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Hawkeyes Fall to NDSU

Sports

May 2nd, 2024 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa’s baseball team lost to North Dakota State, 21-14, on Wednesday night at Duane Banks Field.
“The message is you can’t just walk out of the locker room and think that is okay”, said head coach Rick Heller. “It’s not okay, not at all. The pitching tonight was as bad as I have seen. When you combine 20 hits with the free bases, you don’t give yourself a chance to comeback.”
The Bison got the game started with a first inning grand slam; they added two more runs in the top half of the first to extend their lead to six.
Iowa responded with a two-run home run from Reese Moore in the bottom half. His second home run in as many days. NDSU got the two runs back in the top of the third to make the game 8-2.
The Hawkeyes cut the Bison lead in half in the third with a two-RBI double down the right field line from Davis Cop. Iowa continued to chip away with back-to-back bases-loaded walks in the fourth.
NDSU would plate a pair of runs in the fifth to push the lead back to four, before Iowa got two back in the bottom half. A pair of home runs in the sixth for the Bison made it 14-8.
A five-run fifth and a two-run seventh once again broke it open for NDSU. An Andy Nelson grand slam in the seventh cut the deficit to four. The Bison would score four more runs in the eighth and the ninth with Iowa scoring once in the eighth.
“The difference tonight was that they did so much damage when they got runners on,” said Heller. “We had those opportunities and didn’t get the hit that would have kept us scoring with them.”
Four Hawkeyes had multi-RBI games: Nelson had four, Davis Cop and Cade Moss each had three, and Moore had two.
Reese Bueter started on the mound for Iowa and threw 2/3 of an inning. He was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on four hits. Nine other pitchers saw action for Iowa with the Hawkeye arms allowing 10 walks while only striking out four.
“Tip your hat to NDSU,” said Heller. “They pounded the ball, and they had a great night. The bottom part of their order torched us. Up-and-down the lineup they were on the barrel all night long.”
The Hawkeyes return to action on Friday at Duane Banks Field for the first game of a three-game series with Northwestern at 6:05 p.m. (CT).

Ralston Shuts Down Drake; ISU Wins, 9-8

Sports

May 2nd, 2024 by admin

DES MOINES, Iowa – In a back-and-forth game in the state’s capital, Iowa State (19-28) defeated in-state foe Drake (21-24) at Buel Field on Wednesday afternoon in a wet, damp afternoon affair.

The Cyclones looked like they were going to run away with things early, plating five first-inning runs as the first five batters all reached – four of them via doubles. Drake snatched all the momentum back in the fourth, using its highest single-inning output of the season to plate eight and take the lead. A three-run ISU bomb in the fifth tied things up before a Milaysia Ochoa run on a wild pitch sealed the deal in the sixth.

Both Ochoa and Tatum Johnson had two hits on the day, while Ashly Minor drew a pair of free passes. Carli Spelhaug had a team-high three RBI – all coming on her seventh homer of the season in the fifth – while Angelina Allen, Alesia Ranches, Johnson and Tiana Poole all tallied one RBI.

Four Cyclones saw action in the circle, with Tatum Johnson getting the start. Johnson allowed two pitched three innings before being relieved by Aziza Rodriguez. After Rodriguez came Karlie Charles (4-7) who went for 1.2 innings. Charles gave up one run on two hits before Jaiden Ralston (3) closed things down. Ralston, who picked up the save, fanned four of her six batters faced and locked down the Bulldog bats.

Drake’s Frankie Rita had a game-high three hits on the day while Aby Martin had three RBI and Skylar Rigby had three walks drawn. Destiny Lewis and Carey Koenig also had multi-hit games for the Bulldogs as Drake outhit the Cyclones on the night, 10-7.

Drake used three pitchers on the evening, as Emma Richards (1-1) was the pitcher of record. Richards tossed 1.2 frames and allowed one run on a wild pitch. Emma Dighton pitched the seventh, allowing no hits in her three batters faced, securing a strikeout.

How it Happened

Iowa State came out of the gates swinging, rattling off three straight doubles, courtesy of Ochoa, Allen and Ranches, to start the game and going up 2-0. Following a Minor walk, Tatum Johnson picked up where Ranches left off, doubling to right center and plating a third run of the inning and advancing Minor to third. Ashley would then score on a wild pitch with Johnson moving to third before a Tiana Poole groundout brought in a fifth and final run.

The next two frames went scoreless, as neither team was able to bring runs in. The Bulldogs were able to put two aboard in the third, gathering their first hits  of the game, but stranded them both as the game turned to the fourth.

After holding the Cyclone bats in check again, Drake exploded for its most productive inning of the season, plating eight runs and taking an 8-5 lead. The innings featured four homers form the Bulldogs, two of which came from Carey Koenig who led the frame off with a long ball before coming back around and doing it again. All eight of the Bulldog runs would come in the fourth.

