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Knoxville football is concentrated on Atlantic

Sports

September 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The 3-1 Knoxville Panthers football team is coming off a 28-7 win over Des Moines Hoover last Friday but are staying grounded for their contest against the Trojans on Friday night. The Panthers have seen wins against Clarke and South Tama but lost to Boone 42-6 back in week one. Knoxville head coach Matt Dunkin expressed that the reason why his team has won their last three games is in part to the constant focus on improving each week.

One player that exemplifies the concept of continued improvement and has guided his offense to a three-game winning streak is senior quarterback Brenden Woolsey. Woolsey has passed for almost 800 yards and has racked 10 touchdowns through only four games. The effort he put in throughout the offseason has really started to pay off in coach Dunkin’s eyes.

While quarterbacks tend to be the offensive leaders, sophomore linebacker Jackson Clarke has earned the respect of his team on defense. Clarke is the leading tackler with 19 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. He is another player that coach Clarke has noticed for his time studying film and the way he carries himself during the week.

The next test for Knoxville is a 4-1 Trojan team that had a tough 21-7 loss to the Winterset Huskies a week ago. The Trojans have found tremendous success in the I-formation with their run game being led by senior running back Tyson who has rushed for 860 yards and six touchdowns. Coach Dunkin is aware of the strength of Atlantic’s offensive line and how they like to push their opponents around.

One of the focuses for the Panthers heading into Friday is limiting mistakes and playing through all four quarters. If Knoxville can stay locked in and continue to fight for the full 48 minutes, coach Dunkin likes his team’s chances of making it close.

KJANTV has the coverage for tomorrow’s contest with the pregame show beginning at 6:30pm and Kickoff is at 7:00pm.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa sues company for illegal dumping of wind turbine blades

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a lawsuit accusing an out-of-state company and two of its top executives of failing to properly dispose of over a thousand decommissioned wind turbine blades. According to the Iowa Attorney General’s lawsuit, General Electric and MidAmerican Energy paid millions to a company in Washington state to cut up, transport and recycle wind turbine blades.

The attorney general says that company, Global Fiberglass Solutions, illegally dumped about 13-hundred wind turbine blades at parking lots in Newton and in fields in Ellsworth and Atlantic. The attorney general says those stockpiles posed an environmental risk and the company refused to act despite orders from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of five-thousand dollars per day — over a roughly five year period — for violations of the state’s solid waste disposal rules.


The state of Iowa is suing a Washington-state company and its executives for dumping and then abandoning tons of old wind-turbine blades around Iowa, in violation of the state’s solid-waste laws. These blades were allegedly dumped in the city of Newton. (Photo from Iowa Department of Natural Resources files)

Both General Electric and MidAmerican Energy have had the blades removed from the three sites in Iowa and recycled out of state. General Electric has also sued Global Fiberglass Solutions for failing to dispose of retired wind turbine blades in Texas AND in Iowa. Attempts to reach a spokesperson for Global Fiberglass Solutions were unsuccessful.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Fire Prevention and Safety Considerations During Harvest

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Ames, Iowa) –  Officials with Iowa State University Extension reminds farmers that all it takes to start a fire is just a spark from an engine, an overheated bearing on a combine, or a hot exhaust manifold where some dirt and dry plant material have gathered. Dry plant residue, dusty conditions, low humidity levels and strong winds are a recipe for combine and field fires. During harvest periods with increased fire potential, fires cause millions of dollars in property damage in Iowa, including loss of machinery, crops, and time. Supply chain issues and limited availability of parts may only further plague down equipment. Injuries to farm workers and firefighters are also an unfortunate outcome in some instances.

Modern, high-productivity combines are powerful machines; power means heat. A fire cannot start without heat and fuel. You may not be able to remove the heat from the engine, hydraulics, and other hard-working systems, but you can remove the fuel source by keeping your combine and other equipment clean.

The potential risk for combine and field fires is always higher during harvest, but it doesn’t have to be. Taking a few minutes and following these steps and management tips could significantly help mitigate these risks.

