The Atlantic basketball team shot cold from the field throughout their game against Harlan shooting below their average which gave the Cyclones a 53-33 win on Tuesday night in Harlan.
Atlantic led by three at the top of the first but watched a methodic Cyclones team continue to score inside the paint to take the lead at the end of the first 16-8. Harlan found consistent success in the strength of Franz Reisz who had 10 points through layups and close-range jump shots. Atlantic then went a bit cold from the field and Harlan charged up a 11-3 to end the second quarter.
In the third quarter the Cyclones focused on using zone defenses and that combined with Atlantic only scoring four points in the third seemed to damage the Trojans hopes of coming back. Harlan was up 44-22 by the end of third and the persistent cold shooting from Atlantic would cost them the game.
Head Coach Dalton Franken did note that while his team struggled to score, he was hopeful for Friday with the effort he saw from a few players.
Atlantic was led by 17 points Gavin McLaren and 6 from Nolan Waters. The Trojans fall to 5-14 on the season and will now prep for Lenox on Friday.
Coach Franken said that the rebounding must improve for Atlantic to get another win.
Harlan was led by 16 points from Franz Reisz and 12 from Will Arkfeld. The Cyclones improve to 11-6 on the season and head to Treynor on Thursday.
The (8-13) Atlantic Trojans Girls Basketball team failed to keep up with Harlan in the second half on Tuesday night which resulted in a 54-36 loss. The Trojans came out calm in the first quarter taking the lead early and battled against sharp perimeter shooting from the Cyclones with the game being tied three times. Atlantic was able to get the edge at the end of the first being up 10-9. At the start of the second quarter Harlan went on a 7-0 run with multiple Kenzley Bruck baskets in the low post to take the lead 16-10.
Towards the end of the second quarter Paytn Harter achieved her 1000th point as an Atlantic Trojan and the whole bench erupted. Atlantic went into the locker room down 25-20, but it seemed they were rejuvenated. In the second half of the game Harlan discovered that Atlantic had no answer for Erica Rust’s paint play as she went on to score 16 points in the last 16 minutes of play. Rust was a major part in a 10-0 run at the beginning of the fourth and the Trojans struggled to respond throughout the rest of the night.
Makenna Schroeder led the Trojans in scoring with 12 points and Paytn Harter chipped in 8. The Cyclones were led in scoring by Erica Rust with 20 and Aubrey Schwieso added 13.
An 18-point loss is always hard to acknowledge, but Head Coach Dan Vargason did like the difference in physicality his team showed up with in their second game against Harlan.
Recording 1000 points is a monumental moment and Coach Vargason was filled with pride for Paytn Harter.
The Cyclones improve to 16-3 with the win and host OABCIG on Saturday for the first round of the postseason. Atlantic drops to 8-13 and will travel up to Southeast Valley on Saturday for the start of their postseason.
(Radio Iowa) – The four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U-S House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, but the impeachment effort fell four votes short. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion released a video statement hours before the vote.
Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull says Mayorkas is unwilling to close the southern border and that’s a dereliction of duty with catastrophic consequences. Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of LeClaire, also voted to impeach Mayorkas, but did not issue statements after the vote.
(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Tuesday evening, arrested 36-year-old Bryce Michael McKinnon, of Red Oak. McKinnon was taken into custody at around 6-p.m., on a warrant for Violation of Probation. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, on a $10,000 bond.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic, this (Tuesday) evening, discussed and then considered the purchase of 16 Scott Air-Pak Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses for the Atlantic Fire Department. Fire Chief Tom Cappel mentioned their current Airpaks are beyond their certifiable life.
He said he has not yet heard back on a FEMA grant for the bottles. He said the 16 certified Airpaks requested will equip the Departments First-out trucks. The bottles have a 15-year certifiable usefulness.
Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel speaks to the City Council (2-6-24)
The Council agreed to move forward with process of purchasing the devices. The Council then received an update from Jeremy Butler and Ali Pieken, SplashPad Committee members. Pieken also spoke last month, during the City of Atlantic’s Parks Advisory inaugural meeting.
Pieken said Rolling Hills Bank and Trust, in addition to their $10,000 donation, is willing to carry a loan with a 2% interest rate. The committee pitched the idea of a $300-thousand or $400,00 value, but that is only what they used for an amortization rate.
