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Education officials propose extended learning

News

December 31st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Education officials in Iowa are hoping the state will support a pilot program aimed at helping students learn before and after school.  The state Department of Education says the extended learning pilot project could boost Iowa’s graduation rate. The department submitted a proposal for the $1 million program in November, but Gov. Terry Branstad hasn’t said whether he will support it.

The Des Moines Register says a report commissioned by the state and prepared by a consulting firm recommends that the proposed program focus on high-need students. Proponents of such programs say the measure is further evidence that support for out-of-school learning is growing in Iowa.

Fill the Feeder for the Swans and Soiree with the Swans

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 31st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Conservation Department has teamed up with Atlantic’s Orscheln’s store to help feed the Trumpeter Swans, now through January 31st. Officials say you can buy a bag of Whole Cleaned Corn at the registers and Orscheln’s staff will put it aside for the Trumpeter Swans. Four bags will fill the feeder, and the Conservation Dept. appreciates your help in keeping it full.Cass Co Conservation Board

Here’s a reminder also, to join Cass County Conservation Staff at Atlantic’s Schildberg Recreation Area this Saturday, January 4th, for ten-minute presentations on the Trumpeter Swans. Conservation staffers will give the presentations every half-hour beginning at 11-a.m., with the last one being presented at 2:00 p.m. 

The Schildberg Quarry is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, on the north side of Highway 83. In the event of bad weather, or if the swans are not present at the quarry, the program will be held at the Atlantic Public Library from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. with a light lunch available.

The event is sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Atlantic Public Library.

CORINNE LOIS SCHUE, 88, of Avoca (Svcs. 1/4/14)

Obituaries

December 31st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

CORINNE LOIS SCHUE, 88, of Avoca, died Sat., Dec. 28th, at the Avoca Nursing & Rehab Center. Funeral services for CORINNE SCHUE will be held 2-p.m. Sat., Jan. 4th, at the Shelby Methodist Church in Shelby. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.

Visitation at the Shelby Methodist Church will be held from 1-to 2-pm Saturday (prior to the service).

Burial will be in the Shelby Cemetery.

CORINNE SCHUE is survived by:

Her sons – Robert Schue, of St. Paul, MN, & Richard (Margaret) Schue, of Carmel, IN.

Her brother – Raleigh (Marilyn) Woltmann, of Avoca.

and 4 grandchildren.

Hatch, a candidate for governor, calls for $10.10 minimum wage

News

December 31st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch is calling for an increase in the state’s minimum wage. Hatch says the minimum wage should be 10-dollars-and-10-cents an hour. He argues it’s one way of raising private sector hourly wages in general. Hatch says Iowa’s status as a “low wage state” hasn’t budged under 30-years-worth of Republican Governor Terry Branstad’s economic development strategies.

Hatch accuses Branstad of having a “perfect track record of failure” in economic development. Hatch says Branstad has failed to fulfill the promises he’s made about job creation and personal income growth for Iowans. In addition to raising the state’s minimum wage, Hatch promises as governor he would pay the prevailing wage to those who work on state-funded construction projects.

Iowa’s minimum wage has been raised above the national minimum wage twice in recent decades. Republican Terry Branstad approved raising Iowa’s minimum wage above the national rate just before his 1990 reelection race. In 2007, raising the state’s minimum wage was the first bill Democratic Governor Chet Culver signed into law.

(Radio Iowa)

ISU Legend Johnny Orr Dies at Age 86

Sports

December 31st, 2013 by Jim Field

Orr-colormugAMES, Iowa – Johnny Orr, the man credited with resurrecting a once-dormant Iowa State men’s basketball program and energizing an entire fan base, passed away today. He was 86 years old.

Orr was one of the nation’s most successful basketball coaches during his 29-year head coaching career (1964-66, 1969-94). He compiled a 466-346 career coaching mark and led 10 teams to NCAA Championship berths while at Massachusetts, Michigan and Iowa State.

“He was my hero,” said Iowa State head basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, who played three years for Orr. “As a kid, just to see him walk out of that tunnel was what you waited for on game nights. Just to see his enthusiasm and passion. He was a father figure to so many of us. He impacted so many lives and made all of us better people. Not only was he a great basketball coach, he was even a better person.”