In the fifth, ISU came right back swinging. Minor drew her second walk of the game and a Tiana Poole single put runners on first and second. Then, stepping up to the plate with one out and two on, Spelhaug clobbered a ball into left center to knot the game up at eight apiece.

After holding Drake to just a hit in the fifth, Iowa State notched the game-winning run in the sixth thanks to some heads-up baserunning. An Ochoa single and Allen walk put runners on first and second. Both were able to advance on a wild pitch and then an at-bat later, did so again with Ochoa coming home on the second passed ball of the inning.

Jaiden Ralston would enter for the Cyclones in the bottom of the sixth and completely shut down the Bulldogs. Ralston rung up the side in the sixth and tacked on one more K in the seventh as she collected her third save of the season as ISU hit win number 19.

On Deck

Iowa State will be back in action this weekend, when it welcomes UCF to the Cyclone Sports Complex for the regular season series finale. The Cyclones and Knights will wrap Big 12 play playing a three-game set with action beginning on Friday at 4 p.m. All weekend action will be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Hawkeyes Drop Midweek at UNI

Sports

May 2nd, 2024 by admin

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Iowa softball team fell to Northern Iowa, 6-5, on Wednesday afternoon at the Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex.

The Hawkeyes had Jena Young and Tory Bennett reach in the first on back-to-back singles, but both were left stranded as UNI got out of the jam. Sophomore Jalen Adams got her 23rd start of the season in the circle. She retired the Panthers in order in the bottom of the first with the help of a caught stealing by catcher Skylinn Pogue.

Iowa had two runners reach in the third and senior Sammy Diaz cashed in with an RBI single to take the lead, 1-0. Senior Brylee Klosterman followed that up with a single of her own to score Young from third. Pogue extended the Hawkeye lead as two crossed home a single up the middle to make it, 4-0.

The Hawkeyes added another run in the fourth as Grace Banes came home on a sac fly from Bennett to extend their lead to five. The Panthers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth. They plated three runs to cut the Iowa lead to two as freshman Andrea Jaskowiak took over in the circle with one out and the bases still loaded. Jaskowiak got out of the jam to send the game to the sixth with Iowa leading, 5-3.

UNI got within one on a leadoff home run to start the home half of the sixth. Junior Haley Downe entered in relief with a runner on first and no outs. The Panthers tied the game on an RBI double and then took the lead, 6-5, on a wild pitch. Iowa managed to get one runner on in the top of the seventh but could not push the run across as the Panthers secured the game.

Iowa (16-27, 4-16) travels to Champaign, Ill. this weekend for the final Big Ten series of the season. Game one against the Fighting Illini will be on Friday May 3 at 5 p.m. CT.

IOWA STATE NAMES MATT LEACH HEAD SWIMMING & DIVING COACH

Sports

May 2nd, 2024 by admin

Ames, Iowa – Matt Leach, who has spent the past six seasons as the Head Swimming Coach at Washington State University, has been named the fifth head coach of the Iowa State Swimming & Diving program, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Dr. Calli Sanders announced today.

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt, Katie, and their children, Eloise and Arlo, back to the Midwest and to our Cyclone family,” Sanders said.  “We believe Matt embodies the perfect blend of characteristics and experiences that we were looking for in our next head coach, bringing Power 5 head coaching experience, a commitment to the whole student-athlete, and boundless energy, to our program. His enthusiasm for joining our community and leading our swimming and diving program was undeniable throughout the entire interview process, and he has a clear vision for the future of the Cyclone Swimming & Diving program.”

Leach inherited a Washington State program that hadn’t produced an NCAA Championship qualifier in nearly a decade prior to his arrival in Pullman and promptly turned it into one that produced an NCAA qualifier every year (excluding the 2020 season when the NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID) during his six-year tenure in Pullman, including the Cougars’ first NCAA Championship scorer in some 17 seasons in 2024. WSU finished tied for 40that the 2024 NCAA Championships and scored points for only the sixth time in program history.

Washington State produced one of the most impressive performances in the program history at the 2024 Pac-12 Conference Championships. The Cougars recorded 21 WSU Top 10 times, including six school records and a pair of medals, while as a team, WSU totaled 498.5 points to register the program’s second-highest point total since 1987 (Pac-10/12 era).

All-told, Leach’s WSU program saw five NCAA Championship qualifiers, its first-ever PAC-12 Conference individual champion and 60 Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll members.

“I am honored to be the next Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Iowa State University,” Leach said. “Coach (Duane) Sorenson has been an absolute pillar of this program and I am thrilled to be named his successor. I want to sincerely wish him well in his retirement and hope to see him on the pool deck.

