More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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The Broadway production of “The Bridges of Madison County” is opening its national tour in central Iowa this weekend and one of the musical’s main stars is an Iowa native. Elizabeth Stanley plays Francesca, the Iowa housewife who has a whirlwind four-day romance with a traveling photographer. Stanley was born in Cedar Rapids, grew up in Denison and has a host of relatives across the state, from Creston to Stanton to Gilbert. She says it was natural for the tour to debut in Des Moines and it’ll be a tremendous holiday homecoming.
“Oh my gosh, it absolutely is,” Stanley says. “It’s really special for me. Even though I lived there about half my childhood, it so really feels like the state that I’m from and where my roots are and generations of my family have been from, so it’s really, really special for me to be there again.” Based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller, the story is set in rural Madison County, famous for its decades-old covered bridges. Since the real bridges of Madison County are a matter of 35 miles from Des Moines, Stanley says she and the entire cast know how necessary it is to start their nine-month national tour here and to give a stellar performance for Iowa.
“Probably no other place we go will people know the story so well and be familiar with it, and in addition to that, really know about the place in which it’s set,” she says. “I think there’s a lot of care and thought that’s put into making it be as authentic as possible.” Her father’s job with the Rural Electric Cooperative forced the family to move several times, and the Stanleys left Iowa for Illinois when she was in junior high. She’s planning to have Thanksgiving dinner with family members at her uncle’s farm in Stanton and Stanley says she’ll likely need to borrow a car.
“It will be imperative that, at some point, I just take a drive and I get lost on some country roads and just spend some ‘alone time’ amongst the fields,” Stanley says, laughing. “It feels kind of right. It’s very similar to where I grew up, even in Illinois, just the rural life and that’s very much what my character is doing also but I happen to like that myself so I’m sure that’ll be happening.” The character Stanley is playing onstage was first portrayed by Meryl Streep in the popular 1995 film, a role for which Streep was nominated for Best Actress. Streep has won three Oscars and is considered one of the world’s greatest actresses, so Stanley realizes many people will compare her Francesca to Streep’s version. At first, she says, that was “terrifying.”
“Usually I don’t watch a film if I know I’m going to be playing that role in some other capacity because I don’t want to confine my creative ideas to what that person has done,” Stanley says. “Sometimes, when you watch a performance, it’s hard to get that version of it out of your head, even subconsciously, but with Meryl Streep I felt -not- scared about that. I thought, you know, fine, I’ll watch the movie and if some of that sticks in my brain, I would be so lucky!” The show opens Saturday and will run through December 5th at the Des Moines Civic Center.
(Radio Iowa)
Jim Field speaks with Lisa Steen Riggs about Julefest coming up in the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton.
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The Iowa Newspaper Association announced their All-State Football honorees on Wednesday. 6 honorary captains were named for each class along with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team honorees in each class.
The honorary captains will be up for the Ed Thomas Mr. Football and they include: 4A- Shaun Beyer, Cedar Rapids Kennedy WR/DB. 3A- Noah Clayberg, Pella QB. 2A- Logan Backhaus, Spirit Lake QB. 1A- Carson Lensing, South Winnishiek DE/TE. A- Colton Dinsdale, Gladbrook-Reinbeck MLB/RB/WR/KR. 8-Man- Ben Specht, MMC QB.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Team honorees from the area in each class are listed below:
CLASS 8-MAN
First Team
RB: Christopher Brown, SR, Glidden-Ralston
DL: Noah Borkowski, SR, Glidden-Ralston
DL: Spencer Brown, SR, Lenox
LB: Drew Buckholdt, JR, Exira/EHK
P: Drew Ticknor, SR, CAM
Second Team
RB: Brandon Riley, JR, Coon Rapids-Bayard
RB: Josh Hopkins, SR, East Mills
OL: Nathan McNamara, SR, Glidden-Ralston
WR: Derek Schurke, JR, Ar-We-Va
LB: Alex Bechtold, SR, Stanton
DB: Carson Cline, SR, Lenox
DB: Brady Hansen, SR, Exira/EHK
P: Sam Philips, JR, Fremont-Mills
Third Team
RB: Mike Ward, SR, East Union
OL: Matt Glockel, JR, East Mills
OL: Isaac McAlister, JR, Coon Rapids-Bayard
LB: Sam Obert, JR, Coon Rapids-Bayard
DB: Parker Powers, JR, Fremont-Mills
CLASS A
First Team
WR/TE: Kyle Dolecheck, SR, Mount Ayr
