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Cass Co. Board of Supervisors report

News

May 4th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Board of Supervisors have passed the third and final reading of a Rural Addressing ordinance. The action came and subsequent adoption of the ordinance came during their meeting this (Wednesday) morning, in Atlantic. The ordinance will provide for an orderly street and address system in the unincorporated areas of the County.

The Board also acted on approving a Cooperative Reimbursement agreement for 2012 with the Department of Human Services Bureau of Collections for Child Support Recovery. Cass County is the host for the program as a political subdivision.

Auditor Dale Sunderman says the amendment, which is effective as of July 1st, 2011, changes three sections of the original agreement, including IRS confidentiality. Another section deals with records, and requires those records to be maintained for a period of seven-years. A new, the third section is with regard to audits, for amounts over $500,000. Since the County received a grant in excess of that amount last Fiscal Year, an audit has already been conducted, so that requirement has been met.

The Board also discussed at length the replacement of sidewalks in the City Park, with Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director, Travis Garrett. The City of Atlantic will be replacing its portion of the sidewalks in the City Park. About one-third of the sidewalk which need to be replaced are owned by the County.

Garrett said if the County were to share in the cost for labor and materials, it’s portion would be about $3,245. The total cost of the project was estimated to be $30,625. Garrett says the County’s share of the project was calculated at 13.6-percent. He says with the added engineering fees, the total would be approximately $4,165.

After much discussion the Supervisors authorized Garrett to go out for bids on the project, but they thought it unnecessary for the County to pay for engineering costs in its section, when it already has an Engineer. The Board said while the bids are being obtained, they would get a separate cost estimate on the County’s share of the project and compare that with the bids received.

There is a time crunch in getting the project started and completed. City Officials have said they would like the park’s sidewalks finished in-time for RAGBRAI, on July 24th.

Posted in News |

05-04-2011 Backyard and Beyond

Podcasts

May 4th, 2011 by admin

Lavon speaks with Catherine Howe, VP for Opera House Association, about the Simon Estes concert @ Nodoway Valley School in Adair County May 8.
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.1MB)

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Posted in Podcasts |

Tuesday Track

Sports

May 4th, 2011 by Jim Field

Western Iowa Conference Championships @ Neola
GIRLS

  1. Treynor  141
  2. Griswold 107
  3. Audubon 104
  4. Tri-Center 85
  5. AHST 55
  6. Missouri Valley 47
  7. Underwood 32
  8. Riverside 17

BOYS

  1. Treynor 141
  2. Audubon 75
  3. Underwood 72
  4. Tri-Center 64
  5. Riverside 63
  6. Griswold 62
  7. Missouri Valley 44
  8. AHST 36

Corner Conference Meet @ Tabor
GIRLS
1. Villisca 171
2. Stanton 114
3. Essex 76
4. Nishnabotna 69
5. Fremont-Mills 68

BOYS
1. Fremont-Mills 162
2. East Mills 110
3. Clarinda Academy 94
4. Stanton 57
5. Sidney 54

 

Posted in Sports |

Trojans 3rd at Atlantic Invite

Sports

May 4th, 2011 by Jim Field

Atlantic Trojan Golf Invitational (@ AG & CC)
1.  Kuemper 297
2.  Creston 321
3.  Atlantic 330
4.  Harlan 331
5.  Lewis Central 338
6.  Norwalk 344
7.  Denison 345
8.  Clarinda 359
9.  Glenwood 361
10.  Shenandoah 363
11.  Winterset 364
12.  Red Oak 406
13.  Nodaway Valley 408

Individual Places
1.  Brian Scheck (Kuemper)
2.  Tanner Ludwig (Kuemper)
3.  Kyler Ludwig (Kuemper)
4.  Jacob Buelt (Kuemper)
5.  Nate Molak (Kuemper)
6.  Hunter Sickels (Creston)
7.  Jackson Baker (Shenandoah)
8.  JC Carlisle (Harlan)
9.  Ryan Palser (Creston)
10.  Kramer Sameulsen (Clarinda)
11.  Tanner Petersen (Denison)
12.  Matt Thielen (Atlantic)

Atlantic Scores
Matt Thielen  81
Evan Schuler  81
Sam Renaud  84
Sam Markham   84
Travis Olsen   85
Ben Nelson   89

Coach Ed DenBeste says:

I know that we can play better than this.  Matt and Evan shot good rounds.
We needed two guys in the 70s.  Hopefully we can get that at the next meet.
Kuemper shot a great round of 297.

