712 Digital Group - top

Forecast for Cass & nearby counties, Fri., Jan. 13 2012

Weather

January 13th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

410 AM CST FRI JAN 13 2012

TODAY…SUNNY…WARMER. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COLD. LOW 15 TO 20. TEMPERATURE STEADY OR SLOWLY RISING AFTER MIDNIGHT. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE LOWER 20S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SUNDAY…SUNNY…BREEZY…WARMER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COLD. LOW IN THE LOWER 30S.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW. COLDER. HIGH AROUND 40.

Latham to present key legislative initiatives before Congress next week

News

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Republican Congressman Tom Latham will be back in Washington, D.C next week when the 112th Congress reconvenes.

Rep. Tom Latham (R) - IA

Latham told KJAN News Thursday, that after spending most of last year gathering input from Iowans and what’s important to them, he’ll present some key initiatives designed to bring “common sense” back to the nation’s capital. The number one issue he plans to address is the regulatory burdens coming out of Washington, or what he calls a “wet blanket” that smothers the creation of jobs and getting the economy moving.

Latham says he has legislation in-place that will review existing regulations, to determine which ones are working and those which provide a cost benefit to society, and get rid of the ones that don’t. Latham says he wants the private sector to have time to evaluate the rules that are created by agencies within the government before the rules go into effect. He says also, when it becomes apparent a regulation will cost the economy over $100-million, Congress itself should vote on it, and if approved, the measure should be signed by the president. Another initiative he plans to introduce next week, will say to Congress, that if they do not pass a budget, that they won’t get paid.

He says it’s been three-years since the Senate has done any basic work on the budget, and we’re spending $3.8-trillion annually, with no budget. He calls that “outrageous,” and the reason the government is $15-trillion in debt, is because there is “No framework for a budget, no way to cut spending,” and there are no constraints on spending without a budget. He says his proposal will make Congress more accountable to the people.

Latham, who grew up on his family’s farm, said he’s frustrated by the Labor Department’s attempts at writing regulation that prohibits kids from working on family farms jointly owned by their parents or other family members. He says he’s introduced a bi-partisan resolution of disapproval asking the Dept. of Labor not to move forward with the regulation, because it goes against all traditions in agriculture.

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) - IA

Latham announced last April that he will run in this November’s election for Iowa’s new 3rd district, against incumbent Democratic Representative Leonard Boswell. Latham moved from the 4th District into the 3rd District after the 2010 census numbers resulted in the elimination of the 5th Congressional District in Iowa. The move spared him from facing Representative Steve King, in a GOP primary.

New Congressional Districts beginning 2013

Climatologist says Missouri River basin looks opposite of last year

News

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

A climatologist who’s keeping an eye out for another potential flood in the Missouri River basin says conditions now are nearly the opposite of what they were a year ago. South Dakota state climatologist Dennis Todey says the pattern of warmer, drier weather we’ve enjoyed for weeks appears to be changing.  “We are going to be seeing a shift as January goes on to more La Nina-like conditions where temperatures will turn colder,” Todey says. “By later in January, most of the upper part of the basin will go to below-average temperatures, which will be in contrast to what we’ve seen recently.” So far, he says, none of the conditions that spawned widespread flooding in the region last year are appearing this year.

“For much of the basin, where we have very dry soil conditions in certain areas or moderately dry soil conditions, which allows the soil moisture capacity to take up any additional moisture at this point,” Todey says. “That’s quite a contrast from what we had last year where we had fairly widespread wet soil.” A year ago, heavy snow accumulation combined with an extremely wet spring to create record flooding on the Missouri. Todey, who is working with the federal government on long-range forecasts, says it simply hasn’t snowed much this winter.

“There have been a few snows that have come along,” Todey says. “Most of them have not been long-lived. They’ve melted off, so there is very little snow in the basin.” He says the weather could still break either way, above- or below-average snow and rain for the remainder of the winter.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

IA FSA Schedules Public Meetings on proposed office consolidation plans

Ag/Outdoor, News

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa)  January 12, 2012: USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced that John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director for Iowa FSA and members of his management team have scheduled public meetings in the following counties at the dates and locations specified below:

Appanoose County on January 31st at 1:00 pm at the Faith United Methodist Church of Centerville in Centerville, Iowa.

Decatur County on February 1st at 1:00 pm in the Pioneer Hall Building on the Decatur County Fairgrounds in Leon, Iowa.

Union County on February 2nd, at 1:00 pm in Instructional Center Room #220 on the Southwest Community College Campus in Creston, Iowa.

FSA’s public meeting will be the only one held to take public comment on USDA’s proposed office consolidation plan in which the Appanoose, Decatur, and Union County FSA office are being considered for consolidation. Producers can also provide written comment by emailing dennis.olson@ia.usda.gov or sending written comment to John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director, Iowa State FSA Office, 10500 Buena Vista Court, Des Moines, Iowa 50322 no later than Thursday, February 9, 2012.

