The Freese-Notis weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, and weather information for Atlantic….
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The Freese-Notis weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, and weather information for Atlantic….
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa farmers will be able to carry heavier loads of corn, soybeans and other items for the next two months. Gov. Terry Branstad signed a proclamation Friday allowing the heavier loads, a move Iowa governors usually take in the fall.
The proclamation allows people to haul loads of soybeans, corn, hay, straw, silage and stover up to 90,000 pounds of gross weight without a permit for 60 days. The temporary allowance doesn’t apply to interstate highways. The move is intended to help farmers efficiently move crops after harvest.
The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) found 93-percent of retailers who sold tobacco refused to sell to an underage customer during checks by the division in the last fiscal year. Meghan O’Brien, the deputy director of administration for A-B-D, says most of the 34-hundred tobacco retailers are checked for compliance each year. “This is only the second time that the compliance rate has been this high, and I think the success of all our education programs and our partnerships are the reason whey we’ve been able to achieve this level of compliance,” O’Brien says.
The compliance rate hit 93-percent for the first time in 2010 and has been at 92-percent in three of the last five years. She says the division works with 193 local law enforcement partners and the Iowa State Patrol to conduct the random compliance checks. “They typically use youth in communities and the youth develop relationships with law enforcement — and that is how the compliance check is done,” O’Brien says. Records show tobacco retailers in the mid 1990’s were selling tobacco to minors during 50-percent of checks.
A-B-D took over the tobacco enforcement in 2000 and created the Iowa Pledge program to educate retailers on how to stop sales to minors. “We work really hard to create partnerships and do education rather than immediately go to the punitive side. We want to have a trust relationship with these retailers and we want to help them be successful and reduce the number of youth getting access to tobacco products,” according to O’Brien Smoking is no longer allowed in many public places after the passage of the Smoke Free Air Act in 2008. O’Brien says it’s a change that has also helped in preventing young people from smoking.
“Youth growing up right now can’t remember a time when an ashtray was ever inside a restaurant,” O’Brien says. She says that’s one piece of the issue and they complement that with restricting the sale of tobacco and that helps reinforces that tobacco usage is not appropriate for youth. “So, I think the State of Iowa has done a tremendous job in overall tobacco control.”
Twenty-seven of the 99 counties had a 100-percent compliance rate. Included among them are Adams, Fremont, Guthrie, Page, Sac and Taylor Counties.
(Radio Iowa)
At midnight tonight the temporary extension of the Farm Bill expires. Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill is among the many residents of farm country who’re finding it difficult to read the signals of congress. “I can’t tell you whether they will try another extension — we can’t support another extension — or whether they’ll have a stop-gap measure and continue to kick the can down the road,” Hill says. The most immediate impact of the Farm Bill’s demise will come with the October shut down of programs that promote the sale of U.S. farm commodities overseas.
In addition, Hill says the U.S. will be accused of trade violations when it comes to the cotton market and country-of-origin labeling. “Both of those could be resolved with the new reform bill,” Hill says. “Avoid having that, we kind of disrupt our ability to be a good partner in trade, as well as many of our export enhancement programs — our Market Access Program and other programs — that will lack funding and so long-term we will adversely impact our ability to trade.” There’s uncertainty for farmers hoping to do conservation projects this fall, like build terraces in fields once the harvesting is done. This comes just as the Iowa Farm Bureau and other groups have begun to urge farmers to take such steps to avoid soil erosion and farm chemical run-off into Iowa waterways.
“Without conservation funding and authorization the CSP program, the CRP program, a number of the things that we use as stewards won’t be available to us and we won’t be able to plan for those tools,” Hill says, “also disrupting our ability to help retain soil and have a safer water supply.” It’s hard to put a dollar value on the overall financial impact of the impasse in congress, but there is one certainty: if congress doesn’t act by January 1st, the price of a gallon of milk is going to more than double. That’s because the price supports for milk will revert to 1949 levels.
“On the farm, that means $39 a hundredweight (of milk) as opposed to $18 a hundredweight today,” Hill says. “That will be unacceptable by consumers and I think politicians will again take notice to that.” If congress fails to fix the problem, milk prices will rise above six dollars a gallon. It was that prospect which helped lead congress to pass an eight-month extension of the Farm Bill last December. By the way, there are about 12 gallons in a hundredweight of milk, which is the measurement dairy farms use when milk is sold.
