United Group Insurance

New task force seeks sustainable solutions to homelessness in Waterloo

News

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Waterloo is assembling a task force to create sustainable solutions for the Cedar Valley’s homeless population. The first step for the group is to identify and catalog Waterloo’s available homeless resources, which range from transportation to shelter and rehab services. Mayor Quentin Hart says the task force will look at solutions both inside and outside the city. The task force is made up of philanthropists, city officials and other community leaders, while Hart says voices from the homeless population itself will be key to the group’s success. The task force expects to start its work in May.

(Radio Iowa)

Former Iowa Priest Charged With Sexual Abuse

News

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The Archbishop of the Dubuque Catholic Diocese says a priest has been charged with sexual abuse that allegedly occurred during his time in Iowa. A statement from Archbishop Thomas Zinkula says Father Leo Riley has been charged in Florida with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse from allegations of abuse committed in Dubuque from 1985 to 1986. An allegation was first made in May of 2023, and a second allegation was made after the Archdiocese asked anyone with information to come forward. The Archdiocese statement says an allegation of abuse had been made against Riley in December of 2014, but it is their understanding the Dubuque County Attorney’s Office chose not to investigate because the statute of limitations had expired. Riley had moved to Venice, Florida in 2002 and was most recently assigned to Port Charlotte, Florida.

(Radio Iowa)

U-I, I-S-U moving ahead construction projects

News

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa is moving forward with plans to construct a new hydraulic modeling facility for the College of Engineering. U-I Vice President Rod Lenhertz in a presentation to the Regents, says the facility will provide space for future growth. “To consolidate a lot of their work around the research related to as the as the docket item suggests and indicates canal, large rivers, dams, spillways and other projects they do,” he says. Lenhertz says the Hydroscience & Engineering program is a world-renowned center for education, research, and public service focusing on fluids. He says it requires a specific facility for the work.

“Generally large volumes of space with the equipment and water that are needed to model different bodies of water at the project sites that they’re working on. We would start the planning immediately and would come back to the Board of Regents with a with a budget and design,” he says. The budget right now is estimated at 32 to 40 million dollars. The Board of Regents also gave Iowa State University permission to expand the existing two wards at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center Large Animal Hospital. I-S-U vice president, Heather Paris says they would also add a new third ward.

“This project would expand the facility by over 17-thousand square feet to include expansion of current large animal reproductive services as well as enhancement of our professional student and resident training opportunities,” Paris says. She says they would expand in multiple phases. “With the first focused on the equine I-C-U stall, reproductive services, feed and bedding storage and shared storage space,” Paris says. “The total proposed budget of nine-point-two million would be funded by College of Veterinary Medicine funds, with construction scheduled to begin in spring of 2025.”

The Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center Large Animal Hospital was built in 1976. The Board of Regents approved the two projects at their meeting last week in Ames.

Harvest jumps ahead in last week

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Farmers made a lot of progress planting corn and beans last week. The U-S-D-A report says the amount of corn planted reached 39 percent complete — up from 13 percent the week before. That is four days ahead of last year and three days ahead of the five-year average.

Two percent of the expected corn crop has emerged. Twenty-five percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted — up from just eight percent last week. The bean planting is now four days ahead of last year and five days ahead of the average.

Council Bluffs woman arrested on warrants & drug charges in Montgomery County

News

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, Monday, arrested 28-year-old Rebecca Sue Warren, of Council Bluffs. Warren was taken into custody on Pottawattamie County warrants, Possession of Methamphetamine/4th Offense, and for being a person ineligible to carry weapons. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

NWS in Des Moines now says 19 tornadoes tracked through parts of western/central Iowa April 26th

News, Weather

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The National Weather Service office in Des Moines, in it’s latest update on Monday, said based on preliminary reports and completed storm surveys, severe storms that lifted northeast across western into central Iowa late in the afternoon into the evening of Friday, April 26, 2024, numbered at least 19. Damage to trees and homes has been reported in multiple counties from Crawford to Union and Ringgold up to around Polk and Jasper Counties.

Teams continue to evaluate damage. Additional tornado tracks and rating will be added in the coming days. A final tornado count will take days to a few weeks as we review radar data, examine hi-res satellite imagery, and look at videos.

