Manawa filled with water because of high winds. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says in a news release that 72-year-old William Buchholz and 54-year-old James Tanga were fishing on the western Iowa lake around 10 p.m. Monday when their boat became swamped. Lake Manawa State Park Ranger Aaron Johnson and firefighters were able to pull the men from the water.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Transportation says it is closing two driver’s license stations and seven maintenance garages because of reduced state funding from the Iowa Legislature. The department announced the closings Tuesday. An agency spokeswoman says the changes do not include layoffs, but 67 open positions will be permanently removed.

CLAYTON, Iowa (AP) — A 60-year-old Dysart man has died after being pulled from the Mississippi River in eastern Iowa after he fell from a boat. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Charles Petersen was a passenger on a boat operated by his wife when he fell into the river from the rear of the boat Monday evening. Rescue crews pulled him from the water, and he died at a nearby hospital.

 

Authorities search for 4 Clarinda Academy students

News

July 13th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

(Update 5:42-a.m.: All four truants have been located.; Update 7:25-a.m. w/additional details)

The four students who escaped from the Clarinda Academy Tuesday evening have been apprehended without incident and returned to the authorities at the Clarinda Academy.  The four students were captured shortly after 5:30-a.m. today (Wednesday), near U.S. Hwy 71 & 230th Street, or a little over a mile south of Clarinda.

The students were caught after two citizen reports were received at the Page Communications/911 Center. The citizens said the four youth werewalking along the highway. The boys were taken into custody by officers of the Clarinda Police Department.

It’s believed they left the facility at around 11-p.m., Tuesday. The Clarinda Academy is a privately run school that offers educational and residential treatment programs for troubled boys and girls. The facility was established in 1992 and offers long-term residential treatment for males and females, as well as shelter care and transitional living services. It has a licensed capacity of 266 students and serves youth from several different states.

Local Ag Producers honored at CADCO Annual Membership Meeting

Ag/Outdoor, News

July 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Three area Producers that hold niche markets in the Ag Sector, were honored at an event held Tuesday evening, at Sunnyside Park, in Atlantic. The awards were presented during the Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation’s Annual Membership Meeting held at the Sunnyside Park Kiddie Korral. The meeting began with a 6:30-p.m. supper catered by The Downtowner, followed by a brief business meeting. CADCO’s Russell Joyce prefaced the awards and recognition portion of the meeting by acknowledging agriculture’s role in the local and state economy. He said agriculture is the Number One economic driver in the State of Iowa and Cass County.

CADCO Executive Dir. Russell Joyce congratulates Dave Nichols

CADCO Executive Dir. Russell Joyce congratulates Dave Nichols

First up to receive an award during the recognition ceremony, was 77-year old Dave Nichols, with Nichols Farms near Bridgewater, a well-known national and international producer of superior beef genetics for over fifty years. Nichols was inducted last year into the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery, which is the highest honor bestowed on a producer in the livestock industry. And, while he has won numerous awards, three things are more important to him: His faith, his family and his friends.

A-to-Z is a diverse cattle and livestock commercial feed enterprise that specializes in breeding, feeding, and marketing “ Wagyu Beef “ a Japanese breed of beef that has a high end marketability.

Allen Zellmer (Center, holding award) and his family and staff.

Allen Zellmer (Center, holding award) and his family and staff.

Allen and Brenda Zellmer, of rural Atlantic, are the owners of the company.  They started with 36 head on feed and within two years were asked to have over 1,000 head on feed. Currently, the herd numbers are approaching 10,000 head on feed. Zellmer’s beef products end up all over the world, because of the demand for lean protein. And, like Dave Nichols, Alan also spoke of the importance his family and associates plays in the success of his company.

Also honored at the CADCO event, was Kelly and Christie Cunningham of “Milk Unlimited,” of rural Atlantic, a Grade-A dairy that is one of Iowa’s premier dairy operations.

Christie and Kelly Cunningham (Center).

Christie and Kelly Cunningham (Center).

They have 33 employees. Christie Cunningham said 2016 has been a great year for milk production, and they’ve made some new records. Kelly Cunningham spoke of how their product supplies a major dairy in the State.

He said their average cow produces about 10-gallons of milk per day. About five semi loads of milk are trucked to the Andersen-Ericksen Dairy each day, meaning about one-third of the milk the company uses, comes from Cass County. Cunningham said a tanker trailer is filled every 4 ½-to 5-hours, is sent to Des Moines and  turned into an A&E product that will be one the shelves within three days.

