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Council Bluffs boy receives heroism award

News

April 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A boy from Council Bluffs has received a hero’s award for his efforts at trying to save a life. According to the Omaha World-Herald, 12-year old Corbin Naylor received the National Boy Scout Heroism Award late last month, at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, in Council Bluffs. Corbin was recognized for performing Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on his 74-year old father Dean, who was found unconscious in the family’s living room on April 14th, 2012. The man later died, at a local hospital.

In addition to performing CPR on his father, Corbin calmly instructed his panicked mother Kellie to call 9-1-1, and on how to help him in perform the chest compressions as well as other CPR-related procedures, until paramedics could arrive on the scene. Corbin, a 7th grade student at the Lewis Central Middle School, learned how to administer CPR from his activities with Boy Scout Troop 23. He had already earned his First Aid merit badge.

During the award ceremony, Corbin gave a speech about organ and tissue donation, which was fitting, as his father donated parts of his body to help burn victims. Corbin is a senior patrol leader and holds a Star rank, according to his mother. She said he is two ranks away from becoming an Eagle Scout.

Car hits deer – deer ends up inside car

News

April 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs report a Guthrie County man and a passenger in his vehicle were not injured Saturday, after an unusual accident involving a deer, that ended-up partially inside the vehicle. Officials say 65-year old Lawrence Monaco, of Panora, was traveling west on Interstate 80 near the Mall of the Bluffs  at around 4-p.m. Saturday, when a deer entered the road.

Police say the animal jumped, at the same time Monaco applied the breaks  in his 2002 Lexus RX300. The deer then hit the driver side hood and windshield. The impact resulted in the animal crashing through the windshield and partially ending up inside the vehicle.

Infant’s heart transplant is 1st for Neb. hospital

News

April 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa infant’s heart transplant is the first of its kind at a Nebraska hospital. Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha says the pediatric heart transplant performed early Monday on 2-week-old Lainey Wilkinson is a first for the hospital. Officials say the operation went well for Lainey, who was born with a congenital heart defect. She is recovering as expected in the intensive care unit.

Officials say the United Network for Organ Sharing gave the hospital interim approval last month to begin performing heart transplants. Officials say it’s a significant development for families in the immediate area and around the Midwest. Lainey has been hospitalized at Children’s since her birth. Her parents are from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., April 9th 2013

News

April 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

MARQUETTE, Iowa (AP) — Inspectors following up on a report that a piece of a Mississippi River bridge fell off have reopened a bridge in northeast Iowa. Officials closed the bridge Sunday for about three hours. It connects Marquette, Iowa with Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

ADAIR, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in western Iowa are investigating how a wind turbine blade that’s the size of a football field snapped off. A technician for the Eclipse Wind Farm in Adair discovered the blade in a field Friday morning. Siemens Energy, the turbine manufacturer, is investigating the accident.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has sentenced a former University of Iowa student from China to up to 17 years in prison for sexually abusing another Chinese student and threatening her to stay quiet. Judge Ian Thornhill issued the sentence to Peng Tang in a Johnson County courtroom yesterday. The sentence caps a case that shocked a campus where enrollment of Chinese students has skyrocketed in recent years.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The newly appointed archbishop of Dubuque says he is “ready to follow God’s will” with the job. Bishop Michael Jackels, of Wichita, Kansas spoke at a news conference yesterday about his new role as archbishop of Dubuque. He will be installed on May 30th.

NWS Forecast for Cass & area Counties: Tue., April 9th 2013

Weather

April 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

331 AM CDT TUE APR 9 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. EAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 50 PERCENT.

TODAY…CLOUDY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING…THEN WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. EAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 80 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…THUNDERSTORMS UNTIL EARLY MORNING…THEN RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE MORNING. BREEZY…COLDER. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 90 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY…RAIN…COLDER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 80 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF RAIN THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN A CHANCE OF SNOW POSSIBLY MIXED WITH RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW AROUND 30. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

THURSDAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SNOW POSSIBLY MIXED WITH RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.

THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW THROUGH MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S.

Atlantic School Board hires NE man as Schuler Principal &approves increase in lunch prices

News

April 8th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education Monday night, approved the hiring of a man from Nebraska as the Elementary Principal/Schuler Principal/Curriculum Director position. Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein said a committee comprised of himself, departing Principal Cam Smith, a teacher and parent from Schuler, interviewed seven candidates for the position. One of the candidates accepted a position with another district. The remaining six individuals came from within and outside of the district, and were equally qualified for job, according to Amstein, but one in particular stood out.

