United Group Insurance

High School Softball results from Wednesday May 29th

Sports

May 30th, 2024 by admin

HAWKEYE TEN CONFERENCE

Atlantic 12, Kuemper Catholic 1

Shenandoah 4, Glenwood 3

Clarinda 15, Red Oak 2

Lewis Central 10, Harlan 1

 

 

WESTERN IOWA CONFERENCE 

Audubon 5 Treynor 4

 

ROLLING VALLEY CONFERENCE 

CAM 13 Glidden-Ralston 3

Woodbine 6 Ar-We-Va 0

 

NON-CONFERENCE 

Thomas Jefferson 10, Essex 0

Sioux City North 9, Underwood 3

Sioux City North 19, Underwood 6

Tri-Center 18, Boyer Valley 7

Panorama 17, IKM-Manning 11

Orient-Macksburg 13, East Union 1

West Central Valley 18, Southwest Valley 7

Murray 6, Lenox 5

Southeast Warren 6, Earlham 1

Martensdale-St. Marys 13, Des Moines Christian 0

Coon Rapids-Bayard 12, Colo-Nesco 3

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 13, Moravia 1

High School Baseball results from Wednesday May 29th

Sports

May 30th, 2024 by admin

HAWKEYE TEN CONFERENCE

Glenwood 6, Shenandoah 3

Clarinda 10, Red Oak 0

Harlan 3, Lewis Central 2

 

ROLLING VALLEY CONFERENCE

Woodbine 14, Ar-We-Va 3

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 10, Boyer Valley 6

CAM 18, Glidden-Ralston 3

 

MISSOURI RIVER CONFERENCE

Abraham Lincoln 17, Thomas Jefferson 2

Abraham Lincoln 13, Thomas Jefferson 8

NON-CONFERENCE

Logan-Magnolia 13, St. Albert 2

Interstate 35 13, Creston 3

Underwood 4, Kuemper Catholic 1

 East Mills 9, AHSTW 4

West Central Valley 15, Southwest Valley 2

Lenox 9, Murray 1

Earlham 5, Southeast Warren 1

Madrid 13, Martensdale-St. Marys 10

Iowa’s severe weather sparks record home insurance claims, premiums

News

May 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Tornadoes and other types of severe weather can make life hard on property owners, but also on the companies that insure them. The Insurance Journal says most home insurance companies paid out more in claims in Iowa last year than they collected in premiums. In some cases, the so-called “loss ratio” was well over two-to-one. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says the last few years have been especially difficult for mutual insurance companies, which are owned by policy holders and write most of the policies in Iowa.

“They’re able to write business in our state based upon obtaining reinsurance,” Ommen says, “and the reinsurance rates have just really gone up dramatically, since really the 2020 derecho, and the hail storms that we’ve had in very recent years.” Ommen says national carriers have more access to capital, and are able to spread risk across a larger geographic area. Just a few years ago, he says Iowa led the nation in affordability for homeowner’s insurance, but that changed with the derecho. Ommen encourages property owners to contact their insurance agent and review policies every year, so they aren’t caught by surprise when a storm causes damage and the insurance payout isn’t what’s expected.

“So many times, the complaints that come to our office are driven by that idea that ‘I didn’t understand,’ and that’s why it’s critically important to understand what is the coverage,” Ommen says, “to do an annual review of your coverage, to know and understand what that means.”

The trade publication Insurance Journal says nationally, the number of insurers entering liquidation or receivership in 2023 was close to twice the 2022 level. Many of those companies provided reinsurance, essentially coverage for insurance companies.

Former western IA Fire Chief arrested on Theft & Money Laundering charges

News

May 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Updated) – The former fire chief in Pacific Junction is accused of stealing at least 40-thousand dollars from the charity fund for the town’s fire department. Sixty-seven-year-old Ernie Gencarelli, Junior, is charged with first degree theft, money laundering and ongoing criminal mischief. Gencarelli served as fire chief for about five years, from 2018 until he resigned in May of 2023. Mills County Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Ripperger says in late 2023 the city’s new fire chief came forward with concerns.

“He had noticed some unusual charges on their Pacific Junction Fire Responders Association charity account. This wasn’t an account that was tied to the city. This was a straight charity account for the fire department,” Ripperger says. “He had noticed some charges at local restaurants and and things that didn’t seem appropriate.” The funds in the account came mostly from department fundraisers – like pancake feeds or cookouts – as well as donations from local residents. Over the course of his five-month investigation, Ripperger says he uncovered about 40-thousand dollars worth of inappropriate charges.

“Cash withdrawals, personal purchases, loan payments, even things such as a chest freezer and diapers,” Ripperger says. The Pacific Junction Fire Department was officially disbanded last December, when all of its members resigned. Fire calls in the community are now handled by Glenwood’s fire department. Mills County Attorney DeShawne Bird-Sell says the alleged misconduct is disheartening because the money all came from donations.

