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Regional Water “Level Yellow” conservation update, 6/9/23)

News

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Avoca, Iowa) – Officials with Regional Water Rural/Water Association, issued a statement with regard to the use of water as it pertains to spraying operations. Regional Water says they have modified their guidance concerning the “Level Yellow” Alert, which went into effect on May 26th. The organization today (Friday) announced the addition of the following mandatory water usage restriction measure:
  • Effective immediately, the use of water from the Avoca Treatment Plant for spraying operations is prohibited.
Those conducting spraying operations will need to use other sources. This additional restriction is in response to the continued high demand for water and the reduced availability of water in our wellfields due to the drought conditions. Contact the water utility for more information on other potential sources. As a reminder, municipal, residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial users will be required to observe the following mandatory reduction measures:
A. No outdoors watering or irrigation of any kind between the hours of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. No watering or irrigation of lawns whatsoever. Watering of flowers, vegetable gardens, trees or shrubs less than four years old, and new seedlings and sod is permitted once per week, with an application not to exceed one inch and only between the hours of 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM.
B. No car washing is allowed, except at commercial establishments that provide that service as their only means of income. In these cases, hours of use will be restricted to 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
C. No water shall be used to fill private swimming pools, children’s wading pools, or similar articles.
D. No water shall be used to clean streets, driveways, sidewalks, etc.
E. Large volume water users, including industries, motels, hotels, eating establishments, and livestock confinements may be requested to scale back services and/or production. This includes spraying operations.
F. Schools are strongly urged to cancel their physical education activities and inter-scholastic competitions that require showers or attract crowds and take other actions to reduce water consumption.
Officials want to thank their customers who have taken steps to conserve water during this emergency. They said also, the system is working with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to resolve the situation. For more information, please contact the Regional Water Office at 712-343-2413.

NORMA JEAN BRIX, 91, of Atlantic (Svcs. 6/17/2023)

Obituaries

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

NORMA JEAN BRIX, 91, of Atlantic, died Friday, June 9, 2023, at the Heritage House, in Atlantic. A Memorial service for NORMA BRIX will be held at 11-a.m., Saturday, June 17, 2023, at United Church of Christ in Atlantic, with luncheon to follow in the church reception hall.Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Public visitation with the family will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., on Friday, June 16, 2023, at the funeral home

Interment will take place following the luncheon at the Atlantic Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the Norma Brix Family to be designated to many of her favorite local organizations and charities. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022.

NORMA BRIX is survived by:

Her sons – Danny Brix,  and Jerry (Christy) Brix.

Her daughters – Patty Maas; Kay (Dennis) Jorgensen, and Denise (Jeffery) Johnson.

13 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; other relatives and friends.

Waldorf names interim football coach

Sports

June 9th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

Tyler Chapa has been named the interim football coach at Waldorf. He becomes the third different head coach for the program since the end of last season. Chapa replaces Chad Paramore, who resigned to become an assistant coach at a Division II school in Pennsylvania. Paramore was named head coach in January after one season as offensive coordinator.

 

That’s Waldorf athletic director Chad Gassman. Chapa has been on the Waldorf staff since 2019. The Warriors finished 7-4 last season and have posted four straight winning seasons.

Supreme Court rules former DCI agent can’t seek additional damages in state lawsuit

News

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court says a law allowing for additional damages for whistleblowers cannot retroactively apply to a fired D-C-I agent.Larry Hedlund reported in 2013 an S-U-V he said was going 90 miles an hour on Highway 20. The S-U-V turned out to be carrying former Governor Terry Branstad and then Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds. Hedlund was fired several days later.

His lawsuit against the state has continued, and he wanted to seek additional damages under the whistleblower law enacted six years after the incident. The Iowa Supreme Court says the law contains no statement that it should be used retrospectively and reversed the district court ruling that sided with Hedlund.

Redfield man arrested after a motorcycle chase Thursday afternoon (6/8/23)

News

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Adel, Iowa) – An attempt to stop a speeding motorcycle Thursday afternoon in Dallas County, ended in a pursuit, a crash, and the arrest of the motorcycle operator. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office reports a Deputy attempted to stop a motorcycle traveling east out of Adel at around 3:40-p.m. The cycle was traveling at a high rate of speed. Authorities say the ensuing chase continued through the Raccoon Valley Bike trail at Prospect Ave., where they motorcycle went out of control and crashed onto it’s side. The driver – identified as 26-year-old Joshua Stanley, from Redfield – was arrested.
Stanley was charged with Driving Under Suspension, No Insurance, Eluding (2nd Offense), Improper Registration, Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, Failure to Maintain Control, and Reckless Driving. He was also found to have had warrants out of Polk County for Prohibited Acts-Possession with Intent to Deliver over 5 grams of Methamphetamine, Failure to Affix an Iowa Drug Tax Stamp, and Probation Violation. There is no bond on those warrants.

Joshua Stanley (Dallas Co. S/O photo)

Authorities say the investigation is open, and more charges are possible.

Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors Celebrate 125 Years of Atlantic Elks

News

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Atlantic Elks members in celebration of 125 years of their organization on Thursday, June 8th, 2023, at the Atlantic Elks Lodge #445. According to a press release, the Ambassadors learned more about what an Elk is and what they do for the community.

Gail Butler shared about the history of the group’s charity work with donations towards different areas such as local food pantries, fire prevention and drug awareness, scholarships, and helping veterans. One way that the Elks help veterans is by collecting deer hides to be tanned and eventually turned into useful items at no cost to the veteran. Hide drop-off sites are located in Atlantic, Wiota, and Griswold. The Elks have also been honoring Atlantic graduating seniors by giving out scholarships for several years to offset the expenses of tuition and the total is over $60,000 and growing. They also hold many different fundraisers throughout the year such as weekly bingo, a craft fair, and a Mother’s Day brunch. The Lodge space is also available to be rented for different events for $150.

The Atlantic Elks are just one of many groups which are a national organization known as Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Members enjoy getting together on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays to focus on ways to give back to the community and get connected with each other. The Atlantic Elks invites the public to their 125th Anniversary celebration on June 24th at the Elks Lodge, located at 411 Walnut Street. It will start at 4:30 p.m. with a social hour and open house and the barbecue meal will follow at 6:00 p.m. There will be a freewill donation, which will go towards their different philanthropies.

Ambassadors Left to Right: Kelsey Beschorner, Chris Cullen, Anne Quist, Brian Ruge, Mark Schwartz, Dr. Keith Leonard, Kathie Hockenberry, Jim Nordskog, Dolly Bergmann, Rick Mericle, Lana Westphalen, Vicki Brown, Gail Butler, Delbert Thurman, Renae Steffens, Amanda Hansen, Tori Gibson, Gary Schwartz, Megan Sramek, Jeremy Butler, Krysta Hanson, BJ Hart, Sue Liston, Beth Spieker, Elaine Otte, John Bricker, Paige Jensen, Graydon Schmidt (Photo provided by the Chamber) [Click to enlarge the image]

To learn more about the Atlantic Elks or to become a member, call (712) 243-2317 or visit their Facebook page, Elks Lodge.

Austin West Earns Bronze for Hawkeyes Track and Field

Sports

June 9th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

AUSTIN, Texas – University of Iowa track and field wrapped up day two of the NCAA Championships on Thursday night with a third-place finish and bronze medal from Austin West in the decathlon.

The junior decathlete entered the day in fourth place with 4,266 points. He began with the 110-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 14.45. A lengthy weather delay pushed events back by nearly two hours, but West returned to set a career best in discus, finishing eighth with a 44.55-meter (146’ 2”) toss. Following the pole vault, West turned in a stellar javelin performance, firing a personal record 64.85-meter (212’ 9”) mark and finishing second. The throw jumped West up to fifth all-time in Iowa history and catapulted him to third overall with one event remaining. A 4:39.75 finish in the 1,500-meter race clinched bronze for West and earned the men’s team six points.

“I thought he had a good start to the day, his discus throws really got the ball rolling with all three throws going over his PR,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said of West. “He had a monster throw in the javelin to put himself in position to be top three. To get third in this meet where the competition breaks the collegiate record and you have the previous collegiate record holder, that’s pretty impressive. I am really proud of him for battling through the two-day competition, conditions, heat and delay. He earned it.”

Senior Amanda Howe capped her Hawkeye career with a season-best performance in the hammer throw. Howe’s mark of 63.79 meters (209’ 3”) was good for 12th overall, earning her second team All-America honors.

“Amanda has come a long way in the last two years,” Iowa throws and assistant coach Ray Robinson said. “She was the last one to get out of regionals and finished 12th here today. This was the first time in all of outdoor season where she looked like herself and wasn’t trying to force things. She has really stepped up and helped shepherd some of the younger athletes. That is going to be part of her legacy, too,” Robinson added. “She gave it her all every day at practice, in the weight room, supporting her teammates and in competition. I am really proud of her.”

Despite the weather delay, the running events started on schedule with juniors Paige Magee and Myreanna Bebe starring in the 100-meter hurdles. Competing in the same heat, Magee finished in 13.08, with Bebe close behind in 13.41. Magee joined Howe as a second team All-American, while Bebe earned honorable mention. The 400-meter hurdles saw two Hawkeyes earn honorable mention. Junior Mariel Bruxvoort ran a 57.84 in the semifinals, while Magee ended her junior campaign with a time of 59.00.

“Paige really competed well to get top three in her heat, but unfortunately just wasn’t enough to punch her ticket into the finals of the 100 hurdles,” Woody said. “I’m really proud of Paige and Mariel for getting to this meet in the 400 hurdles.”

The 4×400 relay quartet of junior Aliyanna Dorn, freshman Audrey Biermann, sophomore Chloe Larsen and Magee wrapped up the night with an honorable mention time of 3:37.08.

“This is the first time we’ve been to this meet with the 4×4 in a long time, so that’s a step in the right direction,” Woody said. “We just have to expect more and do more when we get here. That is the next step.”

Competition resumes Friday with the start of the heptathlon for Tionna Tobias at 2:45 p.m. (CT). The men’s finals begin on Friday with the 4×100 relay squad at 8:02 p.m. and James Carter Jr. in the triple jump at 8:10 p.m.

HAWKEYE RESULTS

Women’s Hammer
12. Amanda Howe – 63.79 meters (209’ 3”), SB, 2nd team All-American

Women’s 100-meter hurdles
13. Paige Magee – 13.08, 2nd team All-American
19. Myreanna Bebe – 13.41, honorable mention

Women’s 400-meter hurdles
19. Mariel Bruxvoort – 57.84, honorable mention
22. Paige Magee – 59.00, honorable mention

Women’s 4×400
21. Dorn, Biermann, Larsen, Magee – 3:37.08, honorable mention

Decathlon
3. West – 8,054 points, season best, All-American

9. 110-meter hurdles – 14.45 (917)
8. Discus – 44.55 meters (146’ 2”), PR, (758)
21. Pole Vault – 4.01 meters (13’ 1.75”) (620)
2. Javelin – 64.85 meters (212’ 9”), PR, (811)
7. 1,500-meters – 4:39.75 (682)

B1G Football Opponents Announced for 2024, 2025

Sports

June 9th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa’s Big Ten Conference football opponents for 2024 and 2025 were announced Thursday by the Big Ten Conference. The two newest members of the Big Ten in 2024, UCLA and USC, both appear on the Hawkeyes’ schedules. Dates for league games have not been released.

In 2024, Iowa will host conference opponents Maryland, Nebraska, UCLA and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes travel coast to coast, playing at Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers and USC. In nonconference play Iowa hosts Illinois State, Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series and Troy. The Hawkeyes are one of three teams to face both UCLA and USC in 2024.

In 2025, Iowa’s five league home games include Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Penn State. The Hawkeyes travel to Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin. Nonconference contests include Florida Atlantic and Massachusetts visiting Kinnick Stadium and the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game at Iowa State.

The 2024 football season will debut the Flex Protect Plus model, which features a combination of protected opponents. In each of the two seasons the Hawkeyes maintain rivalry games with Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Iowa is the only Big Ten team to maintain contests with three protected rivals.

Beginning with the 2024 season, the annual Big Ten Championship Game will feature the top two teams in the overall standings at the end of the regular season.

