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Cowboys, Chiefs renewing rivalry at Arrowhead

Sports

September 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the first things Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did when he awoke Wednesday was to take a good look at the little wooden trophy topped by an odd street sign sitting among the many awards and memorabilia in his Dallas-area home. It’s called the “Preston Road Trophy,” dreamed up by his longtime friend and the late Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, and named after the street on which they once lived just 300 yards apart.

Ever since the late-1990s, the trophy has been presented to the winning side on the rare occasions that Dallas plays Kansas City. Jones has had the trophy since 2005. Hunt’s son, current Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, called it “the smallest and ugliest trophy in sports,” and one he wants to win badly on Sunday.

Chiefs’ Charles expected to play Sunday vs Cowboys

Sports

September 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is expected to be available for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys after bruising his quad in last weekend’s win at Jacksonville. Charles ran for 77 yards and a touchdown before hurting his quad in the second half of a 28-2 rout of the Jaguars. He went to the locker room, then returned to the field for one play, before coach Andy Reid decided to give him the rest of the afternoon off.

Reid said that Charles participated in a walkthrough Wednesday morning and he “might do a little bit” during the Chiefs’ afternoon practice. Reid said that “we’re just taking it slow, but I think he’ll be OK for the game.” Charles missed time in the preseason with a strained foot.

Cardinals C Molina out because of family situation

Sports

September 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is not available against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night because of what St. Louis manager Mike Matheny called “a family situation.” Molina and his brother, assistant hitting coach Bengie Molina, were not at the stadium at the start of the game.

Yadier Molina is hitting .318 with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs in 120 games. Matheny did not indicate when Molina will return.

Adams’ homer lifts Cardinals over Brewers

Sports

September 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Adams had a two-run home run and the Cardinals broke open a tight game with four in the eighth to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Wednesday night. The Cardinals won their fifth consecutive game to maintain a one-game lead over Pittsburgh and a three-game advantage on Cincinnati in the NL Central. The Pirates finished a three-game sweep at Texas and the Reds knocked off the Chicago Cubs earlier in the day. Milwaukee has lost three of five.

Brandon Kintzler gave up three runs on two hits and a walk while only getting two outs. Carlos Beltran’s sacrifice fly off Michael Gonzalez scored Matt Carpenter to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. An error by catcher Jonathan Lucroy allowed Jon Jay to score and Adams followed with his 12th homer of the season. Trevor Rosenthal had a hitless eighth inning for the win.

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., Sept. 12th 2013

News

September 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they have suspended their search for a Perry man who jumped off a boat into Saylorville Lake, north of Des Moines on Tuesday. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said yesterday that authorities utilized all possible efforts and resources to find 22-year-old Luis Cuadra.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University has surpassed the University of Iowa with its fall enrollment for the first time in more than 30 years. ISU said yesterday that more than 33,200 students have enrolled at its Ames campus, a seven percent increase from last fall. The Des Moines Register reports Iowa enrolled just over 31,000 students, down one percent from last fall. UNI reported a decrease of about 100 students at its Cedar Falls campus.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Coralville radio station is protesting a judge’s decision to bar it from covering a trial that would have been open to newspaper and television cameramen. KCJJ owner Steve Soboroff said his station planned to broadcast yesterday’s trial of Jeff Waite on a misdemeanor assault charge in Johnson County.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Treasurer’s Office says a Massachusetts man attempted to claim a deceased Iowa man’s money as his own. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald said in a news release yesterday that Kevin Upshaw was sentenced in July to two years in Massachusetts state prison for trying to pass himself off as the trustee of an Iowa man’s estate in 2011.

‘Green Dot’ Utility Scam Impacts More Iowa Communities

News

September 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa – Sept. 11, 2013 – MidAmerican Energy Company is warning the public about a telephone scam impacting its Hispanic customers in Iowa. MidAmerican Energy has received reports of suspicious callers posing as utility employees and telling customers that they are behind on their electric bills or need equipment repairs and have a short time to make a payment. The customers are told to purchase a ‘Green Dot’ prepaid debit card and call back with the serial number of the card to avoid having their electricity shut off.

Since mid-August, the scam artists have targeted MidAmerican Energy’s Hispanic customers in Des Moines. This week, the scam artists started making calls in Sioux City and the Quad Cities. The calls show up on caller ID as 888-201-7958 or 888-288-5657. Customers should not return calls to this number or any number provided by the scam artist.

MidAmerican Energy reminds its customers that credit card numbers, account information and personal information should not be provided in response to a suspicious or unsolicited call. If a customer receives a suspicious call or any other unusual contact or offer related to energy services from a person or the company, the customer should end the call immediately and notify local law enforcement. The customer should then contact MidAmerican Energy at 888-427-5632 to report the incident and seek assistance. MidAmerican Energy also urges its customers to tell friends and family about the scam to help increase awareness.

