MELVIN L. PEARSON, 85, of Stuart died Tues., Apr., 30th at Mercy West Lakes Hospital in West Des Moines. A graveside service for MELVIN PEARSON will be held at 1:00 PM Fri., May 3rd at South Oak Grove Cemetery in Stuart. Johnson Family Funeral Home in Stuart has the arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Stuart Rescue Department, in care of, Johnson Family Funeral Home, Box 246, Stuart, Iowa 50250.
Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.
ELFRIEDA LEE SHAW, 87, of Griswold, died Mon., April 29th, at Methodist Hospital in Omaha.Memorial services for ELFRIEDA LEE SHAW will be held 2-p.m. Fri., May 3rd, at the Central Church of Christ in Griswold. Maher-Livingston Funeral Home in Council Bluffs has the arrangements.
Inurnment will be in the Griswold Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to the Art Dept. of the Griswold Community Schools.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have traded cornerback Javier Arenas to the Arizona Cardinals for fullback Anthony Sherman. A second-round draft pick from Alabama in 2010, Arenas played 47 games in three seasons with the Chiefs, including 12 starts. He had two interceptions and returned kicks for the Chiefs, averaging 21 yards on kickoffs.
Arena started a career-high nine games in 2012, with 59 tackles and a forced fumble. He was third in the NFL in punt returns with a 12.8-yard average in 2011. A fifth-round pick in 2011, Sherman was primarily a blocking back, catching 13 passes for 111 yards and rushing for three yards in two seasons with Arizona. First-year Cardinals coach Bruce Arians brought in a new offensive system that rarely uses the fullback spot.
Red Oak police were called to the intersection of North Broadway and West Oak streets around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officers found 19-year old Katty Perez lying in the street with a stab wound to the right side of her head. The woman was taken to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, and then was transferred to Alegent Creighton Health Creighton University Medical Center by helicopter.
Des Moines, Iowa, May 1, 2013 — John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director for USDA’s Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated today that the Iowa FSA will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending on June 14.
“It continues to be our goal to ensure that we use CRP to address our most critical resource issues” said Whitaker. “Over the last couple of years, our state has experienced both the worst flooding and the worst drought in 60 years. CRP protected environmentally sensitive lands from washing or blowing away. This program, also gave livestock producers extra grazing land when they needed it.”
In addition to erosion control, CRP provides significant water quality benefits including reduced nutrients and sediment loadings and adverse consequences associated with floods as well as expanded and enhanced wildlife habitat.
Currently, about 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP nationwide, 1.5 million acres in Iowa. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. On September 30, 2013, contracts on an estimated 3.3 million acres of CRP nationwide are set to expire; 183,399 acres will expire in Iowa. Producers with expiring contracts or producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP.
Producers whose offers are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance for planting covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract. Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP’s other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up basis. Continuous sign-ups often provide additional financial incentives. Those sign-up dates will be announced later. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit your local FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Dozens and possibly hundreds of Iowa teachers are receiving notices they could lose their jobs in the next school year. School districts are sending layoff notices because of a deadline requiring them to notify teachers by April 30 of possible job losses. District officials say they hope they won’t have to follow through on the job cuts, but the inability of state lawmakers to approve a general school funding level forces them to guess on their budgets for the upcoming year.
Galen Howsare, of the Iowa Association of School Boards, says the group knows of at least 83 teachers who have been sent layoff notices, and the actually figure is likely 150 to 250. This year, school funding has been mired in discussions about Gov. Terry Branstad’s proposed education reforms.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says after a more than two-year long investigation, two Pennsylvania residents who were part-owners of “Whitetail Fantasies,” a hunting guide business, have pleaded guilty to illegal deer hunting charges in Taylor County. Pursuant to a plea agreement, 48-year old David E. Ricker, of Harrisburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to one count of illegal taking of an antlered whitetail deer and one count of fraudulently obtaining a resident deer license. And, pursuant to an earlier plea agreement, 47-year old Jeffrey A. Mealey, of Dillsburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to an illegal possession of an antlered whitetail deer.
