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Cubs Promote Highly Touted Prospect Addison Russell

Sports

April 21st, 2015 by Jim Field

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Chicago Cubs called up highly touted infielder Addison Russell on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Russell will start at second base and bat ninth when the Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Russell was the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent pitcher Jeff Samardzija to Oakland last summer. The 11th overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, Russell hit .318 with four doubles and a home run for Triple-A Iowa.

Russell is the second prospect to be called up by Chicago in the last week. Third baseman Kris Bryant is hitting .429 in four games and had three RBI in a win over Pittsburgh on Monday.

Chicago transferred third baseman Mike Olt to the 60-day disabled list and optioned infielder Arismendy Alcantara to Triple-A.

 

CAROL ANN PHIPPS, 76, of Harlan (Visitation 4/23/15)

Obituaries

April 21st, 2015 by Jim Field

CAROL ANN PHIPPS, 76, of Harlan died Monday, April 20th at her home.  Visitation for CAROL ANN PHIPPS will be held from 5-until 8-pm on Thursday, April 23rd, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan.

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Burial will be held at a later date.

CAROL ANN PHIPPS is survived by:

Sons:  David (Billie) Phipps of Harlan & James Phipps of Denver, CO

Brothers:  Bill (Cheryl) Waggoner of Oakland; Danny (Judy) Waggoner of Appleton, WI; Bobby Scott of New Mexico

3 Grandchildren

Harlan Police make 4 arrests

News

April 21st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Four people were arrested recently on separate charges, in Harlan. Officials said Tuesday (today), three arrests took place on Saturday:

20-year old Johnathan Behrens, of Harlan, was arrested after officers responded to a possible road rage situation, where the Behrens was allegedly threatening another driver with a knife. After Police stopped Behrens’ vehicle, he was taken into custody and transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with assault with displaying a dangerous weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

28-year old Jared Joyce, of Audubon, was arrested Saturday after officers were called to investigate the theft and use of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card from one of the homes owned by Concerned, Inc. Joyce was brought to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with theft in the 5th degree.

And, 26-year old Chelsey Hancock, of Elk Horn, was arrested Saturday following a traffic stop, in Harlan. Hancock was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and speeding.

On April 14th, Harlan Police filed charges against 34-year old Juan Romero, of Harlan, after officials with the Harlan school notified police about a young man who might have been abused. Romero was charged with child endangerment with injury. He was cited, given a court date and released from custody.

MICHAEL MOLLER, 37, of Griswold (4-24-2015)

Obituaries

April 21st, 2015 by Jim Field

MICHAEL MOLLER, 37, of Griswold died Monday, April 20th at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.  Services for MICHAEL MOLLER will be held on Friday, April 24th at 11:00 am at the Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic.

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Visitation with the family will be held on Thursday from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the funeral home.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

MICHAEL MOLLER is survived by:

Parents:  Larry & Marla Moller

Sister:  Christine Bird

Nephew:  Connor Stacy

Royals’ Herrera Suspended, Ventura Fined for Incident vs A’s

Sports

April 21st, 2015 by Jim Field

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Major League Baseball suspended Kansas City’s Kelvin Herrera for five games and fined him and fellow pitcher Yordano Ventura after both targeted Brett Lawrie during a testy series against Oakland over the weekend.

Herrera was tossed in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game after throwing behind Lawrie. Ventura was ejected from Saturday’s game when he hit Lawrie with a pitch after Josh Reddick’s home run.

Both incidents came after Lawrie’s hard slide into Alcides Escobar injured the left knee of the Kansas City shortstop on Friday and caused benches to clear. Escobar called it a “dirty slide” and did not play Saturday or Sunday.

MLB did not disclose the amounts of the fines. Herrera can appeal his suspension or it can take effect beginning Tuesday night against Minnesota.

 

Former Navy Lieutenant Called Up by Cardinals

Sports

April 21st, 2015 by Jim Field

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Navy man Mitch Harris has made it to the majors, ready to join the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen.

The 29-year-old pitcher is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. The Hall of Fame says it believes the only Naval Academy graduate to appear in the major leagues was pitcher Nemo Gaines for the 1921 Washington Senators.

Harris is a 2008 Naval Academy graduate who had the rank of second lieutenant. He was selected by the Cardinals on the 13th round of the 2008 amateur draft and started his professional baseball career in 2013.

Harris tweeted: “What a journey… the dream has come true. From Navy to MLB. Looking forward to what the future holds.

Harris, who is from Ocala, Florida, had a 1.86 ERA in eight spring training appearances for the Cardinals this year.

St. Louis placed outfielder Peter Bourjos on the paternity leave list Tuesday and selected the contract of Harris from Triple-A Memphis. The right-hander had two saves and a 2.45 ERA for Memphis this year.