Combine/Field fire east of Earling. File photo)

Prevention tips:

  • Keep the machine clean, particularly around the engine and engine compartment. Use a high pressure washer or compressed air to remove caked-on oil, grease, and crop residue.
  • Frequently check air filters, ensuring that they stay clean; either by blowing them out or replacing them. This will help the engine run cooler and more efficient.
  • Check coolant and oil levels daily. Pay close attention to engine and hydrostatic pump parts as well.
  • Check the pressurized oil supply line to the turbocharger for wear areas that rub and may start an oil leak.
  • At the end of each day blow leaves, chaff and plant material from the engine area with either compressed air or a portable leaf blower. Waiting until the next morning to do this may be more difficult because of the dew.
  • Remove plant materials wrapped on or near any bearings, belts, chains, or other moving parts.
  • Examine the exhaust or any hot bearing surfaces. Repair leaking fuel or oil hoses, fittings or metal lines immediately.
  • Inspect and clean ledges or recessed areas near fuel tanks and lines.
  • Prior to refueling, turn the combine off and wait 15 minutes to reduce the risk of a spill volatilizing and igniting.
  • Research from South Dakota State University suggests that if we have dry conditions and start experiencing wind speeds close to 30 mph and above, fires may be inevitable. During these periods producers should consider delaying harvest until evening hours when winds decrease or wait for precipitation. Higher humidity levels may also reduce the potential for field fires to spread.

Management tips:

  • In case of fire, turn off the engine, get away from the machine, and call 911. Then attack with fire extinguishers if it is safe to do so. Try to fight from the “black,” the area already burned. Attacking a fire from areas with combustibles (e.g. dry corn stalks) is much riskier. Always stay upwind of a fire to minimize the risk of exposure from smoke, heat, and possible flames.
  • A fire can double in size in less than a minute. Burning embers blown downwind can easily spread a fire well beyond the control of your fire extinguishers in just seconds. So be aware of possible additional fires.
  • It is recommended to have two ABC-rated fire extinguishers on hand: a smaller 10-pound unit in the cab and a larger 20-pound extinguisher at ground level on the combine. Keeping an extra fire extinguisher on other pieces of machinery or trucks that are out in the field is also a good idea.
  • Invert the fire extinguisher once or twice during the season to ensure that machine vibrations don’t compact the powder inside.
  • Keeping a shovel on the combine to throw dirt on a fire can also help.
  • Create a list with the 911 addresses for each of your field locations prior to harvest and have them easily accessible to family members and farm employees. Many fire departments are equipped with GPS equipment or mobile apps to assist in directing them to incidents. When a fire is called in with a 911 address, dispatch can more readily identify the incident location and relay this information to the fire department. This can save precious time as some fields may be in remote locations.

Create an emergency plan:

Fires can start from plant materials that may have been smoldering unnoticed for 30 minutes or more. The ignition source for field fires may have been the earlier passing of a truck, tractor, or combine. Flames may not be apparent until additional oxygen is supplied, perhaps by a gust of wind. Harvest crews and neighbors may want to discuss a plan for emergency tillage of a firebreak should that option become advisable. The goal of creating a firebreak with a tillage pass; is to stop an out-of-control fire from spreading. It creates an area that won’t fuel the fire, so the fire will eventually burn itself out.

Keep in mind that personal safety is far more important than property loss. Attempting to fight a fire should only happen after calling 911 and determining that it’s safe to do so. Fire prevention is possible; it just requires some regular maintenance and keeping equipment clean.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

House Democrats list priority issues for 2025 Iowa legislature

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Democrats say ensuring Iowans have access to in-vitro fertilization will be one of their priorities if Democrats win a majority of seats in the Iowa House. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst says Republican Governor Kim Reynolds wouldn’t sign a repeal of Iowa’s six-week abortion ban, but the legislature should make it clear IVF and birth control are legal.

