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Iowa State football ready for spring practice

Sports

March 18th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The Iowa State football team is embracing high expectations as spring practice begins this week. A young Cyclone squad stumbled early before finishing in a tie for fourth in the Big-12 race and 7-6 overall after losing to Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. Nearly all the key players return for next season.

That’s ISU coach Matt Campbell who says they have experience handling high expectations in past years.

Campbell says last season was a huge boost of confidence for the returning players.

Campbell admits there is a good feeling around the program heading into spring drills.

Among the key returnees is reigning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the year Rocco Becht at quarterback who says the Cyclones welcome the expectations.

Becht says building consistency is a key for the offense this spring.

Becht says a 36-26 loss to Memphis in the Liberty Bowl has served as motivation in the off season.

Iowa State’s spring game is April 20th at Jack Trice Stadium

Posted in Sports |

Spring arrives tomorrow, but a snowstorm may arrive this weekend

News, Weather

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Don’t put away those heavy coats, shovels and snow-melt just yet. Tomorrow (Tuesday) marks the first day of spring, but it’s possible a large area of Iowa will be digging out from a winter-weather storm in less than a week. Meteorologist Katie Gross, at the National Weather Service office in Omaha, says they’re following a developing weather system that may arrive over Iowa next Sunday, and could last into the following Tuesday.

“The whole system is still kind of up in the air, with all the models not quite agreeing on what exactly is going to play out just yet,” Gross says. “The best consensus we’ve got so far is that there’s probably going to be some snow falling over parts of northern Iowa, with maybe some heavier rain across the rest of the state.” The computer models are not lining up as to the location of the rain-snow line, but for the moment, it appears the northern few tiers of Iowa counties may see snow late next weekend.

“We are not really certain where exactly this will set up,” Gross says. “If the whole system shifts south, more of Iowa could see snow. If it moves north, more of Iowa will be kind of stuck in that warmer air and get some heavier rain.” She says there is still substantial uncertainty with the storm track, but one thing is sure, Mother Nature often doesn’t pay attention to the calendar.

“This time of year, we’re just kind of in that flux between winter and spring,” Gross says. “It kind of bobs back and forth between the two for a few weeks here.” She suggests you keep a close eye on the forecast throughout the week as the details become more clear.

Posted in News, Weather |

BRUCE MARTIN, 68, of Hancock (Memorial Svc. 3/22/24)

Obituaries

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

BRUCE MARTIN, 68, of Hancock, died Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Northcrest Care & Rehabilitation. A Memorial service for BRUCE MARTIN will be held 4-p.m. Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca.

The family will greet friends at the funeral home on Friday, from 3-until 4-p.m.

BRUCE MARTIN is survived by:

His wife – RoJeane Martin, of Hancock.

His daughter – Kimberly Martin, of Council Bluffs.

Posted in Obituaries |

Iowa State women will play Maryland in NCAA Tournament

Sports

March 18th, 2024 by admin

The Iowa State women will play Maryland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Stanford. The Cyclones are the seventh seed in the Portland region. They are 20-11 after last Tuesday’s loss to Texas in thew Big 12 championship game.

 

That’s senior guard Hannah Bellanger. Freshman forward Addy Brown says the competition in the Big 12 is good preparation for the NCAA Tournament.

 

Two seed Stanford plays Norfolk State in the other first round game.

Posted in Sports |

Low water, high temperatures a concern for trout stocking

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R has already been keeping an eye on water temperatures for their urban trout stocking program, and now they are facing potential problems stocking the trout’s natural habitat. Northeast Iowa Fisheries Supervisor, Mike Siepker, says his team is cautious about when and where they’ll be stocking more than 300-thousand fish in area streams. “This is kind of uncharted territory. We’ve had droughts in the past, but for staff that are here now this is kind of a new thing where we’re dealing with these low stream conditions and what could potentially be a really warm summer,” as he says.

