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MARGE PORTER, 93, of Greenfield (Svcs. 5/7/16)

Obituaries

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

MARGE PORTER, 93, of Greenfield, died March 30th, at the Greenfield Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.  Celebration of Life services for MARGE PORTER will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, May 7th,at the United Methodist Church, in Greenfield. Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held Friday, May 6th, from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield, with the family greeting friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Burial will be in the Greenfield Cemetery.  A luncheon will be held following the committal services at the Greenfield United Methodist Church.

Memorials may be directed to the Greenfield United Methodist Church.

MARGE PORTER is survived by:

Her son – Gary (Lois) Roberts of Decorah.

Her step-children: John (Kathy) Porter of Greenfield; Gary (Melissa) Porter of Hudson, WI.

4 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and other relatives.

Atlantic City Park restroom fire under investigation

News

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Firefighters from Atlantic responded to a report of smoke in the restroom at the Atlantic City Park Shelterhouse/restroom facility, Sunday afternoon. A person in the men’s restroom saw and smelled smoke a little after 2:30-p.m. Firefighters arrived on the scene and saw no visible flames, but a metal trash receptacle in the women’s restroom showed evidence a fire had started there, and that someone used water to try and put it out. The smoke wafted into the adjacent, men’s restroom.

Ric Hanson/photo

Ric Hanson/photo

Atlantic Police Lt. Dave Erickson said they would inspect the trash can to try and determine if the fire was intentionally set, or the result of a carelessly discarded cigarette. Crews were on the scene for about 25 minutes.

Damage to the shelter appeared to have been limited to the trash can.

Iowa drunken driving deaths up but license revocations fall

News

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The number of drunken driving deaths on Iowa roads has been increasing over the past few years, but the number of driver’s license revocations is down. The Des Moines Register reports there were 123 drunken driving deaths last year. That’s up from 110 the year before and 114 in 2012.

Last year, 13,938 driver’s licenses were revoked for drunken driving in the state. That number has been steadily declining. In 2014, 14,515 licenses were revoked and in 2012, 17,708 licenses were taken.

Officials with the state Transportation Department and law enforcement say the decline is a result of having fewer officers on the road because of budget cuts and fewer arrests. Also, more people may be getting rides home after drinking.

National group, Grassley to talk taxes in southwest Iowa

News

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

RED OAK, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Charles Grassley will join a national group in southwest Iowa this coming week, to talk about taxpayer preferences. The National Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service, announced it will hold a public forum at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Red Oak. Those who attend will get the chance to discuss how the IRS can better help them comply with their tax obligations. The forum will be held in the Montgomery County YMCA.

Nina Olson, the national taxpayer advocate, will join Grassley and a panel of small business representatives for the fifth forum in a series held in communities across the country. The forums were created to better understand and reflect taxpayer preferences in a plan that outlines how the IRS will operate in the future.

April 2016 Weather Stats for Atlantic

Weather

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The month of April was wetter than normal, in Atlantic, but average, temperature-wise. Statistics compiled at KJAN (the official National Weather Service reporting station for Atlantic) show rainfall for the month amounted to 5.3-inches, which was 1.87-inches more than the average. The most rain fell on the 20th, when we received a 24-hour soaking of 1.16-inches.

The average High temperature of 63-degrees was just one degree warmer than the average of 62. The warmest days in April were on the 3rd and 24th, when we reached 81-degrees.

The average Low for the month was 38, which was about one-degree warmer than normal. The coolest mornings were on the 8th and 9th, when we bottomed out at 14-degrees.

Looking ahead: The month of May typically has Atlantic receiving 4.32-inches of rain. The average High is around 73, while the average Low is 49.

Teens cited for reckless driving in Red Oak after allegedly tearing up City property

News

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Two teens were cited Saturday afternoon for reckless driving in Red Oak, after the vehicles they were driving allegedly tore up the mud at the west Coolbaugh Street boat ramp. Red Oak Police say an officer on routine patrol at around 4:45-p.m. came across a 1985 Ford van stuck up to its bumpers in the parking area of the boat ramp. He also saw a Dodge truck in the same area.