“When our minority is larger or if we were in charge in January, we would be able to protect those things proactively,” Konfrst says, “so that Iowans wouldn’t have to worry.”

Democrats have opposed using taxpayer dollars to cover private school tuition and Konfrst says the legislature should focus on the students in Iowa’s public schools. “We will be putting forward efforts to defend and support public education at every opportunity,” Konfrst says. “…Public education is a core part of what Iowa stands for and is a core issue that Iowans care about.”

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D-Windsor Heights) (Iowa House Democratic Caucus photo)

Other priorities for House Democrats would be raising the minimum wage and legalizing recreational marijuana for adult use. “These are issues that are reflected and supported by more than 50% of Iowans — not just Democrats, but all Iowans — who want the legislature to focus on things that matter to them,” Konfrst says.

Iowa’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Five of the six states that border Iowa have a higher base wage rate. Recreational marijuana is legal in Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota.

As Radio Iowa reported earlier this month, House Republicans say if they retain majority control in the next legislative session, their top priority will be property tax reform.

Posted in News |

Three Iowans are named Mayor of the Year by civic organization

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Out of some 800 mayors statewide, the Iowa League of Cities is singling out three for awards, based on the population of their communities. Lake View Mayor John Westergaard is the Iowa Mayor of the Year for towns under two-thousand residents, and Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart won the title for cities over ten-thousand. For mid-sized cities, Garner Mayor Tim Schmidt is the winner, which he attributes in part to the community’s efforts to build new places to live and grow.

“We have really added a lot of new apartments in this last three years, and a lot of new twin homes and a lot of new homes,” Schmidt says. “So things have really come together. We were really trying to provide housing to bring that workforce into town, and it’s working.” Garner, located in north-central Iowa’s Hancock County, has seen some downtown businesses close in recent years, but Schmidt says they have -not- spiraled into looking like a ghost town.

Garner Mayor Tim Schmidt

“We’ve had some turnover on our State Street, our main street, but every time we’ve had turnover, right away, we’ve filled that storefront again,” Schmidt says, “so we have very, very few storefronts right now, and we’ve seen some neat things come to Garner.” Schmidt says he was stunned by the Mayor of the Year honor.

“This award represents just not me,” he says. “It represents all of Garner because, let’s face it, I would not have that award if we didn’t have a great town and the great people in it, a great council and great city staff, and so it took the whole community for me to receive that award.”

Some of the criteria the league uses in its Mayor of the Year awards include: leadership in other municipal organizations, exceptional service to their community and local region, providing extraordinary service to cities in training, education and development of local leadership, advocating for cities and providing professional assistance and support to cities.

Posted in News |

Olsen, Stuelke Named First Team Preseason All-Big Ten

Sports

September 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior guard Lucy Olsen and junior forward Hannah Stuelke were named Preseason All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, the conference announced on Thursday.

Olsen competed the previous three seasons at Villanova University. The Collegeville, Pennsylvania, native was third in the country in scoring (23.3 ppg) last season behind Caitlin Clark and USC’s JuJu Watkins. She scored over 20 points in 25 games this season, including surpassing 30 points in 10 of those games, with a career-high of 40 points against Temple. Additionally, she averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. She was named Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. Olsen also highlighted the All-Big East by earning first team accolades and the Most Improved Player Award last season.

Stuelke returns to the Hawkeyes after a pair of successful campaigns. During her sophomore season, she earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. Stuelke averaged 14.0 ppg while shooting better than 62-percent from the field. As freshman, she earned Sixth Player of the Year honors.

UI student tickets will go on-sale Tuesday, Oct. 1. Additionally, fans are invited to meet the team by attending “Hawkeyes From Downtown” from 4-6 pm (CT) on Oct. 11 near the corner of Clinton and Iowa Avenue.

Iowa will open the 2024-25 season against Missouri Western in an exhibition on Oct. 30 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Game time is still to be decided.

