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NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties

Weather

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

346 AM CST THU MAR 6 2014

EARLY THIS MORNING…CLOUDY. PATCHY FOG. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE MORNING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…WARMER. PATCHY FOG THROUGH MID MORNING. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 20 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY UNTIL EARLY MORNING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW AROUND 30. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF DRIZZLE BEFORE NOON. A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF LIGHT SLEET LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTH 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LIGHT SNOW AND LIGHT SLEET LIKELY THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN A CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. COLDER. LOW 15 TO 20. NORTH WIND AROUND 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 60 PERCENT.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. COLDER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLEAR. BREEZY. LOW 15 TO 20. HIGH 29 TO 53.

Iowa men and women play today (Thursday)

Sports

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa men and women both play today. For the women, it’s the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. The Hawkeyes have to win four games in four days to get an automatic N-C-A-A bid, and coach Lisa Bluder says it’s tough. She says they have to go by the old “one game at a time” plan. Pre-game for Iowa versus Illinois gets underway at 1:15 on KJAN.

The Iowa men look to win again after stopping a three-game losing streak against Purdue. They are at Michigan State. Coach Fran McCaffery has been focusing on cutting back the turnovers this season after averaging in the double digits the last few seasons. Iowa had just five turnovers in the win against Purdue. Iowa is 20-9 overal and 9-7 in the Big Ten. They play Michigan State at 8 p-m. Catch the pre-game beginning at 7, also on KJAN.

(Learfield Sports)

Updating strip search policy for city, county jails

News

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa House has voted to update state policy governing strip searches of both inmates and visitors to city and county jails. Representative Stan Gustafson, a Republican from Cumming, says contraband is becoming commonplace. “In recent months Iowa sheriffs’ offices being confiscated everything from weapons to illegal substances being carried into the jail,” he says. “Recently in Linn County, a woman carried in a knife.”

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all jail inmates, regardless of the charges they may face, can be strip searched when they’re booked. The bill that passed the House would give Iowa jailers authority to conduct a strip search if there is “reasonable suspicion” the person being booked into jail, or coming into the jail as a visitor, is concealing a weapon or contraband like drugs.

“Safety concerns are at the heart of this bill,” Gustafson says. “…It is the sheriff’s responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment and House File 2174 assists in that duty.” Gustafson cites a recent incident in Oklahoma. A man booked into a jail on minor charges had a loaded gun and bragged about it to other prisoners. Authorities didn’t know about the gun for 16 hours because the inmate wasn’t strip searched before he was put in a cell.

Last March Woodbury County paid 385-thousand dollars to settle three lawsuits filed by women who had been strip searched at the county jail. Federal lawsuits filed by two other women who say they were subjected to excessive force during searches at the Woodbury County Jail are still pending.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., March 6th 2014

News

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press …

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of a fuel leak near a Des Moines hospital. The Des Moines Fire Department says the leak was reported yesterday morning at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. No injuries were reported and hospital activities continued as normal. City officials and a private contractor will remove the fuel and work with the state Department of Natural Resources on cleanup efforts.

DAYTON, Iowa (AP) — Regulators have issued a boil advisory for the small Iowa city of Dayton in Webster County. The state Department of Natural Resources says the advisory was issued because of a water main break Tuesday night. It caused water from a tower to drain.

STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) — A broken sewer line has caused wastewater to reach a small frozen creek in northwest Iowa. The state Department of Natural Resources says the ice-filled Outlet Creek below Storm Lake has been affected by a leak discovered Tuesday morning. The line, managed by the Southwest Sanitary District, leads to a wastewater treatment plant. The leak was stopped a short time later.

STANWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa say a moose trekking through the area could be the same creature spotted a few months ago. Eric Wright, a conservation officer with the state Department of Natural Resources, tells the Quad-City Times the animal seen recently in Cedar County could be the same one seen around Linn County in December.

Former St. Albert Administrative intern arrested on ND arson charge

News

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A former administrative intern at the Council Bluffs St. Albert High School has been charged in connection with a high school fire in North Dakota. The Daily NonPareil reports 30-year old Thomas Sander, a Principal at Trinity High School in Dickinson, N.D., faces felony charges of Arson and Endangerment by fire or explosion. Sander was being held in jail Wednesday on $500,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to 10-years in prison.

The fire, which occurred Monday, heavily damaged the school. Students were given the week off while officials decided how to continue the school year.

While at St. Albert, Sander worked six to eight hours per week for one semester as part of an unpaid administrative practicum for his master’s degree. He was not a school employee, however, and was at the school for about three months.

