More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.2MB)
Subscribe: RSS
Chase Wallace was hired this week to be the new head football coach for the Griswold Tigers. Wallace said he has always known that coaching was something he wanted to be a part of his life.
Wallace is a Griswold graduate so he will get the unique opportunity of getting his first head coaching experience at his alma mater. Wallace is taking over for the coach he played for, Andy Everett.
Wallace said he plans to keep in place many of Coach Everett’s philosophies but wants to add some formation diversity to spread the ball out at times. Wallace said his first priority is to get kids involved with the program and excited about football.
Wallace hopes that added numbers can start to build the program up. The Tigers are coming off a winless season last year.
Authorities in Union County say a Creston man was cited following a collision late Thursday morning. 29-year old Jordan Lee Hoag, of Creston, was driving a 2004 Ford Ranger pickup northbound on Sycamore Street at around 11:38-a.m., when he dropped his cell phone onto the floor. After he leaned over to pick the phone up, he looked up and saw his pickup was on the other side of the road.
The vehicle was about to strike a parked 2000 Ford Taurus when Hoag turned to the right. He was unable to avoid striking the car head-on. Hoag then backed up and drove about half of a block before parking in a driveway.
He was cited for Left of Center, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Use of Electronic Communication. Damage from the collision amounted to $3,500.
Jim Field gets a local COVID-19 update from Cass County Public Health Director Beth Olsen.
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DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Davenport police arrested a man Thursday in the death of his mother after officers were called to a home and found her body. Police charged 36-year-old McKinsley Steven Watson, of Davenport with first-degree murder in the killing of 59-year-old Victoria Watson. The Quad-City Times reports officers were called to an apartment complex a little before 5 a.m. Thursday to investigate a report of an unresponsive woman. They found Victoria Watson, and medics pronounced her dead. Police didn’t say how she died. An autopsy is planned. McKinsley Watson was held in the Scott County Jail without bond.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a person has died in a farming accident south of Cedar Rapids. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that deputies and medics were called Thursday afternoon to the area southeast of the city’s airport. Arriving emergency responders found a tractor with a collapsed attachment that had fallen on the tractor’s driver. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released the driver’s name pending notification of family members.
The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.
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DES MOINES, Iowa — The Memorial Day holiday weekend is fast approaching and is expected to be a busy one, despite Covid-19. Iowa has a wide variety of outdoor activities to spend your weekend, whether it be camping, visiting state parks, swimming at the beaches, or paddling and boating. The Iowa DNR reminds everyone to obey all laws and rules—that includes physical distancing guidelines—while enjoying Iowa’s outdoor recreational activities. “Everyone is antsy to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Iowa natural resources after being cooped up all winter and more recently because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” DNR Director Kayla Lyon said. “This weekend will provide a great time for families to get out and explore what our great state has to offer, but we caution everyone to do so safely and responsibly.”
This week, May 16-22, marks Safe Boating Week in Iowa. With over 5,000 lakes and 54,000 miles of rivers and streams, Iowa offers an abundant boating resource for hundreds of thousands of people each year. Whether you are canoeing a stream, fishing on a state lake, kayaking or boating on the waters of Iowa, the simple steps of wearing a life jacket, taking a safe boating course and not operating your boat when impaired greatly improve your chances for a safe and enjoyable day on the water.
Fast Facts:
Following these important boater safety tips will help ensure a safe and enjoyable weekend on the water:
Even outdoor recreation looks a little different in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Boaters should practice the following physical distancing guidelines:
The Iowa DNR wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Together, we can follow the rules to ensure the safest possible weekend and help stop the spread of Covid-19.
The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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(Radio Iowa) — Gasoline prices in Iowa are averaging almost a dollar lower than last year, but it won’t be enough to lure most of us to take a road trip for Memorial Day weekend. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Rose White, at Triple-A-Iowa, says the motor club isn’t releasing a holiday weekend travel forecast for the first time in 20 years. “Last year, 43-million Americans traveled for the holiday weekend, it was the second-highest travel volume on record since we began tracking information,” White says, “but with social distancing guidelines still in practice, this holiday weekend’s travel volume is likely to set a record low.”
Travel Iowa ran a full page ad in some newspapers last week featuring a couple on a deck overlooking a wide vista of green hills with just four words — “Dream Now, Visit Later.” White says many Iowa families will be doing exactly that. “We anticipate that people are going to hold back. For those who maybe had planned a long-distance, maybe an overseas vacation, they’ll likely revert to a local or regional destination,” White says. “We do anticipate as the states relax their laws and regulations pertaining to social distancing, more people will travel, but it will be a slow recovery.”
In recent weeks, highway travel in the state was said to be down 44-percent from normal, according to the Iowa D-O-T, but over Mother’s Day weekend, the numbers crept up to 75-percent of normal. Even with that increase, Triple-A is still expecting a potential record low for travel this coming weekend. “The CDC does still recommend that Americans stay home and avoid non-essential travel, but if you do travel this holiday weekend, we do advise you to pack essentials, especially those toiletries that might be needed at rest stops,” White says, “and also, anticipate early closures of restaurants.”
Gasoline is averaging a dollar-75 a gallon in Iowa, that’s 13-cents below the national average. A year ago, gas prices in Iowa were averaging two-67 a gallon. The last time the average national gas price leading into the Memorial Day holiday was under two-dollars a gallon was 17 years ago — in 2003.