St. Louis designated outfielder Gary Brown for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

 

Atlantic City Council Special Meeting, Wed. evening

News

April 21st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic City Council will hold a special session Wednesday evening in their chambers, at City Hall. The meeting begins at 5:30-p.m. During their session, the Council will act on accepting site plans for the Heritage House addition. During their regular meeting last week, the Council tabled action on accepting the site plan, so the City’s Engineers could review a private engineering firms’ plans to deal with storm water runoff and concerns about how it might affect other area properties.

The Council Wed. evening will also act on approving an amendment to an Economic Development Agreement with Sonntag Development, LLC, with regard to the Southern View Estates Housing Project.

And, prior to adjournment, the Council will enter into a closed session to review and/or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law, to be kept confidential.

Iowa jobless rate drops for third-straight month

News

April 21st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state report released Tuesday shows Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped for the third-straight month this year, down to 4.0 percent in March. Iowa Workforce Development data shows the rate improves upon February’s 4.1 percent and the March 2014 rate of 4.4 percent. It is also under last month’s national average of 5.5 percent.

Iowa lists approximately 1.65 million people as employed in the state, 600 more than in February and 25,500 higher than last year. The report also shows the education and health services sector posted the most job gains in March with an increase of 2,300.

Agency director Beth Townshend says consistent growth in Iowa’s nonfarm workforce shows such employment has expanded to an all-time state high, boosting the overall number of nonfarm jobs to about 1.57 million.

$21.8 million awarded to Iowa communities for infrastructure and housing development projects

News

April 21st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Awards totaling $21.8 million were announced today (Tuesday) for 57 communities across the state. The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to support 58 community investment projects. The federally funded grants were awarded for community facilities, infrastructure improvements, downtown revitalization and single family owner-occupied housing rehabilitation.

In the KJAN listening area, CDBG funds were awarded to the following cities for their respective projects:

Guthrie Center – $500,000 for the replacement of old, undersized water mains, with new, 6-to 8-inch mains.
Magnolia – $183,000 for the construction of improvements to the city’s water system to provide a reliable source of water and to comply with 10 state standards.
Mt. Ayr – $420,000 for the installation of a sewer main extension to add 4 customers who are illegally not on the municipal system, and better serve a 5th household.
New Market – $143,500 for the repair of the sewer collection and lagoon valve systems to reduce inflow and infiltration, and eliminate excess discharges.
Elk Horn – $304,00 to be administered through SWIPCO, for eight housing units.
Red Oak – $368,500 administered through SWIPCO for 10 housing units.
Adair – $300,000 for the rehabilitation of 18 downtown building facades.
Clarinda – $500,000 for the rehabilitation of 16 downtown building facades.
Walnut – $300,000 for the rehabilitation of 15 downtown building facades.
Mapleton – $482,586 for Stormwater verge infrastructure.

Debi Durham, director of IEDA said “Using these federal funds in all areas of our state, we are able to make strategic investments in Iowa’s smaller communities to assist them in becoming development-ready. As a result of these projects, thousands of Iowans will see infrastructure improvements, rehabilitated housing, new community facilities and exciting enhancements in their downtowns.”

IEDA received 108 applications for funding, totaling $38.9 million in requests. Grants were awarded based on benefit to low- and moderate-income persons, slum and blight elimination, financial need, project impact and readiness, and commitment of local resources to the project.

The Community Development Block Grant program is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). IEDA is responsible for administering the CDBG funds in the non-metropolitan areas of the state. Applications are solicited annually, generally during the fall.

JIM YOUNG, 79, of Atlantic (4-27-2015)

Obituaries

April 21st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

JIM YOUNG, 79, of Atlantic died Saturday, April 18th in Sun City West, AZ.  Funeral services for JIM YOUNG will be held on Monday, April 27th at 10:00 am in the Evangelical Free Church in Atlantic.   Roland Funeral Service in Atlantic has the arrangements.

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Visitation with the family will be held on Sunday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Burial in the Atlantic Cemetery.

A luncheon will be held at the church immediately following the funeral service and prior to the burial.

Memorials may be left to the family for designation at a later date to Sofia’s House for Unwed Mothers, the American Cancer Society, and Evangelical Free Church.

Online condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

JIM YOUNG is survived by:

Wife:  Joyce

Daughters: Teresa (Mark) Kezar of Lufkin, TX.  Suzette (Patrick) Grady of Pleasant Hill.  Michelle (Jim) Smith of Atlantic.  Jamie (David) Newbury of Atlantic.  Jennie (Dwaine) Kirchoff of Atlantic.

Sister: Connie (Larry) Dahl.

9 Grandchildren

9 Great-Grandchildren