The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.6MB)
Subscribe: RSS
(Radio Iowa) — Several casinos around the state held ceremonies and began taking their first sports bets Thursday, as it became legal at noon. The sports book operator counted down three-two-one and the ribbon was cut to cheers at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona. Republican state senate majority leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says some Iowans were already betting illegally. ” We decided the right path forward was to bring sports wagering out of the darkness into a controlled, regulated environment that offers consumer protection along the way,” Whitver says.
The state will collect taxes from sports gambling, but it may only be a small percentage of what is already collected from casinos. Whitver and State Senator Tony Bisignano of Des Moines made the first bets at Prairie Meadows. Bisignano bet on the New York Yankees to win their game and Whitver – who was a standout wide receiver at Iowa State — picked the Cyclones to beat Iowa this year in football. Customers lined up after the ribbon cutting to place their bets. Mick Schminkey of Pleasant Hill put 40 dollars down on a few N-F-L preseason games. He says he’s been waiting for Iowa to approve sports gambling since the Supreme Court threw out a federal ban last year. Eventually Schminkey hopes to win a few bets, but this was for the experience. “It’s just fun to have that first bet in my pocket. I probably won’t ever throw this ticket away, unless I win,” Schminkey says.
Iowa is one of the early states to adopt sport betting but others are close behind. Places like Oregon, Illinois and Indiana are working out the final details. A similar ceremony took place at the Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf . Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher placed the ceremonial first legal sports bet on his alma mater. “Seeing as though I am an Iowa grad, my son goes to school there, and I was actually Herky the Hawkeye while in school, I’m going to take the Hawkeyes in their season total wins to beat seven and a half,” Gallagher says.
William Hill is running the sports betting for the Isle and Vice President Michael Grodsky says they are ready for sports gamblers.”Any questions you have at all or any concerns you have about how to bet or what way to make a bet, we are here for you,” Grodsky says. “We know this is brand new to the midwest, and we’re excited to be here.” Eighteen of the 19 state-licensed casinos plan to offer sports betting. Ten of them were ready to go for the first day and the rest are expected to complete the process in the next week or so.
Area Counties: Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas-Cass-Adair-Madison–
…Patchy Dense Fog This Morning…
Some fog has developed in patches across portions of central Iowa. A few sites are reporting visibility around one quarter mile or less. This dense fog seems to be relatively patchy, but could
become more widespread through sunrise. Be prepared for a quick reductions in visibility from greater than 6 miles to less than a mile over short distances for the morning commute.
(Radio Iowa) — Law officers across Iowa will start a two-week enforcement effort on the state’s highways today (Friday) as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Patrick Hoye, spokesman for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says August and Labor Day weekend are among the deadliest times to travel Iowa’s roads. “It really is for traffic in the state of Iowa, one of the highest travel count days and months for the state,” Hoye says. “Unfortunately, because of the additional traffic, that means there are additional crashes and unfortunately, a lot of those are alcohol-related.”
Law officers will concentrate on several key problem areas. “They will be looking for violations such as impaired driving and not being buckled up and texting and driving,” Hoye says. “Those are all things that, over the course of history, we have found to be very dangerous activities.” He offers a few simple recommendations for motorists. “It really is imperative that if you’re going out and are going to be drinking that you have a plan before you leave the house,” Hoye says. “Whether it be having a designated driver, spending the night, or if you’re in a city that has Uber or Lyft, those are certainly the things that we want to do.”
Hoye says there were five traffic fatalities in Iowa over Labor Day weekend last year.
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Two men have been found guilty of beating to death man at a Burlington apartment complex. Court records say Majestic Malone and Markell Price were convicted Tuesday of kidnapping and second-degree murder in the slaying of Edward Breuer on March 17. They had been charged with first-degree murder. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.
A third defendant, Stanley Baldwin, is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 27. Court records say he’s asking that his trial be moved out of Des Moines County. Court documents say Malone and Price forced Breuer inside an apartment after Baldwin accused Breuer of breaking into it. Neighbors in the same complex said Breuer had been visiting them earlier that evening.
The documents say Malone and Price carried Breuer back out of the apartment several minutes later and laid him face down in the dirt before Price poured a can of soda over Breuer’s head.
Today: Areas of fog this morning & isolated showers; Partly cloudy. High 83. S @ 10-15 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy w/scattered showers late. Low 68. S @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: A chance of morning showers; P/Cldy. High 87. S @ 10-15.
Sunday: A chance of morning showers, otherwise P/Cldy. High 87.
Monday: P/Cldy. High around 90.
Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 76. Our Low this morning 58. We received .01″ rain at the KJAN studios, Thursday afternoon. Last year on this date our High was 82 and the Low was 64. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 105 in 1936. The Record Low was 48 in 1966.
Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday, arrested 42-year old Alan Levern Walter, of Grant. Walter was arrested on an active Montgomery County warrant for Violation of Probation. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and was being held on a $1,000 bond.
Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) — Sonny Gray struck out 10 while pitching five scoreless innings, and the Cincinnati Reds held off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1. Gray, Robert Stephenson, Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias combined for a two-hitter. Iglesias surrendered Kolten Wong’s check-swing RBI double in the ninth before retiring pinch-hitter Matt Wieters on a fly ball to center to finish his 24th save.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Of all the things the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to accomplish during their three-week getaway to training camp at Missouri Western, returning home with everyone healthy probably topped the list. Not only did they accomplish that, they actually improved their roster depth. Now the trick is to remain healthy while preparing for the regular season back in Kansas City, where the Chiefs will resume their camp next week.
UNDATED (AP) — USA Football is piloting the game’s first long-term development program in the hopes of growing the game and catching up to other sports around the world. The sport’s governing body has launched its Football Development Model. Six youth leagues will team up with USA Football in the hopes of attracting more young players and improving skills. The leagues will experiment with new ways to coach fundamentals in practice and different ways to play the game.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rep. Steve King’s recent insensitive comments about rape are the kind that have doomed other political candidates, but some fellow Iowa Republicans say they actually could help his re-election chances by reinforcing his credentials as a social conservative. Tuesday to a conservative group, he questioned whether there would be “any population of the world left” if not for births due to rape and incest. The congressman faces a tough GOP primary in his bid for a 10th term.
SUMNER, Iowa (AP) — A preliminary report from federal aviation safety officials says a crop duster involved in a fatal crash in northeastern Iowa hit power lines before going down on Aug. 9. The report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday says a witness told investigators that the airplane flew “very low” over his home early that morning and that he was “amazed it cleared the trees.” The fiery crash near Sumner killed the pilot, 56-year-old David Baker, of Swedesburg.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The latest monthly survey of bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states indicates a shrinking rural economy, and three-quarters of bankers said President Donald Trump’s trade policies are having a negative effect on their local economies. The Rural Mainstreet survey released Thursday shows the its overall index falling from an already anemic 50.2 in July to 46.5 this month. Any score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.
ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — A northern Iowa sheriff says improper employee payments uncovered by a state audit were errors caused by a misunderstanding of several policies. The audit report of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office released Thursday says the improper payments totaled more than $57,000.