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BYRON P. LEBECK, 81, of Walnut (Svcs. 12/23/13)

Obituaries

December 21st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

BYRON P. LEBECK, 81, of Walnut, died Thu., Dec. 19th, at the Immanuel Medical Center, in Omaha. A funeral service for BYRON LEBECK will be held 1:30-p.m. Mon., Dec. 23rd, at the Peace United Church of Christ in Walnut. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends at the funeral home from 1-to 4pm Sunday (12/22).

Burial will be in the Layton Township Cemetery at Walnut.

BYRON LEBECK is survived by:

His son – Rodny (Lorraine) Lebeck, of Walnut.

His daughters – Cheryl Lebeck, of Walnut; Karen (George) Threadgill, of Milan, TN; Jean (John) Romano, of Omaha, & Lisa (Darwin) Holtz, of Avoca.

His sister – Carole (Marvin) Schroder, of Walnut.

His special friend – Rula Sacco, of West Valley City, UT.

10 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild.

ROBERT GREGG, 73, of Linden (No Svcs.)

Obituaries

December 21st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ROBERT GREGG, 73, of Linden, died Thu., Dec. 19th, at the Panora Nursing & Rehab Center. No services are planned at this time. Burial of cremains will be held in May, 2014. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora is in charge of the arrangements for ROBERT GREGG.

There is no visitation.

Burial of cremains will be in the West Linn Cemetery at Linden.

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties: Sat., 12/21/13

Weather

December 21st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

354 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013

…A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect from 6-pm this evening to 6-pm Sunday, for Cass, Adair, Adams, Guthrie and Dallas Counties and a WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect from 5-pm  Saturday until 6-am Sunday for Montgomery, Fremont & Page Counties…

TODAY…CLOUDY. A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TONIGHT…SNOW LIKELY THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES. LOW AROUND 15. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 90 PERCENT.

SUNDAY…CLOUDY. PATCHY BLOWING SNOW IN THE MORNING. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN SCATTERED FLURRIES IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH 15 TO 20. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 20 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. COLDER. SCATTERED FLURRIES. LOW ZERO TO 5 BELOW. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. WIND CHILL READINGS 15 TO 20 BELOW.

MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. COLDER. HIGH 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. LOWEST WIND CHILL READINGS 15 TO 20 BELOW IN THE MORNING.

MONDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW ZERO TO 5 BELOW.

TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COLD. HIGH IN THE LOWER 20S. LOW 5 TO 10 ABOVE.

Winter Weather Advisories & Storm Watches for Saturday (12/21/13)

Weather

December 21st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY…FOR: GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-ADAMS-COUNTIES.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA LATE TODAY AND LINGER INTO SUNDAY. A TOTAL OF 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY. GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. BLOWING SNOW COULD REDUCE VISIBILITIES FURTHER IN ADDITION TO FALLING SNOW.

ROADS WILL BECOME SLICK AS THEY BECOME COVERED WITH SNOW. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CAN BE EXPECTED DUE TO SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW MEANS THAT VISIBILITIES WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO STRONG WINDS BLOWING SNOW AROUND. USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING…ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS.

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR: & MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES.

LIGHT SNOW SHOULD DEVELOP BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLICK. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL WILL BE POSSIBLE…ESPECIALLY TOWARD AND AFTER MIDNIGHT. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE WATCH AREA MAY REACH 3 TO 6 INCHES.

