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New state funding distribution plan proposed for community colleges

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that would let the leaders of Iowa’s community colleges would meet every fall to decide how state funding will be distributed among the 15 institutions. Senator Tim Kraayenbrink, a Republican of Fort Dodge, says the presidents and chancellors asked to get rid of the distribution formula that’s set in state law. “A hundred percent of the presidents in our community agreed to this change,” Kraayenbrink said. “I think it’s 100% of anyone to agree on anything when it comes to funding for their institutions, so I thought that was fairly impressive.” Kraayenbrink says while the legislature this year approved a general level of funding that equals about 35-hundreds of dollars per student, the money is distributed differently due to the formula.

“That distribution between all of our community colleges come in somewhere between 75% of that $3500 and 170% of that $3500 for some of our schools,” Kraayenbrink says. Senator Claire Celsi, a Democrat from Des Moines, was the only senator to oppose the plan.  “This bill would essentially allow a backroom meeting for community colleges to decide their own funding,” Celsi says.

If the bill becomes law, at least 10 of the 15 community college chief executives would have to agree by October 31st on how state funding in the following academic year would be distributed. If the community college leaders can’t agree, officials in the Iowa Department of Educaion would make the decision. This plan will have to get House approve and be signed into law by the governor before it could take effect.

February unemployment drops

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The numbers from February show a slight drop in the state’s unemployment rate. Iowa Workforce Development spokesman Jesse Dougherty. “The unemployment rate reached two-point-nine percent (2.9%). So that’s an improvement from the three percent (3%) we saw in the first month of the year,” he says. “And with that, there were fewer Iowans who reported that they were unemployed.  The number of people in the labor force did drop around 39-hundred for February. “In looking at the data, that the vast majority of those who did leave were 16 to 24. And the majority of reason they left was for school or taking classes,” Dougherty says. “And that’s a trend that tends to trickle in, in January and February. ”

He says employers reported 11-thousand new jobs in February.  “There were several main areas accommodation and food services, that’s eating and drinking establishments, led the way with 44-hundred. We saw both education and health care add jobs, just over a thousand jobs each. We also saw construction at 11-hundred jobs as constructions going really strong, as well as a couple of other areas,” Dougherty says.

There have been some recent layoffs announced, including around 13-hundred workers at the Tyson plant in Perry. Dougherty says the impact of the Perry layoffs won’t be know for awhile as they are set for June. He says the Perry layoffs and others are a concern, but he says they are not believe to be a negative overall indicator. “You know, from what we understand right now, we think those are more about specific challenges facing certain industries, and not a widespread economic issue across Iowa,” He says. “You know it’s evidence in last month’s report, and we also saw, if you look at prior to January, which had a drop in retail coming out of the holiday, we also had beyond that there was several months of job growth overall. So we think based on that trend, you know, we’re not seeing any major issues of concern for those employers and those industries.”

The U-S unemployment rate increased to three-point-nine percent (3.9%) in February.

GC School Board approves 2024-25 Master Calendar & Adjusted 2023-24 Calendar

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie Center School District’s Board of Education met Wednesday night and held a public hearing on the 2024-25 District Master Calendar. Superintendent Josh Rasmussen said there were no comments received.

In addition to approving the calendars as presented, the Board approved the resignations of Zach Brandt – HS Teacher and Coach (effective at the end of the current school year), and Brandy Clark – Special Education Para educator. They also approved some contract recommendations.

The Board discussed replacing Weight Room Equipment and how it is purchased.

In other business, the Board set April 17th and 7-p.m., as the date and time for a public hearing on the 2024-25 Certified Budget. They also approved the purchase of a Digital signs to replace older signs that aren’t easily fixable.

In the final order of business, the Guthrie Center Board approved the purchase of a new 77-passenger school bus from Bluebird, in the amount of $129,971.

Lipsey One of Four Finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year

Sports

March 21st, 2024 by admin

ATLANTA – The list of four finalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award has been announced and it includes a Cyclone. Iowa State sophomore Tamin Lipsey made the final list, announced Thursday morning.

Lipsey is the only sophomore on the list, joining three seniors. He is joined on the list by Zach Edey (Purdue), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton) and Jamal Shead (Houston). The winner will be announced on April 7 at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Phoenix Art Museum during the Final Four.

Earlier this week, Lipsey was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. Lipsey is the first Cyclone to earn All-American honors since Marial Shayok in 2019 and the first Cyclone to earn AP All-America honors since Georges Niang in 2016.

The awards have been rolling in for Lipsey, who was selected to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team this past weekend after leading the Cyclones to their sixth Big 12 Championship. He was also named an NABC First Team All-District selection.

Lipsey has been stuffing the stat sheet all season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. He is one of just 14 NCAA Division I men’s basketball players since 1996-97 to average those numbers in a season. Lipsey has also been named to the All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team this season.

The No. 4 Cyclones return to action Thursday night, facing South Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Iowa State is seeded second in the East Region, while the Jackrabbits are a No. 15 Seed. Tipoff is set for 6:35 p.m. in Omaha and will be broadcast on truTV.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Advisory Board receives Harl Holt park update; Schildberg Trail Mileage Signs & Sunnyside Pool pump

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Advisory Board met Monday afternoon. During their regular monthly session, the Board received an update from Parks and Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen, with regard to the Harl Holt Park “Pour and Play” playground safety equipment and installation.

