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Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., 11/14/2018

News

November 14th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — While in private business, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker walked away from a taxpayer-subsidized apartment-rehabilitation project in Iowa after years of cost overruns, delays and other problems. That’s according to public records on the Des Moines project, which prompted the city to terminate an affordable housing loan for Whitaker’s company. Another lender began foreclosure proceedings after he defaulted on a separate loan for nearly $700,000. Several contractors went unpaid.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A farmer who appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelor” has pleaded guilty in a fatal crash last year near his home in northern Iowa. In an agreement with prosecutors announced Tuesday, 36-year-old Chris Soules pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of leaving the scene of a serious injury accident. Soules had been charged with a more serious felony count of leaving the scene of a fatal crash for the April 2017 death of 66-year-old Kenny Mosher.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say Iowa State will use a large portion of a $6 million gift from Boeing Co. to help fund construction of the Student Innovation Center. A news release sent Tuesday about Boeing’s $6 million commitment says 140,000-square-foot center on the Ames campus is expected to be finished in January 2020. It is intended to serve as the hub for hands-on projects where students can collaborate across a wide range of disciplines.

EARLVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a northeast Iowa woman who fell at her farm. First responders were sent Saturday to the farm about 4 miles northwest of Earlville. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says Mullis was taken to a hospital in Manchester, where she died. Details about the fall have not been released.

Atlantic School Board to meet Wed. evening

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will meet in a regular session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday in the High School Media Center. On their agenda, is a Special Presentation with regard to the recent FFA National Convention, and action on a handful of resignations, including:

  • Craig Fredin, 9th Grade Girl’s Basketball Coach
  • Pam Russell, At-Risk Student Advocate
  • David Eckles, Transportation Director
  • and Sam Hoover, Bus Driver.

The Board will also act on approving several Contract Recommendations and/or Letters of Assignment, including:

  • Jordan Mullen, Head Boys Track Coach
  • Matt Mullinex, Head Girls Track Coach
  • Joe Brummer, Head Baseball Coach
  • Justin Williams, Asst. Tennis Coach
  • Michella Bartholomew, Volunteer Cheerleading Sponsor
  • Abby Becker, Volunteer Girls Basketball Coach
  • Jacey Hoegh, Volunteer Boys Basketball Coach
  • Zach Christianson, Volunteer Boys Basketball Coach
  • Todd Killion, Peter Smith, Jim Swanson, Mike Greving and Matt Williamson, Volunteer Wrestling Coaches
  • Steve Anderson, Bus Driver
  • Michaelin Juhl, CCEOC Para-educator
  • and Haley Wright, transfer to Pre-School Para-educator.

Other action items on the Atlantic School Board’s agenda, include: approving requests for the Debate Team to compete in Marshall, MN, January 25th and 26th, and Mr. McKay as chaperone for a trip to Washington, D.C., for Middle School Students. The trip to D.C. Is offered every other year for those students. During the trip, they’ll visit several Memorials, the Smithsonian Museum, and other museums, along with Capitol Hill, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Mt. Vernon. The World Strides company will head-up the trip and related details.

The Board will also act on approving a bid from Connection for $63,747, for technology. The district’s cost is $12,749 for network server switches, and Coast to Coast for $18,567, with a cost to the district of $3,713, for a backup power supply. The upgraded switches, officials say, should last a minimum of 10-years, while the backup power supplies will keep the phone and internal systems up for 30-minutes during a power outage.

The final order of business is to approve offering the Early Retirement Incentive as presented during previous discussions.The incentive would be offered until Jan. 3, 2019 only, and keeps the same criteria and pay-out in effect as discussed.

Chiefs-Rams game moved from Mexico City to LA due to field

Sports

November 13th, 2018 by admin

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NFL moved the Rams’ Monday night showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles on Tuesday due to the poor condition of the field at Azteca Stadium.

The league announced the extraordinary decision six days before one of the most-anticipated regular-season games of the year.

In a news release, the league said it determined that the recently re-sodded field at Mexico City’s historic stadium “does not meet NFL standards for playability and consistency, and will not meet those standards by next Monday.”

The Rams (9-1) will host the Chiefs (9-1) at the Coliseum instead.

The decision creates a morass of logistical concerns for the teams and for fans traveling to Mexico, and it disappoints thousands of fans eager to see a marquee matchup. But the league consulted with the players’ association and local officials before deciding it couldn’t risk the players’ health on a damaged field.

“The combination of a difficult rainy season and a heavy multi-event calendar of events at the stadium have resulted in significant damage to the field that presents unnecessary risks to player safety and makes it unsuitable to host an NFL game,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president of international. “As a result, we have determined that moving the game is the right decision, and one that we needed to announce now in order to allow our teams and fans to make alternate arrangements.”

Azteca officials changed the playing surface from natural grass to a hybrid in May, but the turf hasn’t been ideal for several months. Concern about the field grew in recent days when aerial photos of the stadium showed serious damage to the grass, particularly on the end of the stadium recently used for a major concert.

Cruz Azul, the Liga MX soccer club that shares the stadium with Club America, played a tournament game on the field last Saturday in noticeably poor conditions. Coach Pedro Caixinha expressed concern, and the NFL continued working with groundskeepers to improve the field.

Azteca hosted the first regular-season game ever held outside the U.S. in 2005 when Arizona beat San Francisco. The stadium has hosted several NFL exhibitions, and the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and New England Patriots all played regular-season games there over the past two seasons.

Possible plea deal on the table for Hancock kennel owner on Wednesday –

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

A Pottawattamie County man facing 40 counts of Animal Neglect is scheduled to appear in court, Wednesday. 35 year old Dustin Young, of Hancock, was charge after authorities searched his hunting dog training and breeding company in May.  Young is currently out on $20,000 bond.  He plead not guilty in July, but a plea agreement is being discussed. His  trial had been scheduled to begin today (11/14).