  • A tornado affecting parts of Shelby & Crawford Counties was rated EF-2, with winds of up to 112-mph and a width of 200-yard. It tracked 9..24-miles. A second tornado was rated EF-1, with winds of 107-mph, a track of 12.32-miles, and a width of 200-yards.
  • One tornado hit part of Creston just before 7-p.m., Friday. It was rated an EF-2, with 125-mph winds. It traveled nearly 8.5-miles and was 350-yards wide. A second tornado near Creston was an EF-1 w/100-mph winds, and a width of 80-yards. It tracked for nearly 3-miles.
  • Another tornado formed west of Afton and traveled 6.23-miles, with an estimated width of 150-yards and winds as high as 125-mph. EF-2 rating.
  • A tornado that formed east of Afton was EF-2 that whipped across Union and into Madison County (13.91-miles), with winds of up to 130-mph. It was 150-yards wide.
  • A Ringgold County tornado, near Tingley, was an EF-2 that was 100-yards wide, and traveled 10.31-miles.
  • A second tornado near Mount Ayr was rated EF-1, with 100-mph winds, a track of 11.74-miles, and a width of 300-yards.

Learn about the other tornadoes covered by the NWS office in Des Moines, HERE.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Weather

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. High near 79. Southerly winds @ 20-40 mph this afternoon. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Some of the storms will likely be strong to severe and capable of producing large hail and damaging winds. A few tornadoes are possible as well.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms ending, then gradual clearing, with a low around 46. W/SW @ 15-30 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday: Partly sunny w/a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 70. S/SE @ 10-20.
Wed. Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 52.
Thursday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 72.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 66. Our Low this morning, 43. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 63 and the Low was 37. The All-time Record High on April 30th was 92, in 1926. The Record Low was 19, in 1958. Sunrise: 6:19; Sunset: 8:16.

NWS preliminary data rates most western IA tornadoes as EF-3

News, Weather

April 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Omaha, NE) – The National Weather Service in Omaha has released a preliminary report on the storms that passed through eastern Nebraska and parts of western Iowa on April 26th. Officials broke down the data as follows:

  • A tornado developed to the southeast of the I-29 / U.S. 275 interchange and tracked north-northeast before dissipating at the Pony Creek Park, between 4:52 and 4:57-p.m., Friday. It was rated an EF-1, with winds of up to 100 mph. The twister’s path ran for 2.7-miles, at a maximum width of 80-yards.
  • A tornado that formed at 4:58-p.m. developed at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and moved northeast to just east of Crescent, IA before dissipated 16. 1-miles later, just north of the Harrison-Pottawattamie County line at 5:27-p.m. It was an EF-3, with wind of up to 152-mph, and a width of 516 yards.
  • Tornado  #3 developed at around 5:08-p.m. Friday, in rural southwestern Pottawattamie County and tracked north-northeast before dissipating 13.3-miles later to the northeast of McClelland. It was also rated EF-3, with winds topping out at 145-mph and a width of 800-yards.
  • Tornado #4 formed east of McClelland at around 5:25-p.m., while the previous Treynor/McClelland tornado was in the process of dissipating. The tornado tracked 40.9-miles north-northeast through the eastern part of Minden, to the immediate east of Tennant, the west of Harlan, and the immediate east of Defiance before dissipating at around 6:30-p.m., just south of the Shelby-Crawford County line. It was an EF-3, with top wind speeds estimated at 160-mph, and a width of 1,700-yards (just under a mile wide). It was responsible for three injuries and one death.
  • Tornado #5 in Shelby and Crawford Counties developed at around 6:28-p.m. over the V&W Petersen Wildlife Management Area and moved north to the immediate west of Manilla before dissipating at around 6:44-p.m. in rural Crawford County Iowa, east-southeast of Denison. It was rate an EF-2, with winds of up to 112-mph and a width of 200-yards. It’s path was estimated to be 9.2-miles long.
  • Tornado #6 was an EF-1, with winds of up to 107-mph, a width of 100-yards, and a path of 12.3-miles. It developed to the immediate northeast of Defiance and tracked north-northeast into rural Crawford County east-southeast of Denison.
  • Five other tornadoes have yet to be defined, according to the latest NWS data.

HAWKEYE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT GOLDEN HERKYS

Sports

April 29th, 2024 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa Department of Athletics recognized the academic and athletic accomplishments of its student-athletes at the seventh annual Golden Herkys on Monday evening. The event, organized by members of the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ISAAC), is an opportunity for student-athletes to recognize their peers while also celebrating the past year with the awards ceremony at Hancher Auditorium.

The event was highlighted by the announcement of senior Real Woods (men’s wrestling) and Caitlin Clark (women’s basketball) as “UI Athletes of the Year.” Seniors Tory Taylor (football) and Kate Martin (women’s basketball) were named “Hawkeyes of the Year,” which encompasses the athletics department core values of WIN, GRADUATE, DO IT RIGHT.

