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Tenative contract offered to AC/GC Superintendent pick

News

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center School District say a tentative Superintendent contract has been offered to current Clay Central-Everly School District Superintendent/Elementary Prinicipal, Dennis McLain. Based on the feedback from the interview teams and candidates’ qualifications, McClain has been offered the shared superintendent position, which will be approved at a special board meeting, pending a formal background check.

Officials say over the past seven years, McLain brought the CC-E School District nutrition fund into the positive, built up their unspent balance through diligent spending decisions, and led CC-E by expanding their 1:1 technology from grade 9-12 to K-12. He previously served as the K-12 principal for the Stanton School District, and was a lead teacher for Clarinda Academy.

Dennis McLain earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education and health from Buena Vista College in 1995. He earned his Master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Jones International University in 2007 and his Advanced Studies Certificate in superintendency from UNI in 2013. Dennis is currently working on his doctorate degree at UNI in educational leadership.

Dennis, and his wife Donna, have three children. He and current district superintendent Steve Smith will begin collaborating for the remainder of the school year, to ensure a smooth transition. The new superintendent will begin his duties on July 1, 2019.

Pilot shortage threatens air services in Iowa’s mid-sized cities

News

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Many of Iowa’s largest employers rank commercial air service as a top factor in expansion and relocation decisions. However, a national pilot shortage is threatening air services in some mid-sized Iowa cities. Pam Osgood, director of the Mason City Municipal Airport, says the shortage is being felt in both commercial and private sectors of aviation. “By 2021, the national system will need 5,000 pilots and without those pilots, 500 aircraft could be grounded,” Osgood says. “If the pilot shortage continues to swell, by 2026, there could be nearly 15,000 pilots needed which would ground over 1,500 aircraft.”

Experts in the industry say the shortage is due in large part to a massive number of pilots about to reach the mandatory retirement age of 65. Osgood says difficult FAA requirements on training and the cost of that training are among the other factors. “The training is prohibitively expensive and not eligible for traditional student financial aid and education loans,” Osgood says. “We need to make it more affordable for young men and women to get their pilot’s license.”

The Regional Airlines Association has warned the pilot shortage has already caused small regional airlines in the U.S. to shut down. The RAA has called on regulators to allow pilots to qualify with fewer hours in the air, replacing some of the training with a flight simulator.

1 person hospitalized after fire damages Sioux City house

News

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say one person was hospitalized after a fire that damaged a house on the west side of Sioux City. Firefighters were dispatched a little after 1:45 p.m. Sunday. Fire officials say three people were home when the fire started near where a carport connected to the house. The injured person is expected to survive. The fire cause is being investigated.

ELNORA “NORIE” G. FETT, 98, of Audubon (Svcs. 2/2/19)

Obituaries

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

ELNORA “NORIE” G. FETT, 98, of Audubon, died Jan. 23rd, at the Friendship Home in Audubon. Funeral services for ELNORA “NORIE” FETT will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2nd, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family visitation begins 5-p.m. Friday, Feb. 1st.

Burial is in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

ELNORA “NORIE” FETT is survived by:

Her sons – Arnold (Linda) Fett, of Hudson, WI; Marcel (Connie) Fett, of Audubon, and Russell (Cindy) Fett, of Poway, CA.

Daughter-in-law: Sharolyn Fett of Guthrie Center.

11 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

DONALD JORGENSEN, 91, of Anita (Svcs. 2/2/2019)

Obituaries

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DONALD JORGENSEN, 91, of Anita, died Sunday, Jan. 27th, at Caring Acres in Anita. Funeral services for DONALD JORGENSEN will be held 10-a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2nd, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Anita. Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Friends ma call at the funeral home on Friday, Feb. 1st, from 8-a.m. until the time of family visitation, which takes place from 5-until 7-p.m.; Online condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

Burial will be in the Atlantic Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Anita.

DONALD JORGENSEN is survived by:

His sons – Steve (Bev) Jorgensen, of Atlantic; Dan (Christi Raasch) Jorgensen, of Centerville, and Paul (Jeannette) Jorgensen, of Adair.

His daughter – Becky (Don) Williams, of Adel.

12 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.

Iowa early News Headlines: Monday, Jan. 28 2019

News

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CST

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Police say the body of a missing 13-year-old Iowa boy has been found. Marshalltown police said in a news release that Corey Brown’s body was located about 10:45 a.m. Sunday in a secluded area on the west side of Marshalltown. They said there’s no evidence the boy’s death involved criminal activity, but that they will continue to investigate. In an earlier release, police said Corey was last seen around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — An idle meat-processing plant that closed in 2014 in northwest Iowa will reopen this week with new owners. The Sioux City Journal reports that Iowa Food Group has hired about 35 people initially to work at the plant in Cherokee, Iowa, and plans to increase the staff to about 100 this year. The company plans to process beef, chicken, pork and lamb slaughtered elsewhere and package it for retail. Arkansas-based Tyson Foods closed the plant in September 2014, taking 450 jobs with it.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa firefighter seriously injured in a fiery explosion that killed one of his colleagues has been sent home from the hospital. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 23-year-old Clinton firefighter Adam Cain, who was severely injured Jan. 5 while fighting a silo fire, left an Iowa City hospital Friday. Thirty-three-year-old fire Lt. Eric Hosette died while fighting the fire at the ADM grain facility.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The last of four men charged in the killing of a man at a Council Bluffs homeless shelter has been sentenced. The Daily Nonpareil reports that 21-year-old Cody Varnes pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison. Varnes and three other men were charged after the March 21, 2018, killing of 44-year-old Lee Johnson in a bathroom at Joshua House.