Former Lewis Central students’ death ruled accidental

News

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs said Wednesday that a former Lewis Central student whose body was found late last year in the back seat of a vehicle in the parking lot of a J.C. Penny store off of Marketplace Drive, died of alcohol poisoning. Authorities say an autopsy determined 15-year old Mireya Mata-Alvarez‘ death the night of Dec. 21st was ruled “accidental.” The cause was listed as “acute ethanol intoxication,” which is commonly referred to as “alcohol poisoning.”  The girls’ blood alcohol level registered more than five-times the legal limit of .08. No foul play was involved.

Officials say Mata-Alvarez had been with two juvenile girls and five juvenile males earlier that same evening. Both girls – one of whom dialed 911 – were on scene when emergency crews arrived, but the boys were no longer present.

Mata-Alvarez had attended Lewis Central High School during her freshman year, but was not enrolled for her sophomore year, because she had transferred out of state.

2nd arrest made in connection w/2003 murder in Council Bluffs

News

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Pottawattamie County said Wednesday a second arrest has been made in connection with a murder that took place in the Summer of 2003 in Council Bluffs. According to Council Bluffs Police, 36-year old James Cain Harris,of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree murder for the July 2003 death of Nelson Alvarez-Hernandez. Harris was being held in the Pott. County Jail on $1-million bond. His preliminary hearing was set for March 14th.

Officials say Alvarez-Hernandez was killed after a fight outside of a home in the 1600 block of south 13th St. in Council Bluffs. Witnesses had reported a loud altercation taking place outside the residence and heard Alvarez-Hernandez call for help. According to police, those same witnesses said they saw several subjects near the victim who fled prior to police arriving.

Someone had stabbed Alvarez-Hernandez to death, and the case remained unsolved until late last year, when authorities were able to link DNA evidence to 47-year old Thomas J. Sanchez,of La Vista, Neb. Sanchez was arrested in late January, 2014. He remains held on $1-million bond at the Pottawattamie County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder. Sanchez’ trial is set to begin April 15th.

Freshmen are making their mark among Big Ten women

Sports

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Big Ten women’s basketball tournament starts Thursday in Indianapolis with four games. Regular-season co-champions Penn State (22-6) and Michigan State (21-8), along with Nebraska (22-6) and Purdue (21-7), have earned the top four seeds for the second straight year.

Purdue, which has won six straight games, is the two-time defending champion. The Boilermakers have put together their longest win streak of the season, and the longest current streak in the Big Ten, without injured point guard KK Houser.

Indiana (18-11) plays Ohio State (15-17) in the tournament opener. Other games Thursday match Iowa (23-7) against Illinois (9-20), Michigan (17-12) against Northwestern (15-14) and Minnesota (19-11) against Wisconsin (10-18).

Wednesday’s Girls State Basketball Scores/Thursday Schedule

Sports

March 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Class 1-A Semifinal

  • Newell-Fonda 65, Colo-NESCO 34

Class 4-A Quarterfinals

  • Ballard 55, Davenport Assumption 45
  • Western Dubuque 53, Bishop Heelan Catholic 44

Class 5-A Quarterfinals

  • Dowling Catholic 62, Waukee 56
  • Iowa City High 68, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 34
  • Southeast Polk 68, WDM Valley 60
  • Waterloo West 69, Des Moines East 57

Thursday Schedule

Class 1-A Semifinal

  • 10:00 a.m. — Janesville (24-1) vs. Burlington Notre Dame (22-3)

Class 2-A Semifinals

  • 11:45 a.m. — Cascade (26-0) vs. Hudson (24-1)
  • 1:30 p.m. — North-Linn (24-1) vs. Western Christian (25-1)

Class 3-A Semifinals

  • 3:15 p.m.. — Crestwood (22-2) vs. Unity Christian (21-4)
  • 5:00 p.m. — MOC-Floyd Valley (24-1) vs. Mediapolis (24-1)

Class 4-A Semifinals

  • 6:45 p.m. – Harlan (24-0) vs. Carlisle (20-6)
  • 8:30 p.m. – Ballard (21-4) vs. Western Dubuque (22-2)

Public hearing over FY 2015 City of Walnut Budget, Thursday

News

March 5th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Walnut City Council will hold a Public Hearing and take action on adopting, the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, Thursday. Both will take place during a regular meeting of the Council, which begins at 5-p.m., Thursday.

In other business, the Council will receive and possibly act on approving a letter of support for a grant application being submitted by the Walnut Questers. Other discussion will include that which pertains to the Peace Haven Retirement Home and possible street work. The Council may also act on approving a letter to the Wheatley Estate, providing Notice of Intent with regard to a former gas station and associated real estate.

The Walnut City Council is also expected to discuss matters pertaining to the concessions stands at the City Park.