Orr inherited a downtrodden Iowa State program that had produced losing seasons in five of the last six years prior to his arrival in 1980-81. He spent 14 years roaming the sidelines at Hilton Coliseum, making steady improvement and leading the Cyclones to a school-record six NCAA Championship appearances and five 20-win seasons. Orr retired in 1994 as Iowa State’s all-time winningest coach with a 218-200 record.

Orr was a winner at Iowa State, but his legacy in Ames was achieved by more than wins and losses. The ever-popular Orr was the perfect coach at the perfect time for Iowa State. His exciting, up-tempo style of play – combined with his infectious personality – created a tidal wave of excitement throughout the state of Iowa.

An Iowa State game in Hilton Coliseum became the hottest ticket in the state, as Orr’s teams steamrolled over their opponents for a 76.7 percent winning percentage at home.

Fans came in droves to watch the Cyclones. Iowa State averaged 6,470 fans the year before Orr arrived. Six years later (1985-86), Hilton Coliseum swelled to 14,024 fans per game, selling out all 13 home games. The top eight single-season attendance marks in school history occurred in the Orr era.

Hilton Coliseum erupted when Orr made his entrance fist-pumping to the “Tonight Show” theme. It usually spelled doom to the opposing team, even if the Cyclones weren’t the favorites. Orr’s Cyclones defeated top-25 opponents 20 times at home and he owns 12 of Iowa State’s 29 all-time victories vs. top-10 opponents.

Iowa State’s home-court dominance in sold-out Hilton Coliseum under Orr created a frenzied atmosphere that was second to none. The local and national media picked up on it, and soon the term “Hilton Magic” was created when Des Moines Register writer Buck Turnbull used it in one of his stories after another huge Cyclone victory at home. The moniker still is prevalent today.

Orr’s 1983-84 team turned the corner with a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance, followed by an NCAA Championship berth in 1985, Iowa State’s first NCAA bid in 41 years.

The 1985-86 Cyclone squad was possibly his best. Led by future NBA all-star Jeff Hornacek and Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer Jeff Grayer, the Cyclones finished with a then-school-record 22 wins and placed second in the Big Eight Conference at 9-5. After securing its second-straight NCAA berth, the Cyclones advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a victory over No. 2 seed Michigan, Orr’s former school.

The win over the fifth-ranked Wolverines was, “the greatest of my career” Orr beamed afterwards and cemented his already enormous popularity among the Iowa State faithful.

Orr’s Cyclone teams would later make NCAA appearances in 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1993 and annually ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring. Iowa State averaged over 80 points per season six times in the Orr era, including a school-record 90.2 ppg in 1987-88, which ranked ninth nationally. The top four scorers in Iowa State history were coached by Orr (Grayer, Barry Stevens, Hoiberg, Victor Alexander).

Orr coached six Cyclones who earned first-team all-Big Eight honors 10 times. He mentored a total of six Cyclones who went on to a career in the NBA (Grayer, Hornacek, Stevens, Alexander, Hoiberg, Loren Meyer). Grayer was an All-American and is the only Cyclone men’s hoopster to compete on a United States Olympic Basketball team, earning a Bronze Medal at the 1988 Olympics.

A native of Taylorville, Ill., Orr graduated from Beloit (Wisconsin) College in 1949, where he was a two-time All-American in basketball. He coached at the high school level throughout the 1950s, including a stop at Dubuque (Iowa) Senior High School from 1951-59.

His first move into collegiate coaching was as an assistant at Wisconsin for four seasons. Orr became a collegiate head coach in 1963, when he was handed the reins at Massachusetts for three seasons.

After UMass, Orr assisted Dave Strack at Michigan for one season before taking over head coaching duties at Michigan prior to the 1968-69 season.

Orr led the Wolverines to four NCAA Championship appearances in 12 seasons, amassing a school-record 209 victories. He is one of the few coaches to be the all-time leader in career wins at two high-major schools.

Orr’s Michigan squads finished second in the Big Ten Conference three times and captured the 1977 Big Ten title. In 1976, Michigan advanced to the NCAA Championship title game, falling to Indiana in the national final. He was named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Coach of the Year in 1976 and was Big Ten Coach of the Year twice (1974, 1977).

Throughout his 29-year head coaching career, Orr tutored 18 players who were drafted by the NBA.