“I would like to thank President Wendy Wintersteen, Jamie Pollard and Calli Sanders for allowing me to lead the next generation of Cyclones,” he added. “I am humbled and extremely excited to get to work and help lead, grow, and inspire these student-athletes into the next chapter of success. Go Cyclones!”

Before taking over as Washington State’s head coach, Leach spent three seasons at Indiana State, where he started the Sycamore women’s program from scratch in 2015 and hit the water the following year. In the program’s second competitive season, he was honored as the 2017-18 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year after guiding ISU to a 13-win campaign that featured a 10-dual match win streak and a record-setting team performance at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships where it set school records in every event, highlighted by the program’s first individual conference champion. Nine Sycamores earned All-MVC honors, including a trio of first-team selections.

Leach went to Indiana State after spending six seasons at the University of Wyoming (2009-15), including the last four as the program’s associate head coach, and worked extensively with sprint swimmers. His group helped rewrite the Cowgirl record books, as every spring event school record was broken during his time at the Laramie institution. He also coached sprint swimmers to NCAA and Olympic trials competitions at Wyoming, including two-time All-America selection Kelsey Conci who earned trips to the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke and the 50 and 100 freestyle, placing 10th in the 100 backstroke at the 2011 NCAA Championships and ninth at the 2012 championships.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Louisiana State in 2004, and then spent two seasons (2007-09) as a volunteer assistant coach on the Tigers’ staff. Leach coached several athletes to the NCAA Championships, and a Top 25 ranking for the men’s and women’s teams. He also served as the head age group coach at Tiger Aquatics from 2006-09 and was named the 2007 Louisiana State Age Group Coach of the Year for his efforts in his rookie season.

The Portland, Ore., native swam collegiately at Indiana University (2000-04), where he was a four-time All-American. He helped the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Conference title in the 200-medley relay as a senior and still holds school records as a member of the 200-freestyle relay and 400- medley relay. Leach also competed at the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

He graduated from Indiana in December 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental management and received his master’s degree, also in environmental planning and management, from LSU in May 2007. Leach and his wife, Katie, who hails from Springfield, Ill., have one daughter, Eloise, and one son, Arlo.

Leach starts his duties in Ames on May 13 and replaces Duane Sorenson, who is retiring from the University next month after leading the Cyclone swim program for 27 years.

April a little wetter, warmer than normal

News, Weather

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says April brought the showers the state needs. “We’re actually about eight-tenths of an inch above average and particularly wet across southeastern Iowa and northwestern Iowa, where we’ve seen drought removal and drought improvement,” Glisan says. April was also warmer than normal. “Two degrees above the normal average that we would expect for April,” he says. The April average temperature is around 48 degrees. Glisan says the storms that brought the rain also gave us some severe weather. “Almost 40 tornadoes reported across the state and that’s approaching the April record,” he says.

Glisan says the immediate outlook for this month shows the same trends as April. “We’re trending towards warmer to near normal temperatures, but we’re also seeing a wetter signal for the first two weeks of May,” Glisan says. “And May being the second wettest month of the year for Iowa climatologically, we could expect a lot of thunderstorm potential, and a lot of rainfall potential across the state.” Glisan says the rain is welcome to combat the drought, but farmers also need a little dry time to plant. “We do need to get planted, we do need to get that field work completed, and we’ve been wet over the last two weeks,” he says.

Corn and soybean planting were slightly ahead of schedule heading into this week.

UI studies driverless cars and how to show pedestrians it’s safe to cross

News

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – As driverless cars become more popular on our roads, researchers at the University of Iowa are studying ways to make those cars transmit simple messages to pedestrians that it’s safe to cross in front of them. U-I Professor Jodie Plumert says they’re testing out one potential signal so computerized cars can let those on foot know they’re being “seen” by its cameras. “It had a light on the top, like a little dome light, and it was red,” Plumert says, “and then as it approached the intersection, it either turned green when the car began to decelerate, or it turned green just after the car came to a stop in front of the pedestrian.” The concept is being tested in a virtual reality lab at the U-I using projections of vehicles on giant screens that surround real kids, about a hundred of them so far, all between the ages of eight and 12. Plumert, a professor of psychological and brain sciences, says the results so far are revealing.

“When the cars were decelerating gradually and the green light came on early, children did enter the road before the car came to a complete stop,” Plumert says. “But when the green light came on, just after the car came to a stop, the children waited for that light to come on before they entered the road. So they were sort of treating it like it was a crosswalk signal and if it came on early, it was like, ‘Okay, I can go,’ and if it came on late, they waited for it to come on.” Autonomous vehicles need to be able to relay key information to pedestrians, she says, before even more of them enter the flow of traffic.

