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DONALD JAMES LAUGHERY, 90, of Guthrie Center (Svcs. 9/17/15)

Obituaries

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DONALD JAMES LAUGHERY, 90, of Guthrie Center, died Sunday, Sept. 13th, in Des Moines. Funeral services for DONALD LAUGHERY will be held 10:30-a.m. Thu., Sept. 17th, at the 1st United Methodist Church in Guthrie Center. Twigg Funeral Home in Guthrie Center has the arrangements.

Visitation at the funeral home is from 5-until 7-pm Wednesday, with the family present. Online condolences may be left at www.twiggfuneralhome.com.

Burial will be in the Union Cemetery at Guthrie Center.

Stabbing incident in Red Oak, Sunday

News

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak arrested two men in connection with a stabbing incident, Sunday. Officials say54-year old Reggie Lynn Lukehart faces a felony Willful Injury charge. 51-year old Rodney Gene Lukehart was charged with being an Accessory after the Fact. Both men are from Red Oak.

The pair were taken into custody after officers in Red Oak were called to the 300 block of 1st Avenue, following a report of a disturbance. Upon arrival, they spoke with an unidentified victim, who said he had been stabbed. Red Oak Rescue transported the man to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries consistent with a stab wound.

Reggie Lukehart was located a short time later at his home and taken into custody. Further investigation determined Rodney Lukehart took the weapon Reggie Lukehart allegedly used to commit the stabbing, and hid it in his home.

Reggie Lukehart was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond, while Rodney Lukehart’s bond was set at $2,000.

Glenwood man arrested in Montgomery Co., Sunday

News

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Sunday of a Glenwood man. 36-year old Robert Matthew Justice was arrested at around 6:50-p.m. in the 2300 block of Highway 34, for Driving While Suspended, with 17 withdrawals in effect. Justice was being held Sunday night in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 cash bond.

Mayor: Carter Lake’s lake is useless & DNR is to blame

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The lake for which the southwest Iowa town of Carter Lake is named has become a useless body of water, according to the town’s mayor and he blames the Iowa D-N-R for the mess. Several years back, the agency spent almost six-million dollars to remove algae from the lake but the newly-clear water allowed plants to grow on the lake bottom, plants that now clog boat propellors. Mayor Gerald Waltrip is upset.

“My complaint is, you can’t use the lake, most people can’t use it,” Mayor Waltrip says. “Where I live, I have not had my boat in the water for…this is the fifth summer because of the seaweed around my dock area.” He says those who attempt to take their boats out on the lake do so at the risk of burning up their motors by getting the props tangled in the lake’s forest of weeds.

“Fishermen don’t even use it,” Waltrip says. “I used to have ten boats every day from 3:30 in the afternoon until dark with fishermen all the time. They loved it and they can’t do it anymore.” In trying to wipe out the algae — and a bad stench — he says the D-N-R may have done its job too well. Visitors can now see the bottom of the lake and the sun shines through the water, which caused the abundance of plants to grow.

“I’m not going to disagree that they didn’t make it cleaner or more clear,” Waltrip says, “but now, you’re to a point where 90% of the people that used to use the lake can’t use it.” Carter Lake, a town of about 38-hundred people, has two underwater vegetation harvesters but operating them is expensive. The situation is impacting the Carter Lake Ski Club, which is losing members and spending more money on weed control by its docks.

D-N-R officials say the lake is now good for fish and the main concern is water quality. The D-N-R says Carter Lake is evolving and the problem will eventually solve itself.

(Radio Iowa)

NWS forecast for Atlantic & the area, 9/14/15 (updated 4-a.m.)

Weather

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8am and 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Windy, with a south wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Breezy, with a south wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Windy, with a south wind 18 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Windy, with a south wind 17 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Windy.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Breezy.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86..

In corn-growing states, tall crops pose seasonal road hazard

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For drivers in Midwestern farm country, the growing season brings a special danger on the roads: tall corn that can obscure other vehicles until it’s too late. The plant’s broad leaves and thick stalks can stand up to 12 feet high, forming a wall of foliage that turns rural roads into long, narrow corridors of green, yellow and brown. Many intersections have no stop signs.