The project is currently estimated to cost $673,000, leaving a gap of $101,185. After some contentious, back-and-forth over allegations that the City told SWIPCO (the grant-writing arm of the City), NOT to write any grants for the Splash Pad project, the Council proceeded to move forward and approve a submission of a Letter Of Support for the Splash Pad Project, as part of an application to Enhance Iowa, for a CAT (Community Attraction and Tourism) grant. A delay caused by miscommunications with regard to the grant writing, means SWIPCO will have to hustle to meet the deadline to apply for the grant, which is February 15th.
Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm said the plan right now, is to go out for bid on the Splash Pad, at the end of this month, take bids in March, and possibly award a contract that same month, with the contract and bonds approved by the middle of April. The Splash Pad Committee is scrambling to get SWIPCO all the necessary information to get the grant application submitted on-time.
In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed two resolutions. The first was with regard to “Allocating the Alliant Energy Gas Franchise Fee for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.” On July 5th, 2023, the City Council in Atlantic granted a 25-year franchise to Interstate Power and Light Company (Alliant Energy), which imposes a five-percent franchise fee upon gross revenue generated from the sales of natural gas by the Company, within the City’s corporate limits. In Sept. 2023, the City Council passed a resolution adopting a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS), outlining the purposes for which the City will use the franchise fee. The Personnel and Finance Committee deemed the fee should be allocated for FY 2024 and 2025, as follows:
2% to the Police Department Operating Fund
2% to the Fire Equipment Reserve Fund
1% to an Ambulance Subsidy Fund.
The other resolution the Council passed tonight (Tuesday night), was to authorize bids for 2024 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation. Dave Sturm explains…
The Resolution states the notice of letting will be published by law for Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at which time the City Clerk will receive bids for the work until 2-p.m. on that date. The sealed bids will be opened 5:30-p.m. March 5th, for consideration of the adoption of the proposed plans, specifications and proposed form of contract for the improvements.
The Council concluded regular business and adjourned into a Closed Session for the purpose of “Providing for the strategy meetings of Public Employees for Collective Bargaining.”
New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON— The 27thGreat Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place from Friday, February 16 through Monday, February 19. Volunteers from around the world are invited to count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then enter their checklists at birdcount.org. Anyone with internet access can participate, no matter what their skill level—it’s a great family activity, too.
A lot has changed since the first Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was held in 1998. Each year brings unwavering enthusiasm from the growing number of participants in this now-global event. All the data contribute to a snapshot of bird distribution and help scientists see changes over the past 20 years.
“The very first GBBC was an experiment,” says the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Marshall Iliff, a leader of the eBird program. “We wanted to see if people would use the Internet to send us their bird sightings. Clearly the experiment was a success!” eBird collects bird observations globally every day of the year and is the online platform used by the GBBC.
“The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to introduce people to participation in citizen science,” says Audubon vice president and chief scientist Gary Langham. “No other program allows volunteers to take an instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations that can contribute to our understanding of how a changing climate is affecting birds.”
Varying weather conditions so far this winter are producing a few trends that GBBC participants can watch for during the count.
Jon McCracken, Bird Studies Canada’s National Program Director, reminds participants in Canada and the U.S. to keep watch for snowies. He says, “The GBBC has done a terrific job of tracking irruptions of Snowy Owls southward over the past several years. We can’t predict what winter 2024 will bring, because Snowy Owl populations are so closely tied to unpredictable ‘cycles’ of lemmings in the Arctic. These cycles occur at intervals between two and six years. Nevertheless, there are already reports of Snowy Owls as far south as Virginia.”
In addition to counting birds, the GBBC photo contest has also been a hit with participants since it was introduced in 2006. Since then, tens of thousands of stunning images have been submitted.
This is a wonderful family program for bird watchers of all ages and is free of charge. All you need is basic knowledge of bird identification! It is not required that you record every species you see, only those that can be properly identified. To participate in the bird count either call the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372 and receive everything you need in the mail (or pick up in the office), or go to the website: http://www.birdcount.org/ and follow the instructions.
Let’s get out there this year and stay in the top 10 in the state! Please help the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon Society by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count.
(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Snowshoe Night Hike next week. The Snowshoe Night Hike will be held at the Outdoor Educational Classroom outside of Massena, on February 16th 2024 at 7-p.m. Come out for a great night hike, try to call in various species of Owls that may be in the park that night! Snowshoes (variety of sizes) will be available. Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning says “We will hike, and if the sky is clear, it will be a great night to stargaze! FREE, Dress for the weather!
The event be a night hike with “NO SNOWSHOES- if there is NO Snow!”
