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Mills County Atty. won’t run for re-election due to family concerns

News

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Citing the need to spend more time with his family, Mills County Attorney Eric Hansen has announced with will not be seeking re-election this year. The Omaha World-Herald says Hansen’s daughter was very ill last year, and had to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Hansen said that experience left him emotionally drained to the point where he didn’t have the energy to participate in a contested election.  Hansen was hired as an assistant county attorney in February 2003. He was promoted to full-time assistant in 2006 and became county attorney in 2011.

In Mills County, Patricia McSorley – an assistant county attorney – and Ashley Kissel, both Republicans, are running for Hansen’s position.

 

 

Posted in News |

New census data shows loss of population in s.w. Iowa

News

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A report in the Daily NonPareil says every southwest Iowa county has lost population since the 2010 Census. The paper cited new data released Thursday morning by the U.S. Census Bureau. Pottawattamie and Harrison counties were also among the counties estimated to have lost the largest number of residents over the past three years. Most of the state’s growth was centered around urban areas, primarily in central and eastern Iowa.

As a whole, Iowa saw its population increase 43,559 people since 2010, and it remained the 30th-most-populous state. However, only 29 of Iowa’s 99 counties gained population during the three-year span. Pottawattamie County joined Woodbury County as the only two of Iowa’s 10 largest counties to lose population since 2010. Those two counties also contain principal cities for the state’s only two metropolitan areas west of the Interstate 35 corridor.

Dallas County, which contains many of the booming suburbs just west of Des Moines, was once again Iowa’s fastest-growing county, seeing its population increase by 12.9 percent – from 66,135 to 74,641 residents – since 2010. It ranked 17th among all counties nationwide.

The entire Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area gained 29,801 people (3.4 percent growth) since the 2010 Census, making it the nation’s 60th-largest with 895,151 residents. By and large, growth was associated with urban areas and neighboring counties.

On the western side of the state, only a handful of rural counties – including Ida, Crawford, Union and Sioux – saw population growth.

Posted in News |

OLLIVENE LINN, 93, of Audubon (Svcs. private)

Obituaries

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

OLLIVENE LINN, 93, of Audubon, died Wed., March 26th, at the Friendship Home in Audubon. Private family services are planned for OLLIVENE LINN. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

OLLIVENE LINN is survived by:

Her children – Larry G. (Barbara) Linn, of Atlantic, and Jackie (Donald) Hembry, of Glenwood.

5 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends,  & “Her special family at the Friendship Home.”

Posted in Obituaries |

JEFF G. RIESBERG, 47, of Audubon (Svcs. 3/31/14)

Obituaries

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

JEFF G. RIESBERG, 47, of Audubon, died Thu., March 27th, at home. A Mass of Christian Burial service for JEFF RIESBERG will be held 10:30-a.m. Mon., March 31st, at the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Halbur, IA. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family visitation is from 4-to 8-pm Sunday (3/30).

Burial will be in the St. Augustine Catholic Cemetery in Halbur.

JEFF RIESBERG is survived by:

His fiance’ – Donna Parrish, of Audubon ( as well as her brothers & sisters and her children).

His mother – Illa Mae Riesberg, of Halbur.

His sisters and brothers – Becky (Bill) Ocker, of Lincoln, NE; Barb (Steve) Willenberg, of Manning; Janet (Lee) Wiederien, of Des Moines; Joe (Kim) Riesberg, of Pocatello, ID, and Jay (Carrie) Riesberg, of Carroll.

6 grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

NIELS C. JUEL, 94, of Omaha (Formerly of Audubon) – Svcs. 3/31/14

Obituaries

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

NIELS C. JUEL, 94, of Omaha (& Formerly of Audubon), died Wed., March 26th, at the Waterford Assisted Living facility in Omaha. Funeral services for NIELS JUEL will be held 2-p.m. Mon., March 31st, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Visitation, with the family present, is from Noon until the time of service Monday, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church.

