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Audubon Sheriff’s Dept. warns of scam

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson is warning residents of the area about a “Microsoft PC Support Scam.” Johnson says an Audubon County citizen reported a caller claiming to be with Microsoft said they may have a virus on their computer. The caller then requests to be logged on to the person’s computer so they can have full access.

They may also ask for personal information to pay for fees to clean up the computer. Residents of the area are urged to never release personal banking or credit card information over the phone. If you have any questions about this type of scam, call the Audubon County Sheriff’s Dept. at 712-563-2631.

Chiefs agree to 5-year deal with Fisher

Sports

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher, ensuring that the big right tackle out of Central Michigan will be in training camp with plenty of time to prepare for the season. The team announced the move Friday without disclosing terms. A person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because terms were confidential, told The Associated Press that the contract will be for five years.

The deal is expected to be in the $22 million range, which would put it on par with the two previous No. 1 picks to have been signed since the NFL instituted a new rookie wage scale with the most recent collective-bargaining agreement.

The team has now signed all eight draft selections from the 2013 draft class.

Cass County man convicted of sexual abuse back behind bars

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A Cass County man who plead guilty to a single count of third-degree sexual abuse late last year, finds himself back in jail for violating the terms of his probation. According to online court records, 54-year old Roger Allen Ericksen, of Lewis, was arrested  July 19th, on a warrant. Ericksen was being held in the Cass County Jail on $10,000 bond.  Ericksen allegedly violated the terms of his probation by quitting his job and failing to notify authorities. He has also reported made no effort to find full employment since quitting.

Last December, Ericksen entered a voluntary plea of guilty to felony sexual abuse in the 3rd degree. He was sentenced to serve a maximum of 10-years in prison, but the sentence was suspended and he was instead placed on supervised probation for two-years. The judge ruled Ericksen must register as a sex offender, provide DNA sampling, and to have no contact with the victim for a period of ten-years. He was also ordered to enroll and successfully complete the Sex Offenders Treatment Program.

Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner said following Ericksen’s sentencing in December, that if he successfully completes the terms of his probation, the 10-year sentence will no longer be held in reserve. However, if he commits a serious crime, the entire 10-year sentence could be invoked.

IA Governor’s father dies after long illness

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad’s father has died after a long illness. The governor’s press office announced Friday that Edward Branstad died during the morning in Mason City. The news release did not provide a cause of death, but said he was 89 years old and suffered from cancer. Edward Branstad had brain surgery last September to remove a tumor.

In a statement, the governor said his father taught him “the value of hard work,” and said he is “now at peace.” The funeral will be held Monday at Waldorf College in Forest City.

(Update) Shed fire in Atlantic

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

(Update 2-p.m.)

A fire that consumed a storage shed in Atlantic this (Friday) afternoon in the alley between 5th and 6th streets and Locust and Cedar Streets, appears to have been caused by a discarded cigarette.004 Atlantic Assistant Fire Chief Tim Cappel said when they arrived shortly after the call was dispatched at 1:20-p.m., the shed was fully engulfed in flames and a used GMC straight truck parked next to the shed was also on fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, but both the shed and truck were a total loss.

Cappel said some men were working around the shed, when a discarded cigarette apparently started the dry area on fire.005 The men tried to stomp the flames out, but were unsuccessful. The shed was recently acquired for rental purposes, as was the truck. No injuries were reported. The exact cause of the blaze remained under investigation.

Firefighters were on the scene for almost an hour.

Iowa governor’s trooper receives speeding ticket

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Three months after a high-speed pursuit, a trooper who was driving Gov. Terry Branstad has been ticketed for driving 84 in a 65-mph zone. The Hamilton County Clerk of Court said that state trooper Steve Lawrence was issued the ticket Friday. He paid a fine of $181.50 for the ticket, which was written by an Iowa State Patrol major.  Lawrence was driving Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Highway 20 on April 26 when he was clocked by a deputy traveling 84 mph.

Another trooper, Matt Eimers, eventually caught up to the vehicle but didn’t stop it after seeing it was Lawrence driving the governor’s official vehicle. The Iowa Department of Public Safety launched a review of the speeding incident after audio and video was made public this month.