If convicted of the crime, Young faces a maximum sentence of $1,875 in fines and a year in jail for each of the four serious misdemeanor animal neglect charges.  Young is also charged with 36 animal neglect counts as simple misdemeanors.  The maximum penalty for each charge is $625 in fines and up to 30 days in jail.

Young is also named as the defendant in a lawsuit filed by Pottawattamie County seeking compensation for costs of animal control that law enforcement accrued while rescuing 41 dogs found on his property.  That amount will be determined after his neglect case is resolved.

(KNOD)

Former Nevada man apprehended after a pursuit and foot chase Tue. afternoon

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in western Iowa say a high speed chase that started in Carroll County eastbound on Highway 30 at noon today (Tuesday), involved a number of law enforcement agencies. Speeds reached up to 100 miles per hour as the driver went through Glidden and into Greene County. Calls were made to deploy stop sticks. The driver of the vehicle is believed to be Joshua Black, formerly of Nevada.

Black was reported to have been involved in a domestic dispute and reported to be armed with a knife. The suspect drove the car into a cornfield north of Highway 30 in Greene County and fled on foot. He was apprehended shortly after that. No other information is currently available.

(KNOD)

One charged with meth possession – another the theft of a truck –

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Shelby County report 45 year old Michael Dean Bierman of Harlan has been charged with possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine-3rd offense, as well as possession of a controlled substance, marijuana – 3rd offense and prohibited acts.  The charges are the result of a search warrant being issued for Bierman’s residence, where marijuana and methamphetamine were found.  A December 11th trial date has been set.  If found guilty Bierman could spend 12 years in jail and  receive a fine of $12,500.

Officials said also, 31 year old Mark Kent, of Oak Harbor, WA., has been charged with stealing a truck.  Kent allegedly took a Ford F-150 from 12th Street in Harlan, where the owner left it.  The owner was notified and told that Kent was driving the vehicle when he was arrested on other charges.  A December 11th trial date has been set for Kent and if convicted , he could face 5 years in jail and a fine of $5,000.

(Stories from our sister station KNOD in Harlan)

Reynolds suggests King has a decision to make about his political career

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds is offering some blunt advice to a fellow Republican.  “I think that Steve King needs to make a decision if he wants to represent the people and the values of the fourth district or do something else,” Reynolds says. Congressman King, often at the center of controversy, endorsed a white nationalist who was running for mayor of Toronto last month. He’s now feuding with a conservative magazine that has referred to King as “America’s most deplorable congressman” and “an embarrassment” to the G-O-P.

The conservative editorial board for the Sioux City Journal, the largest newspaper in the district, endorsed King’s Democratic opponent, J.D. Scholten. The paper had endorsed King’s previous General Election campaigns. Reynolds says she has not talked with King since the election, but she is suggesting King’s political career is at a crossroads. “He needs to get back in the district and really, I think, work to represent his constituents,” Reynolds told Radio Iowa.

King won reelection to a ninth term in the U.S. House last week, by just a two percent margin. Reynolds won the fourth congressional district with 20 percent of the vote. “I think this would be a pretty good confirmation from his constituents that they would like to see more of him,” Reynolds says. “I mean, I spent a lot of time there. I do a lot of the leg work. I want them to know that I do know there are more than just four corners to the state and it’s not just talk.”

A spokesman for King says the Congressman loves Governor Reynolds. Congressman King’s communications director John Kennedy says King is “thankful to her for signing his Heartbeat Bill into law and notes that they are birds of a feather because they won by similar margins.”

2015 ‘Bachelor’ star pleads guilty to reduced charge

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A farmer who appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelor” has pleaded guilty in a fatal crash last year near his home in northern Iowa. In an agreement with prosecutors announced Tuesday, 36-year-old Chris Soules pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of leaving the scene of a serious injury accident. The misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.

Soules’ attorney says he could also get a deferred judgment and no jail time when he’s sentenced in January. Soules had been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash, a felony that carries up to five years behind bars.

Soule was arrested after he rear-ended a tractor in April 2017, killing 66-year-old Kenny Mosher. Soules called 911 and waited for first responders, but left before police arrived. Soules appeared on “The Bachelor” and “Dancing With The Stars” in 2015.

Post election Audit to take place in Montgomery County

News

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke reports the Secretary of State’s Office has ordered a post-election audit of the November 6, 2018, General Election in Montgomery County. By random selection, the Absentee and Special Voters Precinct (ASVP) will be the precinct audited.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office will conduct the audit on Thursday, November 15 starting at 8:00 a.m. The audit will take place in the Supervisor’s meeting room in the Courthouse, 105 E Coolbaugh Street, Red Oak.

The proceedings are open to the public.

SHIRLEY A. SCHLATER, 83, of Exira (Svcs. 11/17/18)

Obituaries

November 13th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

SHIRLEY A. SCHLATER, 83, of Exira, died Nov. 5th, at the Exira Care Center. Funeral services for SHIRLEY SCHLATER will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17th, at the Exira Christian Church. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday, Nov. 16th, from 4-until 7-p.m.

Burial will be in the Exira Cemetery.

SHIRLEY SCHLATER is survived by:

Her daughters – Connie Bevil, of Tempe, AZ; and Dian Schlater, of Carroll

Her son – Mitch (Becky) Schlater, of Council Bluffs.

Her brother – Robert (Raydell) Wahlert, of Walford.

Her sister – Ruth Jessen, of Cushing, MN.

10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great grandchild, other relatives, her in-laws, and friends.