712 Digital Group - top

Northern Iowa in the spotlight preparing to face Wyoming

Sports

March 19th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

SEATTLE (AP) — Now it’s Northern Iowa’s turn to carry the flag for the Missouri Valley Conference into the NCAA Tournament. After Wichita State and Creighton got the spotlight in recent seasons, it’s the fifth-seeded Panthers getting the attention this time around as they to face No. 12 Wyoming on Friday.

The Panthers (30-3) were the beneficiaries of all the attention focused on their Missouri Valley competitors in previous years. The Panthers were ranked as high as No. 10 in The Associated Press Top 25 this season because of their performance but also the high regard the Valley has earned.

Wyoming (25-9) needed to win the Mountain West Conference tourney to reach the NCAAs, but the Cowboys’ similarities to the Panthers led Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson to say he wished for a different style matchup in the opener.

14th-Seeded UAB Blazers Upset 3rd-Seed Iowa State 60-59

Sports

March 19th, 2015 by Jim Field

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — William Lee scored the last four points for 14th-seeded UAB, and the Blazers upset ninth-ranked Iowa State 60-59 on Thursday in their opening game in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blazers (20-15) came in with the youngest team in the NCAA Tournament and with nobody having played in this tournament before. They wound up winning the program’s first NCAA game since 2005 by notching the first big upset of this tournament.

The Cyclones (25-9) came in seeded third in the South Regional looking for a much longer run than a year ago when they reached the Sweet 16 without top scorer Georges Niang due to injury. But they just couldn’t match the scrappy Blazers on the boards in a second half where the Cyclones couldn’t hold onto a 55-51 lead with 3:13 left.

The Blazers, who outscored Iowa State 9-4 down the stretch, will play either SMU or UCLA on Saturday.

 

SFM Division Investigating Suspicious Fires in Missouri Valley; Fire Chief Charged

News

March 19th, 2015 by Jim Field

MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa fire chief has been accused of lying to investigators about a fire that could be arson. Court documents show 44-year-old Johnnie Walker, the Missouri Valley fire chief, is charged with interference with official acts and reporting false information. Mayor Clint Sargent says Walker resigned from his post after he was arrested earlier this week.

The charges stem from a March 7 fire at a vacant house. The Iowa State Fire Marshal Division says Walker provided false information to police who later investigated the fire, an exchange that court records show occurred on March 12.

Authorities say the fire is likely tied to others nearby. All are being investigated as arson.

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 19th

Trading Post

March 19th, 2015 by Jim Field

FOR SALE:  Sage green “bamboo” style table with white top. Four chairs, same color and bamboo style, with white back and bottom cushions. Excellent condition. Asking $150 or best offer. You haul, located in Atlantic.  Call 712-243-3729.

IMG_9536 IMG_9537 IMG_9538 IMG_9539 IMG_9540

Update on Elliott death – woman ID’d

News

March 19th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Authorities say no one is actively being sought in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found near Elliott early Monday morning. Officials say 47-year old Carman M. O’Dell was discovered in a grassy field on the northern edge of Elliott, at around 4:40-a.m., Monday. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, her death did not appear to be suspicious.

Carman O'Dell (Photo from Duhn Funeral Home website)

Carman O’Dell (Photo from Duhn Funeral Home website)

An autopsy was performed by Dr. Dennis Klein of the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny. The cause and manner of her death are being withheld until the full autopsy report is complete. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner assistied with the investigation.

No further information will be released until the autopsy reports are complete. Funeral services for Carman O’Dell will be held 10:30-a.m. Friday, at the Central Church of Christ, in Griswold.

Prescribed burns planned in Pott. County

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 19th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Council Bluffs Fire Department report Pottawattamie County Conservation officials will be conducting some prescribed burns within the City limits of Council Bluffs. The controlled fires will take place between March 20th and the end of April, to reduce the amount of fuel and threat of a potential wild land fire, along with promoting better hydrology for the environment.Bluffs FD

The burns are expected to take place in two locations: The area north of 25th Street and south of Narrows Park along the Missouri River; In the Vincent Bluff area northeast of Harry Langdon Blvd, southwest of Madison Avenue, north and west of Woodbury Avenue.