Trout thrive in cooler water. Many of the D-N-R’s hatcheries in the region rely on groundwater reserves, which are also low and could also be a problem.  “They’re spring-fed flows that feed the hatcheries, so we’ve already had discussions at the hatcheries that if the droughts continue, how will we adjust our practices at the hatchery to take advantage of the water that we have,” Siepker says.

Siepker says one of solutions is staggering the 18-month hatching and growth window across multiple sites, which would ultimately use less water. They D-N-R also stocks one to two-thousand trout in nine different lakes around the state as a way to introduce people to trout fishing. They are watching the water temperatures in those lakes, as lower water levels and unseasonably high temperatures could warm the lakes up.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Traffic stop in Clarinda results in the arrest of a Missouri man on drug charges

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports officers with the Clarinda P-D conducted a traffic stop at around 2:30-p.m., Saturday (March 16), at the intersection of 16th and Orange Streets, and arrested a man on drug charges. 40-year-old Matthew Lee Gusman, of Kansas City, Missouri, was taken into custody after drugs were located in the vehicle he was driving.

Gusman is charged with felony possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and failure to have the required drug tax stamps. He was booked into the Page County Jail and held on $100,000 bond, pending the filing of formal charges by the Page County Attorney.

“All defendants are presumed innocent under our system of criminal justice until found guilty in a court of law.”

Posted in News |

Restaurant in Adair makes the Top 10 Iowa Best Burgers list!

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Ames, Iowa) – From quaint hometown diners to upscale urban eateries, the competition was fierce as the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association accepted nominations for the 15th annual Iowa’s Best Burger contest. This year’s contest saw record-breaking engagement, with more than 7,500 burger enthusiasts casting their ballots, underscoring the deep-seated love and passion for beef in Iowa. The restaurants making the 2024 Top Ten finalists list (in alphabetical order) include:

  • Big Head Burger, Waterloo
  • Chuckwagon Restaurant, Adair
  • Flight Bar + Grille, Huxley
  • Houston’s On Main, Milo
  • JJ’s Tavern + Grill, Ankeny
  • Lucile’s at The Continental Hotel, Centerville
  • The Flying Elbow, Marshalltown
  • The Market at the Tap, Monticello
  • Wilder at Graduate Hotel Iowa City, Iowa City
  • Williamson Tavern, Williamson

Kylie Peterson, Director of Marketing for the Iowa Beef Industry Council, says “More than 500 restaurants were nominated during this year’s voting process. This year’s Top Ten restaurants are award-winning worthy, but are only a few of the many restaurants in Iowa that do an outstanding job of promoting and serving our beef products to their customers on behalf of Iowa’s beef farmers.” To qualify, the burger must be a 100% real beef patty served on a bun or bread product. Burgers may include any combination of condiments, sauces, cheese or toppings. In celebration of the contest’s 15th anniversary, we allowed all previous Iowa’s Best Burger winners the chance to compete in the 2024 contest.

Three of the Top Ten restaurants are past Iowa’s Best Burger winners, including Chuckwagon Restaurant (2016), The Flying Elbow (2022) and Flight Bar + Grille (2023). Only one of the remaining restaurants, Lucile at The Continental Hotel, has been a previous Top Ten Iowa Best Burger qualifier.

The final phase in the quest for the 2024 Iowa’s Best Burger will now begin. All Top Ten restaurants will be visited by a panel of anonymous judges who will evaluate the burgers based on taste, appearance, and proper doneness (160 degrees Fahrenheit). The judges’ scores and comments will be accumulated and the winner will be announced on May 1 to kick off May Beef Month.

As beef remains a cornerstone of Iowa’s economy, events like Iowa’s Best Burger contest serve as a testament to the dedication and passion of Iowa’s cattlemen and food service providers working together to provide memorable and delicious beef eating experiences.

