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Trial scheduled in Mason City schools discrimination lawsuit

News

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A trial has been scheduled in 2020 in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a former school district official in northern Iowa. Mason City Schools’ former human resources director Jodie Anderson filed the lawsuit in July, alleging that men employed by the district were being paid more than women for the same categories of work when she examined salary structures in 2015. The lawsuit says that despite receiving “outstanding reviews and received compliments” for her job performance, Anderson’s wage was frozen at $87,550.

The school district argued in a response that Anderson received more than $7,500 in excess pay without board approval, confirmed by a state re-audit. Cerro Gordo County court records say the trial is set to begin Jan. 7, 2020.

Posted in News |

Skyscan forecast & weather data for Atlantic (10/26/18)

Weather

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly cloudy w/scattered areas of light drizzle this morning. High 56. Variable breeze @ 5-10.

Tonight: Partly cloudy to cloudy. Low 40. W @ 5.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 64. SW @ 10-20.

Sunday: Variably cloudy w/light rain in the morning. High 58.

Monday: P/Cldy. High 68.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 49. Our Low this morning (as of 5-a.m.) was 42. Rainfall yesterday into the overnight hours amounted to .16″ at KJAN. Last year on this date our High was 63 and the Low was 33. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 84in 1956. The Record Low was 14 in 1980.

Posted in Weather |

Another convenience store robbed in Council Bluffs

News

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Another convenience store in Council Bluffs has been robbed. Police say the White Oak Station at 2024 5th Avenue was hit at around 3:25-a.m., today. Authorities say a white male between 20- and 25-years of age, entered the store wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with “Mossy Oak” written on the front, a black ski mask, and black pants while displaying a black handgun. The suspect then left the store on foot eastbound with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Oct. 26th robbery images (click to enlarge)

He was described as being five-feet eight-inches tall, with an average build. There were no injuries. The same store was robbed Sunday night by two men, one of whom held a box cutter, the other a table leg. No injuries were reported during the incident.

And, early Wednesday morning, the Kwik Shop located at 3632 Ave G in Council Bluffs was robbed by a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with “Omaha” written on the back, a black mask, and light colored jeans, entered the store while brandishing a silver handgun. The Council Bluffs Police Department is asking anyone with information about these crimes to please call the Criminal Investigation Division at (712) 328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-7867.

Posted in News |

Council Bluffs woman arrested in Red Oak Thursday night

News

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak Police, Thursday night, arrested a woman from Pottawattamie County. 57-year old Cindy Jo Snipes, of Council Bluffs, was arrested a little before 10-p.m. in the 2300 block of Eastern Avenue, for Disorderly Conduct. Snipes was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $300 cash bond.

Posted in News |

High School Football Schedule – First Round Playoffs – 10/26/2018

Sports

October 26th, 2018 by admin

The first round of the Iowa High School Football Playoffs will be contested tonight. All games are set for 7:00pm kickoffs.

CLASS 4A:

Ankeny @ Valley, West Des Moines
Cedar Rapids, Kennedy @ Iowa City, West
Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines vs Fort Dodge (at Des Moines, East)
Indianola @ Cedar Falls
Pleasant Valley @ Bettendorf-Morningstar-Rivermont
Prairie, Cedar Rapids @ Johnston
Southeast Polk @ Ankeny Centennial
Urbandale @ Waukee

CLASS 3A:

Bishop Heelan Catholic, Sioux City @ Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Carroll @ Lewis Central
Clear Creek-Amana @ Decorah
Epworth, Western Dubuque @ Solon
Harlan @ Oskaloosa
Pella @ Xavier, Cedar Rapids
Spencer @ Norwalk
Waverly-Shell Rock @ North Scott, Eldridge

CLASS 2A:

Algona @ Crestwood, Cresco
Chariton @ West Liberty
Greene County @ Benton Community
Kuemper Catholic, Carroll @ PCM, Monroe
OABCIG @ Southeast Valley
Spirit Lake @ Boyden-Hull/Rock VAlley
Union, La Porte City @ Waukon
West Marshall, State Center @ Williamsburg

CLASS 1A:

