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NWS discouraging travel in some parts of Iowa, today (3/24)

News, Weather

March 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The National Weather Service in Des Moines says a strong weather system is moving east over the state early today. Rain will mix and change to snow central with heavy snow and near-blizzard conditions across the north. The storm will slow down this morning and produce snowfall amounts of 1 or more inches per hour across the north and northeast and farther south later this morning. Travel is discouraged today – especially over much of northern, eastern, northeastern and northwest Iowa. Southern Minnesota is also getting heavy snow today. Stay safe – Stay home. For the latest road conditions go to 511ia.org, or call 511.

Posted in News, Weather |

Supreme Court says Sioux City man who confessed to crime should get another look

News

March 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a split opinion saying a man who plead guilty can have his case reviewed after the victim changed his story. Jacob Lee Schmidt of Sioux City pleaded guilty to incest and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse on a younger relative. He asked to have his conviction vacated after the victim recanted. The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says sometimes an innocent person is choosing the lesser of two evils: pleading guilty despite his or her actual innocence because the odds are stacked up against him or her, or going to trial with the risk of losing and the prospect of receiving a harsher sentence.

In its first ruling on the subject, the court says the Iowa Constitution allows freestanding claims of actual innocence, so applicants may bring such claims to attack their pleas even though they entered their pleas knowingly and voluntarily. The court ordered the case sent back to the district court. There were two dissenting opinions from justices Waterman, Mansfield and Zager. The dissent says Schmidt closed the door to an appeal when he pleaded guilty in court and admitted what he had done. It says the majority opinion relies too much on cases in which the defendant steadfastly maintained his or her innocence through trial and all subsequent appeals.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in News |

RICK LEE FLYNN, 56, of Shelby (Graveside Svcs. 4/7/18)

Obituaries

March 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

RICK LEE FLYNN, 56, of Shelby, died March 15th, at Methodist Hospital. Graveside services for RICK FLYNN will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, April 7th, in the Harlan Cemetery. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

RICK LEE FLYNN is survived by:

His Mother – Glenyce Jean (Obrecht) Wendelin, of Harlan.

His Father – Richard (Bonnie) Flynn, of Perry Park, KY.

His Brother – Robb (Lauren) Flynn, of Katy, TX.

His Step-Brothers: Rick (Shelley) Turner, of Nabb, IN., & Rob (Holly) Turner, of La Grange, KY.

Posted in Obituaries |

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the area, 3/24/18

Weather

March 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Today: A rain-snow mix this morning before changing to all rain. High near 35. NE @ 15-25. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low around 29. E/NE wind @ 10-20mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. E/SE wind 10-20mph.
Sunday Night: A 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low around 35.
Monday: An 80% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High near 50.New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: A 70% chance of shwrs & tstrms. Low around 38.
Tuesday: A 20% chance of rain before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 49. Our Low this morning (as of 5:30-a.m.) was 33. We received .45” of rain through 5:30-a.m., today, at the KJAN Studios. Last year on this date our High was 56 and the Low was 40. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 83 in 1967. The Record Low was -2, in 1974.

Posted in Weather |

Midwest/Regional Sports Headlines: 3/24/18

Sports

March 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — For the third straight year, top-seeded Kansas made its way through the Sweet 16. Getting to the Final Four has been a different story _ and the Jayhawks are on the doorstep once again. Kansas brought at least a temporary halt to the insanity this March, holding off a big comeback from fifth-seeded Clemson for an 80-76 victory. Malik Newman led the Jayhawks with 17 points in a win that won’t mean much if KU can’t finish the job in Sunday’s regional final.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Michigan, Florida State, Kansas State and Loyola-Chicago will get their chance to earn a trip to the Final Four on Saturday. In an upset-filled NCAA Tournament, the ninth-seeded Wildcats and 11th-seeded Ramblers will play the first regional final for the South Region’s ticket to San Antonio. The second Elite Eight game will feature the third-seeded Wolverines against the ninth-seeded Seminoles in the West final.