Woods finished the season with a 23-5 record, placing third at the 2024 Big Ten Championships and fourth at the national championships. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native scored 11 bonus point wins (three majors, seven technical falls and one pin) and scored 40 dual points for Iowa this season. A four-time All-American, Woods finished his wrestling career with an 85-14 record, including a 38-14 record against ranked opponents.

Clark, the 2024 unanimous consensus National Player of the Year from West Des Moines, Iowa, led the Hawkeyes to their second straight National Championship and finished the season leading the nation in assists (8.9 assists per game) and scoring (31.6 points per game). She became the first player to finish No. 1 in both categories in back-to-back seasons. Clark tallied 3,951 career points and she recently became the first Division-I player to record 1,000+ points in back-to-back seasons. She is also the only player in NCAA Division I men’s or women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons. She was selected by the Indiana Fever as the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft earlier this month.

Clark also took home the Golden Herky for Record Breaking Performance. During the 2024 season, she became the NCAA’s men’s and women’s all-time leading scorer surpassing, LSU’s Pete Maravich. She set a Big Ten Tournament career record with 112 assists in her 13 tournament games. In the NCAA Tournament, Clark became the second player all-time with 350+ points and 100+ assists and the all-time career field goals made.

Taylor was named a consensus All-American and permanent co-captain following the 2023 season and tabbed as the top punter in the country being the recipient of the Ray Guy Award. The Melbourne, Australia, native, finished the season with 93 punts for a record 4,479 yards, breaking the NCAA punting yardage record – originally set in 1938, in the Citrus Bowl. Taylor had the best career punting average (46.3), single-season punting average (48.2) and most career games averaging 40 or more yards (43) in NCAA history. Taylor set the school record for punt yardage in three consecutive years (80 punts for 3,688 yards in 2021; 82 punts for 3,725 yards in 2022; 93 punts for 4,479 yards in 2023). He finished his career with 295 punts for 13,657 yards — both Iowa career records. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of NFL Draft over the weekend.

Martin, from Edwardsville, Illinois, is the first Iowa women’s basketball player to have amassed 900+ points, 500+ rebounds, 400+ assists, 120+ steals, and 60+ blocks in a career. She is also the third player in school history behind Clark and Sam Logic to net 1,200+ points, 700+ rebounds, and 450+ assists. During the 2023-24 season, Martin scored 10+ points in 30 games, 15+ points in 17 games, while averaging 13.1 points per contest in her senior campaign. She was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the WNBA Draft earlier this month.

The Hawkeye women’s basketball team took home an additional four Golden Herkys. Junior Sydney Affolter (Chicago). was named Women’s Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, junior AJ Ediger (Hudsonville, Michigan) won the individual award for Inclusive Excellence, and the team was named Most Outstanding Team and won the award for Best Moment with their NCAA Tournament Elite 8 win over LSU (94-87). During the 2023-24 season, the Hawkeyes achieved back-to-back Final Four and National Championship appearances. All home games at Carver Hawkeye Arena were sold out, and the National Championship in Cleveland was the most-watched women’s basketball game ever with 18.9 million viewers.

Affolter was named to the Big Ten’s All-Tournament Team and Albany 2 Regional Team. She registered three 10+ point performances at the Big Ten Tournament. With starter Molly Davis sidelined due to injury, Affolter raised her level of play in the postseason, averaging 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in nine postseason games (8-1 record). Her 12.7 postseason scoring average was +5.6 points better than her regular season average.

12.3 million viewers (second most in NCAA D1 WBB history behind the 2024 championship game between Iowa and South Carolina) witnessed Iowa’s Elite 8, 94-87, win over LSU. In the 2023 championship rematch, all players contributed to the win. There were 13 triples made, and Clark set the 3-point shooting all-time D1 record (men and women). Clark poured in a game-best 41 points, bolstered by sinking nine 3-pointers (six in the second half), and dished out 12 assists. Martin and Affolter contributed 21 points and 16 points, respectively.

The Hawkeye men’s basketball team took home the Golden Herkys for Men’s Breakthrough Athlete (Payton Sandfort) and Men’s Outstanding Newcomer (Owen Freeman). Sandfort, a junior from Waukee, Iowa, averaged 16.4 points and 6.6 rebounds while leading the Big Ten with 94 3-point field goals in his first season as a starter. He finished the season with 11 20-point games and was in double figures 27 times. He had a career best game in the NIT win over Kansas State, scoring a career-high 30 points with seven 3-pointers and grabbed 12 rebounds to notch his fifth double-double. In a February win over Penn State, Payton recorded the first triple-double in program history, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the first triple-double in the Big Ten this season and one of two in the league in 2023-24.

