The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released their 2019 All-District Baseball Teams late Tuesday. Here is a look at the lists for each class.
2019 All-District Team Class 4A
2019 All-District Team Class 3A
The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released their 2019 All-District Baseball Teams late Tuesday. Here is a look at the lists for each class.
2019 All-District Team Class 4A
2019 All-District Team Class 3A
(Radio Iowa) — A northwest Iowa ethanol plant suspended production this week “until further notice.” Plymouth Energy in Merrill is one of at least 10 ethanol plants in the country to temporarily shut down. Three others have closed. Monte Shaw is executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. “A lot of the experts say we’ve got about a 10% overage of production and until that production comes off line, the economics aren’t going to improve,” Shaw says.
Shaw says this supply-demand imbalance is caused by waivers federal officials are granting big oil companies — so refiners don’t have to blend as much ethanol into gasoline. “If you look at the demand destruction from these waivers that the Trump Administration has done, for the first time in 21 years, in 2018 the U.S. used less ethanol than the prior year,” Shaw says. “In other words, for 20 straight years we always used more ethanol each and every year than we did the year before here domestically, not talking exports. In 2018, we actually took a step backwards.”
Shaw says the past 18 months have been a very rough on the industry. “A certain portion of the industry has made a little bit of money, barely; some have been just struggling to break even and then there’s a portion of our industry which has been losing real money on a cash basis and you can only do that for so long. Eventually your cash reserves run out and you can’t buy corn and so we did see that come home to roost, even in Iowa.”
The board of Plymouth Energy issued a statement, saying all existing corn contracts will be honored and they hope to resume production “in the not too distant future.” A coalition of groups representing ag and biofuels interests today (Wednesday) asked a federal court to allow a 2018 lawsuit challenging the E-P-A’s management of renewable fuels policy to proceed. Shaw says if E-P-A policy doesn’t change over the next few months, more ethanol plant managers may consider temporarily shutting down production. “This is not good for our economy,” Shaw says. “This is not good for corn prices and things like that, but it’s really tough on the employees whose jobs are in question right now.”
Shaw says if the E-P-A were to adhere to the rules outlined by the Renewable Fuels Standard, there would be an “immediate impact” on corn prices and ethanol production would quickly rebound.
The City Council in Walnut is set to receive a report Thursday evening from Alexis Fleener, with regard to the Walnut Housing Agreement. Fleener is with SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council, based in Atlantic).
The Iowa Department of Economic Development recently announced a federally funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) was awarded to Walnut, amounting to nearly $240,000, for the rehabilitation of six, owner-occupied homes in Walnut. The grant money, for low-income homeowners, can be used for new windows, siding, interior or whatever is needed to make the home safe and livable according to building standards. The city is putting in a match of a little over $10,000 to go towards those six homes.
The CDBG is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In other business, the Walnut City Council will receive an update on, and review, the City’s Infrastructure Needs Study and Strategic Plan, an update on the Welcome Center, and discuss planter maintenance along with City mowing.
The Walnut City Council meeting takes place at City Hall, beginning 5-p.m., Thursday.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A lawyer for the ousted Iowa Department of Human Services director says he’ll file a legal claim alleging he was the victim of whistleblower retaliation. Attorney Tom Duff confirmed Wednesday that he’s representing Jerry Foxhoven, who was asked to step down by Gov. Kim Reynolds last month. Duff said that Foxhoven plans to announce Thursday that he’s filing a wrongful termination claim with the State Appeals Board, the first step toward pursuing a lawsuit against state government.
Duff says that Foxhoven objected to a request to continue to have his agency fund most of the salary of the governor’s deputy chief of staff, Paige Thorson. Duff says that Foxhoven believed the arrangement made sense when he approved it in 2018. But he said that, by June, Foxhoven believed Thorson was no longer furthering the agency’s interests. Duff says that Foxhoven wanted a legal opinion before moving forward with the arrangement.
A spokesman for Reynolds has said that Foxhoven never raised any such concerns and that he was let go because she wanted to move in a new direction.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people were rescued after their inflatable raft overturned on a river in downtown Des Moines. Des Moines Fire Department spokesman Chris Clement says raft was upended Monday night as it went over a low-head dam on the Des Moines River near the Scott Avenue Bridge.
Crews dropped rescue ropes for the man and woman. The two to the ropes and struggled to keep their heads above the onrushing water despite wearing life jackets. Police say rescuers shouted instructions and encouragement as they pulled mightily to maneuver the pair onto a concrete structure and safety.
The two were taken to a hospital and soon released. Authorities have not released the pair’s names.
MONDAMIN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Harrison County have recovered the body of a farmer who died after his tractor flipped over atop him when it ran off a riverbank edge into the Missouri River. The tractor was spotted by people searching for the man Tuesday evening a little more than 2 miles northwest of Mondamin. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 82-year-old Malvern Wallis, who lived in Mondamin. He had been working along the riverbank since 8 a.m., getting the land ready for cattle. It’s unclear when the accident occurred.
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports 27-year old Mauricio Anaya, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested at the Pott. County Courthouse, Tuesday morning. Anaya was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for violation of probation. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail. And, 28-year old Dylan Dijon Carter, of Council Bluffs, presented with a warrant at the Pottawattamie County Jail for violation of probation. He was being held on $6,000 bond associated with two Theft charges. 27-year old Alyssa Mae Jaraz, of Red Oak, was transported from Montgomery County to the Pott. County Jail, where she was wanted on a warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was being held without bond.
There was also four prisoners being held at other correctional facilities, who were transported to the Pott. County Jail to address various warrants. They include:
More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.4MB)
Subscribe: RSS
Due to the rain and lightning this morning, the Schildberg Recreation Area Playground build has been pushed-back a few hours today (Wednesday). Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said you’re welcome to come out for lunch and then work a few hours this afternoon to help assemble the playground equipment, after the storms are expected to have passed.
WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a person who fell under a pickup truck was run over and killed in northeast Iowa. First responders were called to the scene north of Waverly about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday. They were told the pickup driver had driven it forward before learning that the person had fallen beneath it. The Iowa State Patrol hasn’t released the names of those involved.
The investigation is continuing.