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Iowa early News Headlines: Mon., May 19th 2014

News

May 19th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has about 40 bills awaiting a decision, a hefty stack of policy and spending measures lawmakers sent him in a flurry as the Legislature adjourned earlier this month. He has about two more weeks to decide whether to sign bills, which include measures regulating the use of unmanned aerial drones, allowing some people with epilepsy to take a marijuana oil derivative, and ending dog racing at Council Bluffs but letting it continue in Dubuque.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa agreed to help conceal why at least 55 state workers had been fired by allowing them to voluntarily resign or retire. The Des Moines Register reports that in some cases the state even removed all evidence of past wrongdoing from personnel records. That means future employers might not know about an individual’s troubled past before considering hiring them.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An overnight fire caused roughly $30,000 damage to a well-known Iowa City restaurant. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports the fire that started in the basement of Hamburg Inn Number 2 was reported shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Sam Hornish Jr. beat Ryan Blaney off a restart with 21 laps to go and hung on to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race yesterday at Iowa Speedway. Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney was second, followed by Regan Smith, Chase Elliott and Elliott Sadler in the first stand-alone event of the season.

Hornish Jr. win Nationwide race in Iowa

Sports

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Sam Hornish Jr. beat Ryan Blaney off a restart with 21 laps to go and hung on to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race Sunday at Iowa Speedway. Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney was second, followed by Regan Smith, Chase Elliott and Elliott Sadler in the first stand-alone event of the season.

Hornish, in the No. 54 car usually driven by Kyle Busch, led 167 of 250 laps to win in second Nationwide start of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing. Elliott has a two-point lead over Sadler and Smith in the series points standings.

Braves rally past Cardinals for 6-5 victory

Sports

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ryan Doumit scored on a wild pitch and the Atlanta Braves got two runs in the ninth inning to rally past the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Freddie Freeman started a ninth-inning rally with a leadoff single off St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal (0-2).

With two outs, Freeman went to third on pinch hitter Ryan Doumit’s double to right. Rosenthal intentionally walked pinch hitter Evan Gattis to load the bases and then walked Jordan Schafer to force in the tying run. Carlos Martinez relieved Rosenthal and had a wild pitch while facing Ramiro Pena that scored Doumit to make it 6-5.

Dan Carpenter (3-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief for the win. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances. The save was the 150th of Kimbrel’s career.

GEORGE MAVIS DIRGO, 84, of Harlan (5-22-14)

Obituaries

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

GEORGE MAVIS DIRGO, 84, of Harlan died Tuesday, May 13th at home. Funeral services for GEORGE MAVIS DIRGO will be held on Thursday, May 22 at 2:00 pm at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan.

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Family will greet friends Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the funeral home.

Burial will be in the Harlan Cemetery.

GEORGE MAVIS DIRGO is survived by:

Sons:  Douglas Traynor, of Palmdale, CA., and George Jay (Kay) Dirgo, of Rosamond, CA.

Daughters: Denise (Russell) Ackley, of Lancaster, CA; Deborah (David) Fischer, of Broken Arrow, OK; Nadine Dirgo-Jones, of Rosamond, CA; and Darlene Sue (Jimie) Rogers, of Lancaster, CA.

Brother:  Harry Clifford “Bud” Dirgo, of Omaha.

16 Grandchildren

14 Great-Grandchildren

(Update) Motorcycle Accident near Shelby on I-80

News

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

In an update to our earlier on-line story, the one person was flown by Life Net helicopter to a hospital in Omaha following a motorcycle accident on Interstate 80 Sunday morning, near Shelby. The Omaha World Herald reports the accident happened at around 10-a.m. near the 36.5-mile marker of I-80 eastbound.

According to dispatch reports, a motorcycle driven by a 60-year old man went out of control and crashed into the median. Traffic was backed-up in the eastbound lanes for about 2-miles, until around 11-a.m., because the helicopter landed at the scene on the interstate. The chopper took-off at around 10:47-a.m. enroute to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The crash victims’ injuries were not believed to be life threatening. Additional information was not available early this (Sunday) afternoon.

CAM School Board to resume discussions on Superintendent sharing

News

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Members of the CAM Board of Education will gather in the High School Media Center in Anita Monday evening, to resume discussions, and possibly act on approving, an agreement with the Nodaway Valley School District, for the sharing of a Superintendent. The meeting begins at 6:30.

Superintendent Steve Pelzer and School Board President Gary Dinkla and Board Member Chuck Kinzie met in April with Nodaway Valley School Board members to discuss a possible sharing arrangement.At that time, the CAM Board voted not to continue discussions with the Coon Rapids-Bayard School Board, with regard to a similar arrangement.

It was also announced in April, that Superintendent Pelzer had held conversations with Adair-Casey Superintendent Steve Smith about sharing possibilities.  The two boards will hold a joint meeting in June or July to discuss sharing opportunities. The  next regular meeting of the Adair-Casey School Board is May 21st, but Superintendent Sharing is not on their agenda.  Members of the Nodaway Valley School Board voted during their meeting on May 8th, to enter into an agreement to share a Superintendent with the CAM School District. Their next step was to form a committee to draft and agreement for presentation to the CAM School Board.

In other business, the CAM School Board, Monday, will discuss and/or act on: Any resignations; An agreement with Casey Computer Consulting; Open Enrollment Applications; An agreement with Iowa Western Community College; a Pre-School recommendations, and Air Conditioner bids for the Massena School.

The Board will then enter into an exempt/closed session for negotiations, before resuming discussion and/or action on Contracts and a Shared Superintendent’s position.

Blaney earns Nationwide pole in Iowa

Sports

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Ryan Blaney will start from the pole today (Sunday) in the NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway after winning qualifying Saturday. Blaney, who won a NASCAR Truck Series race in Iowa in 2012, took the pole for the first time in the Nationwide Series. Sam Hornish Jr. will join Blaney on the front row, followed by Michael McDowell, Regan Smith and Dylan Kwasniewski. Series points leader Chase Elliott will start sixth in the Nationwide’s first stand-alone race of the season.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Chase Elliott’s early success hasn’t forced Hendrick Motorsports to speed up its long-term plan for the driver. Elliott has two Nationwide Series wins this year for JR Motorsports and heads into today’s (Sunday’s) race at Iowa Speedway leading the points standings. He also graduated high school in Georgia on Saturday.

The 18-year-old is in the Hendrick driver development program, and JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Junior says that’s where he’ll stay for now

Iowa governor considering action on 40 bills

News

May 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has about 40 bills awaiting a decision, a hefty stack of policy and spending measures lawmakers sent him in a flurry as the Legislature adjourned earlier this month.

He has about two more weeks to decide whether to sign bills, which include measures regulating the use of unmanned aerial drones, allowing some people with epilepsy to take a marijuana oil derivative, and ending dog racing at Council Bluffs but letting it continue in Dubuque. About 10 of the bills Branstad must consider are spending measures that make up large portions of the state’s $6.97 billion budget.

The governor has 30 days from adjournment to consider bills sent to him at the end of the session. Branstad has signed just over 100 bills into law.

Skyscan Forecast 05-18-2014

Weather

May 18th, 2014 by admin

Today: Sunny, with a high near 70. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Windy, with a south southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Probation Violation Arrest in Montgomery County

News

May 18th, 2014 by admin

A Pottawattamie County man was arrested Saturday night on a warrant, in Montgomery County. Sheriff’s officials say 21-year old Zachary Thomas Marchese, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody at around 10:30-p.m. on a warrant for Violation of his probation.

Marchese was arrestedin the 1500 Block of Highway 34 and brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where he was held awaiting extradition to Pott. County.