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Smithsonian hosts US youth summit on Dust Bowl

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) – Students in nine states and the nation’s capital are preparing to examine the legacy of the Dust Bowl and the current impact of drought on agriculture and global food security.  The Smithsonian and the National Endowment for the Humanities are holding a national youth summit for middle and high school students Wednesday. It will include a discussion with scholars and experts, along with segments from filmmaker Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary, “The Dust Bowl.”

The summit will be webcast from the National Museum of American History in Washington to nine Smithsonian affiliate museums and the National Steinbeck Center. Regional town halls will be held in Nebraska, Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Dakota and California.  Educators and students can join the webcast online for free.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, Weather |

Artist selected to create Borlaug statue

Ag/Outdoor

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

An artist from Aberdeen, South Dakota has been selected to create a statue of a famous Iowan for display in Washington, D.C. Last year, the Iowa legislature and Governor Branstad approved the move to place a statue of 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug in the U.S. Capitol Building’s National Statuary Hall. Jeff Morgan, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, says 33-year-old Benjamin Victor was selected by a committee to create the likeness of Borlaug after reviewing resumes and proposals from 65 artists from around the world.

Borlaug clay statue

Victor will be working to install the statue in March of 2014 – around the time of what would have been Borlaug’s 100th birthday. Borlaug, a native of Cresco, died in the fall of 2009 at the age of 95. Borlaug was a plant scientist who developed new strains of wheat. He’s credited with saving up to a billion people from starvation around the world. Morgan says Victor, the artist, has developed a maquette – or scale model – of the statue, which features a young Borlaug writing in a notebook and standing in front of wheat plants.  “The process will be to develop the clay model and from there it will be sent to a foundry to be cast and made into bronze with a patina applied to it,” Morgan said. “It will then be transported to the U.S. Capitol Building for the installation.”

The selection of the artist for the Borlaug statue was announced Tuesday as the World Food Prize festivities were getting underway in Des Moines. The annual award was created by Borlaug in 1986 as a way to honor individuals who’ve worked to improve the quality and quantity of food around the world. Borlaug’s likeness will replace the statue of a Civil War hero from Iowa that was placed in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall in 1903. That statue of U.S. Senator James Harlan, the one-time president of Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, will be moved to the Iowa capitol in Des Moines. Each U.S. state is allowed to have statues of two “notable citizens” on display in the U.S. Capitol.

Borlaug statue sketch

The Borlaug statue will join a statue of Samuel Kirkwood, who served as governor of Iowa during the Civil War. The creation and installation of the Borlaug statue is being financed through a private fundraising effort.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Climatologist: weekend rains barely put dent in drought

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Most of Iowa got a good soaking last weekend, but it didn’t go far in terms of making up for the drought. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says far northwest Iowa didn’t receive any rain, while the heaviest downpours were scattered around the state. Areas of northeast Iowa, around New Hampton and Decorah, received three-and-a-half to four inches of rain. Similar rainfall totals were reported around Red Oak, Greenfield and Winterset in southwest Iowa, and near Centerville, Albia and Oskaloosa in southeast Iowa. In Atlantic, we received 1.93-inches of rain over the weekend.

Statewide, on average, the weekend system dumped one-and-a-half inches of rain. It marked the single biggest rainfall event in Iowa since early May. “This one event over the weekend was almost as big as what we had for the whole month of September,” Hillaker said. Despite the downpour, Hillaker notes we’re a long way from bringing an end to the 2012 drought.

“We’re still roughly eight-and-a-half inches below normal for the year to date, as far as statewide average,” Hillaker said. “We did trim about an inch off the deficit we had going before this last rain event. So, it’s not a huge impact as far as reducing our deficit, but it will have quite a positive impact on soil moisture levels.”

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather |

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast – Wed., Oct. 17th 2012

Podcasts, Weather

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The (podcast) Freese-Notis forecast for the KJAN listening area, and weather data for Atlantic, from Meteorologist Dan Hicks, and KJAN News Director Ric Hanson…..

 

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Posted in Podcasts, Weather |

NW Iowa work release inmate listed as escaped

News

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say they’re looking for a 28-year-old Iowa inmate who’s been listed as escaped from a work release facility in Sioux City.  The Iowa Corrections Department says Justin Miller didn’t return to the facility as scheduled on Friday. Miller was transferred to work release last month. He originally was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years following assault convictions in Woodbury County.  Miller began his prison term in April 2009.