Orr remained an active supporter of Iowa State after his retirement in 1994. His immense popularity among Cyclone fans never waned, either. Orr always was the life of the party at Cyclone outings, pep rallies and reunions. He had a special ability to make people laugh.

Orr was inducted into the Iowa State Letterwinners Club Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2011, the Iowa State Athletics Department opened a large sports bar-themed gathering area in the east concourse of Hilton Coliseum, naming it “Johnny’s” as a tribute to the coaching legend.

Outside the entrance of “Johnny’s”, a larger-than-life statue of Orr with his trademark fist-pump is permanently on display, along with memorabilia of his coaching tenure at Iowa State. His legacy is preserved for future generations of Cyclone fans.

Orr is survived by his wife, Romie, and three daughters; Jennifer, Leslie and Rebecca. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Robin, who passed away in 2010. The Orrs have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Cass Supervisors act on several matters Tuesday

News

December 31st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning acted on several matters before them during their meeting at the courthouse. The Board approved an Information Technology Services agreement with Solutions, Incorporated. The agreement extends by six-months, an extension the Board approved in May, and will be in effect from January 1st through June 30th, 2014.

On a related note, Auditor Dale Sunderman informed the Board the current courthouse computer server is overburdened and needs to be upgraded, soon. Sunderman said they plan to enter into an agreement with Solutions for the purchase of a new network server in the future, which ties in more than 50 computers in the courthouse.

The Board also approved the purchase of vote tabulation equipment from Unisyn Voting Solutions. Sunderman said the current Automark tabulation equipment is about eight-years old and becoming obsolete, not ADA compliant and is very heavy and hard to move. He said 29 counties have purchased from Unisyn, and have reported no problems with the system, including many in southwest and western Iowa. Sunderman said the system is ADA compliant and weighs less than 30 pounds.

The new system will cost $116,163 and will be paid in three annual installments, beginning in July, 2014. By trading-in the old equipment and return of recently purchased memory cards for those machines, the County will be refunded about $4,000. Another benefit is that there is no maintenance of the new machines necessary. The machine will be paid for through the General Supplemental Fund.

In other business, the Board authorized a $20,000 down payment for the newly purchased property at 707 Poplar Street. The funds will be derived from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund (LOST). And, the Supervisors set February 12th at 9-a.m. as the date and time for a public hearing with regard to the vacating/closure of a portion of 644th Street in Section 14 of Grove Township.

Backyard and Beyond 12-31-2013

Backyard and Beyond, Podcasts

December 31st, 2013 by admin

Lavon Eblen talks about Babies needing books.

Play

JANET KAY KRAUSE, 75, of West Des Moines (Svcs. 01-03-2014)

Obituaries

December 31st, 2013 by admin

JANET KAY KRAUSE, 75, of West Des Moines died Sunday, Dec. 29th at her home.  Funeral Services for JANET KRAUSE will be held on Friday, Jan. 3rd at 10:30am at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines.  Johnson Family Funeral Home in Stuart has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held Thursday, Jan. 2nd from 6-8pm at the Johnson Family Funeral Home in Stuart.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Stuart Community Care Center, in care of Johnson Family Funeral Home, PO Box 246, Stuart, IA 50250.

Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com

8AM Sportscast 12-31-2013

Podcasts, Sports

December 31st, 2013 by admin

w/ Jim Field

Play

Law enforcement to step-up patrols tonight

News

December 31st, 2013 by Ric Hanson

As you plan to celebrate the New Year, authorities are hoping safety is your number one concern. No matter what kind of partying you maybe doing, the Iowa State Patrol and local law enforcement hope that safety is a priority. Iowa State Patrol Trooper John Farley says the last few years the patrol has seen an improvement.

“The New Year’s Eve celebration is one that is traditionally recognized and I think through the years that they have understood that law enforcement will be out this evening looking for those drunk drivers.” He says the STEP program has been beneficial in keeping Iowa roads safe.  “The availability of extra officers being visible and then the public PSAs or media notices that law enforcement is going to be out there has been a great deterrent in itself.”

If you are planning to celebrate the New Year, make sure you are taking a long a cell phone in case of an emergency along with a car kit and before heading out choose a designated driver for the evening. Most local Police Departments, including the Harlan PD, will offer rides to those unable to make it home for free with no strings attached. Contact your local law enforcement agency in your area to confirm a ride will be offered.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)