Sumner-Fredericksburg @ Van Meter
Mediapolis @ Bellevue
Mount Ayr @ Interstate 35, Truro
Pella Christian @ Wilton
South Hamilton, Jewell @ Dike-New Hartford
Treynor @ West Sioux, Hawarden
West Branch @ Osage
West Lyon, Inwood @ South Central Calhoun

CLASS A:

Akron-Westfield @ Westwood, Sloan
Alta/Aurelia @ AHSTW
B-G-M, Brooklyn @ Edgewood-Colesburg
Highland, Riverside @ Durant
Lynnville-Sully @ Hudson
North Tama, Traer @ Newman Catholic, Mason City
Wapsie Valley, Fairbank @ Bishop Garrigan, Algona
West Hancock, Britt @ Hinton

CLASS 8:

Central City @ Don Bosco, Gilbertville
Lenox @ Fremont-Mills, Tabor
Midland, Wyoming @ Iowa Valley, Marengo
New London @ Gladbrook-Reinbeck
Newell-Fonda @ Southeast Warren, Liberty Center
Northwood-Kensett @ Ar-We-Va, Westside
Rockford @ Turkey Valley, Jackson Junction
Stanton @ Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton

Posted in Sports |

Grassley calls for investigation of Avenatti, client over Kavanaugh allegations

News

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Senator Chuck Grassley has asked the Justice Department to investigate high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti and a client who made allegations against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanagh.

Grassley says investigators should look into “a potential conspiracy” to make false statements to congress and obstruct his Judiciary Committee’s investigation of Kavanaugh. Grassley says there were “obvious, susequent contradictions” after Avenatti revealed a client’s allegations.

Avenatti tweeted that he’s ready to start the investigation immediately and Avenatti says it will — in his words — “get to the bottom of Judge Kavanaugh’s lies.”

Posted in News |

Campaign Countdown: three candidates vie for four-year term as state ag secretary

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa Special feature) — This week, Radio Iowa’s Campaign Countdown has been providing snapshots of the statewide candidates Iowans will vote upon November 6th. An incumbent who’s been in the post for seven months faces two challengers in the race to be Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture for the next four years.

Iowa’s long-time State Ag Secretary Bill Northey resigned in March to take a job in the USDA. Governor Reynolds appointed Mike Naig to the post. Naig defeated four competitors at the GOP’s state convention in June to win the Republican nomination for ag secretary. “During this campaign I’ve laid out my vision for the future of agriculture and that is in attracting and inspiring the next generation of Iowans to consider careers in agriculture,” Naig told convention delegates. Naig is a native of the northwest Iowa community of Cylinder.

Tim Gannon, the Democratic Party’s nominee for state ag secretary, is a Mingo native who’s part of his family farming operation in Jasper County. “I’m running because I don’t want to see Iowa become a place where our big cities, our metro areas are doing really well, providing economy opportunity, but all our small towns and rural areas are struggling to keep up,” Gannon said at the Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention in June. Gannon worked for Tom Vilsack in the governor’s office and in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Libertarian Party’s nominee for state ag secretary is Rick Stewart. “We’ve got 82,000 farmers who know who to farm,” Stewart said on The Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. “What the secretary of agriculture needs to know is how to stop the government from telling the farmers how to do their job.” Stewart is a retired businessman from Cedar Rapids.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Midwest Sports Headlines: 10/26/18