(Radio Iowa)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City punter Dustin Colquitt was injured when the New York Giants’ Damontre Moore crashed into him while tipping a punt in the first period Sunday. The Chiefs said Colquitt might not punt again during the game, but that Colquitt would probably hold on placekicks. He did so after Kansas City scored a touchdown in the second quarter.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cornerback Brandon Flowers, Kansas City’s leader in the secondary, was out of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Slowed all week by a knee injury but hoping to be ready, Flowers was declared inactive Sunday. The Giants’ ravaged line was without center David Baas and guard Chris Snee. Stepping in for Bass and making his first start at center was Jim Cordle. Also out for the Chiefs were starting left guard Jeff Allen and starting tight end Anthony Fasano. In addition, backup tight end Travis Kelce was inactive.
328 AM CDT MON SEP 30 2013
EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLEAR. SOUTH WIND AROUND 5 MPH.
TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE MID 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.
TUESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 80S. WEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.
TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE MID 50S. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.
WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S.
THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S.
THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE UPPER 50S.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating a stabbing in Waterloo that resulted in the death of a 29-year-old man. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports officers found John Ladell Bass of Waterloo with a single stab wound to his chest shortly after 4 a.m. yesterday. Bass was taken to the hospital where he died.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The city of Des Moines wants its residents to move around. Several blocks of a major street in Des Moines were shut down yesterday afternoon for Open Streets, an event promoting neighborhoods, local businesses and physical activity. Organizers said the event on University Avenue between 23rd and 41st streets would feature yoga, soccer and dance.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One year after Southwest Airlines began flying out of Des Moines, airfares at the airport are cheaper. The Des Moines Register reports Airport Director Don Smithey credits Southwest for the lower fares because other airlines adjusted prices to compete. Southwest began offering twice-a-day flights from Des Moines to Chicago last September. The discount airline added a daily flight to Las Vegas yesterday.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The criminal case against an eastern Iowa man for growing marijuana highlights the arguments for the medical use of marijuana. Scott County prosecutors say 47-year-old Benton Mackenzie is a drug dealer who had 71 marijuana plants in his house. But the Quad City Times reports Mackenzie suffers from terminal cancer. Mackenzie says marijuana treats the pain and nausea of his illness.
Iowans are being warned about a scam involving the federal government’s Affordable Care Act, a large portion of which will launch next week. Con artists are calling homes, saying they’re ready to send your Obamacare card, all they need is your personal information. Kimberly Hazen, with the Better Business Bureau, says these are the latest in the long-running string of health care “phishing” scams. “Just like we get these bogus emails from our so-called credit card company, asking for our credit card account, that’s a phishing attempt,” Hazen says. “They’re trying to get personal information from you willingly by posing as somebody official.”
Callers may claim they need your Medicare, banking or personal information to get you your coverage. Hazen says it’s highly unlikely Medicare or anyone from the federal government is really calling you. “Remember that the government rarely gives us a call,” Hazen says. “They rarely will email us. They do most of their work through the mail, so when you get a call from somebody saying they’re with the government, do your homework and make sure you know exactly who you’re dealing with.” Hazen says the best response to these calls is to hang up, or to make some calls yourself to learn more.
“Find out what agency they’re calling from and actually get that agency number, look it up on your own via the internet or any government office in the phone book,” Hazen says. “You want to make sure that you are calling them back on your own.” If you repeatedly get these calls, contact your local authorities or contact the Better Business Bureau via www.bbb.org.
(Radio Iowa)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs when they beat the Chicago Cubs 4-0 Sunday for their sixth straight win. With the top seed, the NL Central champions will host the wild-card winner in Game 1 of a NL division series on Thursday.
Joe Kelly (10-5) pitched 5 1-3 innings of three-hit ball in relief of Jake Westbrook as the Cardinals matched a season high winning streak to finish 97-65, their most since reaching 100 in 2005. St. Louis also won six straight from April 30-May 5. Jon Jay, Daniel Descalso, Shane Robinson and Tony Cruz drove in runs for St. Louis.
The Cubs finish last in the Central at 66-96.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith threw three touchdown passes, Dexter McCluster returned a punt 89 yards for another score and the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs plunged the New York Giants to 0-4 with a 24-7 victory on Sunday. Smith hit touchdown passes of 4, 2 and 35 yards for the Chiefs (4-0), who under Andy Reid have already doubled their victory total of 2012. They are the second team to go from a two-win season to 4-0 the next year.
The Giants, who trailed only 17-7 after three quarters, are 0-4 for the first time since 1987. Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz on a 69-yard scoring play for New York’s only score. The Kansas City defense sacked Manning three times. Smith was intercepted twice, the first giveaways by the Chiefs, who also lost a fumble.