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7AM Newscast 08-29-2011

News, Podcasts

August 29th, 2011 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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Cardinals Slugger Pujols Held Out Against Pirates

Sports

August 29th, 2011 by Jim Field

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Manager Tony La Russa said he felt Pujols needed a day off.   The Cardinals are off Monday, giving Pujols a two-day break.  The three-time NL MVP has been a healthy scratch twice this season, the last on July 20 against the New York Mets.  Lance Berkman made his 16th start at first on Sunday.  Pujols, who has started 113 games at first this season, missed 13 games with a fractured wrist from June 20-July 4.

Chiefs Trying to Find Offense Before Regular Season

Sports

August 29th, 2011 by Jim Field

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Todd Haley has complete confidence the Kansas City Chiefs can figure out a way to get their offense going in the right direction.  Even if they  manage to score once in a while going the wrong way.  The Chiefs’ high-profile starters struggled in their third consecutive preseason defeat Friday night, this time to the St.
Louis Rams. The first team’s only scoring drive came after an interception set up prime field position, and it went one yard backward before Ryan Succop kicked a short field goal.  With one preseason game left, time is running out to get things straightened out.

Cardinals 7, Pirates 4

Sports

August 29th, 2011 by Jim Field

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Kyle Lohse went a workmanlike five innings for his 100th career win and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Lohse (12-8) gave up four runs, two of them earned. He allowed six hits, struck out four and walked two.  Lohse also put the Cardinals ahead to stay, getting an infield single in the fourth and scoring on Allen Craig’s sacrifice fly for a 5-4 lead.  Pittsburgh has lost four of its last six. The Pirates fell a season-high 18 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee.  Lohse became the 36th active pitcher to reach the 100-win mark.  He has 106 losses in his nine-year career.  Jason Motte picked up his first save of the season with a perfect ninth.  Jeff Karstens (9-8) gave up five earned runs in 3 2-3 innings.

Saturday Volleyball Results

Sports

August 29th, 2011 by Jim Field

Adair-Casey 21-18-15, Coon Rapids-Bayard 14-21-6
Adair-Casey 21-21, Ankeny Christian Academy 13-13
Adair-Casey 21-21, East Greene 15-17
Adair-Casey 25-25, St. Mary, Storm Lake 18-21
Bedford 21-21, Lamoni 16-16
Bedford 21-21, Martensdale-St Marys 18-18
Bedford 21-21, Mount Pleasant 19-16
Bedford 25-25, Clarke, Osceola 18-23
Cedar Falls 25-22-15, Lewis Central 17-25-9
Coon Rapids-Bayard 21-21, Ankeny Christian Academy 7-14
Coon Rapids-Bayard 21-21, East Greene 7-10
Coon Rapids-Bayard 25-12-15, Iowa Christian Academy 15-25-10
Coon Rapids-Bayard 25-29, Adair-Casey 13-27
East Greene 21-21, Ankeny Christian Academy 16-4
East Union 25-24-15, Bedford 15-26-10
Fort Dodge 16-25-17, IKM-Manning 25-16-15
IKM-Manning 16-25-15, Des Moines, East 25-18-7
Iowa Christian Academy 25-25, Paton-Churdan 12-12
Iowa Christian Academy 25-25, St. Mary, Storm Lake 23-22
Lewis Central 18-22-15, IKM-Manning 21-20-8
Lewis Central 21-21, Mason City 9-15
Mason City 22-21, IKM-Manning 20-6
Paton-Churdan 25-20-15, Ankeny Christian Academy 21-25-12

Public hearing tonight (Monday) in Adair County re: Redistricting

News

August 29th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A public hearing will be held this evening in Greenfield, with regard to an Adair County redistricting plan. Members of the Adair County Temporary Redistricting Committee are set to meet at 7-p.m. in the Adair County Boardroom at the courthouse in Greenfield, to discuss the redistricting plan, which became a requirement following the results of the 2010 census, which showed a population shift in Iowa.

SWIPCO receives US DOC grant

News

August 29th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

An economic development group in southwest Iowa has received a grant from the U-S Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. Senator Tom Harkin late last week announced that four Iowa regional planning commissions and councils of government received a total of $243,000 in grants to update their comprehensive economic development strategies. The grants cover Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties.

SWIPCO – the Southwest Iowa Planning Council — based in Atlantic, will receive $60,000 from the U-S DOC. The grants will establish an economic development planning framework, process and strategy that supports private capital investment and job creation in local communities in Iowa.

Harkin says the grants “Will help to initiate private and public investment to help develop new jobs and give a needed boost to local communities.“ He says also “Strong development strategies are imperative to increasing job and career opportunities across the state.”

