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Another Iowa murder trial date set for Nebraska woman

News

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska resident accused of stabbing to death a woman in northwest Iowa has had her trial rescheduled to start June 8. Melissa Camargo-Flores, of Dakota City, Nebraska, is accused of killing 24-year-old Kenia Alvarez-Flores in Sioux City on April 8, 2018. Court documents say Camargo-Flores admitted stabbing Alvarez-Flores. Camargo-Flores told investigators she’d been involved in a relationship with the victim’s boyfriend. Authorities say the two women were not related.

USDA Report 3-5-2020

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

March 5th, 2020 by Jim Field

w/Max Dirks.

Play

MARY MARGARET EILTS, 96, of Council Bluffs (formerly of rural Cumberland) – Svcs. 3/7/20)

Obituaries

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

MARY MARGARET EILTS, 96, of Council Bluffs (formerly of rural Cumberland), died Monday, March 2nd, at home. Funeral services for MARY EILTS will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, March 7th, at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home, in Council Bluffs.

Visitation at the funeral home is on Friday, March 6th, from 5-until 7-p.m., with a Prayer Service at 7-p.m.

Interment is in the Hazel Dell Cemetery.

Memorials in her name may be directed to Timothy Lutheran Church of Council Bluffs, Crescent Fire Department or St. Croix Hospice.

MARY MARGARET EILTS is survived by:

Her daughters – Susanne Eilts, and Jolene (Kevin) Edmonds, all from Council Bluffs.

1 grandchild, 3 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Man accused of killing wife found not competent for trial

News

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of fatally stabbing his wife in Story County has been found not competent for trial. Further evaluation and psychiatric treatment have been requested for 71-year-old Gary Pillman. He’s already pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. Court records say Pillman’s attorney requested the initial evaluation. Investigators have said Pillman killed his wife after an argument in which she told him she was leaving him. The body of 62-year-old Betty Pillman was found Nov. 13 outside the Pillmans’ home in Zearing.

Creston teen transported to the hospital following a collision Wed. afternoon

News

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Creston Police Department say a teen was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center, Wednesday afternoon, following a collision near the Creston High School Parking lot. Police report a 2014 Chevy Impala driven by 40-year old Erin Elizabeth Dodge, of Creston, was traveling east on Townline Road. A 2006 Chrysler Sebring driven by 16-year old Katelynn Nicole Buchanan, of Creston, was pulling out of the C.H.S parking lot, and failed to yield to the oncoming Impala. When she pulled in front of the vehicle, the resulting collision caused a total of $10,000 damage.

Buchanan complained of pain and was transported to the hospital by EMS. She was later cited for Failure to Yield upon entering a through highway.

Red Oak Police/Montgomery Co. Sheriff’s reports (3/5/20) – Juvenile arrested for Terroristic Threats

News

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak Police report Beth Renee Perdue was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the 1200 block of E. Summit Street. Perdue was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Probation Violation, with her bond set at $4,000. She was later transported by Cass County Deputies from the Montgomery County Jail to the Cass County Jail.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says at around 3:20-p.m., Wednesday, a juvenile male was arrested for Terroristic Threats, following an incident at the Southwest Valley Middle School. The male was transported to, and held at, the Juvenile Detention Center, in Council Bluffs.

Skyscan Forecast: Thursday, March 5, 2020

Weather

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

RED FLAG WARNING in effect south of I-80, from Noon until 6-p.m.**Wind Advisory in effect from 9-a.m. to 6-p.m., north of I-80**

Today: Partly cloudy & windy. High 52. NW @ 20-25 w/higher gusts.

Tonight: Fair to P/Cldy. Low 25. Diminishing NW winds.

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. High 50. S @ 10.

Saturday: Mo. Sunny. High 68.

Sunday: P/Cldy. High 68.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 59. Our Low was 26. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 24 and the Low was -6. The record High for March 5th in Atlantic, was 74 in 1921. The Record Low was -31 in 1960.

EVERETT R. NELSON, 94, of Audubon (Svcs. 3/7/20)

Obituaries

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

EVERETT R. NELSON, 94, of Audubon, died Wed., March 4th, at the Friendship Home, in Audubon. Funeral services for EVERETT NELSON will be held 2-p.m. Saturday, March 7th, at the First United Methodist Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family visitation is at 5-p.m., Friday (3/6).

Burial is in the Merrill’s Grove Cemetery, near Fiscus.

EVERETT NELSON is survived by:

His sons – Rodney (Marie) Nelson, of Waterford, VA., & Calvin (Paula) Nelson, of Madrid, IA.

His daughter – Pamela (Bob) Hamburger, of Omaha.

8 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, other relatives & friends.

Boys 3A Substate Basketball Scoreboard 03/04/2020

Sports

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Class 3A Substate 2

Ballard 65, Clear Lake 56

Class 3A Substate 5

Clear Creek-Amana 79, Assumption, Davenport 66

Legislature OKs $85 million boost in general state aid to schools

News

March 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Republicans in the Iowa legislature have taken final action on a plan to increase “per pupil” state spending in Iowa public schools by two-point-three percent next year. It’s an additional 85 million dollars and Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has signaled she’ll sign the bill. Senator Michael Breitbach, a Republican from Strawberry Point, says this batch of state funding goes along with spending approved last month to address some school budget inequities.

“We have a limited number of new dollars that we’re going to be able to spend this year…$235 million. We’re giving $100 million to K-12,” he says. “To me, that’s a pretty good shot in the arm.” All the Democrats in the legislature voted against the spending plan. Senator Herman Quirmbach of Ames says the state could easily afford to send schools more. “But we look at the budget the Republicans have given us and we see their priorities,” Quirmbach says.

Senator Jackie Smith, a Democrat from Sioux City, says this level of general state spending on schools won’t help address the shortage of teachers in critical areas.”This will further add to low wages, or at least not increasing as they should,” Smith said, “and I think we’re going in the wrong direction.” Representative Cecil Dolecheck, a Republican from Mount Ayr, says it’s a matter of priorities. “If you live in a large school district, you’re getting a tremendous amount of money in total,” Dolecheck says. “Use that money like the rural school districts do and hire more teachers. Don’t spend it on administrators and other things like that. That’s what the rural districts have had to do to survive.”

One Republican broke ranks and voted against the plan. Representative Jeff Shipley of Fairfield says legislators are failing to address critical topics like a growing number of obese and diabetic students and students with psychiatric disorders.”Absent a larger discussion of these issues, we can spend as much money as we want on education, but we’re not going to see improving results,” Shipley said.

The state will spend about three-point-four BILLION on public pre-K through 12 schools next year. House Republicans and Governor Reynolds had favored a slightly higher increase of two-and-a-half percent in general state aid, but Senate Republicans voted for two-point-one percent. They compromised in the middle, at two-point-three percent.