“These were all volunteer firemen and women. These were the individuals that were here on their own time. These were all the individuals that made all the fundraising that put all of these funds into these accounts,” she says, “and one of their own took them and utilized them for his own purposes.” Ripperger says the charity account lacked the kind of oversight that could have prevented the former fire chief’s alleged actions. “He was the president, secretary and treasurer of that charity fund,” the deputy said, “and when I’ve talked to other members of the department, (they said) he would just give a balance update, so there weren’t checks and balances in place at the time.”

Gencarelli faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the felony charges.

Clean-up in Adams County continues from 3 tornadoes that struck May 21

News

May 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Three tornadoes hit rural areas of southwest Iowa’s Adams County nine days ago. Adams County Emergency Management director Bill Lyddon says his best guess at this time is over 70 farm buildings were damaged or destroyed.  “Several grain bins, probably more than a dozen of those that have had major damage or were destroyed. There’s a lot of damages other than residences out there,” Lyddon says. “We haven’t even looking at machinery and vehicles yet, but I know we’ve got a lot of them, too.”

The first tornado entered western Adams County at about 3 p.m. May 21st. A second tornado was spotted in Adams County a few minutes later and that tornado stayed on the ground for 44 miles, eventually destroying part of Greenfield in neighboring Adair County. A third tornado was spotted south of Highway 34 in Adams County, about 10 miles from Corning.

“We had quite a bit of damage from all three tornadoes. We’ve had lots of volunteers and they pretty much take care of themselves here in the county and they went to the places that had the most damage or any damage and they’ve been working since,” Lyddon says. “It’s going to be a long time, but they’re going to keep cleaning and fixing things up and hopefully we’ll get it done eventually.”

None of the three tornadoes passed through any of the cities or towns in Adams County, but Lyddon says it appears eight homes in rural areas of the county were either destroyed or have major damage from the May 21st tornadoes. “They’re going to have to decide what to do with those,” Lyddon says, “whether they’ll be taken down and replaced or ry and fix ’em.”

A Shenandoah woman was killed in one of the Adams County tornadoes when the vehicle she was driving was blown off Highway 148. A GoFundMe account has raised over 11-thousand dollars to help the family of 46 year old Monica Zamarron’s family cover funeral expenses.

Southeast Iowa middle school goes cell phone free during school hours

News

May 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – For the past month students in a southeast Iowa school were not allowed to use their cell phones during school hours and their principal expects the policy to resume when the next school year starts August 23rd. Mike Davis, the principal of Evans Middle School in Ottumwa, says cell phone use was harming students’ mental health and diverting their attention from their classes.

“I felt like taking the cell phones away would take that focus away on the negativity of what’s going on and have them focus a little bit more on what’s going on in our building,” Davis says. Davis says the teachers noticed better behavior, longer attention spans, and more positive interactions during free time.

“You know the real reason why we’re here — it’s not about the cell phones,” Davis says. “It’s to get a quality education.” Davis acknowledges students didn’t appreciate the policy when it was announced, but Davis says cell phones were a distraction during the school day.

“When a kid feels like they can’t live without their phone or be without their phone,” Davis said. “I think that becomes more of an issue than a kid having their phone.” Davis hopes other schools consider a no-cell phone rule during school hours. “I would love to see other schools start to bring their students back to being students,” Davis said, “to being young adults, and learning to interact with others.”

Axios reported last week that Hoover High School in Des Moines will be a phone-free zone when school starts in the fall, to address anxiety and depression among students. Researchers say symptoms of depression and suicides among teens began to rise in 2012, just about the time polling began to show teens who had a phone admitted they used it for several hours a day. About 90 percent of American teenagers have a cell phone.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Thursday, May 30, 2024

Weather

May 30th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly cloudy-to-cloudy w/a 30 % chance of showers and thunderstorms developing late. High near 78. S/SE @ 10-25 mph.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 60.
Tomorrow: Showers & thunderstorms. High near 72. S/SE @ 5-10.
Tom. Night: Mostly cloudy w/a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low around 57.
Saturday: Mostly sunny w/only a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 78.
Sunday: Partly sunny & breezy, w/a 30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High near 81.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 77. Our Low this morning was 50. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 87 and the Low was 60. The record High for May 30th was 105 in 1934. The record Low was 33 in 1930. Sunrise: 5:49. Sunset: 8:45.