Greene County man arrested in pharmacy burglaries

News

August 29th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Carroll County have arrested a man in a neighboring county, in connection with a couple of burglaries in Coon Rapids. According to reports, Coon Rapids Police arrested 34-year old Jack Daniel Pearce, last Monday (August 22nd), on two-counts of felony burglary in the second degree. The Cooper man was taken into custody for allegedly breaking into the Coon Rapids Pharmacy on two separate occasions over the past 13-months. If convicted, Pearce faces five years imprisonment for each count and $5,000 fine for each charge. Pearce posted a $1,000 bond and was released from custody, with orders to appear in court for his preliminary hearing, on September 1st.

Pearce is suspected of breaking into the pharmacy through the back door, in July 2010, and again in February of this year. Once inside, he allegedly stole large amounts of prescription drugs and narcotics. Court records show Pearce has an extensive criminal record involving illegal drug possession. A search warrant executed at Pearce’ residence led to his arrest following a traffic stop just east of Cooper, Monday evening.

Officials say the burglaries in Coon Rapids were identical to several other area pharmacy break-ins that have taken place over the past year. Similar burglaries have occurred in Manning, Guthrie Center, Jefferson, Ogden, and Dayton. No arrests have been made in connection with those incidents.

NE man dies in NW IA crash

News

August 29th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa State Patrol says a 52-year-old man from Allen, Nebraska died Sunday, after the motorcycle he was driving ran into a guard rail along a road in northwest Iowa’s Plymouth County. Patrick Hirschman, who was found in a ditch following the collision, died from his injuries at the Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars. The accident happened at around 5:40-p.m., Sunday.

The Patrol says Hirschman was traveling south on Iowa Highway 12, when his 2000 Harley Davidson cycle went out of control. The report did not indicate if Hirschman was wearing a helmet.

Inspection reports show violations at Iowa egg farms

Ag/Outdoor, News

August 28th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A investigation by the Des Moines Register has revealed safeguards at some Iowa egg production facilities remain inadequate, one-year after salmonella sickened at least 1,600 people and led to the recall of a half-billion eggs. The paper reported in its Sunday edition, Iowa egg producers don’t have to disclose salmonella test results to state or federal regulators, egg farms are told days in advance about inspections, federal regulators don’t fine or close egg farms where violations are found and some egg farms refuse to tell government inspectors what brands their eggs are sold under.

One of the egg farms mentioned in the article, was Southwest Iowa Egg, in Massena. During a visit by FDA inspectors four-months ago, the co-op was noted for four violations. Inspectors found the company was not: following its own protocol for preventing salmonella; was failing to review internal plant records as required; was failing to properly document cleaning, disinfecting and efforts to control flied and rodents; and, maintained no records documenting the number of hours eggs were stored on site before being shipped out. The FDA give company officials a poster detailing some of the regulations pertaining to egg production, but imposed no penalties.

In an interview to air 7:30-a.m. Monday on KJAN’s “Heartbeat Today,” with Jim Field, Rich Hall, General Manager of Southwest Iowa Egg says the company has a bio-security plan in place to prevent salmonella from forming at the facility. He says when facility first opened, they allowed tours, but that practice was stopped not long thereafter, to prevent contamination, and provide for a safe product that’s shipped to the consumer.

Hall says the violations were tied to the manner in which paperwork was maintained by the company. He says the documentation is there, but officials with the FDA thought information pertaining to rodent and fly activity should be on separate logs. He says for the past three-years, the birds are vaccinated for salmonella, which is not required. In addition, their facilities have been tested twice, once by the FDA, and a second time by an independent lab. No evidence of salmonella was ever found.

Hall says their new security plan was developed when eggs produced at another Iowa farm were recalled in August 2010, following an investigation into the salmonella outbreak that affected more than two-dozen states. He says they hired a veterinary consultant to help develop the plan, and have implemented that plan according to its interpretation. Hall says they discussed the paperwork issues mentioned by the FDA, and have made modifications to comply with the recommendations.

Hall says an audit in July of the cooperative’s north facility, did not reveal any problems with documentation. Another area egg production facility, Rose Acre Farms, in Guthrie Center, was inspected in April, but the process was aborted when officials discovered that birds in one of the henhouses had been diagnosed by the company, with a viral infection that is harmful to hens, but poses no risks to humans. The diagnosis was not reported to the state veterinarian, as required by law. The veterinarian advised the FDA not to re-enter the farm or any other facilities for at least five days, following the Rose Acre inspection. Officials with Rose Acre Farms say the FDA did complete its inspection, and no action was taken against the company for failing to report the disease, or refusing to provide the requested information about it.

Hall says Southwest Iowa Egg has made significant improvements to its documentation processes, based on discussion with the FDA. Iowa is the nation’s leading egg producer, with 57 million hens laying 14 billion eggs per year.