Friday Boys High School Basketball Scores

Sports

December 21st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Hawkeye 10:

  • Shenandoah 64, Atlantic 60
  • Harlan 73, Lewis Central 42
  • Kuemper Catholic 64, Creston 45
  • Glenwood 49, Denison-Schleswig 35

Western Iowa:

  • IKM-Manning 73, A-H-S-T 45
  • Treynor 60, Griswold 40
  • Underwood 63, Missouri Valley 42

Rolling Valley:

  • Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 56, CAM 40
  • Boyer Valley 52, Adair-Casey 46
  • Coon Rapids-Bayard 58, Charter Oak-Ute 35
  • Paton-Churdan 78, West Harrison 68
  • Glidden-Ralston 48, Woodbine 39

Others:

  • Bishop Heelan Catholic 72, Thomas Jefferson 46
  • Carroll 74, Perry 53
  • Clarinda Academy 72, South Page 35
  • East Mills 53, Stanton 42
  • Nodaway Valley 82, Martensdale-St. Marys 63
  • Sidney 64, Nishnabotna 48
  • Sioux City West 63, Abraham Lincoln 61

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

  • West Central Valley vs. Ogden, ppd.
  • Van Meter vs. Panorama, ppd.
  • Central Decatur vs. Lenox, ppd.
  • Orient-Macksburg vs. Moravia, ppd.

Iowa News Headlines: Sat., Dec. 21st 2013

News

December 21st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Fire officials and witnesses say a man jumped from a Muscatine bridge that spans the Mississippi River and couldn’t be found despite a quick response by rescuers. The Muscatine Journal reports authorities received reports yesterday morning of suspicious activity at the Norbert F. Beckey Bridge, a more than 3,000 foot bridge between Muscatine and Rock Island County, Illinois. A search continued through Friday afternoon without success.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has appointed Stuart Palmer Werling as a judge in eastern Iowa’s Seventh Judicial District. Branstad announced yesterday he’d appointed Werling to fill a vacancy by Judge Gary McKenrick.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Waterloo Community Schools has hired its first woman as superintendent of 10,000-student district. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the district’s Board of Education unanimously approved Jane Lindaman on Friday as superintendent. Lindaman, a 46-year-old associate superintendent in the district, will replace Gary Norris, who will retire on June 30th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Educators from Des Moines and Shell Rock were among 102 teachers given a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The White House made the announcement yesterday, giving the award to teachers from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In Iowa, the winners were Josie Burg, a math teacher in Des Moines, and Mason Kuhn, a science teacher in Shell Rock.

Chiefs get McCluster back for game vs Colts

Sports

December 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs will have dangerous punt returner Dexter McCluster back from injury when they play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. McCluster missed last week’s win at Oakland after developing an infection in his ankle. Chiefs coach Andy Reid also said Friday that linebacker Justin Houston and left tackle Branden Albert could be ready for the Colts. Houston has missed three games after dislocating his elbow against San Diego on Nov. 24, while Albert has missed two games after hyperextended his knee.

Reid also said that tight end Anthony Fasano, who’s been out with a concussion, has been cleared to play against Indianapolis. He’s also missed the last two games.

The Chiefs are tied with the Broncos atop the AFC West, while the Colts have already clinched the AFC South. Their game Sunday could be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup.

Atlantic Middle School makes a big effort to help brighten the holiday season for Cass County

News

December 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Students in the Atlantic Middle School recently participated in a monetary fund raiser to help support the Atlantic Police Department and Reserve Department’s “Family Dreams Christmas” and “Shop with a Cop” programs.Officer Devin Hogue said a group of sixth grade students in Mrs. Reilly’s English classes were reading the book “Homecoming” by Cynthia Voight.  In the story there are children that are in great need and students were tasked by their teacher to come up with a project for the school to participate in a benefit for those who are less fortunate.

6th graders who participated in the benefit reading program. (Atl. P-D photo)

6th graders who participated in the benefit reading program. (Atl. P-D photo)

The students in these classes requested that officials with the Atlantic Police Department come and explain how their two programs work. After they were presented with the information they then put together skits, and presentations to give to all the “home bases” in the school. The presentations explained the two programs facilitated by the Police and Reserve Departments. They then challenged the students to see which “home bases” at each grade level could collect the most funds to be donated towards the two programs.