Chiefs agree to 5-year deal with Fisher

Sports

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to terms on a five-year deal with No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher.  The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the signing.

Fisher was expected to report to training camp Friday in St. Joseph, Mo., in time for the first full-squad workout. The right tackle missed three days of practice earlier this week that involved his fellow rookies, quarterbacks and selected veterans.

Fisher and fellow offensive tackle Luke Joeckel were considered the top linemen available in the draft. The Chiefs opted to go with Fisher with the first pick, and he will play on the right side opposite veteran left tackle Branden Albert.

IDPH investigating increase in Salmonella cases

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Over the past several weeks, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and local public health agencies have received 26 reports in 19 counties of illness linked to a relatively uncommon strain of Salmonella. Among the area counties reporting cases of infection, is Madison and Union, with one case, each.

IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says “Salmonella is commonly the result of improper handling or preparation of food. This particular strain is often associated with improper cooking of poultry or eggs.” While the symptoms of Salmonella infection are similar to those of Cyclospora infection (diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, etc.), the recently reported cases of Salmonellosis are not related to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to Quinlisk.

The best way to avoid all illnesses, including food borne illnesses, is by frequently washing your hands, especially after using the bathroom, before preparing food, and after playing with pets or visiting a petting zoo.

Officials say it is especially in the summer, when chicken is on the grill and egg-containing treats like homemade ice cream are common, to take extra care to keep food safe.

Food safety tips include:

  • Grill chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F as measured with a food thermometer; leftovers should also be reheated to 165 degrees F. The color of cooked poultry is not always a sure sign of its safety. Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that poultry has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the product.
  • When making salads containing eggs, like potato or macaroni salad, be certain the eggs are thoroughly cooked and the yolks are firm.
  • Do not use raw eggs to make homemade ice cream. You can make homemade ice cream safely by using pasteurized egg products, or by tempering and cooking the eggs in a hot custard ice cream base.
  • Keep cold food cold and hot food hot. Whether in your car or on the picnic table, illness-causing bacteria can grow in many foods within two hours and during the summer heat, that time is cut down to within one hour.

For more information about foodborne illnesses, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/Cade/Foodborne.aspx.

Successful farmers learn quickly to roll with financial punches

Ag/Outdoor

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Focusing on the host of financial challenges facing farmers, the Iowa Farm Bureau wrapped up its second annual economic summit this week. Bureau president Craig Hill, of Milo, says the state’s farmers and ranchers face a lot of economic pressures and identifying those is the first step in dealing with them and, hopefully, surviving. “There’s so much risk involved, a producer really has to look at their balance sheet and their cash flow and insulate themselves from shocks,” Hill says. “That can come from Mother Nature, it can come from a global event that may occur overnight, situations in the marketplace.”

Hill says his group wants to help producers deal with those market forces. He wants Iowa farmers to have the best possible information available so they can make good decisions. “It’s such a dynamic industry and things are changing so fast that if you don’t keep updated and you don’t understand the potential risks that you have, you can’t address them,” Hill says.

Producers need to be able to put numbers to those risks and identify them so they can protect themselves, he says. Hill adds, they also need to be prepared to deal with the recent upward commodity price cycle and land value boom which eventually will end.

(Radio Iowa)

HMU approves CEO’s pay raise

News

July 26th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

In a closed-session portion of the Harlan Municipal Utilities Board meeting, Thursday, the Board acted to approve a pay raise for their Chief Executive Officer. The Trustee’s action followed a performance evaluation of CEO, Darrell Wenzel, who has served in the position for a year. The board approved a CPI raise of 2.2% and a merit raise of 2.8%. Wenzel’s contract is for 3 full years.

In other business, HMU purchased two new extended work trucks. One is a 2014 Chevrolet from Keast Auto Center in Harlan for the price of $28,000 while the other is a 2013 Ford from Keast Ford in Harlan for $23,500. HMU also approved a customer service charge of $35 per hour on cable TV calls that are costumer caused issues.