The prescribed burns will only take place if weather conditions are conducive to ensuring a safe environment. Due to the ever changing forecasts, the decision to conduct the burns will be made only 24-hours in advance. If you live in the affected neighborhoods, you should contact the Council Bluffs Fire Department with any health concerns, such as a respiratory condition, that will require a “day of” notification.

If you have any questions or concerns, call the Council Bluffs Fire Dept. at 712-328-4646.

Officials confirm ID of body pulled from western Iowa lake

News

March 19th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

SOLDIER, Iowa (AP) – Officials have confirmed that a body recovered from a lake in western Iowa is that of a farmer reported missing in November. Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt says the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as 68-year-old Walter Ordway, of Soldier. His body was pulled from a lake at Oldham Recreation Area near Soldier on Saturday.

In December, hunters found a pickup owned by Ordway near the recreation area. The Monona County Sheriff’s Office says it’s believed that Ordway took his dog for an outing on Nov. 17 and that the dog fell through the like ice into the freezing water. Officials say Ordway must have fallen into the water while trying to rescue his dog. The dog’s body was found nearby.

Iowa board cites teacher for unsupervised dental clinics

News

March 19th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A citation has been upheld against a dental hygiene professor at Iowa Western Community College for allowing students to perform dental work unsupervised.
The Daily Nonpareil reports that dental hygiene students performed several services, including applying fluoride varnishes, without the supervision of a licensed dentist as part of Family Inc.’s I-Smile program, which offers free clinics at schools and other sites across Pottawattamie and Mills counties.

The professor was fined $75 on Feb. 25 by the Iowa Dental Board. The professor has an active license with the dental board, and is in good standing, according to the board’s online database. A spokesman for Iowa Western’s Dental Hygiene Program said that the school inadvertently did not follow a standard in the Iowa Dental Code, and has taken steps to make sure that their clinical activities follow the standards of the dental profession.

Backyard and Beyond 03-19-2015

Backyard and Beyond, Podcasts

March 19th, 2015 by admin

Lavon Eblen speaks with Karen Seibold, Women, Land and Legacy member, about the “Women Gaining Ground” Program this weekend in Shenendoah. Find out more here https://womenlandandlegacy.wordpress.com/ .

Play

Meeting planned to discuss cell network dedicated to public safety

News

March 19th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A summit is scheduled today (Thursday) in Des Moines to discuss the creation of a wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. Ric Lumbard, executive director of the Iowa Communications Network, says it’s part of the federal initiative know as FirstNet.  “The general background for FirstNet was in the backdrop of the Boston Marathon bombing, where during major crisis events like this, the commercial cellular systems were unable to support public safety use of cellular during that time,” Lumbard told Radio Iowa. The FirstNet system would create a nationwide public safety communications network.

Lumbard offered some examples of how the network could benefit first responders in Iowa. “The easiest one is something very unique to Iowa, RAGBRAI, where we have a moving city of 25,000 to 30,000 people moving through rural Iowa where most of the commercial cell infrastructure is not built for that level of capacity,” Lumbard said. The system dedicated to public safety could also be important if there were a crisis situation at the Iowa State Fair or a large sporting event.

“Even a major weather event, such as flooding or tornadoes, those are not the times that public safety needs to contend with the private sector for commercial broadband space,” Lumbard said. FirstNet (short for “First Responder Network Authority”) has agreed to pay for the deployment of the nationwide system, but would likely recoup those costs through subscriptions to the service, according to Lumbard. Today’s meeting is scheduled for 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Iowa Utilities Board headquarters in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

Learn more about the Iowa FirstNet project here: http://www.connectiowa.org/