Iowa is coming off a school-record 34-win season. The Hawkeyes claimed the Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Championship game for a second consecutive season. Iowa returns a pair of starters in 2024-25 under P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jan Jensen, who is in her first season as head coach.

Posted in Sports |

Schulte Named to Witten Award Watch List

Sports

September 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior safety Quinn Schulte was named on Thursday to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award Watch List.

Schulte and the other 51 student-athletes nominated by their schools have demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native is also a candidate for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Schulte has played 45 career games, including starting the last 31 contests over the last three seasons in the Hawkeye secondary. Schulte has totaled 12 tackles and one interception through four games in 2024.

Schulte was recognized as a second-team Academic All-American, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society inductee in 2023. He is also an eight-time Dean’s List honoree.

Twenty semifinalists will be announced on Oct. 22. Three finalists will be named for the award on Dec. 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2025.

The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. In addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, Witten served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. He was the recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, while also being recognized with the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years.

Schulte and the Hawkeyes return to action on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Ohio State. The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on CBS and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Posted in Sports |

FREYLER ON JASON WITTEN MAN OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST

Sports

September 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior defensive back Beau Freyler has been named to the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year watch list. The list includes 52 of the nation’s top leaders in college football.

The student-athletes, nominated by their schools, have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Freyler, a Colorado Springs, Colorado, native, exemplifies leadership as a two-time team co-captain. He has been one of ISU’s most consistent performers on the field since his arrival and leads the team off the field as well, earning the Cyclone Serve Award for 2023-24, presented to the male and female student-athletes with the most community service hours.

Twenty semifinalists will be announced on October 22. Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 12, 2025.

Posted in Sports |

2024 FIFTH Iowa High School Volleyball Rankings

Sports

September 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Class 5A
School
Record
LW
1
Ankeny Centennial
14-3
1
2
Pleasant Valley
16-2
2
3
Ankeny
25-3
3
4
Dowling Catholic
18-5
4
5
Waukee Northwest
16-4
5
6
Indianola
20-3
6
7
Cedar Falls
11-2
7
8
Waukee
10-12
8
9
Iowa City High
13-4
9
10
Iowa City Liberty
8-10
10
11
Cedar Rapids Prairie
11-8
12
12
West Des Moines Valley
8-14
13
13
Sioux City East
10-7
11
14
Bettendorf
6-10
14
15
Linn-Mar
11-9
15
Dropped Out: None                                              
Class 4A
School
Record
LW
1
Cedar Rapids Xavier
19-1
2
2
Sioux City Bishop Heelan
22-2
3
3
North Scott
17-4
1
4
Clear Creek-Amana
18-4
4
5
Pella
28-4
5
6
Lewis Central
14-4
6
7
Marion
13-8
11
8
Norwalk
14-9
8
9
Glenwood
20-5
7
10
ADM
11-5
10
11
Carlisle
12-6
12
12
Sergeant Bluff-Luton
10-9
9
13
MOC-Floyd Valley
9-8
NR
14
Grinnell
10-8
NR
15
Bondurant-Farrar
8-10
NR
 
Dropped Out: Dallas Center-Grimes (13), Knoxville (14), Decorah (15)
 
Class 3A
School
Record
LW
1
Mount Vernon
22-2
1
2
Western Christian
11-7
3
3
West Delaware
22-2
4
4
Dubuque Wahlert Catholic
15-4
2
5
Davenport Assumption
16-6
5
6
Sioux Center
18-2
6
7
Kuemper Catholic
27-1
7
8
Mid-Prairie
16-5
12
9
Cherokee
16-2
8
10
Wilton
21-3
15
11
Solon
16-8
10
12
Roland-Story
14-1
NR
13
West Liberty
17-6
11
14
Anamosa
24-5
NR
15
Clarinda
16-4
NR
 
Dropped Out: Center Point-Urbana (9), Union (13), Van Meter (14)
 