Once the challenge was accepted by the students they were given until December 17th to collect as much as they could for their “Home Base.” On December 18th Officer Devin Hogue went to the school to present certificates to the winning classes. In 6th Grade the winning class was Mrs. Reilly’s class with $92.60. In 7th grade, Mrs. Oglebee’s class with $51.64. In 8th grade, Mrs. Leiferman’s class with $78.98. Another awesome aspect to their fund raiser was that Hy-Vee store manager Amy Jordahl agreed to pay sixth grade students a penny for every minute they logged reading over this time. Between around 60 students they logged a little over 19,000 minutes of reading either in school or at home. This would total out to more than 11 days of reading by the students. This lead to Hy-Vee contributing $191.64 towards the total amount collected by the school. The overall amount collected and donated by the “Home Bases” in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades was $824.38!!

The three winning classes will be treated to a pizza party on Friday January 10th. The pizza will be donated and brought to the school by Pizza Ranch. Officers from the Atlantic Police Department will also attend the party as a way to say thank you and give an overview of how the two programs turned out.

The Atlantic Police and Reserve Departments want to send a very big THANK YOU to all the students in the Atlantic Middle School who helped this project be so successful. Their efforts are greatly appreciated and really goes to show how great and giving the community they are growing up in is.

Iowa DOT urges caution as winter weather system approaches

News, Weather

December 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Snow and a wintery mix is expected for much of Iowa beginning Saturday afternoon into Sunday. The Iowa DOT recommends the following tips for safe winter travel during the impending storm:

Is the trip necessary? Trips during severe winter weather can take three or four times longer than normal. Often, delaying a trip by a few hours can give snow removal crews time to get the roads back to normal winter driving conditions. For traveler information, now available via the web, Twitter, Facebook or on your mobile device, visit www.511ia.org. Or simply call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide).

Before you go, let someone know when you are leaving, when you expect to arrive and your intended route. Allow extra time to reach your destination. Use your vehicle’s safety equipment . Make sure you and your passengers are wearing their seatbelts or are in a child safety seat. Your vehicle’s headlights are a valuable asset when driving in winter weather. Turn them on to see and be seen.

Use your winter driving skills. Do not use cruise control, it can make it difficult to maintain control if you hit a slick spot. Allow extra stopping distance by keeping distance between your vehicle and the one ahead. Avoid abrupt steering maneuvers. Slow down, accelerate more slowly and apply the brakes in an even, controlled manner. Carry an emergency survival kit and other supplies. Carry a mobile phone for making an emergency call; do not use it while driving.

Use caution when approaching, following or passing a snowplow. Snowplows generally operate at much slower speeds than other traffic. Snowplows can be forced sideways when clearing hard-packed drifts and generate a “snow cloud” that may reduce visibility for nearby vehicles. Remain a safe distance behind the snowplow, pass only when clear and never continue to drive alongside a plow. Allow plenty of space when passing a snowplow because the wing of the plow blade extends out to the side of the truck and the front blade extends well ahead of the truck.

Bluffs bank robbed Friday morning

News

December 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs are looking for a man who allegedly robbed a bank Friday morning. Sgt. Chad Meyers said officers were called to the Bank of the West, located at 531 30th Avenue, at around 11:30-a.m.  Meyers said a white man – who appeared to be in his 30s – entered the bank, approached a the teller counter and demanded money. The suspect left with an undetermined amount of money and fled the bank eastbound on foot toward a nearby Office Max.

Bank robbery suspect. (Photo from surveillance camera, courtesy Council Bluffs P-D)

Bank robbery suspect. (Photo from surveillance camera, courtesy Council Bluffs P-D)

The suspect was described as being as 5-feet 9-inches tall, and about 160 pounds. He had facial hair on his chin, wore a black leather jacket, light blue shirt, light blue pants, a black stocking cap, yellow or tan gloves and dark rimmed glasses. The man did not display a weapon.

Anyone with information about the robbery is urged to call the Council Bluffs Police Department at (712) 328-5737.