Taylor County Sheriff releases info. about Monday night pursuit

News

July 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday evening, released information about a pursuit that took place late Monday night, and is requesting help from the public in finding the suspect who was pursued. The incident began at around 10:45-p.m., a Taylor County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a 1995 Buell motorcycle in Bedford.

The motorcycle sped off south of Bedford on State Highway 148. The deputy pursued the motorcycle at speeds of over 95 miles per hour until he lost sight of it near Hopkins, Missouri. The motorcycle was found abandoned a short while later in Hopkins and was determined to have been stolen from a residence in Atchison County, Missouri. A search of the area did not turn up the suspected driver.

The incident remains under investigation. If anyone has information about the driver of the motorcycle, call the Taylor County Law Enforcement Center at 712-523-2153. The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Nodaway and Andrew County Missouri Sheriff’s Departments and the Iowa and Missouri State Patrol.

Iowa park ranger credited with saving 2 men from lake

News

July 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa park ranger is being credited for saving two Council Bluffs men whose boat on Lake Manawa filled with water because of high winds. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says in a news release that 72-year-old William Buchholz and 54-year-old James Tanga were fishing on the western Iowa lake around 10 p.m. Monday when winds kicked up. The men were about 100 yards from a boat ramp when the boat became swamped.

Lake Manawa State Park Ranger Aaron Johnson, who had been monitoring the boat because of the weather, went to the men’s rescue. Johnson and Council Bluffs firefighters were able to pull the men, who were treading water, to safety. Authorities say there were life jackets on board the boat, but the men were not wearing them.

Family sues Kansas City Chiefs over fan’s beating death

Sports

July 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The family of a Missouri man fatally beaten in 2013 outside of Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is suing the NFL franchise. The Kansas City Star reports the wrongful-death lawsuit was filed Monday in Jackson County on behalf of Kyle Van Winkle’s widow and his son, who was just weeks old when Van Winkle died.

Seeking unspecified damages, the lawsuit blames a lack of adequate security in the parking lot at the time Van Winkle was beaten during an altercation. The law firm behind the lawsuit says the lawsuit’s goal is to make Arrowhead safer for fans. The Chiefs have declined to comment.  Joshua Bradley of Independence has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Van Winkle’s death and is serving five years of probation.

Atlantic School Board to act on ballot language for Special V-PPEL election

News

July 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education is expected to act Wednesday evening, on approving the ballot language for the Sept. 13th, 2016 Special Election pertaining to a Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. The levy calls for a combination of a Property Tax on all the taxable property in the School District, commencing July 1st, 2017, AND a Physical Plant and Equipment Income Surtax upon the State individual income tax of each resident in the District on December 31st for each calendar year, commencing with the 2017 calendar year.

The Resolution says the Income Surtax will not exceed 20-percent (to be determined by the Board each year), with the total amount of taxation not to exceed 85-cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in any one tax year, for a period commencing July 1st, 2017, and not to exceed 10-years.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on approving a Retrofit lighting contract for the Washington and Schuler Elementary buildings using energy saving LED lights, the total cost of which amounts to $73,401. The new lights are expected to save the District nearly $13,250 annually in energy costs, and would be eligible for AMU rebates amounting to slightly more than $11,570.

The Board will also discuss and act on approving: Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein’s contract for the 2016-17 school year (the final year of his contract); A June 2017 trip to Washington, D.C. for Atlantic Middle School students. The trip includes visits to several attractions, such as the Lincoln Memorial, MLK, Jr., WWII and Vietnam War Memorials, the Smithsonian Museum, and more. Currently, 26 students and four chaperones are signed-up for the trip.

And, just before their meeting concludes, the Atlantic School Board will discuss Capital Projects and the Atlantic High School Cell Phone Policy. The meeting gets underway at 5:30-p.m. in the Atlantic High School Media Center.

Iowa DOT says it will close facilities due to reduced budget

News

July 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Transportation says it is closing two driver’s license stations and seven maintenance garages because of reduced budget funding from the Iowa Legislature. The driver’s license stations are in Spencer and Carroll. The maintenance garages are in Sabula, Akron, Soldier, Corning, Gowrie, Rock Valley, and Centerville.

The department announced the closings Tuesday. An agency spokeswoman says the changes do not include layoffs, but 67 open positions will be permanently removed. The closings will affect 28 employees, but those workers will be given the option to relocate to other DOT locations.

The department sought $9.7 million in additional dollars from the Iowa Legislature for the budget year that began in July. Lawmakers approved half the money, despite the department predicting it would affect agency services.