The following evening (Nov. 17th), there will be a “Sweethearts Snowshoe Hike.” The Sweetheart Snowshoe Hike will be held at the Pellett Memorial Woods outside of Atlantic, beginning at 7-p.m. Come out for a great night hike, who knows what nature has waiting for us then! Snowshoes (variety of sizes) will be available. This event is also free. Be sure and dress for the weather.
(Radio Iowa) -Republicans on a House subcommittee have advanced Governor Kim Reynolds’ bill that would put definitions of man and woman and mother and father in Iowa law and require changes in how the state issues driver’s licenses to transgender residents. Molly Severn is the governor’s legislative liaison.
“Just like the governor and legislature did with girls’ sports, this proposal protects women’s spaces and rights afforded them by Iowa law and the Constitution,” Severn says. Denise Bubeck of The Family Leader’s church ambassador network says Reynolds is standing up for women by clearly defining the term. “This bill will help us move in the right direction because without it, we are losing single sex spaces and resources,” she said, “including locker rooms, athletics and even prisons and domestic violence shelters.”
Clara Reynen, a graduate student at the University of Iowa, testified against the bill. “This bill is completely unconstitutional and worse than that it’s unAmerican,” Reynen said. “…My transgender friends and family deserve to live in peace..” The bill requires Iowa driver’s licenses and newly-issued birth certificates to list a transgender resident’s gender at birth as well as their gender after sex-change surgery. Stefanie Munsterman, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, says the bill sends the wrong signal to the L-G-B-T-Q community.
“I have business leaders across the state of Iowa telling me they are having an exceedingly hard time finding employees to work,” Munsterman said. “People are leaving the state. People are afraid to come here, so we are losing our competitive advantage.” A huge crowd of opponents of the bill rallied and chanted outside the committee room during the half hour hearing.
The bill is now eligible for a vote in a House committee.
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Sophomore Kaitlyn Hanna carded a one-over over 217 – the best 54-hole score of her career – to pace the University of Iowa women’s golf team at the FAU Paradise Invitational at the Osprey Point Golf Club.
Hanna finished with a final round 73 en route to her 217 total. The Omaha, Nebraska, native had 12 pars and three birdies on Tuesday. She posted her fourth and fifth rounds at or below par during Monday’s opening two rounds.
She paced the team, tying for 12th place, which tied the best finish of her Hawkeye career. Hanna also tied for 12th place last fall at the Red Raider Invitational.
As a team, Iowa finished in a tie for eighth place with an 885 total (290-290-305).
Sophomore Madison Dabagia was Iowa’s next highest finisher, tying for 26th place. The Indiana had rounds of 71 and 72 on Monday – her 10th and 11th career rounds at or below par – before carding a 78 during her final round. She finished with a 221 total.
South Florida claimed the team title by four shots over Denver, shooting a seven-under par 857. The Bulls’ Melaine Green was the individual medalist, firing a six-under par 210 – two shots clear of second place.
PLAYER LEADERBOARD
T12. Kaitlyn Hanna 72-72-73=217
T26. Madison Dabagia 71-72-78=221
T40. Riley Lewis 76-74-76=224
T50. Paula Miranda 71-78-78=227
T58. Shannyn Vogler 78-74-78=230
T8. IOWA 290-290-305=885
UP NEXT
After taking a three-week break, the Hawkeyes will return to action on Feb. 25-26 at the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Arizona.
Tim Lester plans an aggressive approach to fixing Iowa’s worst in the nation offense. The former head coach at Western Michigan was introduced as the Hawkeyes’ new offensive coordinator. He spent the past season as an analyst with the Green Bay Packers.
Lester’s offenses have featured a lot of run-pass-option which would be a new look for the Hawkeyes. His main goal is to develop an offense to fit the quarterback.
As Lester installs his offense, he will be waiting on starting quarterback Cade McNamara. He is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in a week five win over Michigan State and won’t be available for spring drills.
Lester knows all about Iowa’s history of developing outstanding tight ends and says his offense over the years has featured a lot of the two tight end sets that the Hawkeyes employ.
Lester plans to coach from the press box and will also serve as quarterbacks coach. He looks forward to working with McNamara.
This is a wonderful family program for bird watchers of all ages and is free of charge. All you need is basic knowledge of bird identification! It is not required that you record every species you see, only those that can be properly identified. To participate in the bird count either call the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372 and receive everything you need in the mail (or pick up in the office), or go to the website: 
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