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Iowa inmate fails to return from work release

News

August 3rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are searching for a man who did not return to jail from a work release facility in Council Bluffs. The U.S. Marshal’s Office and Iowa State Patrol say 52-year-old Michael Hannum was last seen at a work release facility around 5:40 a.m. Saturday. Authorities say they discovered he was missing during an inmate count at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The Council Bluffs Nonpareil reports that Hannum is believed to be driving a silver car with the Iowa license plate number SIS-613. Authorities believe he may be across the Missouri River in Omaha, Neb.

Motor Home Fire in Fremont County

News

August 3rd, 2013 by admin

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office responded to several 911 calls of a motor home on fire West of Bluff Road on Highway 2 at approximately 1:30pm Friday (8/2).  Upon arrival at the scene Fremont County Personnel found a motor home completely engulfed in flames.  Deputies were informed that everyone was out of the motor home and that it had several propane tanks and diesel fuel on board.

Authorities then shut down all traffic on Highway 2 at the time due to the dangerous situation.  Responding fire departments from Sidney, Hamburg, and Percival were able to bring the fire under control in about an hour.  The motor home was a total loss and the fire is still under investigation by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

After the scene was cleared up the owner of the vehicle John Cobb of Ft. Myers, Florida was questioned about the incident.  Cobb stated that he was traveling with his wife Sherry west bound on Highway 2 in their 1996 motor home through Waubonsie State Park when their motor home started to run funny.  After they came out of the park area they started to smell smoke and then saw the rear of the vehicle on fire.  They were able to pull to the shoulder and exit the vehicle.  They unhooked a jeep they had in tow and were able to get away from the motor home safely.

Chiefs Make More Lineman Moves

Sports

August 3rd, 2013 by admin

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs have signed offensive guard Rokevious Watkins and released offensive lineman Mike Tepper in their continued search for help along the interior of their line.

Watkins was scheduled to work out with the Chiefs for the first time Saturday.

The 6-foot-4, 338-pound Watkins was drafted in the fifth round by the St. Louis Rams last year. He appeared in one game before an ankle injury cut short his rookie season.

He was recently waived after reportedly arriving at Rams camp overweight and out of shape, and will miss the first game of this season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Tepper, who hadn’t appeared in an NFL game in two years, joined the Chiefs earlier this week.

State says Exira district has taken steps to be re-accredited

News

August 3rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The State Board of Education approved a recommendation this week to re-accredit the Exira School District, in Audubon County. Department of Education deputy director, Jeff Berger, recommended the board take the action in the wake of work that has been ongoing with the district. “The Exira district had struggled for years with some financial problems, and it got to the point where the school budget review committee recommended that the state board considering doing a phase two accreditation visit. Because in our view of it, the financial problems were right on the verge of causing programmatic issues because of lack of funding,” Berger explains.

The state did the review and presented a plan to Exira officials. He says they developed a plan with some 38 corrections the district needed to take, and he says the district has done its “due diligence” and made the corrections that were necessary. Berger says voters in Exira and Elk Horn-Kimbalton voted in June to approve a merger between the two districts, and that will help solve some of the short term problems for Exira.

“Part of the process of consolidation brings the fiancees together, they merge tax rates, they merge fund balances, and so it will help them,” Berger explains. “The problem that they will have in five or six years is that the merged district may be right back in this same situation. Because like many small districts, they aren’t growing like they should be.” The two districts will merge after this school year.

(Radio Iowa)

Casey’s chain now requires ID to buy Energy Shot drinks

News

August 3rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Patrons of an Iowa-based convenience store chain will now have to show an I-D to buy certain beverages — and they’re not alcoholic drinks. The board at Casey’s General Stores decided not to sell “Energy Shots” to anyone under 18. The chain’s vice president of finance, Brian Johnson, says they worried about young people drinking too many of them. Johnson says, “It’s just kind of one of those things that doesn’t feel right to sell to kids and so we’ve made the decision not to do it.” With each shot having more caffeine than a cup of coffee, Johnson says it’s easy for teenagers to get carried away with them. The Ankeny-based Casey’s has more than 17-hundred stores across the Midwest, more than 470 of them in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

7AM Sportscast 08-03-2013

Podcasts, Sports

August 3rd, 2013 by admin

w/ Chris Parks

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7AM Newscast 08-03-2013

News, Podcasts

August 3rd, 2013 by admin

w/ Chris Parks

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Skyscan Forecast 08-03-2013

Podcasts, Weather

August 3rd, 2013 by admin

Skyscan Forecast 08/03/2013  Chris Parks

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 81.

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Dillon seeks 1st win of the season at Iowa

Sports

August 3rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Austin Dillon knows that tonight’s (Saturday’s) NASCAR Nationwide race in Iowa might be his best shot yet at a victory. But it’s not necessarily because Dillon is running so well. It’s mostly because Kyle Busch is staying at Pocono Raceway. Dillon, who took over the Nationwide points lead last week despite going winless through 19 starts, headlines a field almost exclusively made up of Nationwide regulars.

Brad Keselowski is the lone Sprint Cup driver scheduled to be in the field. NASCAR’s top series runs Sunday in Pennsylvania. Busch, who has won eight Nationwide races in 15 tries in 2013, won’t attempt the Pocono-Iowa double-dip like he’s done in the past.

FDA links stomach bug in 2 states to Mexican farm: Salad mix served at Olive Garden & Red Lobster

Ag/Outdoor, News

August 3rd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials are apparently zeroing in on the source of at least some of the cyclospora infections that have sickened more than 400 people in 16 states. The Food and Drug Administration says the outbreak of stomach illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska is linked to salad mix served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in those states. The salad mix was supplied by a Mexican farm.

Both Olive Garden and Red Lobster are owned by Orlando-based Darden Restaurants. A Darden spokesman said the FDA’s announcement is “new information” and that there have been no previous problems with the supplier — Taylor Farms de Mexico. It’s the Mexican branch of Taylor Farms of Salinas, Calif.

The FDA says its’ investigation has not implicated any package salad sold in grocery stores. It’s also not clear if there is a connection to illnesses in 14 other states.