All public comments will be taken into full consideration prior to development or implementation of a final consolidation plan. For more information, contact Iowa Farm Service Agency at 515-254-1540.

Sioux City wrestlers charged in hazing incident

News, Sports

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Officials say four members of the wrestling team at North High School in Sioux City face misdemeanor charges of simple assault in an alleged hazing incident involving another team member. According to the Sioux City Journal, police say the students assaulted another boy on Dec. 19 at the school. It was reported to police on Jan. 3rd. School district spokeswoman Alison Benson says the students were disciplined in accordance with school policy. She says coach John Torno, who was on administrative leave during the investigation, would return to the classroom. This is the third reported investigation into alleged inappropriate conduct involving members of an Iowa high school wrestling team in recent weeks. The other alleged incidents occurred in Greenfield and Lisbon.

Iowa’s McCaffery has no apology for chair slam

Sports

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery says he has no regrets about slamming a chair during an outburst in the second half of Tuesday’s blowout loss at Michigan State. McCaffery told reporters Thursday he had no apologies whatsoever for the tirade, which started after he was whistled for a technical foul while Iowa was losing 69-41. Berating his players during the break, McCaffery picked up an empty folding chair and slammed it on the court. Video of the incident spread online. McCaffery says he’s going to continue to “coach with passion” and fight for his players. He said some people did not understand that his message was aimed at his players to be tougher, not at the referees. He says the game was very physical and his players had failed to adjust.

Oakland, IA man stabs himself following chase in NE

News

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an Iowa man stabbed himself in the parking lot of a hospital in Fremont following a chase. The Nebraska State Patrol says 55-year-old Kevin Morrissey, of Oakland, Iowa, was treated at the Fremont hospital before he was flown to an Omaha hospital. The patrol says a trooper stopped Morrissey’s car for speeding in Blair Thursday afternoon. A driver’s license check showed he was wanted on a warrant for possession of obscene material in Washington state.

Authorities say as the trooper returned to the car, Morrissey drove off. A chase ended 30 minutes later in Fremont when Morrissey clipped a semitrailer and turned into the parking of the Fremont Medical Center. The patrol says Morrissey began cutting his neck and stabbed himself in the leg before he was subdued.

Iowa’s 2011 corn harvest up from 2010

Ag/Outdoor

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report shows Iowa once again led the nation in corn production last year with a harvest of 172 bushels per acre. The USDA pegs Iowa’s final corn yield at 2.356 billion bushels, an increase over 2010, but down from the record 2.42 billion bushels harvested in 2009. The 172 bushels per acre figure tops the 2010 harvest of 165 bushels per acre. Nationally, the USDA has set the yield at 147.2 bushels per acre, which is 5.6 bushels below the 2010 harvest. Iowa’s soybean harvest for 2011 was 50.5 bushels per acre, down slightly from 51 bushels per acre in 2010.

LINK TO FULL REPORT:
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1046

Corn estimate holds steady, low supply expected

Ag/Outdoor

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Government estimates for next fall’s corn supply held steady Thursday, a factor that should keep food prices high in the new year.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates there will be 846 million bushels of corn on hand at the end of the summer. The forecast was mostly unchanged from last month’s estimate.  The surplus would satisfy demand for less than 25 days. A 30-day supply is considered healthy.  A low supply of corn pushed food prices higher last year because corn is a key ingredient in everything from soda to cereal to animal feed.   Still, corn futures fell 40 cents a bushel in morning trading, the maximum allowed by trading boards. That’s because traders were expecting a decline in the monthly estimate.

Neola Preschool wins top rating from IA DHS

News

January 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The Tri-Center Preschool in Neola has earn a top rating from the Iowa Department of Human Services. It’s the first such educational facility in Pottawattamie County to receive a 5-star rating. Three Tri-Center Preschool teachers made the decision to participate in the Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS), to make sure they were doing what was possible to become one of the best preschools in the area.

The Iowa QRS is a voluntary program in which providers are rated on a scale of 1-to 5, as they work to meet strict guidelines covering various criteria. Dawn Powers, QRS Specialist and child care consultan, told the Omaha World-Herald, that Tri-Center “worked very hard to receive the level 5 rating,” which demonstrates a “desire to improve the quality of care and education the children in Pottawattamie County receive.”

The QRS program was implemented in 2006, when parents went to the Iowa Legislature for help in determining preschool quality. A provider who earns 1 star has met Iowa’s registration or licensing standards. A 2-star provider has received additional training and made the first steps toward improving quality. A 3-to 4-star rating is based on professional development, health and safety, training and improvement, community partnerships and leadership, and staff evaluations.

Powers said parents should feel good about leaving their children at a 5-star childcare center, because they will be safe, sanitary and provide a quality environment for learning.