The peril is especially pervasive in Iowa, the nation’s top corn producer, where crops cover more than 90 percent of the land. At least five people have been killed so far this season in crashes blamed on corn.

Authorities issue warnings, but they can do little more than plead with drivers to use caution. The problem is also widespread across Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana.

In Iowa, Obama looks to leave his imprint on 2016 race

News

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidential candidates are a common sight in Iowa as the 2016 campaign intensifies. But the White House hopefuls are now seeing competition from the man they’re running to succeed. President Barack Obama will spend this (Monday) afternoon in Des Moines, the capital of the kickoff caucus state that will be instrumental in winnowing down the 2016 primary field and picking a president in the general election.

Officially, Obama will be in Iowa to join Education Secretary Arne Duncan for a back-to-school bus tour and to announce a change to the college financial aid system that will foster earlier loan deadlines for students. But the visit also allows Obama to make an imprint on the 2016 race, arguing for Democratic priorities and drawing a contrast with the many Republican candidates blanketing Iowa.

 

Iowa early News Headline: Monday, 9/14/15

News

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WELLMAN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating after a Washington County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a suicidal man. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says the confrontation between deputies and 39-year-old Martin Hammen happened early Sunday at Hammen’s rural home near Wellman. Deputies were responding to a report of a suicidal man. Authorities say Hammen refused to drop a handgun, so the deputy shot Hammen.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A 31-year-old man is charged in a 2014 shooting that killed two people. Cedar Rapids police say Kendu Ray Petties was charged with first-degree murder after he was returned to the state on Friday after being arrested in Arizona last month. Police say 22-year-old Quintrell Perkins and 20-year-old Sierrah Simmons were shot and killed in April 2014.

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — Inspectors say a nursing home in Perry mishandled the treatment of three patients that were transferred there this summer after a state mental hospital closed. The Perry Health Care center faces up to $13,500 in fines after one of the patients died and another suffered a broken leg. The manager of the nursing home company, Bruce Mehlhop, says he disagrees with the inspectors’ findings and plans to appeal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is announcing changes to the federal college aid system that are intended to help students get a better handle about whether they can afford school. President Barack Obama plans to announce the changes Monday when he meets with Iowa high school students. The White House says requiring students to wait until January to fill out the federal aid form makes it harder for them to qualify for private scholarships and figure out whether they can pay for college.

GLENDALE EDNA ARMSTRONG, 96, of Atlantic & formerly of Griswold, (Svcs. 9/16/15)

Obituaries

September 14th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

GLENDALE EDNA ARMSTRONG, 96, of Atlantic (& formerly of Griswold), died Sat., Sept. 12th, at the Allen Place in Atlantic. A Mass of Christian Burial for GLENDALE ARMSTRONG will take place 11-a.m. Wed., Sept. 16th, at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Griswold. Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold is in charge of arrangements.

A Rosary will be held at the funeral home on Tue., beginning at 6-p.m,. followed by a visitation with the family until 7:30-p.m.

Interment will be held at the Whipple Cemetery.

GLENDALE ARMSTRONG is survived by:

Her sons – Robert (Mary) Armstrong, of Atlantic, and John (Christine) Armstrong, of Omaha.

Her daughters – Lois (Don) Welliver, of Riverside, MO., and Alice (Steve) Frechette, of St. Cloud, MN.

7 seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Also several nieces, nephews, cousins and numerous friends.

Council Bluffs police hope city will invest in larger office

News

September 13th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs police hope the city will investigate a significantly larger headquarters for the department. Police Chief Tim Carmody tells the Council Bluffs Nonpareil that his department is doing the best it can with its current 19,000-square-foot building, but more space is needed.

Currently, three lieutenants share the same desk on different shifts. And investigators have to be careful when interviewing suspects because everything said can be overheard in a neighboring interview room. Carmody says that for a department the size of Council Bluffs with 113 officers and 25 civilians, experts recommend an office with between 45,000 and 55,000 square feet.

The city council will discuss hiring a firm to assess the department’s needs at its meeting on Monday.