United Group Insurance

LARRY WAYNE CRANDALL SR., 78, of Panora (Svcs. 05-16-2014)

Obituaries

May 15th, 2014 by admin

LARRY WAYNE CRANDALL SR., 78, of Panora died Thursday, May 8th at his home.  Memorial services for LARRY CRANDALL SR. will be held Friday, May 16th at 2:00pm at the Twigg Funeral Home in Panora.

No visitation is planned.

Burial of his cremains will be held at a later date.

Frost Advisory early Friday morning

News, Weather

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

345 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2014

…NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TONIGHT…

A WEAK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL PUSH INTO WESTERN IOWA TONIGHT. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR TEMPERATURES TO FALL TO NEAR FREEZING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE.

COUNTIES: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD.

…FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 7 AM CDT FRIDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A FROST ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 7 AM CDT FRIDAY.

* TIMING…TEMPERATURES WILL FALL THROUGHOUT THE OVERNIGHT HOURS…WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS NEAR SUNRISE.

* TEMPERATURE…LOWS FROM NEAR FREEZING TO THE UPPER 30S ARE EXPECTED.

* IMPACTS…SENSITIVE OUTDOOR VEGETATION COULD BE DAMAGED OR KILLED IF LEFT UNPROTECTED…ESPECIALLY IN SHELTERED OR LOW LYING AREAS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FROST ADVISORY MEANS THAT FROST IS POSSIBLE. SENSITIVE OUTDOOR PLANTS MAY BE KILLED IF LEFT UNCOVERED.

Elliott set to graduate high school then hit track

Sports

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — NASCAR Nationwide points leader Chase Elliott will juggle school and racing for the final time this weekend. The 18-yeard-old Elliott will graduate from King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Georgia, on Saturday morning and fly straight to Iowa for a qualifying session just 10 hours later.

Elliott says that while he’s excited to focus solely on racing, he also appreciated how school helped balance his life. Elliott headlines the list of Nationwide regulars set to race on Sunday at Iowa Speedway.

Argosy seeks bankruptcy protection to save casino

News

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of the Argosy riverboat casino in Sioux City has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to stop its scheduled closing. Belle of Sioux City LP filed for Chapter 11 protection Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Des Moines. The Sioux City Journal reports Belle, the Iowa-based subsidiary of Penn National Gaming Co., has asked a judge for an automatic stay or temporary injunction of an order to shut down the casino by July 1.

An expedited hearing on the request is scheduled Friday in U.S. District Court in Reading, Pennsylvania. The company wants the stay until Penn’s lawsuit against the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is resolved. Penn has criticized the bidding process for a license that later went to another developer.

Economy improving in rural parts of 10 states

News

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy appears to be gaining strength in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states. The overall economic index for the region improved to 55.6 in May from April’s 53.2, suggesting growth in the months ahead.

The survey of bankers in the region uses indexes that range from 0 to 100, with 50 representing growth neutral. A score above 50 suggests growth in that factor in the months ahead. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey. He says the results show the economy is improving in these rural areas that depend heavily on agriculture and energy production.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Cards’ DeWitt to chair MLB succession committee

Sports

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

NEW YORK (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt will chair a succession committee to determine the process for selecting a replacement to baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf also is on the panel, which includes Colorado chairman Dick Monfort, Philadelphia president Dave Montgomery, Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno, Pittsburgh chairman Bob Nutting and Minnesota chief executive officer Jim Pohlad.

Selig, who plans to retire in January, sidestepped a question of whether he would remain as commissioner emeritus.

Heavy rains lessen drought in Iowa, Nebraska

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Recent heavy rainfall has washed away or at least lessened drought conditions in swaths of Nebraska and Iowa. A report released Thursday by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says drenching rains led to significant improvements for areas of the two states considered to be in drought. Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the center, says overall drought reduced last week by nearly 12 percent in Iowa and about 17 percent in Nebraska.

The report says western Iowa saw the greatest improvement in the state. Nebraska saw a substantial reduction in the east-central region, with a pocket now considered drought-free. Fuchs says the improvements seen within the past week are noteworthy, as changes in drought status typically occur slowly.

Atlantic men arrested on warrants, Wednesday

News

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Two Atlantic men were arrested Wednesday, on Cass County warrants for Failure to Appear at their respective Child Support/Contempt hearings. Atlantic Police report 51-year old Larry Will and 54-year old Trent Schroeder were booked into the Cass County Jail.

University of Iowa seen as less welcoming

News

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The president of the Iowa Board of Regents says the University of Iowa is viewed as less welcoming than the two other state universities. The Iowa City Press-Citizen says President Bruce Rastetter told the University of Iowa Staff Council on Wednesday that the university “typically has come in third as a choice for college of Iowans.”

He says state officials consistently hear from parents that they don’t feel as welcomed on the Iowa City campus as they do at Iowa State University in Ames and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Rastetter also told the council that UI doesn’t recruit as aggressively as the other universities for in-state students and that ISU and UNI do more follow-up after campus visits.

UI plans sex assault intervention training

News

May 15th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa plans to provide bystander intervention training at fraternities and sororities to help combat sexual assaults. Tom Rocklin is vice president for student life and he told the Iowa City Press-Citizen  that the entire UI Greek community has agreed to take the annual training, which begins in fall. That’s about 3,000 students.

Rocklin says the training isn’t about stopping a rape in progress, but it is aimed at “getting someone out of a situation that has a lot of risk to it.” The university is developing a similar program for bar workers.