“This issue of — even if it were a car with a driver — if cars are decelerating gradually, seeing kids being willing to start crossing before that car came to a complete stop was another aspect of the study that was interesting — and also concerning about children’s traffic behavior.” Driverless vehicles are quickly gaining in numbers and Plumert sees them being used in big cities like Los Angeles already as a taxi service, as well as for making deliveries of shipments large and small. “This is kind of a whole new world,” Plumert says, “because here these these vehicles might be driving around and there’s no driver in there to communicate with you, like wave to you or make eye contact to say, ‘Yep, I see you and I’m gonna wait until you cross the road here.'”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety projects there will be three-and-a-half million vehicles with self-driving functionality on American roads by next year, and four-and-a-half million by 2030.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Thursday, May 2nd, 2024

Weather

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11am. High near 69. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Light east wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms developing late. Low around 48.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, otherwise Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
Sunday: Mostly sunny w/a slight chance of showers during the afternoon. High near 70.
Monday: P/Sunny & windy, w/a 60% chance of showers and/or thunderstorm during the afternoon. High near 76.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 66. Our Low was 45. 24-hour Rainfall at KJAN (ending at 7-a.m. today), was .78.” Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 66 and the Low was 27. The All-time Record High on May 2nd was 91, in 1968. The Record Low was 17, in 1908. Sunrise: 6:15; Sunset: 8:18.

‘MEGA’ incentives approved for businesses planning over $1 billion capital investment in Iowa

News

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State officials may now offer far larger tax incentives for up to two businesses that plan to spend at least a BILLION dollars on a new facility. Yesterday (Wednesday), Governor Kim Reynolds approved up to 93 MILLION dollars in tax incentives for the so-called “MEGA” program.

“This legislation presents a tremendous opportunity for Iowa,” Reynolds said. To qualify as a “MEGA” or “Major Economic Growth Attraction,” the business would have to be engaged in research, advanced manufacturing or bioscience. Reynolds says there are seven “certified” development sites in Iowa that would qualify as a location since a business has to build on at least 250 acres to qualify for the MEGA program.

“There’s also a component that helps some of our rural communities that helps some of our rural communities really try to participate in the process,” Reynolds says. The new law provides some state money to help 88 Iowa counties that are outside of urban areas improve tracts of land, so it’s immediately ready for business development.

Reynolds says there “possibly” may be a business that’s ready to spend over a BILLION dollars in capital on a MEGA site in Iowa.  “We want those big investments, those capital investments in our state,” Reynolds says, “and we need to be competitive for that as well.” Reynolds signed the MEGA incentive program into law yesterday (Wednesday). She also signed legislation that will cut Iowa’s personal income taxes by a billion dollars next year.

“As far as we’ve come, I’m also confident that we’re not done yet,” Reynolds says. “…It increases our competitiveness and sends an unmistakable message to the rest of the country.” Reynolds has said she wants to eliminate the state income tax by the end of 2026.

Reynolds says her husband benefited from biomarker testing

News

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A bill Governor Reynolds has signed into law has connections to her husband’s lung cancer treatment. The law, which will go into effect July 1st, requires insurance plans to cover biomarker testing. The tests of blood or other genetic material helps doctors determine the best course of treatment for diseases like cancer. The governor’s husband, Kevin, was diagnosed with lung cancer last fall and had a biomarker test.

“I can tell you that it definitely makes a difference and it really ties the treatment to a specific marker, so it really does matter,” Reynolds said. “Especially where we’re going with technology innovation and just all of the research that’s being done, this is the future.”

Reynolds made her remarks Wednesday during a bill signing ceremony in her statehouse office. A month ago Reynolds told reporters her husband, Kevin, is doing well and using a breakthrough immune therapy pill as part of his treatment plan.

Cargill Meat Solutions Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

News

May 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 – Cargill Meat Solutions, a Hazleton, Pa., establishment, is recalling approximately 16,243 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The raw ground beef items were produced on April 26-27, 2024. The following products are subject to recall [view labels]:

  • 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing “93% LEAN 7% FAT ALL NATURAL LEAN GROUND BEEF” with lot code 117 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four “PRIME RIB BEEF STEAK BURGERS PATTIES” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing “85% LEAN 15% FAT ALL NATURAL ANGUS PREMIUM GROUND BEEF” with lot code 117 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing “80% LEAN 20% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF CHUCK” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four “80% LEAN 20% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF CHUCK PATTIES” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four “90% LEAN 10% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF SIRLOIN PATTIES” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.

The products subject to recall all bear the USDA mark of inspection on the front of the product label, and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the product label. These items were shipped to Walmart retail locations nationwide.

The establishment reported the issue to FSIS after they identified that previously segregated product had been inadvertently utilized in the production of ground beef. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/safetempchart.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Cargill Meat Solutions at 1-844-419-1574.