Previous Iowa’s Best Burger winners include: 2023 – Flight Bar + Grille of Huxley; 2022 – The Flying Elbow of Marshalltown; 2021 – Bambino’s of Ossian; 2020 – Twisted Tail Steakhouse & Saloon of BeeBeeTown; 2019 – Wood Iron Grille of Oskaloosa; 2018 – Café Beaudelaire of Ames; 2017 – The Smokin’ Hereford BBQ of Storm Lake; 2016 – The Chuckwagon Restaurant Adair; 2015 – The Cider House of Fairfield; 2014 – Brick City Grill in Ames; 2013 – 61 Chop House Grille in Mediapolis; 2012 – Coon Bowl III in Coon Rapids; 2011 – Rusty Duck in Dexter; and 2010 – Sac County Cattle Company of Sac City.

To learn more about the contest and the Top Ten restaurants, visit www.iabeef.org.

Posted in News |

Busy agenda for Wednesday’s Atlantic City Council Meeting (3/20/24)

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council has had relatively short agendas during their past few meetings, but that changes with their session set for this Wednesday at 5:30-p.m. in their Chambers at City Hall, in Atlantic. There are Public Hearings scheduled with regard to: The submission of a CDBG application for an AMU Clearwell Water Project; The plans, specifications and form of contract for the Atlantic SplashPad; and on a proposal to Enter into a General Obligation Solid Waste Management Loan Management Agreement.

There are also Resolutions to consider and act on, including:

  • Approving the aforementioned plans, specifications and form of contract for the Atlantic SplashPad, and Awarding a contract for project.
  • A resolution setting the date for Public Hearings and Additional action on proposals to Enter into a General Obligation Loan Agreement and to Borrow Money,” with regard to a new Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Fund. (See details in the PDF link below).
  • A resolution “Taking additional action on a proposal to Enter into a General Obligation Solid Waste Management Loan Management Agreement and Providing for the Levy of Taxes.”
  • and, a resolution “Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Barb Barrick to temporarily provide City Clerk consulting services for the City of Atlantic.”

Read more about the upcoming meeting here: City Council Agenda Packet March 20, 2024-compressed_1

Posted in News |

Ernst seeks new Senate GOP leadership role

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Republican Joni Ernst is seeking the number three leadership position among her G-O-P peers in the U-S Senate. “This is the main communicator job or position for the Republican  Conference in the Senate,” Ernst says.

Ernst is currently the fourth-ranking G-O-P Leader and her title is Senate Republican Policy Committee chair. Her decision to seek a higher rung on the leadership ladder in the next congress comes after Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell announced he would step down as Senate Republican leader at the end of the year. As G-O-P conference chair, Ernst would help guide the message Republicans present to voters.

“This is a great opportunity for me to communicate what’s going on in middle America. We’re tired of hearing all about the coastal elites,” Ernst says. “It is time to hear directly from folks in Iowa, hear what’s going on on the ground.”  Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton is seeking the same position as Ernst. “It is a competition. It is an election and we have all the way ’til this fall to get our message out,” Ernst says. “It is going to be a very long campaign for this leadership position, but I’m up for the challenge.”

Ernst was reelected to a second term in the U-S Senate in 2020. She has not announced whether she’ll run for reelection in 2026.

Posted in News |

Gov. Reynolds and First Gentleman Invite Iowans to Terrace Hill’s Annual Egg Hunt on the Hill

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds and First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds invite Iowans to join them for Terrace Hill’s Annual Egg Hunt on the Hill Saturday, March 23 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm.  The Egg Hunt on the Hill event is for children ages 1 to 10, and children must be accompanied by an adult. This is a free event. Families wishing to attend must RSVP by e-mail only to molly.thompson@governor.iowa.gov. Please include first and last names of each attendee and the age of each child. Guests should dress appropriately for the weather and bring their own sack or basket to collect eggs.

Guests will enjoy photos with the Easter Bunny, meeting Governor Kim Reynolds and First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds, eggs on a stick from the Iowa Egg Council, balloon animals, and most of all: the Easter egg hunt.

Space is limited to 150 children, and registration will close once capacity is reached.

Posted in News |