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NCAA Releases Coaches Rankings, Allocations for National Championships

Sports

March 1st, 2024 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Six University of Iowa wrestlers are ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA coaches’ poll, which was released Thursday by the NCAA.

The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences.

At 125, Drake Ayala is the top-ranked Iowa wrestler at No. 2 in the poll. Ayala is 19-3 overall this season with 10 wins against ranked opponents. Senior Real Woods is next for the Hawkeyes, ranked third at 141. Woods is 14-2 this season.

Nine total Hawkeyes are ranked across the 10 weights.

The NCAA also released its pre-allocations for the 20202423 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, hosted in Kansas City, Missouri, from March 21-23. The Big Ten Conference was awarded 85 of the 283 automatic qualifying bids.

The Big Ten Championships take place March 9-10 in College Park, Maryland. The weight class conference champion in each qualifying tournament will earn an automatic berth to the national championships.

NCAA championship spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at conference tournaments based solely on place-finish.

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. (CT) on March 13. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.

Full rankings and tournament allocation information below.

Hawkeyes in the 2024 Coaches Poll

125 – Drake Ayala #2

133 – Brody Teske #25

141 – Real Woods #3

149 – Caleb Rathjen #8

157 – Jared Franek #5

165 – Michael Caliendo #6

174 – Patrick Kennedy #6

197 – Zach Glazier #11

285 – Bradley Hill #33

February 2024 Weather Data for Atlantic

Weather

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa – KJAN) – Weather data for the month of February, 2024 in Atlantic, shows we were much warmer and drier than average, last month. The Average High was 53, and the average Low was 21. Typically, we would have had a High of 35 and a Low of 15. Precipitation (melted snowfall) amounted to just one-tenth (.10″) of an inch, which was considerably less than the .96″ we would normally expect. Snowfall for the month was just one-inch.The data was compiled at KJAN, the official National Weather Serving reporting site for Atlantic.

Looking ahead, we find the Average High for the month of March, in Atlantic, is typically 48 degrees, while the Low should average out to be around 26. Precipitation (rain & or melted snow) is typically just under an inch, at 2.38 inches.

House passes bill to restrict DEI programs at Iowa, ISU and UNI

News

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Tuition hikes would be capped and diversity, equity and inclusion programs would be restricted at Iowa’s public universities, under a bill passed by the Iowa House on Thursday. The bill would add two lawmakers to the Board of Regents as non-voting members, and it would make other changes to higher education policies, including some the universities have already set in motion. Republican Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis says the regents spend too much on D-E-I initiatives.

“This bill stops the pursuit of these distractions and ideological agendas, reorients the focus of our higher education system back to the pursuit of academic excellence which should’ve been the point from the start,” Collins says, “controls the ever-rising cost of higher education, and gives this body increased oversight over the regent enterprise.”

All Democrats and six Republicans opposed the bill. Democrats say they support capping tuition hikes, but this bill doesn’t help the universities make up for lost revenue. They also say Republicans are politicizing D-E-I efforts, and that’ll have negative impacts on Iowa’s future workforce.

Well-stocked ‘pet disaster relief trailer’ is now based in central Iowa

News

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is getting its first-ever pet disaster relief trailer through the American Kennel Club. Tom Sharp, president and C-E-O of A-K-C Reunite, says the 20-foot trailer can be pulled by a heavy-duty pickup and dispatched to any local disaster scene in Iowa where pets need to be sheltered. “For instance, if the Red Cross sets up a shelter for people in a local high school, they could use this trailer and its contents to set up a shelter for pets,” Sharp says, “say in the gymnasium right there beside the people who are sheltering.” The trailer is packed with equipment that can be used to create a safe, temporary home-base for dozens of pets during the first 72 hours after a disaster is declared. Sharp says the trailer houses a range of animal care items.

AKC Reunite photo

“Including a generator. It has about 60 mostly extra large pet crates. It has plastic wrap so you can put plastic down on the floor and walls to protect the building that you might be going in,” Sharp says. “It has cleaning supplies. It has microchips and a microchip scanner.” The trailer was delivered this week to Jasper and Poweshiek County Emergency Management and it’ll be housed in Newton until it’s needed in any of Iowa’s 99 counties.

“In most states, counties have mutual aid agreements, where they can help each other out,” Sharp says. “So if another county needs help and the equipment is not being used in Jasper or Poweshiek counties, they can hitch it up to a truck and take it where it’s needed.” AKC Reunite is the largest non-profit pet microchip identification and recovery service provider in the United States. This is the 110th trailer it’s donated nationwide and the first to Iowa.

www.akcreunite.org/relief

Warm weather wakes up ticks so wear insect repellent

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters predict Iowa will have another unseasonably warm weekend ahead, and one downside to the spring-like temperatures in the 60s and 70s is that creepy-crawly ticks will be on the move. Entomologist Tom Klubertanz says if you’ll be spending any time outdoors, especially hiking in the woods, wear insect repellent, and be sure to check yourself for ticks after you come back inside.

“It doesn’t even have to be that warm,” Klubertanz says. “Even in typical winters, if we get a warm spot into the 40s, it’s enough to get tick activity, but this is kind of extreme and the longer ticks are moving around, the more chance we’ve got of attracting them.” Ticks aren’t something Iowans would typically worry about in early March, but a warm winter means otherwise. Klubertanz says a longer tick season brings the threat of southern tick species migrating north.