Posted in News |

OMER SCHEFFLER, 99, of Harlan (Svcs. 10-19-12)

Obituaries

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

OMER SCHEFFLER, 99, of Harlan, died Mon., Oct. 15th, in Harlan. Funeral services for OMER SCHEFFLER will be held 10:30-a.m. Fri., Oct. 19th, at the Bethel Baptist Church in Harlan. Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home from 1-to 9-pm Thu., Oct. 18th, where the family will be present to greet friends from 5-to 8-pm.

Burial will be in the Shelby Cemetery.

OMER SCHEFFLER is survived by:

His sons – Tyrone (Sandy) Scheffler, of Portsmouth, and Henry (Judy) Scheffler & Jack (Linda) Scheffler, all of Harlan.

His daughter – Crystal (Jim) Boardman, of Portsmouth.

His sister – Twyla (Marvin) Sorensen, of Arvada, CO.

16 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great grandchildren, other relatives & friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

Vehicle vs. pedestrian accident in Atlantic

News

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

One person was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic Tuesday afternoon, following an vehicle-versus-pedestrian accident. According to the Atlantic Police Department, a vehicle driven by Marlene Strauss, of Atlantic, was backing out of a parking stall near the Dollar General Store on east 7th Street, when her vehicle hit an unidentified 70-year old woman, who was loading merchandise into her vehicle. No citations were issued. The accident happened at around 12:20-p.m., Tuesday.

Posted in News |

Nat’l. Weather Service Forecast for Cass & area Counties – Wed., Oct 17 2012

Weather

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGH MID MORNING… THEN PARTLY SUNNY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS BEFORE NOON. MOSTLY SUNNY IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDY…COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. TEMPERATURE STEADY OR SLOWLY FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH. CHANCE OF SHOWERS 30 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY UNTIL EARLY MORNING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. COLDER. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WINDY…COOLER. HIGH AROUND 50. WEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. BREEZY. LOW AROUND 40. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH.

FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. HIGH IN THE MID 60S.

Posted in Weather |

Tuesday Volleyball Results

Sports

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Class 1-A Regional First Round Volleyball Results

Region 2:
(3-1) Bedford 25-25-23-25, Essex 14-19-25-18
(3-0) Whiting 25-25-25, Charter Oak-Ute 23-12-17
(3-1) Corning 22-25-27-25, Villisca 25-17-25-20
(3-0) Stanton 25-25-25, Sidney 15-15-18
(3-0) Fremont-Mills 25-34-25, Nishnabotna 23-32-15
(3-0) Woodbine 25-29-25, Boyer Valley 17-27-19
(3-2) West Harrison 25-22-25-11-17, Heartland Christian 19-25-16-25-15

Region 3:
(3-0) Adair-Casey 25-25-25, CAM 11-15-19
(3-0) Earlham 25-25-25, Exira/Elkhorn-Kimballton 23-22-14
(3-2) Orient-Macksburg 22-25-25-23-15, Lenox 25-18-18-25-9
(3-0) East Union 25-25-25, Diagonal 9-20-4
(3-0) Murray 25-25-25, Morman Trail 22-10-14

Region 4:
(3-0) Guthrie Center 25-25-25, Iowa Christian Academy 9-15-5
(3-0) Coon Rapids-Bayard 25-25-25, Ankeny Christian 15-17-13

Regular Season Scores:
(3-2) Carroll 25-20-25-19-15, A-D-M 16-25-22-25-10
(3-1) Clarinda 17-25-25-25, Shenandoah 25-22-16-11
(3-0) Creston 25-29-25, Glenwood 21-27-18
(3-0) Harlan 25-25-25, Denison-Schleswig 4-23-11
(3-1) Lewis Central 25-25-24-25, Red Oak 23-8-26-21

 

Posted in Sports |

CREIGHTON SINDT, 84, of Lyman (Svcs. 10-21-12)

Obituaries

October 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

CREIGHTON SINDT, 84, of Lyman, died Tue., Oct. 16th, at the Heritage House, in Atlantic. A Celebration of Life service for CREIGHTON SINDT will be held beginning 1:30-p.m. Sun., Oct. 21st, at the Griswold Community Center. Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold has the arrangements.

A short scripture and prayer service will be held during the service, followed by visitation with the family until 4-p.m.

A private family burial will be held later, at the Noble Center Cemetery.

Memorials will be directed to Alzheimer’s research.

CREIGHTON SINDT is survived by:

His wife – Carolyn, of Griswold.

His daughters – Cindi (Rod) Jackson, and Shelley (Jim) Trostle, all of Denver, CO.

His sons – Rod (Eileen), Kevin (Tina), and Corey (Kelley) Sindt, all of the Lyman area.

His sister – Gloria (Ray) Ellerbusch, of Holstein.

16 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, 1 step-grandson, His brother-in-law, other relatives and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |