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Des Moines man arrested in deaths of his mother and uncle

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have charged a Des Moines man with murder in the deaths of his mother and uncle. Detectives on Friday night charged 30-year-old Joshua Lee Adams with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his mother, 49-year-old Tracy Linn Adams, and his uncle, 54-year-old Gaylord George Jolly Jr. Police say both of the victims died of “sharp-force injuries.” Adams was charged hours after officers were called to a home in northeast Des Moines to check a report of an assault. They found the bodies inside. Both of the victims were residents of Des Moines.

Lawton firefighter was first on scene of fatal Sioux Falls plane crash

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — A volunteer firefighter from northwest Iowa was the first person on the scene after a small plane crashed in a Sioux Falls, South Dakota neighborhood Thursday. Amy Niewohner, of Lawton, was visiting relatives two houses away when the small plane hit the ground and burst into flames. “It was like very movie show plane crash you’ve ever seen — it was the big whir of the engine and a large crash — it shook the entire house. My first instinct was a motorcycle or car had crashed and blown up. So we rushed to the door, and as we were peering out the door we could see a plume of smoke coming out of the house,” Niewohner says.

Her firefighter instincts kicked in and she went to the scene of the crash. “There is debris everywhere, junks of flaming debris, parts of it were up in a tree on fire,” Niewohner says. “I ran up to the back fence to see if there was anybody out, if anything could be done, but there were too many flames. Immediately, everything was engulfed.” Niewohner was worried the people in nearby homes might be injured. She says she went and pounded on the door of the house that was hit and a neighbor came up and said they were not home. There was no one in the other house either.

Niewohner says it is something she will never forget. “It was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced. I mean that’s one thing you hope you never witness,” according to Niewohner. “We were so, so fortunate, as were all the other neighboring families… somebody was watching over that entire neighborhood.” Niewohner says she thought of the pilot and passenger who died in the crash. Vaughn and JoAnn Meyer were killed in the crash.

Red Oak man arrested for Public Intox. Saturday morning

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak Police, early this (Saturday) morning, arrested a man for Public Intoxication. Authorities say 24-year old Richard Charles Golden, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 400 block of E. Grimes Street, at around 12:50-a.m. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

Red Oak man arrested twice in 2 days

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak say a man arrested Thursday night for Public Intoxication, was arrested Friday night, on a charge of Simple Assault. 45-year old James Reed Mitroff, II was arrested at around 8:50-p.m in the 100 block of W. Reed Street, on the simple misdemeanor charge. Mitroff was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 cash bond.

NWS forecast for Atlantic & the area, Saturday 12/29/18

Weather

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Today: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as -5. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 18. Wind chill values as low as 5. South southwest wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 41. Wind chill values as low as 10. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. South southwest wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Monday: A slight chance of freezing drizzle between noon and 5pm, then a slight chance of snow after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 5. Windy.

New Year’s Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 15. Blustery.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 20. Our Low this morning was 4. We received a glaze of freezing mist yesterday, and .3” of snow. The ice and snow melted into just .01” liquid precipitation. Last year on this date our High was 16 and the Low was 1. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 60 in 1984. The Record Low was -22 in 1917.

Three teens suspected of robbing Council Bluffs store

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs say three teens were taken into custody late Friday night following the armed robbery of a convenience store. Authorities say officers were called to the White Oak Station located at 154 Bennett Avenue, just after 10-p.m., where three male subjects wearing masks entered the business and one brandished a handgun. They soon left the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes.

Officers quickly arrived on location and set up a perimeter. A police service dog was able to track the path of the suspects. Officers soon located all three suspects, the loaded handgun, and the stolen property. No shots were fired and no one was injured. The three suspects were juvenile males. Two were 16-years old, the third was 15. Their names were withheld by Police.

The Council Bluffs Police Department was assisted during the incident by the Pottawattamie and Mills County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Iowa early News Headlines: 12/29/2018

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have charged a Des Moines man with murder in the deaths of his mother and uncle. Detectives on Friday night charged 30-year-old Joshua Adams with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his mother, 49-year-old Tracy Linn Adams, and his uncle, 54-year-old Gaylord George Jolly Jr. Police say both of the victims died of “sharp-force injuries.”

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A state audit of the Mason City school district has uncovered more than $2.1 million in improper disbursements consisting largely of salary overpayments. The audit report released Friday says more than $1.3 million was salary to 66 mainly administrative employees that exceeded the authorized pay and increases approved by the school board. The school board president didn’t immediately return a message Friday from The Associated Press.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A settlement between Wells Fargo and attorneys general from all 50 states will mean more than $6 million for Iowa. Wells Fargo and the attorneys generals announced the $575 million settlement Friday following an investigation into fake accounts opened without the knowledge of customers and other questionable practices. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says the state’s share of the settlement will be $6.18 million. The money will go to Iowa’s Consumer Education and Litigation Fund.

Randolph man arrested in Fremont County Friday night

News

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that late Friday night, the Fremont County K9 Unit conducted a traffic stop in Randolph. 46-year old Bret Samuelson, of Randolph, was said to have been operating a motor vehicle while driving with a Barred license. During the course of the stop Samuelson was found to be in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center, where Samuelson was charged with Possession of a controlled substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving while license is Barred. His bond was set at $4,300, while he awaits his initial court appearance.

Bret Samuelson

Midwest Sports Headlines: Sat., 12/29/2018

Sports

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Gardner Minshew II threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 12 Washington State stopped No. 25 Iowa State on a late two-point conversion in a 28-26 victory in the Alamo Bowl. Minshew passed for 299 yards to help Washington State (11-2) set a school record for wins in a season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs safety Eric Berry missed practice Friday after the heel injury that kept him out most of the season acted up, leaving his status for Sunday’s game against Oakland in question. The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West and No. 1 seed in the playoffs by beating the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — JT Gibson hit five 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 22 points and Matt Pile scored 17 on 8-of-12 shooting to help Omaha hold on for a 91-84 win over Denver in the Summit League opener for both teams. Mitch Hahn added 16 points, Zach Jackson scored 11 and Ayo Akinwole 10 for Omaha (7-7), which has won four in a row.

Minshew leads Washington State past Iowa State, 28-26

Sports

December 29th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Gardner Minshew II and that glorious mustache conjured up a final bit of magic in a grand finale for Washington State, Friday night. The graduate transfer quarterback whose whiskered upper lip was loved and mimicked by Cougars fans all season, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in sending No. 12 Washington State to a 28-26 win over No. 25 Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl.

Minshew’s passing and scrambling earned the Cougars (11-2) a school record for wins in a season.
He threw for 299 yards, none of them bigger than a play made out of desperation when Iowa State had all the momentum. After watching a 21-10 lead dwindle to 21-20 by early in the fourth quarter, the Cougars stripped the ball from Iowa State running back David Montgomery at the Cyclones’ 30. Minshew, who had been held in check in the third quarter, escaped a third-down pass rush to flip a last-second shovel pass to Tay Martin that went for 20 yards.

The play stunned the Cyclones, and Max Borghi scored on a 10-yard run the next play. It was just another big fourth-quarter moment for the transfer from East Carolina who coach Mike Leach had lured out West with the promise he could lead the nation in passing. Minshew was the nation’s leading passer in yards per game this season and won the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation’s top senior quarterback in a season the Cougars fell one game short of playing for the Pac-12 championship. Nearly all of his completions this season were more orthodox than the flip to Martin.

The Cyclones did a good job in bottling him up for much of the game. Iowa State’s defense held Washington State 10 points and 135 yards below their season averages and two of the Cougars’ touchdowns came on short drives after turnovers. But after Minshew found a way to get Washington State in the end zone, the Cougars’ defense made the one play it had to at the end.

Iowa State’s last chance came after quarterback Brock Purdy scored from a yard out with 4:02 left. The Cyclones went for two, but a pass to Montgomery was stopped well short of the goal line after a false-start penalty pushed the line of scrimmage back to the 8. Iowa State had seven false start penalties and had two players ejected for targeting hits on Minshew.

Purdy passed for 315 yards and Cyclones receiver Hakeem Butler caught nine passes for 192 yards, six yards shy of the Alamo Bowl record. Montgomery rushed for 124 yards. The Cyclones (8-5) had rallied from a 1-3 start to finish third in the Big 12, the program’s best conference finish in 40 years. Turnovers and targeting calls were critical in the fame. Purdy threw two first-quarter interceptions and Montgomery’s fumble was a game-changer. Iowa State had two key defenders ejected in the second quarter for targeting hits to Minshew. Senior linebacker Willie Harvey was ejected after smashing Minshew in the facemask on a scramble. Defensive end Enyi Uzwazike was booted after a sack knocked Minshew’s helmet off.
UP NEXT: The Cyclones were in the mix for a Big 12 title-game berth late in the season and will expect to be again in 2019 with Purdy leading an experienced lineup that loses only five senior starters. The key will be the NFL draft options for 1,000-yard rusher Montgomery and 1,000-yard receiver Butler.