Iowa agrees with EPA to boost farm inspections

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials have signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that increases the number of livestock farms routinely inspected, requires more farms to obtain permits, and more strictly enforces violations when manure leaks into rivers.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources signed the work plan Wednesday after years of negotiating with EPA, which had threatened to take over enforcement of federal Clean Water Act rules itself if Iowa didn’t step up.

The agreement requires on-site inspections of farms with more than 1,000 cows or 2,500 hogs. That’s about 3,200 farms in Iowa. Smaller farms also may be inspected if they’ve had recent spills or are near streams or rivers. Environmental groups which have lobbied for stricter enforcement say the plan is a good first step.

BONNIE RITCHIE, 60, of Exira (9-14-13)

Obituaries

September 11th, 2013 by Jim Field

BONNIE RITCHIE, 60, of Exira died Tuesday, September 10th at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.  Memorial services for BONNIE RITCHIE will be held on Saturday, September 14th at 2:00 pm at the Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Atlantic.

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BONNIE RITCHIE is survived by:

Husband:  Jim Ritchie of Exira

Children:  Kelly (Dave) Hoyer of Littleton, CO; Randy (Misty) Whitt of Atlantic; Tim Schlechty of Tennessee; David Schlechty of Tennessee; Leslie Jean (Wayne) Clary of Griswold; Jimmy (Erika) Ritchie of Dana Point, CA.

Sisters:  Dorothy (Harold) Ingram; Delores Stilwell.

Brothers:  Michael Wells; Donnie Wells.

14 Grandchildren

2 Great-Grandchildren

Iowa 92 near Massena to close Sept. 18 for bridge construction

News

September 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office reports a bridge replacement project on Iowa 92 1 mile west of Iowa 148, near Massena, will require closing the roadway for nine days beginning 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, weather permitting.

The Iowa 92 closure is necessary as work crews remove the existing bridge and slide the new bridge into place. Traffic will be detoured around the construction zone as follows….

Eastbound Iowa 92 traffic will be detoured on Cass County Road N-28 north to Cass County Road G-48, east to Iowa 148, and then back south to Iowa 92.

Westbound Iowa 92 traffic will be detoured north on Iowa 148, west on Cass County Road G-48, and then south on Cass County Road N-28 to Iowa 92.

The new bridge has already been partially constructed just north of the existing bridge. Once the road is closed, the existing bridge will be demolished, new steel piling supports driven into the ground, new concrete abutments placed, and the new bridge slid into place.Additional work to place the new bridge rail, approach paving, and guardrail will be completed before the road is reopened.The work is all part of the Iowa DOT’s accelerated bridge construction (ABC) program.

The $1.3 million project is being constructed by Herberger Construction Co., of Indianola. Work is scheduled to be complete by late fall. Additional information may be found at the Iowa DOT website: www.iowadot.gov/MassenaBridge/index.html

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles and wear seat belts.

Southwest Iowan adopts “Smart Farm” technology

Ag/Outdoor

September 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A southwest Iowa farmer is one of the first to adopt “smart-farm technology” that allows him to manage most everything on the farm from his smart phone. Joe Hossle says hooking up his farm near Emerson to the technology is an ongoing operation. “We started adapting that approximately a year ago and we’ve been adding and adding and adding ever since. There’s more apps it seems every day,” Hossle says. “We have an app for the water in the house — the water flow — the electrical current situation in the house, the temperature controls, whether it gets too warm or too cold in the house.”

The temperature is also controlled in his workshop, and he’s hooking up his grain bins to monitor them. “We’re going to put an app on there and a put device on there to monitor the heat within the bin and the moisture of the grain that’s in the bin. Of course, we have our surveillance cameras — which are well worth their weight in gold actually — just being able to look and see what’s going on in the farmstead, whether I’m here or in Minneapolis, Minnesota visiting my son,” Hossle says. He can also monitor feed levels for livestock, door locks and fuel tanks.

An official with Iowa LinkedUP says the smart farm technology will be available in many other parts of the state in the coming months. The official says the extension of fiber-optic cable in rural areas of the state and increased broadband coverage through new cell towers has made the system possible. Hossle has an agreement with Iowa Network Services for the technology. It costs between five and six thousand dollars to install, but Hossle says the security the system provides is well worth it.

“I feel very at ease whether I am two miles away or 200 miles away, or I could undoubtedly be two-thousand miles away and feel secure,” Hossle says. Hossle made his comments at a recent demonstration of the smart-farm technology at his farm.

(Radio Iowa)