UNDATED (AP) — In an NCAA Tournament dominated by upsets, Friday belonged to the favorites. Top seeds Kansas and Villanova, along with second-seeded Duke all moved on to the Elite Eight after holding on for close wins. All three teams are on the right side of the tourney bracket. Joined by Texas Tech, the foursome alone would make for intriguing Final Four. That makes any team that emerges from Sunday a likely top contender for the national title.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Teaira McCowan had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Victoria Vivians added 14 points and top-seeded Mississippi State routed North Carolina State 71-57 to reach the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Kiara Leslie had 27 points to pace the Wolfpack.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ three-time NL Cy Young Award winner stretched his spring training scoreless streak to 21 1/3 innings with 6 2/3 innings against Kansas City in his final tuneup for Thursday’s opener against San Francisco. He allowed a leadoff single to Jon Jay and no other hits. He struck out four and walked none in a 10-0 win, the left0hander’s first appearance since turning 30 on Monday.

ATLANTA (AP) — It’s only fitting that a South Regional stripped of its top four seeds on the first weekend _ a first for the NCAA Tournament _ is left with two of the tournament’s biggest surprises to play for a Final Four berth. Tough-minded Kansas State, the No. 9 seed, has leaned on its strong defense to carve its path to the regional final against No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago.

UNDATED (AP) — Texas Tech is headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. Keenan Evans had 16 points and the third-seeded Red Raiders overcame an early first half hole and dominated second-seeded Purdue down the stretch to earn a 78-65 victory in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Texas Tech will play top seed Villanova in the East regional final Sunday.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Saturday, 3/24/18

News

March 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

CRESTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Mexico say they found no signs of violence when they discovered the bodies of an Iowa couple and their two children in a condo in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Quintana Roo state prosecutor’s office tweeted Friday that four bodies had been found in a tourist compound in Tulum. The office said “no signs of violence were found on the bodies or in the room.” Authorities in Iowa say the family was reported missing by relatives early Friday, about a week after leaving for Mexico.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Davenport man has been sentenced to up to 55 years in prison for the 2017 shooting death of another man in the front yard of a home. The Quad-City Times reports that 28-year-old David Levy Jr. was sentenced Friday. A jury had found Levy guilty in February of second-degree murder and a firearm count for the death of 33-year-old Lasabian Walker.

KINGSLEY, Iowa (AP) — A propane explosion has injured two people in northwestern Iowa and destroyed four rural buildings. Kingsley Fire Chief Paul Huth tells the Sioux City Journal that crews were called to the explosion at a hog farm near Kingsley before 7 a.m. Friday. Huth says the explosion happened when two men walked into a hog nursery building on the property. Huth says a propane leak inside the building likely touched-off the explosion and resulting fire when door was opened, kicking on an automatic heater.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From hog producers in Iowa to apple growers in Washington state and winemakers in California, farmers are expressing deep disappointment over being put in the middle of a potential trade war with China by the president many of them helped elect. After President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on products including Chinese steel, China responded Friday with a threat to slap tariffs on a variety of U.S. products, including pork, wine, apples, ethanol and stainless-steel pipe.

Posted in News |

4 more minor leaguers suspended for drug violations

Sports

March 23rd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston catcher Oscar Hernandez, Chicago Cubs pitcher David Garner, St. Louis pitcher Matt Pearce and Pittsburgh shortstop Andrew Walker have been suspended for 50 games each under baseball’s minor league drug program.

Hernandez, Garner and Pearce each had second positive tests for a drug of abuse, the commissioner’s office said Friday. Walker was disciplined for an unspecified violation.
The 24-year-old Hernandez played 18 games for Arizona in 2016 and four the following year. He hit .197 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 67 games last year for Jackson in the Double-A Texas League and is on the roster of Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League.