Mr. James Northwick, Elementary Principal at the Emerson-Hubbard, NE School District, approved as the Schuler Principal/Curriculum Director. (photo from the E-H School District website)

Amstein recommended the Board approve the hiring of James Northwick, who is currently the serving his fourth year as Elementary Principal at the Emerson-Hubbard School District in Emerson, NE. Amstein said when he spoke with Dr. Dave Jones, Superintendent of the Emerson-Hubbard District, the first thing Jones told him was “I knew you were going to call.”  Amstein learned since Northwick has been with the E-H District, the test scores in the struggling district have consistently shown gains, and that Northwick was good at disseminating the test score data, and applying it to the classroom.” Amstein said Northwick holds “A lot of promise, and has a strong work ethic.” The man is married, and has a one-year old child. He is also a native of Ankeny, Iowa.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board approved an increase in the 2013-2014 School Lunch Prices. Food Service Director DeeAnn Schrier told the board the Federal Government is recommending a two-percent increase to reflect the cost of inflation, plus 2.93-percent, for a total increase of 4.93-percent. For Atlantic, that means the cost of lunch at the high school would be going up to $2.40. At the Middle School, lunch will cost $2.35, Schuler $2.35, and at Washington, $2.10. Schrier said the increase is not what she wants, but she was left with no choice because of the Federal Standards. She says if the district doesn’t meet the standard of $2.59 for the cost of lunch over a period of five-years, the General Fund will have to make up for the difference.

The Board Monday also approved the resignation of the following staff: Pat Allen, Ticket Manager (effective June 30th); Steve Blazek, Varsity Boys Basketball Coach (effective at the end of the 2012-13 school year); Taylor Hasting, Cheerleading Sponsor (effective the end of the school year); Sheila Hayden, Nat’l. Honor Society Advisor (effective 8/15/13); Bruce Johnk, High School Ag Teacher (effective the end of the school year); and Michelle McLaren, Jr. High Boys Basketball Coach (also effective at the end of the school year).

Reds’ 9-run ninth spoils Cardinals’ home opener

Sports

April 8th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Phillips kick-started a nine-run ninth inning with a tiebreaking bloop double and Shin-Soo Choo made amends for two botched fly balls with a three-run double, and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled the St. Louis Cardinals’ home opener with a 13-4 victory on Monday. Mitchell Boggs (0-1), the stand-in closer for St. Louis, yielded six runs while getting only one out and the Cardinals needed four more pitchers to get out of the inning. Only a few thousand fans remained of the largest regular-season crowd of 47,375 for the bottom of the ninth in 8-year-old Busch Stadium history. The defending NL Central champions Cardinals held a tribute for Stan Musial before the game.

Officials say Iowa wind turbine’s blade snaps off

News

April 8th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ADAIR, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in western Iowa are investigating how a wind turbine blade that’s the size of a football field snapped off. A technician for the Eclipse Wind Farm in Adair discovered the blade in a field Friday morning. Siemens Energy, the turbine manufacturer, is investigating the accident.

Iowa Wind Energy Association President Kathleen Law says it’s rare for a blade to get loose, and she’s never heard of this happening in Iowa. Television station KCCI reports Siemens Energy is working to replace the blade. Most of the blade that fell has been removed from the field.

Oakland man arrested Saturday on drug charges

News

April 8th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Saturday of a Pottawattamie County man, on drug charges. 25-year old Trey Garrett Drake, of Oakland, was taken into custody on felony charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, Aggravated misdemeanor charges of: Possession of Controlled Substance Hash 2nd or Subsequent, Possession of Controlled Substance Cocaine 2nd or Subsequent offense, and Prohibited Acts. He also faces a simple misdemeanor charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Drake was taken to the Cass County Jail where he posted $16,325 bond the following day and was released.

And, on Friday, April 5th, deputies in Cass County arrested 32-year old Steven Robert Pedersen, of Atlantic, on a District Court Warrant for Failure to Appear. Pedersen was taken to the Cass County Jail where he posted $500 bond and was released.

Atlantic Arrest Report

News

April 8th, 2013 by admin

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest of two people over the past couple of days. On Saturday, April 6th the Atlantic P-D arrested 46-year old Robin Havens of Atlantic for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was transported to Cass County Jail and booked in.

On Sunday, April 7th the Atlantic Police Department arrested 19-year old Kala Moellenkamp of Atlantic on a Cass County Warrant for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was transported to the Cass County Jail and booked.