Freeman, a freshman from Moline, Illinois, became the second Hawkeye in program history (the first in 30 years) to be named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Throughout the season, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week nine times — the most in school history and the second-most in Big Ten Conference history. He averaged 10.6 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds to go along with 61 blocks and a .614 field goal percentage. His 225 rebounds and 61 blocks are Iowa freshman records, and he is second in double-doubles (5) and field goal percentage (.614). His five double-doubles led all Big Ten rookies and ranked in the top seven nationally.

The Golden Herky for Women’s Outstanding Newcomer was shared by senior Marlynne Deede (women’s wrestling) and freshman Dionne van Aalsum (field hockey). Deede came to Iowa from Augsburg University as a reigning national champion at 155 pounds. She completed her final collegiate season with a record of 14-0, posting five technical falls, five pins, and three decisions. The Springville, Utah, native won individual regional and national titles, helping the Hawkeyes to the national team title. She finished 2023-24 as the top-ranked wrestler at 155 and was a finalist for USA Wrestling’s Collegiate Wrestler of the Year. She finishes her career as a two-time national champion and five-time All-American.

 van Aalsum, from Castricum, Netherlands, led the nation with 28 goals, 62 points, 1.47 goals per game, and 3.26 points per game in 2023. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors four times, Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors four times, and was named NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week once. She became the first Hawkeye to record a hat trick since Maddy Murphy in 2019, and the first Hawkeye with four goals in a game since Kim Scraper in 2016. van Aalsum was the only freshman to be named a first-team All-American in 2023.

The men’s track and field team won the Golden Herky for Most Outstanding Men’s Team for their accomplishments during the 2023 season. The Hawkeyes had a combined 18 All-Americans during the indoor and outdoor seasons. During Big Ten competition, the Hawkeyes had back-to-back third-place team finishes and won four event titles.

The women’s track and field and softball teams shared the Golden Herkys for the Inclusive Excellence Team, which serves to honor and recognize the team that has demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through achievements and contributions to social justice. This individual and team has increased our overall awareness and knowledge and has made notable strides towards inclusive excellence.

A new Golden Herky presented for the 2023-24 year is the Community Impact Award. Throughout the year, student-athletes log community service hours with the goal of earning their “Hawkeye 5” (at least five hours of service per student-athlete) each year. The Hawkeye football team logged a total of 1,184 hours between May 1, 2023, and April 25, 2024). The Iowa field hockey team posted the highest number of average hours per team member and the highest impact score (12+ hours each). Junior field hockey player Jacey Wittel (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) logged the most individual hours with 75.

The Hawkeye men’s golf and women’s tennis teams took home the Golden Herkys for top team grade-point average (GPA) for the 2023 spring and fall. The men’s golf team posted a team GPA of 3.42 in the spring, and a 3.34 in the fall. The women’s tennis team posted a team GPA of 3.77 in the spring and 3.83 in the fall.

The annual Staff-lete Golden Herky was awarded to strength and conditioning coach Andre McIntyre. He was nominated by the soccer, women’s golf, and men’s and women’s cross country teams. The award is annually presented to the UI Athletics staff member who displays excellence by making the greatest impact on student-athletes and the department.

Atlantic Boys Tennis comes up short at Hawkeye 10 Conference Tournament

Sports

April 29th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

On Monday afternoon Atlantic High school hosted the Hawkeye Ten Conference Tournament where the Shenandoah Mustangs took first place and the hometown Trojans earned fourth on the day. Atlantic’s Nolan Waters had the highest finish in singles at fourth finished in number two singles and Kinnick Juhl ended in sixth place at number one singles. With the doubles side at number one Atlantic’s Conner Johnson and Reid Woodward carved a sixth place finish. At number two doubles the pair of Nick Bennett and Gradyn O’Hara put up a scrappy performance to finish in fourth.

Looking back on the day, Atlantic Head Coach Mike McDermott was impressed by the grit the doubles teams displayed on the day.

Still, Coach McDermott wants to see the Trojans play and swing with more intensity out on the courts.

Team Results: 

1. Shenandoah 27

2. Kuemper Catholic 26

3. Glenwood 24

4. Atlantic 16

5. Red Oak 13

6. St. Albert 13

7. Lewis Central 11

8. Creston 6

9. Clarinda 5

10. Denison-Schleswig 3

11. Harlan 0

Atlantic’s next match will be at Denison-Schleswig where they will take on the Monarchs Tuesday May 7th.