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NWS Forecast fo Cass & area Counties

Weather

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

330 AM CDT FRI APR 12 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

TODAY…CLOUDY…BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.

TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. NOT AS COOL. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF  THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. LOW AROUND 40.

MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S.

Posted in Weather |

Alford apologizes for handling of Iowa incident

Sports

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford is apologizing for the way he handled a sexual assault charge involving a player on his team in 2002 when he coached at Iowa. Alford says he “instinctively and mistakenly” came to the defense of Hawkeyes player Pierre Pierce before he knew all the facts. Pierce pleaded guilty to a charge of assault involving injury. He was kicked off the Iowa team in 2005 after another incident involving an ex-girlfriend.

Alford says he is apologizing for publicly proclaiming Pierce’s innocence before the legal process had run its course. He says his reaction was inappropriate and insensitive to the female victim. Alford says he’s learned and grown from that experience, and he wants the UCLA community to know that he would handle the situation differently today.

Alford made his comments in a statement distributed Thursday through UCLA.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, April 12th 2013

News

April 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald is urging Republican Governor Terry Branstad and state lawmakers to expand Medicaid in Iowa. Fitzgerald, a Democrat, said yesterday that a Medicaid expansion would cost the state less than an alternate plan proposed by Branstad. Fitzgerald is basing his analysis on data from the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency and Senate Democrats’ data.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) during an upcoming trade trip to China. In a press release announcing the Monday meeting, Branstad says he is looking forward to the visit with an “old friend.” Branstad’s ties to Xi date back to a 1985 diplomatic trip that Xi took to Iowa, during Branstad’s first stint as governor. Xi returned to Iowa last February for stops in Muscatine and the Des Moines area.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in eastern Iowa say one person has died in a head-on collision between an ambulance and a vehicle. Yesterday morning’s crash in Davenport involved a Hyundai Tiburon and a medic ambulance. The ambulance was in a non-emergency mode but it was carrying two medics and a patient. Police have not released the deceased driver’s name.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people face prostitution charges after fighting about payment for a sex act. Twenty-three-year-old Alysia Talbert and 27-year-old Hamed El Mohamd were arrested Wednesday after police received a report about a dispute.

 

Posted in News |

DEBRA J. STUETELBERG, 47, of Exira (Svcs. 4-16-2013)

Obituaries

April 11th, 2013 by admin

DEBRA J. STUETELBERG, 47, of Exira died Thurs., Apr., 11th at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. Funeral services for DEBRA STUETELBERG will be held at 1:00 PM Tues., Apr., 16th in the Eastside Christian Church in Council Bluffs. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where a family visitation will begin at 6:00 PM Mon., Apr., 15th.

Burial will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

DEBRA J. STUETELBERG is survived by:

Her husband – Wesley Stuetelberg of Exira.

Her children – Chelsey Stuetelberg and Joshua Stuetelberg, both of Exira.

Her step-children: Elizabeth Stuetelberg and Megan Stuetelberg, both of Kansas City, MO.

Her parents – Duane and Barbara Snyder, of Elk Horn.

Her  sister – Kimberly and husband Chris Stuetelberg of Atlantic, and her brother -Timothy Snyder, of Elk Horn.

Her brother-in-law: Brian and wife Laura Stuetelberg, of Atlantic

A step-grandson, other relatives and friends.

 

 

Posted in Obituaries |

Neb. Furniture Mart to allow concealed guns

News

April 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — One of the biggest retailers in Omaha, the Nebraska Furniture Mart, is changing its policy to allow shoppers to carry concealed weapons as long as they the proper permit. The Nebraska Furniture Mart also plans to begin arming some of its security guards with handguns after they are trained to handle them. The store’s loss prevention manager Jim Cahill says there have been incidents where a shoplifter pulled a knife on employees, and the store wants to be able to protect staff and customers.

The Nebraska Furniture Mart is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Similar policies will be used at the company’s existing store in Kansas City and its store under construction in the Dallas area.

Posted in News |

Iowa Senate bill would allow ATV road travel

Ag/Outdoor, News, Sports

April 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A measure that would permit the use of all-terrain vehicles on some roads is gaining support in the Iowa Legislature. The Senate Transportation Subcommittee approved the bill Thursday and moved it to the full Senate Ways and Means Committee. It earlier passed the House in a 75 to 22 vote.

The bill would require those who want to drive an ATV on county roads to register for a small fee with the state Department of Transportation. ATVs would not be permitted on highways except on designated crossings. Cities could allow the ATVs on certain highways within their jurisdiction. Critics of the bill say ATVs aren’t made for road travel and passing the law could increase the potential for accidents.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News, Sports |

USDA Announces 22 Iowa Counties as part of Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State Executive Director for USDA Farm Service Agency, John R Whitaker, has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 22 Iowa counties as part of a Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation.  Farm operators who have suffered major production and/or physical losses caused by combined effects of freezing temperatures and continuing drought conditions may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans.  Other programs may also be made available to assist farmers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE) due to this designation.

A Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation has been issued for the following counties:

  • Thirty-one Missouri counties have been designated as the primary disaster area due to drought conditions beginning November 1, 2012 and continuing. Five Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for program based on this designation.  The contiguous counties are:  Decatur, Fremont, Page, Ringgold, and Taylor.  The final date for making application under this designation is September 9, 2013.
  • Eighty-nine Nebraska counties have been designated as the primary disaster area due to drought conditions beginning April 2, 2013 and continuing.  Six Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for program based on this designation.  The contiguous counties are:  Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury.  The final date for making application under this designation is December 10, 2013.

The Farm Service Agency may make Emergency Loans to eligible family farmers which will enable them to return to their normal operations if they sustained qualifying losses resulting from natural disaster.  Physical loss loans may be made to eligible farmers to enable them to repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property, including livestock losses, essential to the success of the farming operation. For production loss loans, the disaster yield must be at least 30 percent below the normal production yield of the crop, on a crop or crops that make up a basic part of the total farming operation. Applicant must be unable to obtain credit from other usual sources to qualify for the Farm Service Agency Farm Loan Program assistance.  Interest rates are based on the date the loan is approved.  The current interest rate for emergency loans is 2.375%.

Interested farmers may contact their local County FSA office for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.  Information can also be found on-line at www.fsa.usda.gov.

 

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarships Awarded

News

April 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation say they recently awarded the Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarships.  Alisha Ponsar and Ben Kopp each received a $5000 award for the 2013-14 academic year.  Ben is enrolled at the University Of Iowa College Of Medicine and Alisha is a student at Creighton University College of Nursing.

The Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarship was established through the generosity and careful planning of these two life-long Cass County residents, who farmed in the Marne area until they retired, and then became residents of Atlantic.  The Hansens believed in higher education, so much so that over 70% of their estate was bequeathed for that purpose, including a gift to the CCMH Foundation.

Under the supervision and guidance of the CCMH Foundation, scholarship opportunities are provided yearly.  As per the Hansens’ wishes, scholarship candidates must have graduated from a Cass County high school and be enrolled in an accredited nursing or medical doctor school.

Posted in News |

Des Moines focused on landing ’20 Olympic Trials

Sports

April 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Des Moines say they’re focused on landing the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in track and field after learning the 2016 event is returning to Eugene, Ore. The city made no secret of the fact that it had hoped to lure the 2016 trials to renovated Drake Stadium. But it was announced Thursday that the event will instead return to Eugene for the third time in a row.

City spokesman Greg Edwards says that Des Moines respects USA Track and Field’s decision and believes it is “in the running” for the 2020 meet. Des Moines had positioned itself for strong consideration. Drake hosted the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and will do so again in June, and the stadium also had the last two NCAA championships.

Posted in Sports |

IGHSAU 2nd Soccer Rankings

Sports

April 11th, 2013 by Jim Field

Class 3-A

School
Record
LW
1
Bettendorf
3-0
1
2
Ankeny
2-0
3
3
Dowling Catholic
0-0
4
4
Muscatine
2-0
6
5
Cedar Rapids Kennedy
1-2
2
6
Waukee
2-0
8
7
Linn-Mar
1-0
7
8
West Des Moines Valley
2-1
5
9
Johnston
2-0
9
10
Iowa City West
1-1
10
Dropped Out: none
Class 2-A
1
Cedar Rapids Xavier
1-0
1
2
Sioux City East
1-0
3
3
Pleasant Valley
2-0
4
4
North Scott
1-1
2
5
Dallas Center-Grimes
3-0
5
6
ADM
2-0
6
7
Lewis Central
3-0
7
8
Pella
3-0
8
9
Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln
3-0
NR
10
Glenwood
1-1
9
11
Dubuque Wahlert
0-1
11
12
Nodaway Valley/WCV/AC
5-0
NR
13
Waverly-Shell Rock
0-0
13
14
Union
1-2
10
15
Grinnell
3-1
14
Dropped Out: Independence (12), Winterset (15)
Class 1-A
1
Davenport Assumption
2-0
1
2
Sioux City Bishop Heelan
1-0
3
3
Council Bluffs St. Albert
0-0
4
4
Iowa City Regina
1-0
5
5
Waterloo Columbus Catholic
2-1
2
6
Nevada
1-2
6
7
Center Point-Urbana
2-1
7
8
Bondurant-Farrar
1-1
8
9
Denver
0-0
11
10
Solon
1-1
10
11
Clear Creek-Amana
4-0
13
12
Hudson
0-0
12
13
Gilbert
1-2
9
14
Gladbrook-Reinbeck
2-0
NR
15
Mid-Prairie
2-1
14
 Dropped Out: Tri-Center (15)

Posted in Sports |