Garner, a 25-year-old right-hander, is with the Iowa Cubs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He was 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 35 relief appearances last year for Double-A Tennessee and Iowa.

Peace, a right-hander who turned 24 last month, was 9-12 with a 3.08 ERA in 25 starts last year for Double-A Springfield of the Texas League and Triple-A Memphis of the Pacific Coast League. He is on the Memphis roster.

Walker, who also turned 24 last month, hit .240 with no homers and 11 RBIs last season in 39 games for a pair of Class A teams. He is on the roster of West Virginia Power of the Class A South Atlantic League.

There have been 25 players suspended this year under the minor league drug program and six under the big league program: Houston pitcher Dean Deetz, Washington catcher Raudy Read, Pittsburgh pitcher Nik Turley, Kansas City outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, Toronto pitcher Thomas Pannone and Minnesota shortstop Jorge Polanco.

Posted in Sports |

2 men injured, 4 buildings destroyed in rural Iowa explosion

News

March 23rd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

KINGSLEY, Iowa (AP) — A propane explosion has injured two people in northwestern Iowa and destroyed four rural buildings. Kingsley Fire Chief Paul Huth tells the Sioux City Journal that crews were called to the explosion at a hog farm near Kingsley before 7 a.m. Friday.

Huth says the explosion happened when two men walked into a hog nursery building on the property. Huth says a propane leak inside the building likely touched-off the explosion and resulting fire when door was opened, kicking on an automatic heater. The blasted severely injured the two men, who were taken to a Sioux City hospital. Their condition was not known Friday afternoon.

Authorities say the four destroyed buildings were empty, and no hogs were killed.

Posted in News |

Trump draws ire of farmers targeted in Chinese trade dispute

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 23rd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From Iowa hog producers to Washington apple growers and California winemakers, farmers are expressing deep disappointment over being put in the middle of a potential trade war with China. President Donald Trump announced plans Thursday for tariffs on products including Chinese steel to punish Beijing for stealing American technology.

Beijing responded Friday with a threat to slap tariffs on American products such as pork, wine, apples, ethanol and stainless-steel pipe. Farmers voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016. But now many worry about the economic blowback from his combative approach.

Iowa farmer Wayne Humphreys says producers have invested a lot of time, talent and treasure in developing markets worldwide. And with the stroke of a pen, he says, that investment has been jeopardized.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

(Update) No signs of violence in Mexico – Creston family deaths

News

March 23rd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

CRESTON, Iowa (AP) — The bodies of an Iowa couple and their two children were found in a rented condo in Mexico on Friday, though it wasn’t immediately clear what caused their deaths, according to investigators.

The family was reported missing by relatives in their hometown of Creston, Iowa, earlier in the day, about a week after the family left for vacation. Creston police contacted the U.S. Department of State, and the bodies were found during a welfare check at the condo in Tulum, on the Yucatan Peninsula.

In Mexico, the Quintana Roo state prosecutors office tweeted that the bodies were found in a tourist compound. The office said that “no signs of violence were found on the bodies or in the room,” though authorities said it wasn’t immediately clear what caused the deaths. Autopsy reports were pending. Iowa authorities identified the family as 41-year-old Kevin Sharp; his wife, 38-year-old Amy Sharp; and their children, 12-year-old Sterling and 7-year-old Adrianna.

Reached Friday, the developer of the condo complex where the deaths occurred declined to comment. The family flew to Cancun, Mexico, on March 14. According to her sister, Amy Sharp texted their mother the next day to say they’d reached Tulum, but relatives hadn’t heard from the family since then.

The sister, Renee Hoyt, said the Sharps were scheduled to return to the U.S. this week. They were scheduled to depart from the Cancun airport on Wednesday and fly to St. Louis on a non-stop flight. The family had planned to then drive about 200 miles to Danville, Illinois, to watch a basketball game Thursday, Hoyt said.

When the family didn’t arrive in St. Louis, family members contacted authorities, she said.

Posted in News |