Class 2A
School
Record
LW
1
Denver
26-1
1
2
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
19-2
2
3
Beckman Catholic
17-2
3
4
South Hardin
14-2
4
5
Hinton
7-1
5
6
Dike-New Hartford
12-9
6
7
Aplington-Parkersburg
17-4
7
8
Boyden-Hull
9-8
8
9
Iowa City Regina
10-8
12
10
West Burlington
24-5
10
11
Pella Christian
16-6
11
12
Grundy Center
14-7
14
13
Sumner-Fredericksburg
12-9
9
14
Wapsie Valley
9-9
13
15
Shenandoah
15-5
NR
 
Dropped Out: South Central Calhoun  (15)                                                                                                    
 
Class 1A
School
Record
LW
1
Ankeny Christian
14-4
1
2
St. Ansgar
13-4
2
3
Riverside
18-1
3
4
Holy Trinity Catholic
12-5
4
5
Janesville
13-5
5
6
River Valley
15-1
6
7
BCLUW
12-3
7
8
Don Bosco
8-8
8
9
North Tama
12-12
10
10
Fremont-Mills
13-5
NR
11
East Mills
17-6
9
12
Sidney
13-5
14
13
Stanton
10-8
15
14
AGWSR
9-13
NR
15
Gladbrook-Reinbeck
12-11
12
Dropped Out: Burlington Notre Dame (11), Coon Rapids-Bayard (13)

Posted in Sports |

Ag Ventures Foundation Awards $10,000 Grant to Vision Atlantic

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Vision Atlantic announced today (Thursday), that Ag Ventures Foundation (AgVA), a 501(c)(3) organization based in Mason City, IA, recently awarded a $10,000 grant to Vision Atlantic to support the outdoor classrooms in the new Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Atlantic. The AgVA Foundation provides grants to other 501(c)(3) organizations to support agricultural education and nutrition programs for adults and youth.

Bob Cole, President of the AgVA Foundation said, “We are pleased to provide these funds to the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Atlantic because they will be used to support outdoor classrooms that will allow our youngest youth to learn how to plant and nurture seeds, harvest and prepare produce, and will provide opportunities for children to enjoy eating what they have produced. These learning opportunities can hopefully lead to continued learning throughout their lives of food production and healthy eating.”

The new child development center is being built to meet the increased need for childcare in Cass and surrounding counties. According to Dianna Williams, Director of the Ann Wickman Child Development Center, they are out of space at the current facility. “Over the past four years, our center has been at full capacity, and we consistently have a waitlist of over sixty children. The lack of available childcare in the region negatively impacts families and employers,” Williams stated.

Pictured: Melissa Ihnen, Vision Atlantic Board Secretary; Christina Bateman, Vision Atlantic Board President; Debbie Waterbury, Vision Atlantic Board Treasurer and Jill Euken, AgVA Foundation Board Member.

According to a study conducted in 2023, it was discovered that Cass County has a childcare availability shortfall of over 1,000 children. The new center will be constructed on south Olive Street in Atlantic and will have capacity for 300 children aged zero – five. The Jack and Jill Preschool, currently housed at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, will be co-located with the new childcare center. “We are excited about this award to support the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Atlantic. We know that the new center will provide quality care for children, which is a critical component of economic development of the region, and an important consideration for families when they choose where they want to live,” Christina Bateman, Vision Atlantic President stated.

Along with a new child development center, Vision Atlantic’s project includes a 144-unit housing development and an expansion to the current YMCA facility. Over the past 11 months, $18.3 million has been raised, 60% of a $30 million goal. Vision Atlantic’s Project Committee is actively working to secure the remaining $12.1 million needed. If you are interested in helping transform Atlantic, whether it’s through monetary donations or acts of volunteerism, please contact Vision Atlantic at visionatlanticiowa@gmail.com. Follow Vision Atlantic on Facebook for behind-the-scenes access to project updates or visit www.visionatlantic.org.

Vision Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to empower growth, enhance lives, and build a thriving community together through the economic development of Atlantic, Iowa.

Posted in News |