Through a jury trial, Ollie Odle Jr., of Bedford, was found guilty of two charges of aiding and abetting of illegal taking of antlered whitetail deer, based upon providing deer licenses/tags to out of state hunters. The defendants were ordered to forfeit the antlers and pay more than $22,600 in fines and liquidated damages. They are suspended from hunting or obtaining any licenses for one year.
The state of Iowa is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, which is an agreement between participating states that prohibits a person whose hunting or fishing privileges are suspended in one state from participating in those activities in 38 other states, including their home state of Pennsylvania.
Conservation Officer Andrea Bevington has been actively investigating cases of non-residents fraudulently obtaining resident licenses and illegally hunting game in Adams and Taylor counties. Changes in the residency laws were implemented in 2009 to identify a growing problem in Iowa of non-residents falsifying records to illegally obtain resident licenses.
Bevington said “The state of Iowa is known for their trophy whitetail deer. This natural resource attracts people from all over the United States and other countries. Unfortunately these trophies sometimes draw individuals here who exploit the resource and break Iowa laws.”
The person suspected of stealing a car late Tuesday morning in Atlantic and leading authorities on a high speed chase faces multiple moving violations. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a 54-year old male resident of the Willow Heights Residential Care Facility, was being held at the Behavioral Health Unit at the Cass County Memorial Hospital, but he was not placed under arrest. The man’s name cannot be released because of HIPPA rules.
Officials say he allegedly stole a 2002 Dodge Intrepid belonging to Jon and Darcy Schwanke, of Atlantic, while the couple was fixing a fence near Willow Heights. The incident began at around 11-a.m. Tuesday. A chase ensued, ending on Highway 71 near Newport Road, when the driver of the stolen vehicle lost control, and the car entered the east ditch. No injuries were reported. The driver was subsequently transported to CCMH for evaluation.
The man received six citations, including: Unsafe Passing; 2 counts of Failure to Obey Stop signs; Reckless Driving; Excessive Speed and Failure to Maintain Control. Additional charges are possible, pending completion of the investigation. Officials say the Schwanke vehicle sustained an estimated $2,600 damage, while a 2009 Dodge Charger driven by Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jon Westering, sustained about $400 damage, when Westering attempted to stop the stolen car.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate has approved a bill that would make it easier for livestock producers to downsize, drawing criticism from environmentalists who say the measure could mean those farms would avoid environmental oversight. In a 43-6 vote on Wednesday, the Senate approved legislation that would allow some livestock producers to close barns and be reclassified as small operations. Then they no would longer need to file plans for manure disposal with the state.
Sen. Joe Seng, a Democrat from Davenport, says the bill will help farmers who want to temporarily shutter some operations. Seng amended the legislation to require producers who want to store manure in idled barns to seek permission.
A version of this bill received House approval. The amended bill will return to the House for review.
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) joins national and local partners in recognizing May as Stroke Awareness Month. Approximately 60,000 Iowans were told by a doctor they had suffered a stroke in 2011, and while the death rate from stroke has been decreasing, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Iowa.
“The most recent data shows stroke causes 5 percent of all the deaths in Iowa – that’s about one stroke every six hours,” said IDPH Director, Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. “Recognizing the symptoms of a stroke and acting quickly to get medical attention can save a life and limit disabilities.”
The signs of stroke are sudden and happen without warning. IDPH recommends you act F.A.S.T. if you or someone with you has the following symptoms:
Additional signs of stroke include sudden confusion, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden dizziness or loss of balance, and sudden severe headache with no known cause. If possible, remember when the individual last appeared normal and when the first stroke symptoms appeared. This is very important in determining the best treatment options and if certain medications can be used.
The IDPH Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program has more information on stroke available at www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/hdsp_home.asp.
(Press Release)
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