Asian longhorn tick (ISU Extension photo)

“The two that come to my attention are the Lone Star tick and the Gulf Coast tick,” he says. “Both can transmit diseases, not Lyme disease, but other diseases.” There’s another tick to be watchful for, especially if you raise cattle or horses in Iowa. The Asian long-horned tick has been found in at least 19 states, including Missouri.

Rep. Hinson discusses budget deal, E-15

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says there is a deal in the works to fund the federal government. Hinson talked about the deal during her weekly conference call with supporters. “An agreement in principle has been reached to fund the government and so I will keep you updated on that legislation we’re hopeful we’ll see it sometime this weekend,” Hinson says. The federal government’s fiscal year started October 1st, but Congress has not agreed on a budget for the year. The Farm Bill has been put off, but Hinson says it is not forgotten.

“I think it’s also important that we still prioritize the farm bill it’s why…. I think it was in December we sent a letter to Speaker Johnson urging him to still move forward and work on a farm bill our priority this week does need to be getting these bills done so we can complete the appropriations process and move on to the next one,” she says. Hinson also talked about the need to keep the pressure on the E-P-A to approve the year-round sale of E-15 gasoline.

“There are so many different elements of our economy that are dependent on this decision and delaying it is frankly unacceptable and irresponsible, so I will continue pushing for not only the waiver for this summer but going forward prompt responses from the E-P-A,” Hinson says. The E-P-A announced it would make E-15 available year-round for eight Midwest states starting in 2025. Hinson and the rest of the Iowa Congressional delegation sent a letter to the Biden administration calling for the ethanol-blended fuel to be allowed for this summer’s driving season.

LINDA GAY JONES, 79, of Atlantic (Svcs. 3/2/24)

Obituaries

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

LINDA GAY JONES, 79, of Atlantic, died Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at the Heritage House in Atlantic. Funeral services for LINDA GAY JONES will be held 1-p.m. Saturday, March 2nd, 2024, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca.

The family will greet friends at the funeral home on Saturday, from 11-a.m. until 1-p.m.

Burial, at a later date, is in the Parkhill Cemetery in Avoca.

LINDA GAY JONES is survived by:

Her husband – Ken Jones, of Walnut.

Her sons -Nelson (Donna) Pipkins, of Pensacola, FL; Les (Terese) Pipkins, of Albany, Georgia, and Kenneth (Eve) Jones, Jr., of Omaha.

Her daughters – Teresa Pipkins, of Columbus, Georgia, and Wendy (Chris) Yarnell, of Omaha.

Her sister – DeLois (Frank) Schwider, of Chicago, IL.

8 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, other relatives and many friends.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Friday, March 1st, 2024

Weather

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny, & windy. High near 59. S/SW @ 15-30 mph.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 35. South wind 10-25 mph.
Saturday: Sunny & windy. High near 69. S @ 10-25 mph.
Sat. Night: Mostly clear & windy. Low around 53. S @ 15-40 mph.
Sunday: Sunny & windy. High near 75. S-W @ 20-40 mph.
Sun. Night: P/Cldy & windy w/a 20% chance of rain. Low around 40.
Monday: A 20% chance of rain before noon, otherwise Mostly sunny & windy. High near 64.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 58. The Low was 28. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 51 and the Low was 24. The Record High for March 1st was 77 in 1992. The Record Low was -32 in 1962. Sunrise: 6:55.  Sunset: 6:10-p.m.

Iowa House passes ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act

News

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) — Iowa House lawmakers passed a “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” after the state senate passed the measure more than a week ago. Republicans said the bill will protect Iowans’ constitutional right to practice their respected religions, while Democrats said this will allow discrimination against people such as LGBTQ people.

The legislation would propose a higher legal standard in situations where an individual claims that government action has restricted their exercise of religion. If a person believes a government entity’s actions “substantially burden” their religious practices, they could take the issue to court. People could seek damages or other means to address the violation.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ released a statement in support of the legislation’s passing:

“The right of religious freedom is endowed upon us by our creator – not government,” the statement reads. “Our founders recognized this principle, and today the Iowa House took a step forward to protect it. Twenty-three states around the country, with both Republican and Democrat governors, have passed similar laws. Now, it’s Iowa’s turn.”

Meanwhile, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa also released a statement on what they called the “discriminatory” bill.

“It is a sad, and for many frightening, day in Iowa with the passage of the religious exemptions legislation inserting discrimination into Iowa law,” the statement reads in part. “The bill passed by Republicans in the Iowa Legislature will harm the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities in our state.”

The bill heads to Gov. Reynolds’ desk.

Eastern IA man sentenced to 720 months on child pornography charges

News

March 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

KEOKUK, Iowa (KCRG) – A Keokuk man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

Court records show 45-year-old Christopher Douglas Black was found with a minor who was reported missing from the Keokuk area. Following Black’s arrest, investigators found child sexual assault materials on Black’s cell phone.

Black was sentenced to 720 months in federal prison on Tuesday.

Following his term of imprisonment, Black will be required to serve ten years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.