Midwest Sports Brief, 1/28/2019

Sports

January 28th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey each scored 23 points to help Minnesota hang on and beat No. 19 Iowa 92-87. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur added 19 points, his most in a Big Ten game, to push the Gophers past the Hawkeyes into sixth place in the crowded conference race despite a late slump at the free-throw line that nearly derailed their upset. Luka Garza matched his career high with 25 points and Isaiah Moss pitched in 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Megan Gustafson scored 25 points, Hannah Stewart added 21 and No. 17 Iowa used a 10-2 game-ending run to pull away from Purdue in a 72-58 victory. The victory was the sixth in a row for Iowa (16-4, 7-2 Big Ten) as the Hawkeyes improved to 11-0 at home and avenged a 62-57 loss at Purdue on Jan. 10.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Pro Bowl has long been considered a laughable representation of the NFL game. It reached a new level of comedy as several players swapped positions during the league’s annual all-star game. Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey caught a touchdown pass in the final minute and capped a dominate performance for the AFC defense in a 26-7 victory over the NFC in steady rain. It was the third consecutive victory for the AFC at Camping World Stadium.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 30 points _ 21 in the first half _ and No. 25 Missouri blitzed Auburn early and made it hold up in a 74-65 win. Cunningham scored 13 of Missouri’s first 18 points as it built an 18-0 lead.

Murphy, Coffey lead Minnesota past No. 19 Iowa 92-87

Sports

January 27th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey each scored 23 points to help Minnesota hang on and beat No. 19 Iowa 92-87 on Sunday. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur added 19 points, his most in a Big Ten game, to push the Gophers (15-5, 5-4) past the Hawkeyes (16-5, 5-5) into sixth place in the crowded conference race despite a late slump at the free-throw line that nearly derailed their upset.

Luka Garza matched his career high with 25 points and Isaiah Moss pitched in 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range, but the Hawkeyes didn’t bounce back with much energy from their 15-point loss at home to sixth-ranked Michigan State three nights earlier. The Gophers, who stormed back strong from a two-point loss at fifth-ranked Michigan that capped a rough three-game stretch, posted their highest score in regulation of a Big Ten game since they had 95 points against Iowa on Feb. 25, 2014.

The Hawkeyes missed a prime opportunity to grab the momentum right after the intermission. The chance evaporated with a spate of missed jumpers, and the Gophers kept the crowd cranked up with a steady supply of highlight-reel possessions. Twice in a five-minute span, Dupree McBrayer finished a fast break off a steal with a lob to Coffey for a dunk. Iowa enacted a three-quarters-of-the-court press without much success, with Minnesota owning a 25-9 assist-to-turnover ratio. Coffey’s 3-pointer stretched the lead to a game-high 81-65 with 5:50 to go.

The Hawkeyes didn’t head home quietly, though, thanks mostly to a late slump at the foul line by the Gophers. They missed 10 of 23 free throws in the second half, including seven of eight misfires in one stretch until McBrayer made one with 47 seconds remaining to push the lead to 85-80. Garza hit a 3-pointer with 3:32 to go out of a timeout that had pulled the Hawkeyes within 81-76, but McBrayer and Kalscheur came through with some clutch defense down the stretch from their perimeter spots.

The Hawkeyes, who are second-to-last in the conference in points allowed, simply didn’t force the Gophers into enough turnovers or forced shots despite a 34-26 rebounding advantage.
UP NEXT Iowa returns home to face Michigan on Friday.

Sad ending to missing Marshalltown boy investigation

News

January 27th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Marshall County report the body of a teen missing since late Tuesday night, was discovered Sunday morning. In their statement, authorities said “The Marshalltown Police Department regretfully reports Corey Brown, age 13, was found deceased today (Sunday). His body was located this morning at approximately 10:45 a.m. in a secluded area on the west side of Marshalltown. At this time, there is no evidence or information that indicates criminal activity is connected to this missing person/death investigation. However, this is still an active investigation and all possible scenarios will be thoroughly investigated.

Corey Brown

No other public information is available for release. The Brown family requests everyone honor and respect their privacy. The family wishes to thank the Marshalltown, Marshall County community for all of their support during this difficult time. The family also thanks the public safety personnel, and volunteers, who worked diligently during the search for Corey. The family is not accepting requests for interviews and do not wish to make a public statement at this time.”

Attempted car jacking in Council Bluffs Sunday morning

News

January 27th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs are looking for a man who allegedly tried to steal a vehicle at gunpoint. Officers were called a little after 8-a.m., Sunday, to the 3000 block of Ave E for an attempted auto theft, during which the suspect pulled out a gun when confronted by the owner. The owner of the vehicle reported he had used a remote start to start his Chevy Suburban. When he walked out to the vehicle, he saw a man in the vehicle. When he went to confront the person, the suspect pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at the him. When the victim ran back into his house, the suspect walked off west bound on Ave E.

Officers searched the area, but were unable to locate the suspect, who was described as being a white male, about 6-feet tall, possibly bald. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with white writing on the front, black pants and had a black backpack.  Anyone with information in reference to the incident is urged to contact: Council Bluffs Police Criminal Investigation Division at (712) 328-4728  or  Council Bluffs Police Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-STOP (7867).