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

NIELS JUEL is survived by:

His wife – Wilma Juel, of Pella.

His children – Twila Juel, and Merlin (Dee) Juel, all of Omaha.

His step-children: Bonnie (Carlos) Chase, of Pella; Marcia Laub, of Buffalo, NY; and Mark Christensen, of Los Angeles, CA.

6 grandchildren, his step-grandchildren and step great-grandchildren, other relatives & friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

MRS. MICKEY JOLENE COFFMAN, 62, of Panora (Svcs. 3/29/14)

Obituaries

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

MRS. MICKEY JOLENE COFFMAN, 62, of Panora, died Thu., March 27th, at the Panora Nursing & Rehab Center. A Celebration of Life Gathering for MRS. MICKEY COFFMAN will be held 7-pm Sat., March 29th, at the Owl’s Nest, in Panora. Twigg Funeral Home in Guthrie Center has the arrangements.

There is no visitation.

Posted in Obituaries |

SW IA man charged with the theft & sale of grain

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Fremont County report one person was recently arrested on a felony theft charge associated with the theft and sale of grain. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says 41-year old Kelley Ryan Roof, of Tabor, was charged with 1st degree theft, a Class-C felony, following the execution of a search warrant at his residence.  His cash bond was set at $40-thousand.

His arrest was the result of an investigation into a tip from a concerned citizen authorities received on March 13th. The individual told authorities about a possible theft of grain from the Fremont County area. During the investigation, it was discovered Roof allegedly took without permission, 2,230-bushels of soybeans from a Randolph area farmer. Roof is alleged to have sold the beans for more than $31-thousand.

During the search of his property, authorized seized a 2014 Polaris RZR purchased with the proceeds of the alleged theft. Roof remains in the Fremont County Jail.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

NWS forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: 3/28/2014

Weather

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 46. North wind 5 to 8 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. North northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Northeast wind 5 to 14 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. South wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Windy.

Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Windy.

Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 55. Windy.

Posted in Weather |

Iowa early News Headlines: Fri., March 28th 2014

News

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental groups are sounding alarms that a Republican-led House subcommittee has inserted language into the budget bill for the Department of Agriculture that critics say would prevent the public from accessing information about water quality improvement practices. The budget bill deals in part with farm practices the state will help pay for as part of the state’s strategy to reduce manure and fertilizer that runs into rivers and streams.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has denied the applications of 18 inmates seeking commutation. The governor made the announcement Thursday in a news release. The individuals seeking commutation are serving different sentences, including life in prison. Some have been convicted of crimes like first-degree murder. Other convictions involve kidnapping and robbery.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A couple has purchased the historic Hibernian Hall in downtown Davenport and plans to use the space as loft housing. The Quad-City Times reports developers Manoj and Manisha Baheti bought the hall, several adjacent buildings and a house. The real estate deal closed Tuesday. The hall, built in 1889, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

NEW YORK (AP) — Iowa State and UConn are meeting today in the Sweet Sixteen with similar NBA-inspired offenses. The third-seeded Cyclones tip off Friday evening versus the seventh-seeded Huskies in the NCAA tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden. Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg and UConn’s Kevin Ollie were briefly teammates with the Chicago Bulls in 2001 and 2002.

Posted in News |

Wacha pitches 5 strong innings for Cardinals

Sports

March 28th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Michael Wacha looked sharp in his final spring start Thursday, giving up a run in five innings of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 6-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. Wacha gave up four hits and struck out six. He is scheduled to start the Cardinals’ second game of the season, on Tuesday at Cincinnati. He will start the home opener in St. Louis on April 7.

Wacha did struggle in the fifth. Derek Dietrich led off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on Marcell Ozuna’s single and scored on Brian Bogusevic’s sacrifice fly to right. Marlins infielder Ed Lucas broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch. His injury should make room for Donovan Solano, who was sent to Triple-A New Orleans earlier in the day.

Posted in Sports |