Posted in Sports |

Trojann Netters Beat Harlan

Sports

May 4th, 2011 by Jim Field

Atlantic 6, Harlan 3 (at Harlan)

Singles
#1 Chelsy Petersen (H) over Liz Metheny (A) 8-2
#2 Carly Heese (H) over Shelby Svoboda (A) 8-1
#3 Bailey McGrath (H) over Carli Thornton (A) 9-8 (7-3 tiebreak)
#4 Morgan Allen (A) over Emily Hundt (H) 8-3
#5 Sarah Schreiner (A) over Jill Haupts (H) 8-3
#6 Tierney Kamies (A) over Shenandoah Campbell (H) 8-3

Doubles
#1 Metheny/Svoboda (A) over Petersen/Heese (H) 9-8 (7-5 tiebreak)
#2 Thornton/Allen (A) over McGrath/Haupts 8-3
#3 Schreiner/Kamies (A) over Hundt/Campbell (H) 8-3

JV
Singles
Tori Dolch (A) over Madison Forsyth (H) 6-3
Lindsey Greer (H) over Leah Tjepkes (A) 6-2
Katie Duval (H) over Erika Lees (A) 6-4
Anastasia Mikels (H) over Hope Bowker (A) 7-6 (7-0 tiebreak)
Alissa Andersen (H) oveer Kaley Miller (A) 6-1
Kassy Simmons (A) over Makala Wooster (H) 6-2
Becka Rodgers (H) over Anne Chess (A) 6-1
Sasha Barber (A) over Lauren Laehle (H) 6-1
Alex Cole (A) over Taylor Fah (H) 6-3
Cammi Nelson (A) over Rhianna Chickering (H) 7-5

Doubles
Forsyth/Greer (H) over Dolch/Tjepkes (A) 7-5
Duval/Mikels (H) over Lees/Bowker (A) 7-6 (9-7 tiebreak)
Cameo Mckinley/Wooster (H) over Miller/Lexi Allen (A) 6-4
Ally Jones/Andersen (H) over Kourtnie Beschorner/Anna Smith (A) 6-2
Rodgers/Laehle (H) over Cole/Nelson (A) 7-5
Cole/Nelson (A) over Sarah Clemons/Morganne Dooley (H) 6-3
Jordan Tupper/Simmons (A) over Fah/Wooster (H) 7-5
Chess/Barber (A) over Chickering/Fries (H) 6-4

Coach Shawn Petersen’s Comments —

This was a good bounce-back win for the girls — we suffered a tough loss last night at Shenandoah, and going on the road to Harlan is always difficult.  Petersen and Heese were too much for Liz and Shelby at the top two spots; Carli lost a tough one to McGrath at #3 — both girls played well enough to win; I was proud of Carli, though — she had to fight off several match points against her just to get to a tiebreak, but lost in the end.  Morgan continued her winning streak — she has yet to lose at #4 for us.  Sarah and Tierney were both down early in their matches before getting some things going offensively.  I was happy for those two, who lost tough ones last night at Shen.

In doubles, at #1 both teams seesawed back-and-forth throughout the match; it probably would’ve gone 5 if we had played 3 of 5 sets; Shelby served tough to force a tiebreak, and it was a well-played match by all 4 girls.  This was probably the best doubles Shelby has played, and it was a good time to bring it on.  Our #2 team may have played their best match of the year as well, and Tierney and Sarah got a good win at #3 — their second in a row.  This ends a difficult stretch for the girls, who have a few days where hopefully we can get some practice time in, which is much needed.  We conclude our regular season at home Monday against Denison, before competing at conference and at regionals.

Posted in Sports |

Trojanns Win Betty Heflin Invite

Sports

May 4th, 2011 by Jim Field

14th Trojann/8th Betty Heflin Invite (5/3 @ Nishna Hills)

1.  Atlantic 356
2.  Clarinda 373
3.  Denison 378
4.  Winterset 384
5.  Harlan 403
6.  Norwalk 403
7.  Shenandoah 412
8.  Abraham Lincoln 429
9.  Glenwood 472
10.  Creston 479

Atlantic scores:
Kristen Schuler – 2nd – 40-44-84
Brooke Fletcher – 4th – 43-44-87
Bailey Walter – 6th – 42-49-91
Kaitlynn Walter – 10th – 45-49-94
Pammy Fixmer – 11th – 47-47-94
Sierra Worth – 19th – 50-49-99

Medalist – Jennifer Geer – Clarinda – 38-42-80

It was a great day to be a Trojann!!  Successfully defended our title from
2010. Very much a team effort.  All six girls shot under 100.  Very
pleased with our scores and very pleased with how these girls represented
Atlantic on the course.  5 girls earned medals by placing in top 12.  Our
team total of 356 is our lowest 18 hole score – previously it was 367
during the Hawkeye 10 conference meet at Clarinda in 2009.