USC holds a 7-3 advantage over Iowa, while UCLA has defeated the Hawkeyes in six of nine meetings. Iowa last met USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, earning a 49-24 win. Iowa has not played at USC since 1976. The Hawkeyes last played UCLA in the 1986 Rose Bowl, a 45-28 Bruin win.

Fans can request football season tickets by visiting hawkeyesports.com/footballtickets. Season ticket holders can currently confirm their 2023 order. Fight for Iowa mobile passes and mini plan ticket packages are currently on sale. Group tickets and Hawkeye Village ticket sales begin July 5, while single game tickets go on sale for donors on July 17 and to the general public on July 20.

University of Iowa faculty/staff should contact the University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office for season tickets. The UI Athletics Ticket Office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office telephone number is 1-800-IA-HAWKS.

For gameday parking information, visit hawkeyesports.com/footballparking.

What may be rare Michael Jordan rookie card found in unclaimed deposit box

Sports

June 9th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

State Treasurer Roby Smith is having what appears to be a rare Michael Jordan rookie card appraised before including it in an auction. The trading card was in an unclaimed safety deposit box turned over to the state treasurer’s office years ago. Smith says the card is being sent to a California company that determines if sports memorabilia is legit and how much it might be worth.

“It might take a couple of months, then we’ll try to continue to get the owner or will probably put it up for auction,” Smith says. “We’ll see.” A company called Fleer released a set of N-B-A trading cards in 1986 that included a rookie card for future hall of famer Michael Jordan. The state treasurer says experts from the Professional Sports Authenticator company will consider the Jordan card’s condition and come up with a grade.

“If it’s a 10, it’s worth $150,000,” Smith says. “It could be fake, so we want to make sure it’s worth that.” Smith’s office hired a national firm that handles auctions for state and local governments to sell valuables from some of the safety deposit boxes that have been declared unclaimed property and turned over to the state. An online auction currently underway through next Wednesday initially included the Michael Jordan card, but Axios Des Moines was first to report it had been pulled for an appraisal. The proceeds from these auctions will be available just in case someone discovers their name or a relative’s listed on the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt website or comes forward to claim a long-abandoned deposit box.

“We have the right to be able to auction it off after a year, but some of this stuff is over 10 years so we’ve kept it an extra long period of time auction to make sure we can return it to the owners,” Smith says. “When we do sell it, the money still goes back to the owners of the box and there’s no time limit. They can wait 10 more years, 20 more years. They will still get the money.” The state currently has three THOUSAND unclaimed safety deposit boxes and is running out of secure storage. Smith was given a tour shortly after he took over as state treasurer in January and got to see the contents of one of the boxes.

“The one they opened up, it was just a random one. I think it had some bicentennial quarters in there. It had some old credit cards,” Smith says. “…It’s kind of like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get when you open it up, but there’s always a story behind it.”
Last year, someone paid over a million dollars for a rookie Michael Jordan trading card, but it had been signed by Jordan. The value of Jordan trading cards went up in 2020 after the release of a documentary about Jordan’s career and the Chicago Bulls’ last championship season.

Hinson calls indictment of former President Trump shameful

News

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Second district Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says the federal indictment of former President Trump is shameful. Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says House Republicans will hold the Department of Justice accountable. “I don’t think this should be happening in our country,” she says. “We need to make sure the law is applied fairly and equally, not abused to target political opponents or score political points, so this must be stopped.”

Hinson says the Justice Department has failed to comply with House Republicans demands to see a document that accuses Biden of wrongdoing while he was vice president. The House Oversight Committee was allowed to see the document, with some of it redacted or crossed out, yesterday (Thursday). “Look at the hoops we’re having to jump through to get the FBI to comply with our due diligence as members of congress, so we need to ensure that the rule of law is applied equally and if these agencies that have been weaponized against not only former presidents but parents don’t comply then we will be taking the appropriate measures through congress.”

The three other Iowa Republicans who serve in the U.S. House have not commented on the grand jury’s indictment against Trump. Governor Kim Reynolds issued a statement on Twitter this (Friday) morning. Reynolds says the indictment is a sham and the Biden Administration is weaponizing the justice system.