Christensen said the advantage of the Pour and Play safety product over wood chips, is that it doesn’t dissolve, and is long-lasting.

Christensen reported also, a new pump and sand for the Sunnyside Pool have been ordered.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Advisory Board meeting, 3-20-24 (Left to right: Jeff Christensen, Ali Pieken, Kevin Ferguson, Mike McDermott, Dolly Bergmann, Emily Kennedy, and (Center) Rich Tupper.

The Parks Advisory Board received a request from Carrol Garrett, for a model solar system to be installed at the Schildberg Recreation Area, dedicated to memory of her husband John.

Christensen said some initial discussions have taken place about where sculptures of the planets could be located.

While the big picture will eventually be hashed-out, the Parks Advisory Board the budget should be set at no more than $6,000. And, Frank Saddlemire reported to the Advisory Board that a couple of distance signs for the Schildberg Recreation Area that had been installed years ago, became very weathered and faded. They had been removed. Saddlemire missed them, and graciously donated new signs to replace those that were outdated and removed.

The signs are specifically designated for each end, with mileage included from each point.

On another note, the Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department and the Atlantic Animal Shelter will host their annual Easter Egg Bone Hunt on March 30th. The event takes place at the Buck Creek Dog Park in Atlantic, beginning at 10-a.m. Dogs will hunt for eggs with treats in them, and the cost to participate is $1 per dog. Proceeds go to the Atlantic Animal Shelter. All dogs must be on a leash, and dogs should be up to date on their vaccinations. Owners should bring a bag to carry all the treats their dogs find, and prize drawings will also be held during the event.

LeILA JUNE ZIMMERMAN, 83, of Council Bluffs (Svcs. 3/22/24)

Obituaries

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

LeILA JUNE ZIMMERMAN, 83, of Council Bluffs, died Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. Funeral services for LeILA ZIMMERMAN will be held 11-a.m. Friday, March 22nd, 2024, at the Oakland United Methodist Church. Rieken-Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland is assisting the family.

Visitation with the family is on Friday, from 10-until 11-a.m. at the Oakland United Methodist Church.

Lunch will immediately follow the funeral service.

Interment is in the Oaklawn Cemetery at 1:30-p.m., Friday.

LeILA ZIMMERMAN is survived by:

Her husband – Gerald Zimmerman, of Council Bluffs.

Her daughters – Denise (Wes) Hunziker, of Milford, and Terri (Bret) Sherkenbach, of Carson.

Her son – Craig (Karen) Zimmerman, of Oakland.

Her sisters – JoAnn Lockwood, and Sandra Madron.

6 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Heartbeat Today 3-21-2024

Ag/Outdoor, Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

March 21st, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Cass County Master Gardener Judy Kennedy about the Master Gardener Scholarship program.  Applications are due April 1, 2024.

Play

Woman accused of lighting fire on porch after no answer at ‘friend’s’ house

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Burlington, Iowa) – A Burlington woman is facing criminal charges for lighting a fire on the porch of house she believed was her friend’s. According to the Burlington Police Department, the incident occurred just after 4:30pm on March 19, 2024. The resident of 2224 Vineyard in Burlington called DESCOM after she received an alert of motion from her security camera. The resident, who was not home at the time, watched video from her security camera as a woman lit a fire on the resident’s porch. The resident said she did not know the woman and had never seen her before.

Officers from the Burlington Police Department and Burlington Fire Department were dispatched to 2224 Vineyard and when they arrived, they found Michelle Young, 46, standing on the porch. Young told officers her friend lived there and admitted to setting a fire on the porch. Young told officers the items she set on fire were miscellaneous items she picked up while walking in the area.

Michelle Young (Burlington PD photo)

Officers were able to view the video from the security camera and positively identified Young as the person who had started the fire. Michelle Young was arrested and during her arrest, officers discovered Young was in possession of drug paraphernalia. The fire department quickly extinguished the fire and there was minimal damage to the porch.
Young was charged with Reckless Use of Fire, a serious misdemeanor, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.

Bill to help Perry Schools recover advances in Iowa Senate

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – After January’s shooting, the Perry Community School District reached out to other schools that dealt with similar tragedies. They found many staff members often decide to leave. A bill passed by the Iowa House would allow the Perry Community School District to give teachers a bonus to come back next year. The bill also waives certain state requirements for the district like some standardized testing, graduation, and hours of instruction.

The bill passed the House in a 94 to 1 vote. Over in the Senate, it passed out of the Ways and Means Committee Wednesday afternoon. It can now be brought up on the Senate floor for a vote.

Johnson County Sheriff’s Office: Iowa DCI assisting in inmate death investigation

News

March 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into the death of an inmate in the Johnson County Jail after an apparent medical emergency last week. According to a release from Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel, 36-year-old Nathaniel Davis Jr. was booked into the jail on March 10 to serve a seven-day sentence. On March 14 at approximately 6:10 p.m., Davis had an apparent medical emergency, and a deputy watching a camera monitor saw Davis fall over in his cell. When jail staff responded to Davis’ cell and determined he was having a medical emergency, they began CPR and applied an automatic external defibrillator. An ambulance was also called at this time.

Davis was transported to University of Iowa Hospital, where he died on March 19. According to Kunkel’s release, his office has requested the DCI investigate the incident. An autopsy will be conducted by the Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office and the State Jail Inspector has been notified.