United Group Insurance

Glenwood Police report: 3 arrests, 1 accident

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department says three people were arrested over the weekend. On Saturday, 21-year-old Ethan Wyatt, of Glenwood, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. He posted a $1,300 bond and was released. Also arrested Saturday, was 30-year-old Sandon Slater, of Glenwood. Slater was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He posted a $1,000 bond and was released.

On Sunday, Glenwood Police arrested 32-year-old Elisabeth Coffey, of Glenwood, for OWI/1st offense. Coffey was taken into custody following a crash that took place a little after 1-a.m., Sunday, in the area of 4th and Linn Streets, in Glenwood. A Glenwood Police Officer was providing assistance with a traffic stop, when he heard a crash. He proceeded around the block and upon arrival, noticed a 1993 Ford Crown Victoria had struck a mailbox. The driver’s side of the Crown Vic and the left front side of a legally parked & unoccupied 2007 Chevy Malibu about 20-yards to the south of the Ford, were damaged.

Coffey was checked-out by paramedics but refused treatment. She was transported to the Mills County Jail and later posted a $1,000 bond. Damage from the incident amounted to $7,100 altogether.

State universities meet increased demand for on-campus living

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa’s public universities are seeing increased interest in on-campus living from new and returning students, citing convenience and satisfaction with offered resources by their colleges. Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa have all reported expecting higher numbers of students living in their residence facilities, in part due to more returning students wishing to stay on campus. At UNI, a near-record number of returning students submitted housing contract renewals, about 15% more than last year, a news release stated.

In total, UNI is predicting around 3,200 students will choose to live on campus, almost 3% more than its current occupancy and the highest number since 2018. UNIy housed 3,114 students according to its fall census, and its capacity is 3,594. In a recent presentation to the Iowa Board of Regents, he said the university is expected to be at close to 90% occupancy this fall, the highest since 2016. UNI has offered a financial incentive to students thinking about staying on campus past their freshman year — the Live 2 Succeed program. Students who live in university housing for a second year will receive a $1,000 scholarship, broken into $500 chunks in the fall and spring semesters, and priority room selection each year after their first living on campus.

More than half of UNI’s new residents are choosing to participate in the Live 2 Succeed program. High costs off campus could also be a reason to live in university housing, Rafanello said, especially rising food prices due to inflation. With rent, utilities and even commuting becoming more expensive, the price tags of living on and off campus are similar. It makes sense students would go with the option that affords them more, he said.

ISU converts single rooms to doubles

Iowa State University housed just over 10,000 students in the fall, according to Vice President for Campus Life and Director of Residence Michael Harwood. That’s about 96% of the university’s capacity. ISU is seeing increased interest in on-campus housing, especially from returning students, prompting the college to shift some rooms from single to double occupancy. Around 150 spaces are being made available to meet the greater need, and the residence system governance report stated this would bring the university’s capacity to 10,566. ISU is expected to reach about 97% capacity in fiscal year 2025, according to the report, or just over 10,250 students. According to research from ISU, students who live on-campus have a 34% higher retention rate, 38% higher four-year graduation rate and 5% higher grade-point average than students who live off-campus.

UI keeps residence hall open

High numbers of returning students wanting to live on campus and record numbers of admissions applications have led the University of Iowa to keep Mayflower Residence Hall open another year, while keeping it on the market for sale. More than 1,500 students have applied to live on campus another year according to UI spokesperson Steve Schmadeke. The UI has also heard anecdotally that students are staying on campus for its location, support systems and not having to deal with rent and cooking. Von Stange, UI assistant vice president for student life and senior director of university housing and dining, said at a board of regents meeting that 94% of respondents to a student satisfaction survey would recommend on-campus living to new students.

Schmadeke said the university is also seeing a record number of applications from prospective students. The UI began the 2023-24 school year at 98% capacity, and according to a board of regents residence system governance report, the university is forecast to be at full capacity this fall with the increase in students living on-campus and the closure of Parklawn Hall due to lack of interest from students.

The UI expects to have enough space to accommodate all students wishing to live on-campus, according to Schmadeke.

Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting set for March 19th

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Cass County are slated to meet at 9-a.m. on Tuesday March 19th in the Courthouse Board Room in Atlantic. Their agenda is as follows:

The order of agenda items may change based on when personnel are available and when time allows.
1. Call to order
2. Approve Agenda
3. Approve minutes from the March 5, 2024 meeting
4. Public Comments
5. Monthly report by Jotham Arber on Environmental Health
6. Presentation by Tim Miller, with the Anita Food Pantry, requesting funds to pave access the property
7. Approve Resolution 2024-07 Abatement of Taxes for 405 Cherry Street in Atlantic, IA under Iowa Code 445.16
8. Report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken
9. Monthly report by Debbie Schuler on General Assistance and Mental Health for the month of February
10. Appoint Peter Smith to Cass County Condemnation in Eminent Domain for the 2024 term
11. Supervisor Committee Reports
12. Filed Reports: Clerk of Court
13. Approve claims
14. Adjournment
15. Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 2, 2024

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Two Sioux City projects bring 70+ apartments, with hundreds more needed

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Construction is underway on two new housing projects in northwest Iowa to help ease the housing crunch, but many more units are needed in that region — and statewide. Amy Keairns, the neighborhood services supervisor for the City of Sioux City, says they’re helping developers pay for two apartment buildings, including converting an old high school. “There will be 71 total units of affordable housing created,” Keairns says, “but there is such a need in our community for affordable housing.” Keairns says that demand extends throughout the state. The two projects will also include a total of eight units for people who are homeless, including outreach services.