17-year old Michael Wade Hamilton, of Stanton, was cited after police determined he had driven the van onto the City-owned property without permission, tearing up the property when he drove into the mud. 16-year old Dawson Wade Culver, of Red Oak, was cited for driving the truck, which he admitted he had driven through the mud, but denied having become stuck in it.

Both teens were given a citation and then released to a parent.

KJAN listening area weather forecast from the NWS: 5/1/16

Weather

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

353 AM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016

EARLY THIS MORNING…NUMEROUS LIGHT SHOWERS. PATCHY FOG. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF SHOWERS 70 PERCENT.

TODAY…CLOUDY. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING. WIDESPREAD LIGHT SHOWERS THROUGH MID MORNING. NUMEROUS LIGHT SHOWERS BEFORE NOON…THEN SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF SHOWERS 90 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY UNTIL EARLY MORNING THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

MONDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S.

TUESDAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH INCREASING TO AROUND 15 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S.

Martinez expected to start Sunday

Sports

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez was expected to start today (Sunday) against the Washington Nationals after leaving the team briefly to address a personal matter. The 24-year-old Martinez is the object of a civil lawsuit filed against him by a woman in West Palm Beach, Fla., near the team’s spring training site in Jupiter. General manager John Mozeliak said Saturday he was aware of the case.

Martinez is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA. He was to oppose Washington ace Max Scherzer. The lawsuit filed in Miami seeks more than $1.5 million and accuses the pitcher of a negligent transmission of a sexual transmitted disease, It seeks actual and special damages along with mental anguish and exemplary damages. It also seeks punitive damages because of outrageous actions.

Head-on, fatality crash in Mills County, Saturday evening

News

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

A man from Pottawattamie County died and two others were injured during a head-on crash Saturday evening in Mills County, east of Hastings. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of a 1995 Chevy Suburban, 53-year old Ismail Mulondo, of Council Bluffs, died in the crash with a 2011 Ford F-350 driven by  22-year old Anthony Clark, of Glenwood.

Officials say the accident happened at around 5:40-p.m., as Mulondo was traveling east on Highway 34, just east of 370th Street. His suburban crossed the centerline of the road for reasons unknown, and entered the westbound lane, directly into the path of the pickup truck.

The patrol says Clark, who was traveling west on Highway 34, swerved into the eastbound lane in an attempt to avoid a collision, but Mulondo then swerved back into the same lane. The vehicles collided, causing injuries to the passengers, 24-year old May Mulondo, of Council Bluffs, and 19-year old Madison Huff, of Red Oak. The Patrol did not indicate in their report if the women were wearing seat belts.

May Mulondo was transported by Malvern Rescue to Creighton University Medical Center. Huff was taken by Glenwood Rescue to the UNMC in Omaha. Anthony Clark was not listed as injured. Ismail Mulondo, who was wearing his seat belt, died at the scene. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office.

Iowa early News Headlines: Sunday, May 1st 2016

News

May 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Women who were breast-feeding at the Iowa Capitol as part of a campaign say they were asked to cover themselves despite a law that allows them to nurse in public. The Des Moines Register reports that the women were part of the Nationwide Nurse-In, an event designed to draw attention to each state’s breast-feeding laws.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — City officials in Burlington are concerned about the city’s trees following a wave of plant diseases and unusually wet weather in recent years that has loosened the soil’s grip on root systems. The Hawk Eye in Burlington reports that many of the trees have no natural immunity to the diseases.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three new specialty food stores have opened in the Des Moines area since last fall, joining an already competitive grocery market and a string of established grocers in Iowa that sell ethnic, gourmet and health-conscious food. The Des Moines Register reports that shoppers are demanding healthier and diet-sensitive food options, prompting national specialty grocery stores to seek out metro areas such as Des Moines.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa man faces operating while intoxicated charges after authorities say he crashed into a house in Le Mars. The Sioux City Journal reports that 22-year-old Travor Koontz of Remsen is accused of driving his car into a home around 1:40 a.m. Friday. Le Mars Police Officer John Kaskie says Koontz had been driving south when he lost control of his Chevy Impala and veered eastward into the home.