CAM Softball has hefty win against Glidden-Ralston

Sports

May 29th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The CAM Cougars had a 13-3 win over the Glidden Ralston Wildcats on Wednesday night with an 8 run fifth inning to spark the comeback. Out of the gate Glidden-Ralston was first to score with 3 runs in the top of the second with an error and RBI Triple from Allison Snyder to make it 3-0. CAM would then respond in the bottom of the third with a base hit from Keeley Kinney and infield error to make the game 3-1. Starting pitcher for the Wildcats Jaelyan Subbert seemed to be locked in as she would retire the next three batters for CAM in the fourth. Things drastically changed though with the Cougars in the fifth when their bats suddenly came alive and they brought in 8 runs off of 9 hits. The lead then changed with CAM up 9-3 and Glidden-Ralston’s hitting woes continued as they only had 4 hits on the night. The Cougars ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with 3 doubles and a walk off wild pitch at 13-3.

CAM’s Keely Kinney who went 3-4 with an RBI and Emma Follmann who had 3-4 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI showed a big night for their team.

One of the CAM Co-Coaches Jeni Follmann’s message to her team heading into the fifth down 3-1 was to have confidence.

Follmann was also impressed with the way her team kept their composure when they were down early.

With the impressive win the Cougars improve to 2-1 and will take on Stanton at home Thursday night. Coach Follmann noted that she wants to see her squad continue to bring their energy with them into Thursday’s contest.

The Wildcats fall to 2-2 with their loss and head back home for a matchup against Greene County Thursday evening.

RICKEY LEE MEYER, 68, of Atlantic (Celebration of Life 6/4/24)

Obituaries

May 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

RICKEY LEE MEYER, 68, of Atlantic, died Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at his home in Atlantic. A casual Celebration of Life Memorial Service/Time of Sharing for RICKEY MEYER, will be held following visitation with the family on Tuesday, June 4th, from 11-a.m. until 1-p.m, at Roland Home in Atlantic.

Burial will take place in the Atlantic Cemetery following the service.

Memorials may be made to the family for later designation.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

Iowa REALTORS® Awarded $400,000 in Grants to Assist Iowans Displaced By Spring Storms

News

May 29th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA — Devastating storms once again displaced thousands of Iowans from their homes in May.  The Iowa Association of REALTORS® (IAR) wants to ensure these Iowans impacted are afforded the resources to rebuild their homes and sense of community through relief grants. Today, IAR announced it received a $250,000 grant from the National Association of REALTORS® to provide funding for individuals impacted by storms on May 21 to help with their mortgage and rental payments or hotel reimbursements. In total, IAR has received $400,000 in grants to provide relief for Iowans impacted by severe weather this spring.

Under the new grant and in partnership with the REALTORS® Relief Foundation (RRF), IAR will provide up to $1,500 in housing relief to displaced individuals who primarily reside in Adair, Adams, Black Hawk, Buena Vista, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Clay, Clinton, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Humboldt, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Mills, Montgomery, Muscatine, O’Brien, Page, Palo Alto, Polk, Pottawattamie, Story, Tama, and Warren counties.

“As Iowans, we know that helping one another is the first line of action when faced with devastation, including when severe weather displaces community members,” Gavin Blair, CEO of the Iowa Association of REALTORS® said. “We are proud to partner with REALTOR® Relief Foundation to provide an additional $250,000 in grants to Iowans who suffered displacement due to recent storms in Iowa. Iowa REALTORS® stand behind our communities and are ready to provide support, both financially and physically, to help get Iowans back home.”

Thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed or damaged during severe weather in April and May, leading countless Iowans to be displaced. Iowa REALTORS® previously received a $150,000 grant to provide up to $1,500 in relief to Iowans in Clarke, Crawford, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattomie, Ringgold, Shelby, and Union counties who were impacted by severe storms on April 26.

Qualifications for the REALTORS® Relief Foundation assistance include:

  • Recipients must be a primary resident of the following counties and have sustained damage on April 26 that have resulted in housing displacement: Clarke, Crawford, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattomie, Ringgold, Shelby, and Union.
  • Recipients must be a primary resident of the following counties and have sustained damage on May 21 that have resulted in housing displacement: Adair, Adams, Black Hawk, Buena Vista, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Clay, Clinton, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Humboldt, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Mills, Montgomery, Muscatine, O’Brien, Page, Palo Alto, Polk, Pottawattamie, Story, Tama, and Warren.
Assistance is available to qualified applicants as one of the following options:
  • Monthly mortgage expense for the primary residence that was damaged during the severe storms on April 26 or May 21.
  • Rental cost due to displacement from the primary residence resulting from the severe storms of April 26 or May 21.
  • Reimbursement for hotel lodging required due to displacement from primary residence as a result of severe storms on April 26 or May 21. Reimbursement only covers hotel room and tax costs.
  • Relief assistance is limited to a maximum of $1,500 per household.
All grants are contingent upon the availability of funds. As a result, aid will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applications for displacement relief related to April 26 storms close on June 28, 2024; Applications for displacement relief related to May 21 storms close on July 29, 2024.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TORNADO RELIEF