United Group Insurance

Hazardous Weather Outlook for western IA/southeast NE (4/18/14)

Weather

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The National Weather Service in Valley, NE, reports the Grassland Fire Danger Index is expected to rise into the VERY HIGH” category this (Friday) afternoon, as south-southeast winds gust from 25-to 30-miles per hour, and the relative humidity values drop to near 30-percent. Extreme caution should be used with any outdoor burning.

Thunderstorms will be possible from Saturday afternoon through Sunday night. Some storms could approach severe limits, especially in southwest Nebraska and southwest Iowa Saturday evening.

Stay alert for weather bulletins this weekend.

SHIRLEY LOU NIHSEN, 79, of Minden (Svcs. 4/21/14)

Obituaries

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

SHIRLEY LOU NIHSEN, 79, of Minden, died Wed., April 16th, at her home. Funeral services for SHIRLEY LOU NIHSEN will be held 10-a.m. Mon., April 21st, at the Minden United Church of Christ. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.

Visitation at the funeral home is from 6-to 9-pm Sunday (4/20), with the family greeting friends from 6-to 8-pm.

Burial will be in the Minden Cemetery.

Shirley Lou Nihsen is survived by:

Her husband – Harley Nihsen, of Minden.

Her son – Ronald (Denise) Nihsen, of Avoca.

Her daughters – Marsha (Arlan) Darrington, of Neola; Carol Nihsen, of Minden, & Amy (Rick) Miller, of Phoenix, AZ.

4 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, 3 step-grandchildren & 5 step great-grandchildren.

ELDA A. GASKILL, 103, of Audubon (Svcs. 4/19/14)

Obituaries

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

ELDA A. GASKILL, 103, of Audubon, died Wed., April 16th, at the Friendship Home in Audubon. Funeral services for ELDA GASKILL will be held 11-a.m. Sat., April 19th, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Visitation with the family is from 10-a.m. Saturday until the time of service, at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

Elda Gaskill is survived by:

Her daughters – Julien (Donovan) Back, of Eagle Grove, & Zona Bartel, of Harlan.

2 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

HERBERT HANSEN, 89, of Brayton (Svcs. 4/23/14)

Obituaries

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

HERBERT HANSEN, 89, of Brayton, died Wed., April 16th, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. A Celebration of Life service for HERBERT HANSEN will be held 11-a.m. Wed., April 23rd, at Zion Lutheran Church in Atlantic. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Visitation with the family is from 10-a.m. until the time of service on Wed., at Zion Lutheran  Church.

Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery west of Brayton.

Herbert Hansen is survived by:

His wife – Gloria, of Brayton.

His Daughter – Patricia Hansen, of Exira.

His Sons – Paul (Cherry) Hansen, of Honey Creek; Steven (Peggy) Hansen, of Marion, & Craig (Susan) Hansen, of Halbur.

His sisters – Helen Mading, of Elgin, IL., & Marge (Bob) Wade, of Mesa, AZ.

His brothers – Lyle (Lois) Hansen, of Denison, & Larry Hansen, of Manning.

9 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Essex man arrested in Montgomery County

News

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department reports an Essex man was arrested Thursday evening. 39-year old Ritchie Lunn Diehl was taken into custody following a traffic stop in the 2400 block of Highway 48, at around 4:50-p.m. He was charged with Driving While Suspended and No Proof of Insurance. Diehl was then released on citations, with bond established at $1,132.

Cardinals put RHP Kelly on DL with hurt hamstring

Sports

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Joe Kelly has been put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.  The Cardinals also optioned righty reliever Keith Butler to Triple-A Memphis and recalled rookie right-handers Eric Fornataro and Jorge Rondon from Memphis before Thursday’s game at the Washington Nationals. Neither Fornataro nor Rondon has ever appeared in a major league game.

Kelly got hurt while trying to beat out a bunt attempt in the fourth inning of the Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. He is 1-1 with a 0.59 ERA in three starts this season.

Wainwright’s 2-hitter leads Cards past Nats 8-0

Sports

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) – Adam Wainwright threw a two-hitter Thursday night for his seventh career shutout, chipped in at the plate with a double and single, and St. Louis benefited from four errors by Washington in the Cardinals’ 8-0 victory.

Wainwright allowed Ian Desmond’s infield single in the second inning and Adam LaRoche’s single to right in the ninth. He struck out eight and walked three. During one dominant stretch, the runner-up for the 2013 NL Cy Young award retired 18 consecutive batters. This was the right-hander’s 17th complete game and his fourth two-hitter.

Desmond, Washington’s shortstop, made a pair of errors, raising his season total to seven. The Nationals have 20 through 16 games, an average of 1.25.

Iowa News Headlines: Fri., April 18th 2014

News

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) – Police say they’re looking for an escaped inmate in central Iowa. The Clive Police Department says the male inmate escaped yesterday afternoon during a transfer, but additional information was not provided. Residents in the Des Moines suburb were alerted by automated phone message about the escape.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state’s top human resources officer says the most common reason state workers are excluded from being considered for rehire is for bad behavior or poor performance. Michelle Minnehan, human resources chief operating officer for the state, told the Senate Government Oversight Committee yesterday the reasons workers are fired and not eligible for rehire have included abuse of sick leave, falsification of records and urinating on prison inmates’ food.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Education must gather information from schools about whether they are testing for radon gas under a bill Governor Terry Branstad has signed into law. Branstad signed the bill today to require school districts to tell the department about radon testing by the end of this year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrats are looking to expand access to Iowa’s presidential caucuses to people who are typically unable to attend them. It’s a tricky task with these local political meetings that thrive on in-person discussion. Party leaders said yesterday it’s not in response to criticism, but a way to expand access to grass-roots democracy.

NWS forecast for the KJAN listening area: Fri., April 18th 2014

Weather

April 18th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Today Sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 6 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 48. South southeast wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Windy, with a south wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Saturday Night A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. South wind 8 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday Night Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 71.

Burn Ban to be lifted in Montgomery County, Friday

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 17th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman reports the Burn Ban which has been in-place in his county since March 19th, will officially end Friday at 8-a.m. Conditions have improved to where it is safe for residents of the county to conduct controlled burns. Burn bans remain in effect for Page, Mills and Monona Counties in western Iowa, until further notice.