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Earlham man who broke into Iowa home died of stabbing, official says

News

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man who broke into a Des Moines home died of a stab wound. On Monday, following an autopsy, Polk County Medical Examiner Gregory Schmunk confirmed the cause of 31-year-old Travis Williams‘ death. Police say Williams, of Earlham, died early Saturday morning after an altercation with two people at the Des Moines home.

Investigators believe Williams broke into the home before the confrontation. The two people were identified as 19-year-old Ali Cano and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Whitney Campbell. The case is still being investigated. No arrests have been reported.

Veterans in western Iowa can attend VA town hall meeting tonight to sound off

News

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Veterans across western Iowa are invited to attend a town hall meeting later today (Tuesday) in Omaha. Veterans Administration spokesman Will Ackerman says the goal is to provide an opportunity for the V-A to get feedback from the people the agency is supposed to be serving. Ackerman says, “The VA secretary is emphasizing being open and transparent with our veterans and our stakeholders in the community about VA health care, benefits and services and answering any questions or concerns that they may have.” He says the town hall meeting will be a two-way discussion.

“The purpose of this is to share some updated information about benefits and services with our veterans,” Ackerman says, “and then the second and most important part is to gain open and honest feedback from veterans, family members and other beneficiaries.” The town hall meeting will be held at 5:30 P-M in the Education Conference Room at the V-A Medical Center at 4101 Woolworth Avenue in Omaha.

(Radio Iowa)

Cass County Master Gardeners Offer Horticulture Scholarship

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Extension Master Gardeners group is excited to announce that they will be offering a $500 scholarship to encourage local youth with an interest in horticulture to pursue it as a career. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide post-secondary tuition funds to Cass County youth who are studying, or intend to pursue a career in, a horticulture-related field.

This scholarship is available to students from Cass County who are currently enrolled in their second year or higher of a college or trade school, studying in a horticulture related field. Applications are due December 30 to the Cass County Extension Office. Selection will be made by a Cass County Master Gardeners committee, and winners will be notified in January. Scholarship checks will be written to the college or trade school in the student’s name following the first semester of the recipient’s sophomore (or subsequent) year.

The goal of the Master Gardener program is to support horticulture education and community service. To this end, scholarship winners will be selected based on their academic success, history of community service, and career goals after graduation. Quality and completeness of application will also be taken into consideration. Application forms and further details can be found on the Cass County Extension web site at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. For more information, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email Kate Olson, Master Gardener Coordinator, at keolson@iastate.edu.

Manpower survey: 24% of Iowa business plan to hire workers in early 2016

News

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A survey of Iowa employers released today (Tuesday) shows nearly a quarter of them expect to add workers in the first few months of 2016. Karen Miller is spokesperson for Manpower Group. “Twenty-four-percent of those employers we surveyed said they’re looking to increase staffing levels in the first quarter of the year,” Miller said. While that’s positive news for those Iowans seeking employment, many other Iowans could be losing their jobs, according to the new survey.

“Nine-percent (of the Iowa employers surveyed) said they’re looking to do some decreasing,” Miller said. Another 66-percent of the Iowa employers surveyed believe they’ll maintain their current staff levels between January and March. The Q-1 Manpower survey gives Iowa a “net employment outlook” of 15-percent. That’s down from 20-percent three months ago and 16-percent one year ago.

(Radio Iowa)

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties, 12/8/2015

Weather

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY. SOUTH WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. SCATTERED SPRINKLES IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 50S. WEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S.

 

Iowa handles Western Illinois 90-56

Sports

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jarrod Uthoff scored a career-high 27 points and Iowa beat Western Illinois 90-56 on Monday for its fourth consecutive win.  Uthoff grabbed nine rebounds and was 10 of 16 from the floor, helping the Hawkeyes (7-2) shoot 50 percent (33 of 66) from the field. Dom Uhl scored 15 points and Adam Woodbury added 10.

Iowa got on top of the Leathernecks early on and never looked back, controlling the pace of play and asserting themselves physically all night.  Garrett Covington had 12 points to lead Western Illinois (6-2), which had no answer for Iowa’s fast-paced offense.

The win moves Iowa to a perfect 5-0 on its home court this season. It came on the back of an aggressive night from Iowa’s shooters, who knocked down 10 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Hawkeyes also outrebounded Western Illinois 45-35 and had 10 steals.

No. 4 Iowa State beats Buffalo 84-63

Sports

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Georges Niang scored a career-high 31 points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds as No. 4 Iowa State beat Buffalo 84-63 on Monday night. Niang’s first double-double of the season was crucial for the Cyclones (7-0), who let the Bulls get within 47-46 early in the second half.

Iowa State responded with an 11-0 run and a late closing push to remain one of the nation’s last unbeaten teams. Jarryn Skeete led Buffalo (4-5) with 16 points. The loss capped a brutal three-day stretch for the Bulls, who lost 82-59 at No. 8 Duke on Saturday.

Area basketball scores from Mon., 12/7/15

Sports

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

BOYS BASKETBALL

Essex 45, Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson 44
Iowa School for the Deaf 44, East Mills 42
Nishnabotna 65, Heartland Christian 16
Whiting 54, Charter Oak-Ute 41

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Charter Oak-Ute 67, Whiting 20
East Mills 15, Iowa School for the Deaf 12
Nishnabotna 53, Heartland Christian 6

Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., 12/8/15

News

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Authorities are investigating the discovery of a body in the Cedar River near Gilbertville. A trapper found the body Sunday morning while checking traps, just northwest of Gilbertville. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Waterloo police are joining in the investigation. Authorities wouldn’t disclose the gender of the body and say it’s not clear when the person died. An autopsy is planned Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some Iowa lawmakers have reiterated their skepticism that private health care companies are ready to take over the state’s $4.2 billion Medicaid program in a few weeks. Democrats and Republicans on the Health Policy Oversight Committee sought clarity from representatives for the four private companies about the switch to managed care on Jan. 1.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a long-running dispute between a major Iowa trucking company and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. At issue is whether the EEOC has to pay Cedar Rapids-based CRST Van Expedited $4.7 million in legal fees and costs stemming from a major investigation into allegations that female truckers and trainees were routinely sexually harassed.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Some Davenport businesses say they may not survive after extended roadwork limited access to their stores, even though the project ended a month ahead of schedule. The Quad-City Times reports that barricades went up on August 17 in front of businesses so a roadway could be resurfaced and sanitary and storm sewers could be improved. A similar upcoming project will limit access to other businesses.

 

Lawrence, KS beats Des Moines in bid to host Jr. Olympic track championships

Sports

December 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — More than 40,000 people are expected to descend upon Lawrence in July 2017 after the city was selected to host the USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships. The city beat out Des Moines, Iowa, to host the event. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the nation’s top track and field athletes between the ages of 7 and 18 will compete at Rock Chalk Park in northwest Lawrence.

Organizers say about 9,500 athletes and 33,000 family members, coaches and spectators are expected to attend the championships. Lawrence will have about 1,400 hotel rooms by 2017, far short of what is needed. The city’s visitor’s bureau is working to arrange rooms in Topeka, Overland Park, Olathe and Kansas City during the championships, which will run July 23 through July 30, 2017.