“So, they can be self-sufficient and then hopefully living on their own,” she says. Sioux City awarded two contractors more than one-point-two million dollars in American Rescue Plan money to help pay for the two apartment buildings. Keairns says she wishes they could do more. “We’re limited on the dollars that we receive,” Keairns says, “and we’re always seeking out other opportunities for additional funding and additional partnerships to try and do even more as far as new housing units and services as well.”

The apartments will be ready for people to move in next year. The Iowa Finance Authority estimates that by 2030, there will be a statewide shortage of 55-thousand rental homes for lower-income Iowans. Now, more than 20% of the lowest earners spend more than half of their income on housing.

Union County man arrested on drug charges in Union County

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Mount Ayr, Iowa) – The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from neighboring Union County was arrested Thursday night on drug charges, following a traffic stop. Authorities say 46-year-old Veron Thomas Nellis, of Arispe, was arrested just before 8-p.m., after the Ringgold County K-9 Unit (K9 “Scoty” and his handler, Deputy Ethan Baker), conducted a free air search of a vehicle Nellis was driving, that was pulled-over for a traffic offense.
After “Scoty” alerted to the presence of narcotics, a search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of drugs and paraphernalia, along with burglary tools. Nellis faces charges that include:
  • Possession of Controlled Substance–3rd or Subsequent Offense (‘D’ Felony)
  • Possession of Burglar’s Tools (Aggravated Misdemeanor)
  • Possession of Controlled Substance-Cannabidiol-1st Offense (Serious Misdemeanor)
  • (2 counts) Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drug (Serious Misdemeanor)
  • and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple Misdemeanor).
His cash-only bond was set at $10,000.

Vernon T. Nellis

*Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Search & Rescue crews find a body in a burned-out Jasper County home

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

COLFAX, Iowa — [KCCI]  A body was found by search and rescue crews in the debris of a home destroyed by fire Saturday, in rural Jasper County. According to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, a fire at a residence in the 8800 block of 52nd Avenue West, near Colfax, was reported around 10:45 p.m. Saturday. When fire crews arrived, they found the home fully engulfed in flames with at that time, was an unknown number of occupants.

As crews worked to put out the fire, they learned there may be one individual inside the home. Crews from several agencies worked throughout the night conducting a search and recovery for the occupant, but the process was slowed by the heat of the fire and the removal of debris by heavy equipment.

At approximately 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, crews located the body of a deceased individual in the home’s basement. The remains will be taken to the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny for identification and autopsy.

The fire remains under investigation.

 

Montgomery County Board of Supervisors March 19th meeting agenda

News

March 18th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will meet at 8:30-a.m. Tuesday, March 19th, in their Board Room at the courthouse in Red Oak. On their agenda for the morning, is the following:

  1. Call meeting to order

  1. Pledge of Allegiance

  1. Roll call of members

  1. Approval of Agenda – Order at discretion of Chairman

  1. Read minutes as presented. Chairman to call for any additions/corrections to said minutes.

  1. Board chairman will ask the audience for any comments, limited to two minutes per person.

  1. Supervisors: Weekly committee/assignment updates

  1. Secondary Roads Update

  1. Jan Norris – Pipeline comments

  1. Veteran Affairs Update

  1. New Business

    1. Approve 2024-11 Resolution for TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE DETOUR L-SC702-69

    2. Approve Secondary Roads FY2025 Iowa Department of Transportation Budget

    3. Approve Secondary Roads FY2025 5 Year Construction Plan.

  1. Discuss and start agenda items for next meeting

  2. Announcements – The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 8:30 a.m.

  3. Adjournment

*Please note, this is a public meeting; however, it may be conducted via ZOOM

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Heartbeat Today 3-18-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

March 18th, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Kelsey Beschorner about Atlantic preparations for the RAGBRAI visit this summer.

Play

MILLER BUZZER BEATER LIFTS BULLDOGS TO NINTH MVC TOURNAMENT TITLE IN PROGRAM HISTORY

Sports

March 18th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

MOLINE, Ill. – The Drake University women’s basketball team continued their March magic today with a dramatic victory over Missouri State in the MVC Tournament title game. The top-seeded Bulldogs survived a late push from the No. 3 seed Lady Bears to earn the 15th NCAA Tournament berth in program history.

The intensity was evident from the jump as Anna Miller got the scoring started on the first possession of the game after a feed from Grace Berg. Missouri State answered with a deuce from all-league selection Lacy Stokes.

Katie Dinnebier buried the game’s first three-pointer to extend the Bulldogs’ early lead. She added an old fashioned three on the next trip down the floor and scored 10 of Drake’s first 14 points while pacing a 6-0 Bulldog run. The Lady Bears ended their scoreless streak with an Indya Green jumper, but Drake added four more on a pair of Miller buckets to force a Missouri State timeout.

The Drake advantage ballooned after layups from Berg, Courtney Becker, and Shannon Fornshell. The Bulldogs led 24-15 after the first quarter.

Green got going for the Lady Bears in the early portion of the second quarter with two straight scores in the paint to get their deficit back down to five. She hit another from distance to get her into double digits and cut the lead further to just two. The Lady Bears then got a traditional three-point play from MVC Sixth Player of the Year Kennedy Taylor to get within one.

Drake was outscored 20-14 in the second period and was held without a field goal for nearly six minutes to close the half, but still led 38-35 at the break.

The Bulldogs’ shooting woes down the stretch of the second period did not carry over into the second half. Anna Miller spearheaded a 9-0 Drake run to tip off the third quarter as the Dogs’ lead quickly grew back above 10 points. A Katie Dinnebier basket extended the Drake run to 11-0 before Jade Masogayo finally got the Lady Bears back on the board with four straight points.

The Lady Bears then leaned on Taylor to spark another run. Missouri State got back within seven after three successful trips. The Bulldogs added another score from Becker just before the third quarter clock expired and led 59-50 with 10 minutes to play.

Drake started to pull away as the fourth quarter got underway, extending their lead back out to 14 points, but the Lady Bears refused to go away with two prompt steals and scores to get back within eight. A Lacy Stokes reverse layup trimmed the lead further to six as Drake led 70-64 at the fourth quarter media timeout.

Missouri State lengthened their run to 14-0 over nearly four minutes of game time to get within two points as the drama ramped up down the stretch. Stokes capped off that spurt with two free throws to tie the score at 70 apiece.

Anna Miller put down four points to reach 23 for the game as the Bulldogs snagged a narrow four-point lead with just over a minute to play. Missouri State answered with a clutch corner three from Paige Rocca to make it 74-73 in favor of the Bulldogs. Drake looked to make it a three-point game again as Grace Berg banked one in as the shot clock expired, but replay review wiped the two-pointer off the board.

The Lady Bears called timeout to advance the ball into the frontcourt with 12.3 seconds on the ticker. Stokes curled around back-to-back screens and floated in a deuce to give the Lady Bears a 75-74 lead, their first of the game.

2.6 seconds remained for the Bulldogs who took their turn moving the ball across halfcourt with a timeout. Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman drew up a perfectly executed sideline out of bounds set that resulted in another Anna Miller bucket as time expired. Drake escaped with a 76-75 victory.

Miller’s buzzer beating score gave her 25 points to lead all players on Sunday. She also led Drake on the glass with seven rebounds. Katie Dinnebier and Grace Berg also scored in double digits with 17 points and 16 points, respectively. Taylor McAulay led the Drake offense with five assists.

“I love [our team’s] tenacity at any given moment,” Pohlman briefly said postgame. “They have this unwavering belief that not only the others around them are really, really good, but that sets us up for success. We [have some] amazing, amazing basketball players and women.”

Both Anna Miller and Katie Dinnebier earned All-Tournament honors while the latter took home the Patty Viverito Most Outstanding Player Award.

The Bulldogs will start NCAA Tournament play in Manhattan, Kan. on Friday, Mar. 22. Drake earned a No. 12 seed in the Albany 2 Regional and will face off against No. 5 seed Colorado. Tip time is still yet to be determined.

Hawkeyes Host Kansas State on Tuesday in NIT First Round

Sports

March 18th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The third-seeded University of Iowa men’s basketball team will host No. 4 seed Kansas State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  The game will be televised on ESPN.

Season ticket holders and I-Club contributors can order NIT tickets prior to the general public from now until 10 a.m. on Monday, March 18.  Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for UI students and youth.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Monday at I-800-IA-HAWKS or online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

Because of the short turnaround time from the announcement to hosting Tuesday’s game, season ticket holders are not guaranteed to receive their season ticket location.  All purchasers will have the ability to select seats in the purchase process.

The NIT appearance will be the ninth in program history and the first since the 2016-17 season.  Iowa is 10-8 all-time in the NIT, including finishing runner-up in 2013.

The Hawkeyes enter the NIT with an 18-14 overall record, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Big Ten standings.  It was Iowa’s 11th upper division finish in the last 12 seasons.

All five Hawkeye starters garnered All-Big Ten recognition during the 2023-24 season.  Tony Perkins was a second-team All-Big Ten selection, leading scorer Payton Sandfort earned third-team honors, while Owen Freeman, Ben Krikke and Josh Dix were earned honorable mention recognition.  Freeman was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the first Hawkeye to earn the distinction since Jess Settles in 1994.

Kansas State enters the NIT with a 19-14 overall record.  The Wildcats, who were 8-10 in Big 12 play, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament last week in Kansas City.  K-State’s Arthur Kaluma and Tyler Perry earned honorable mention All-Big 12 selections this season.

The winner of Tuesday’s game will meet the winner of a first round contest featuring No. 2 seed Utah and fourth-seeded UC Irvine.