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Expanded SNAP benefits ending April 1st

News

March 28th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Food banks and pantries across Iowa are preparing for an uptick in clients as expanded SNAP benefits come to an end by April 1st. According to Iowa DHS, SNAP benefits were increased by a minimum of $95 a month at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to address food insecurity. Now, people will be losing anywhere from $95 a month to upwards of $250.

Last April, the USDA announced the expansion of benefits for people on SNAP. However, when Iowa’s emergency proclamation was not extended in February, it also impacted the federal money coming to Iowa for those expanded SNAP benefits.

The Food Bank of Iowa CEO says that equates to about $27-million less per month coming into Iowa’s economy, from the federal government. Food banks and pantries across the State are still doing their best, despite inflation and supply chain issues, to stock up on supplies.

Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz on quarterback competition

Sports

March 28th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz says whoever is eventually named the starting quarterback will have a better offense to work with. That unit that ranked next to last in the Big Ten last season.

Spencer Petras opened spring drills at the top of the depth chart with Alex Padilla second.

Ferentz is confident in both.

Joe Labas is third on the depth chart.

Iowa State basketball teams recap their seasons

Sports

March 28th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

The future is bright for the Iowa State men’s and women’s basketball teams after runs to the Sweet-16. The Cyclone men closed T.J. Otzerlberger’s first season as head coach with a 22-13 record after a 70-56 loss to Miami in Chicago and Otzelberger credits a roster that bought in.

Otzelberger on how this team will be remembered.

Otzelberger says the Cyclones also handled their share of adversity.

ISU guard Izaiah Brockington hopes this team is remembered as the one that got the program restarted.

The Cyclone women finished 28-7 after a 76-68 upset loss to Creighton in Greensboro, North Carolina. Even if star forward Ashley Joens does not used her COVID season a solid nucleus returns for coach Bill Fennelly.

Fennelly says it was an enjoyable team to coach.

Red Oak Police report, 3/27/22

News

March 27th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, today (Sunday), said a Red Oak man was arrested at around 12:18-a.m. today, for Driving While Revoked. 46-year-old Benjamin Eugene Maxwell was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: March 27, 2022

Weather

March 27th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. North northeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. East southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a southeast wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. East southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Tuesday: A slight chance of rain between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Windy, with an east southeast wind 15 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday Night: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 4am, then rain likely. Low around 40. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 49. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 45. Our Low this morning was 20. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 54 and the Low was 32. The Record High on this date was 85 in 1895. The Record Low was 6 in 1894.

DCI and State Fire Marshal assist City of Clinton with Investigation

News

March 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

Clinton, Iowa –  Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Saturday (March 26), authorities in eastern Iowa are conducting an investigation into a fire and death, in Clinton.

On March 26, 2022 at 6:52 AM, the Clinton Police Department and Clinton Fire department responded to a call of fire/smoke at 78 31st Avenue North. CFD extinguished the fire and one person was found deceased in the apartment

The incident remains under investigation by the Clinton Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Clinton County Sheriff’s office, Iowa State Fire Marshal, Clinton County Medical Examiner’s office and the Clinton County Attorney’s Office.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Franklin County, Iowa

Ag/Outdoor

March 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (March 26, 2022) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Franklin County, Iowa. The virus was found in a flock of commercial pullet chickens.

Flock owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual deaths to state/federal officials. Biosecurity resources and best practices are available at iowaagriculture.gov/biosecurity. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases should also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5305.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. It remains safe to eat poultry products. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kills bacteria and viruses.

 

Crash in Polk County kills 1 person & injures 5 others, w/1 critically hurt

News

March 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

POLK COUNTY, Iowa — A vehicle traveling in excess of 100 mph crashed into an SUV Friday evening in northeast Polk County, causing injuries to a woman, an adult male and two children in the SUV. The driver of the speeding car, a Dodge Charger, died at the scene. Authorities on Saturday identified him as 19-year-old Christopher Nolan Landers, of West Des Moines.

An adult female passenger in the 2017 Ford Explorer SUV was ejected from the vehicle during the impact. She was taken by air ambulance to a hospital where she is in critical condition. The adult male driver and three children were taken to a hospital by ambulance. They are in stable condition. Their names were not immediately released.

A deadly crash occurred at the intersection of NE 46th Street and NE 78th Avenue in rural northeast Polk County around 5:15 p.m., Friday. What’s left of each vehicle was scattered across the roadway and into ditches. The intersection was closed for a few hours for clean-up.

The crash remains under investigation.

2 teens dead following rollover crash in northern Iowa

News

March 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Dakota City, Iowa) – Two people in a pickup truck died early Saturday morning in northern Iowa’s Humboldt County, when the vehicle went out of control and rolled over multiple times. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2005 Chevy pickup driven by 17-year-old Gavin Maines, of Woolstock (Iowa), was westbound on 230th Street at around 6:20-a.m., when Maines failed to negotiate a right hand curve in the road onto Nevada Avenue, southeast of Dakota City.

The pickup entered the west ditch and rolled several time, causing Maines, and his passenger, 18-year-old Madison Fraker, of Algona, to be ejected. They were not wearing seat belts and died at the scene.  The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and Humboldt County Medical Examiner assisted the Patrol at the crash site.

Annual spring wildlife survey underway in Iowa

Ag/Outdoor

March 26th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

Staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are currently conducting their annual nighttime spring spotlight surveys across the state, collecting information on Iowa’s deer and furbearer populations. The annual survey is conducted from mid-March to mid-April in each county, beginning an hour after sunset, preferably on nights with low wind, good visibility and high humidity. The routes cover different habitats from river bottoms, to farm fields, prairies, woodlots, pastures and timber stands.

The 50-mile routes – two per county – are driven below 20 miles per hour with staff shining spotlights out of both sides of the vehicle, recording the number of deer and furbearers seen along with the habitat type, at different points along the way. Staff are careful to avoid shining homes and livestock while on the survey and contact the county sheriff ahead of time in case they receive any calls.

“This survey produces really valuable information on our deer and furbearer populations, both locally and at the state level, allowing us to see population trends over time,” said Jace Elliott, deer research specialist with the Iowa DNR. The survey began in the late 1970s as a way to collect information on the raccoon population, but was expanded to include deer and other furbearers. “It’s an important index that is combined with other data and surveys we use that gives us the most complete picture for these species and guides our management decisions to benefit the resource,” Elliott said.

The survey report will be posted later this summer to the Iowa DNR’s website at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Population-Harvest-Trends