Posted in Sports |

3 injured in Page County accident

News

May 4th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa State Patrol says three people were injured during a near head-on collision between a pickup truck and a semi Tuesday evening, in northern Page County. Officials say the driver of the pickup, 38-year old Gary Runyon, Jr., of Coin, was not wearing a seat belt. He was flown by LifeNet Helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center following the crash, which occurred at around 6:10-p.m., about 5-miles southwest of Villisca.

A passenger in the pickup, 17-year old Rocky Runyon, of College Springs, and the driver of the semi, 25-year old Phillip Kasha, of Villisca, were wearing their seat belts, but suffered injuries in the crash. They were transported by Villisca Ambulance to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital.

The Patrol says Runyon’s 1993 Ford F-150 was traveling west on 102nd Street at the same time the 1996 International semi driven by Kasha, was heading east. The pickup was just left of the center line when it collided left front side to left front side with the semi.

Posted in News |

Council Bluffs fire fatality identified

News

May 4th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say it appears a deadly house fire in Council Bluffs was sparked by items behind a refrigerator in the kitchen. Fire officials say 37-year-old Daniel Naylor died in the fire that broke out in his home early Tuesday. Fire Chief Alan Byers says the fire was apparently started by papers and other times that accumulated behind the refrigerator over a period of time.

He says it appears the heat normally generated by the refrigerator caught the items on fire. Byers says an off-duty police officer reported the fire about 1 a.m. Naylor’s body was found in a bathroom. A dog also died.

The fire chief says the home didn’t have any smoke detectors.

Posted in News |

Danish Immigrant Museum to waive admission fee May 14th

News

May 4th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Governor Terry Branstad has proclaimed Saturday, May 14, 2011 as Iowa Museum Day, and the Danish Immigrant Museum will participate in the state-wide celebration by waiving its admission fee for all visitors that day.

The Danish Immigrant Museum has 9 full-time and 4 part-time employees.  They also have a well-respected internship program, hosting students from Denmark as well as the U.S.  The museum has approximately 2,500 hundred members from across the country and 6 foreign countries and a volunteer base of nearly 100.  The museum’s collection of artifacts is nearing 35,000 pieces.

Governor Branstad has recognized the importance of Iowa’s museums in his proclamation, stating that Iowa Museum Day will celebrate the crucial role of Iowa’s museums in preserving the historical fabric and memory of our state through preservation of artifacts and archives; in providing educational resources and programs which expand learning opportunities for all ages; in contributing to a vibrant community and state economy through job creation, purchase of goods and services, and by attracting tourism revenue to the community and state; and in their significant role in enhancing community quality of life.

Iowa’s museums are supported in their missions by the Iowa Museum Association, a statewide association of museums.  Its mission is to provide quality training and development to Iowa museum professionals and volunteers, advocate for support of Iowa’s museums, and build a strong community of museums and museum supporters in Iowa.

The Danish Immigrant Museum is located at 2212 Washington Street, Elk Horn, Iowa.  For more information, please call The Danish Immigrant Museum, 712.764.7001 or visit their website at www.danishmuseum.org

Posted in News |

NTSB issues report on fatal SW IA Train Crash

News

May 3rd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board today (Tuesday) released a report on their investigation into the April 17th train crash in southwest Iowa that claimed two lives. The crash, during which an eastbound Burlington Northern Sante Fe coal train operated by Engineer Tom Anderson and Conductor Patricia Hyatt, both of Creston and both of whom were 48-years old, collided with the rear end of a standing BNSF maintenance of way equipment train near Red Oak, happened just before seven-a.m. The two crew members on the locomotive of the maintenance of way equipment train were not injured.

Officials say during the crash, the event recorder and forward facing video camera on the leading locomotive of the coal train were damaged in the collision and subsequent fire. Both recorders were retrieved and are being analyzed at the NTSB’s lab in Washington, DC. The video camera was too badly damaged to retrieve data.

A preliminary review of the locomotive event recorder data indicates that just before the collision, train speed increased and the throttle was decreased as the train reached the top of a hill west of the accident site. The data also indicates that the speed at impact was 23 mph and that the emergency brakes were not applied before impact.

During the on-scene investigation, NTSB investigators tested the signal system and the undamaged coal cars. The equipment satisfactorily met test criteria. Trains in this area operate on wayside signal indications visible to the crew. Signal system data indicate that the last signal encountered by the coal train was set at “restricting.” This indication

required that the train be prepared to stop short of another train.

The crew of the struck train reported that visibility at the time of the collision was good. Investigators conducted sight distance observations under similar daylight and weather conditions. The observers were able to identify the standing train about 1,376 feet from the point of collision.

As the investigation continues, investigators will review personnel, maintenance and various other records. In addition, crew cell phone records have been subpoenaed and will be reviewed by investigators. The NTSB says it has also formed a work group which will examine the crash performance of the leading locomotive where crew members were fatally injured.

Posted in News |