Sports

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Just eight games into his professional career, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already earned a reputation for being just as good outside the pocket as inside it. In fact, some of his biggest plays during the Chiefs’ win in Denver a few weeks ago came when Von Miller and Co. forced him to scramble.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska will play a Bethune-Cookman team that has lost its last five games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents by an average of 32 points and has come no closer than three touchdowns in any of them. The game was scheduled on short notice as a replacement for the canceled opener against Akron. The party line in Lincoln this week is that the Cornhuskers aren’t good enough to go through the motions against any opponent.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Broncos did everything right for one half against Kansas City a few weeks ago. Now coach Vance Joseph and his team want another shot at slowing down the high-flying Chiefs for an entire game. If they pull it off Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, it just may turn around their season at the midway point.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self faces a potentially bumpy few months as the FBI’s investigation of corruption in college basketball continues to unwind. Self and the school have not been accused of any wrongdoing, though their names have surfaced in testimony, and that alone could be enough to hurt them on the recruiting trail and in the court of public perception.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Top-ranked Kansas will lean on a team full of newcomers when it begins the season against Michigan State on Nov. 6. The team is hardly inexperienced with transfers such as Dedric and K.J. Lawson finally eligible. The Jayhawks have more talent and depth than last year, when they reached the Final Four, and have every intention of going one step farther this season.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — No. 12 Kentucky has star running back Benny Snell Jr. and a stellar defense to thank for its success this season. The Wildcats take their ground-and-pound attack on the road to face an explosive Missouri team.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, Oct. 26 2018

News

October 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to make his first visit to Iowa since he acknowledged he’s considering seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. Biden is planning to headline a rally in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday for in support of Democratic candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and Congress. The candidates include Abby Finkenauer, a House candidate who worked for Biden during his unsuccessful 2008 campaign for the presidential nomination.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Native American tribe plans to open a casino on the Iowa-Nebraska border next week, despite a pending legal challenge from both states. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the Prairie Flower casino in Carter Lake will open at noon on Nov. 1. The Ponca Tribe announced the opening in a press release Thursday. The project’s first phase will include 9,500 square feet of space, 200 slot-style games and a full-service bar and snack bar.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa hospital is suing the insurance companies that oversee the Iowa Medicaid program claiming they have cost the small rural hospital thousands of dollars in patient revenue by refusing to fully reimburse the hospital for services provided to Medicaid-covered patients. Virginia Gay Hospital located in Vinton also alleges the ineffective appeals process set up by Amerigroup, UnitedHealthcare and AmeriHealth Caritas was “virtually a sham.”

BAGLEY, Iowa (AP) — A Guthrie County mother charged after her 11-month-old son drowned in a bathtub has pleaded not guilty. Court records show Seaira Briceno entered her pleas earlier this month to child endangerment. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says Briceno’s baby drowned Aug. 10 when she left him and his 2-year-old brother in the tub at their Bagley home. Briceno told investigators she left the boys for about five minutes, but deputies believe the children were left alone longer.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque man has been given two years of probation for lying to Medicaid about care he provided for his father. The Telegraph Herald reports that 35-year-old Nicholas Brown also was recently sentenced to a two-year prison term, suspended, and told to pay more than $1,000 in damages to the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

Posted in News |

Ar-We-Va earns trip to Regional Final behind Danner

Sports

October 25th, 2018 by admin

The fourth time was the charm for the ArWeVa Rockets. After three losses to the CAM Cougars during the regular season the Rockets picked up a win when it mattered most in the Class 1A Region 3 Semifinals in Audubon on Thursday night. The Rockets won 3-1 over the Cougars with set scores of 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, and 25-23.

Emilee Danner lead the way for the Rockets with a stellar night at the net. Danner finished with over 15 kills and multiple successful blocks to lead spark the team.

CAM looked strong early jumping out to an early 10-1 lead in the opening set. The Rockets were able to rally back though with three separate 4-point runs to grab their first lead at 18-17. The Rockets had two set points at 24-22 but the Cougars rallied to win the last four points and take the opener 26-24.

The Rockets would grab early leads though in the next three sets. An early 7-point run in the second set built them an insurmountable lead. The Rockets built a 15-7 lead in the third on their way to a win. Then in the Third the Rockets led 5-2 early. The Cougars would tie the fourth set up on a couple of occasions, including at 20-20. The Rockets had two set points to work with at the end and a return attempt by CAM on the second set point sailed left and the Rockets celebrated.

ArWeVa improved to 17-10 and advanced to the Regional Final in Boone next Tuesday night. The Rockets will face Gladbrook-Reinbeck, another team that avenged three regular season losses to their opponent North Tama in the semifinals with a 3-0 sweep.

CAM’s season ends with a record of 26-10. The Cougars say goodbye to a stellar senior class that made appearances in the Regional Semifinals the past two seasons.

Posted in Sports |