LB: Riley Wohlers, SR, Logan-Magnolia
DB: Jacob Taylor, SR, Mount Ayr
Second Team
RB: Jake Mulford, SR, Audubon
OL: Jameson Muxfeldt, SR, Logan-Magnolia
DL: Logan Stark, SR, Mount Ayr
LB: Matthew Smith-Petersen, SR, Audubon
P: Nick Wurster, SR, Mount Ayr
Third Team
RB: Brennen Weiland, SR, Nodaway Valley
OL: Cole Jensen, SR, MVAO
OL: Lincoln Lutrick, SR, Mount Ayr
OL: Kole Thompson, SR, Bedford
DL: Jed McCreary, SR, Mount Ayr
LB: Danny Koch, JR, St. Albert
DB: Jarek Richardson, SR, Logan-Magnolia
P: Luke Waters, SO, St. Albert
CLASS 1A
First Team
WR: Tyler Conn, SR, Underwood
DL: Tameron McGurren-Leal, SR, AHSTW
LB: Justin Miller, SR, Missouri Valley
Second Team
QB: Nick Pedersen, SR, Underwood
K: Colin Opstvedt, SR, Underwood
DB: Nathan Herbst, SR, AHSTW
Third Team
OL: Seth Jimmerson, SR, Missouri Valley
OL: Jacob Thraen, SR, IKM-Manning
WR/TE: Nolan Chapman, SR, Treynor
DL: John Reber, SR, Treynor
CLASS 3A
First Team
RB: Chase Shiltz, JR, Creston/O-M
LB: Carter Von Essen, SR, Glenwood
K: Ethan Knudson, SR, Harlan
Second Team
RB: Matt Pauk, SR, Carroll
OL: Caleb Sanders, SO, Glenwood
OL: Reese Fitzpatrick, JR, Carroll
OL: Trevor Downing, SO, Creston/O-M
WR/TE: Mavrick Decker, JR, Glenwood
WR/TE: Dayton Ross, JR, Carroll
DL: Soren Jensen, JR, Carroll
DL: Cole Loeffelbein, JR, Glenwood
LB: Seth Maitlen, SR, Creston/O-M
Third Team
RB: Nick Tarney, JR, Harlan
OL: Max Langenfeld, SR, Harlan
CLASS 4A
First Team
DL: Mitchell Brinkman, SR, Lewis Central
Second Team
K: Caleb Shudak, SR, Lewis Central
Third Team
LB: Mac Southard, JR, Lewis Central
The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Chris Parks.
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The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson
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**FREEZING RAIN & WINTERS STORM WARNINGS are in effect (see the KJAN weather page for details)**
Thanksgiving Day: Rain before 4pm, then freezing rain. Temperature falling to around 31 by 5pm. N @ 15-25mph. New ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.3 of an inch possible.
Tonight: Cloudy w/a snow-freezing rain mix. Low around 22. N @ 15-30. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. N @ 15-25. Wind chill values as low as 5.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. N/NE @ 10-20.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34.
Sat. Night: Mo. Cldy w/a slight chance of freezing rain. Low around 23.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 55. Our 24-hour low ending today at 7-a.m. was 35. We received 0.16” of an inch of rain overnight through 7-a.m. today, here in Atlantic. Last year on this date we reached 28 for a High and 4 was the low. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on this date was 69 in 1990, while the Record Low was -9 in 1898.
Sunrise is at 7:21-a.m.. Sunset is 4:53-p.m.
DANIEL ALLAN SCHIMEROWSKI, 26, of Clinton, died Mon., Nov. 23rd. A Memorial service for DANIEL SCHIMEROWSKI will be held 11-a.m. Sat., Nov. 28th, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home, in Harlan.
The family will greet friends at the funeral home one-hour prior to the memorial service on Saturday (10am-11am).
DANIEL SCHIMEROWSKI is survived by:
His mother – Deb Schimerowski & husband Craig Wehr, of Park View.
His father – Mike Schimerowski & wife Lee Bertoncella, of Earling.
His sisters – Sarah Schimerowski (& Jeff Ryland), of Clinton; Nicole Schimerowski (& fiance’ Evan Miller), of Ames; and Katie Schimerowski, of Park View.
His devoted friend – Dru Redler, of Maquoketa.
His maternal grandfather – Nick Springman, of Portsmouth.
His Paternal grandmother – Mary Lou Schimerowski, of Earling.
DOREEN PETERSEN, 52, of Avoca (& formerly of Council Bluffs), died Tue., Nov. 24th, at the Avoca Nursing & Rehab Center. A Celebration of Life service for DOREEN PETERSEN will be held from 11-am until 1-pm Mon., Nov. 30th, at the Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home, in Atlantic.
Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.
Burial will be in the Atlantic Cemetery.
DOREEN PETERSEN is survived by:
Her father – Dallas Petersen, of Villisca.
Her sons – Channing Petersen, of Red Oak, and Cole Smith.
Her brother – Darryl (Barb) Petersen, of Council Bluffs.
Her sisters – Donna (Scott) Saggs, of Council Bluffs, and Diana (Jared) Jensen, of Omaha.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office says an Afton man reported Nov. 13th, that someone had entered his work trailer parked at his residence. During the incident, an Air compressor, Milwaukee tool set & 5 batteries, DeWalt trim nailer, Big Speed square, siding tabbers, Stiletto hammer, snips, air hose, and shop vac, were taken. The loss was estimated at $2,490.
The incident, which took place sometime after 8-p.m., remains under investigation.