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Lt. Gov. Reynolds to hold STEM Town Hall meeting in Corning

News

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Officials with Governor Terry Branstad’s office say Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will continue a series of town hall meetings across Iowa, including one set to take place in Corning, on May 6th. Other such events will take place in Pella and Reinbeck. Reynolds will talk about the importance of giving students a first-rate education in science, technology, engineering and math. The meeting in Corning will be held in the Corning High School Gym, beginning at 1:30 on Tue., May 6th. In addition to Reynolds, Gov. Branstad and Chris Russell, Data Center Operations Manager for Google in Council Bluffs, will be in attendance. The public is invited to attend.

The Lt. Governor is co-chair of the Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Council, along with Mary Andringa, CEO of the Vermeer Corp. The Council’s overarching goal is raising student interest and achievement in STEM and building a stronger STEM workforce pipeline.

The town halls will update Iowans on the progress being made by the Council, showcase student STEM presentations and seek feedback from community members about how the Council should set STEM priorities moving forward. Gov. Terry Branstad, Mary Andringa and local business leaders will join Reynolds at select town halls.

Andringa said in a press release that they “Want to hear feedback on the progress the Governor’s STEM Council has made over the past two years, and the priorities we should set as we look ahead.”  She said “The STEM town halls are a way to engage communities in conversation about the value of STEM education and STEM economic development.”

 

2300th Street has re-opened in Shelby County

News

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Emergency Management officials in Shelby County say residents who live in, and emergency responders who serve the Shelby County Township of Union, Sections 17 and 18, should be be aware 2300th Street has re-opened. The road was closed March 31st due to a culvert project. The culvert has replaced a bridge one-quarter of a mile west of County Road M-16 on 2300th Street.The bridge was over an unnamed tributary of Moser Creek.

RAYMOND E. MILLER, JR., 73, of rural Stuart (Svcs. at a later date)

Obituaries

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

RAYMOND E. MILLER, JR., 73, of rural Stuart, died Sat. April 19th, at the Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center. Memorials services for RAYMOND MILLER, JR., will be held at a later date. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora is in charge of the arrangements.

Council Bluffs P-D ask for help in finding missing woman

News

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs are asking for your help in finding a woman who has not been seen since the early morning hours of Friday, April 18th.  Authorities say 22-year old Heather Betts, of Council Bluffs, was last seen voluntarily getting into a dark colored “sporty looking” car with a loud exhaust. The woman told  her friends and family that she was getting a ride from someone she described as “An old friend,” and was enroute to either Little Sioux or Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Heather Betts

Heather Betts

Betts is a Caucasian woman about 4-feet 8-inches tall, weighs 80-pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing black pants with either a yellow or light blue shirt. Officials say she appears younger than her age.

The Council Bluffs Police Dept. is actively investigating her disappearance as a “Missing Persons” case. They say they have no evidence to suggest Betts is in danger, other than her absence and lack of contact with family and friends.

If you have information on her whereabouts, call the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-STOP.

8AM Sportscast 04-24-2014

Podcasts, Sports

April 24th, 2014 by admin

w/ Jim Field

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Iowa sees very few tornadoes in 2014, not that we’re complaining…

News, Weather

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Only two tornadoes have touched down in Iowa this year so far, well below the average of around 15 by this date. Nationwide, not a single tornado death has been recorded this year, the first time that’s happened this far into spring since 1915. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson, at the National Weather Service, says the prolonged chilly weather may be frustrating for Iowa farmers, but it helps keep twisters at bay. “There’s been thought that maybe it’s due to the cool spring we’ve had nationwide, especially east of the Rockies,” Johnson says. “Cold air and tornadoes don’t mix well so you need the warmer air moving north to get the clash of the air masses and to get the conditions that are necessary for tornadoes.”

Iowa gets an average of 46 tornadoes per year, but the numbers have been down significantly in recent years. “In Iowa, it’s been quiet since really 2011,” Johnson says. “There was a period of time from May of 2012 to May of 2013 where Iowa went for nearly a calendar year without a single tornado. I think we were just four days short of that.” While Iowa’s only seen two tornadoes this year — in south-central Iowa in March and in east-central Iowa in April — Johnson says we need to remain vigilant.

“Historically, once we move into May, the tornado season really cranks up,” Johnson says. “May and June typically account for about 70% of our tornado figures for the year.” Tornadoes kill about 60 Americans each year, on average, though more than 550 people died in twisters in 2011, including 158 deaths in the huge Joplin, Missouri, storm. Iowa, he says, has been relatively lucky.

“Since the late 1980s, we’ve had about 25 deaths in the state and if you draw that out, we’ve had less than one death per year,” Johnson says. “We’ve had some really bad years, such as 2008 in which we had more than 10 people killed in the Parkersburg event and also in west-central Iowa. A lot of years, we don’t see any deaths in the state, thankfully.” That tornado on Memorial Day weekend in 2008 was a mile wide and killed seven people in Parkersburg, injured dozens and destroyed more than 220 homes, about half the town.

(Radio Iowa)

BONNIE NIELSEN, 88, of Council Bluffs (Svcs. 4/28/14)

Obituaries

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

BONNIE NIELSEN, 88, of Council Bluffs, died Thu., April 24th, at Josie Harper Hospice House in Omaha. Funeral services for BONNIE NIELSEN will be held 2-pm Mon., April 28th, at the Ohde Funeral Home in Kimballton.

Friends may call after 1-pm Monday, at the funeral home.

Burial will be in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Kimbalton.

BONNIE NIELSEN is survived by:

Her daughter – Margaret “Peg” Stingley & husband Jerry, of Omaha.

Her sister – Betty (Jerry) Huebert.

Her brother – Jim (Mary) Hermeling.

3 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, other relatives & friends.

8AM Newscast 04-24-2014

News, Podcasts

April 24th, 2014 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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Heartbeat Today 04-24-2014

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

April 24th, 2014 by admin

Jim Field speaks with Cass County Conservation Naturalist Lora Kanning about upcoming events with conservation.

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(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Thu., April 24th 2014

Podcasts, Weather

April 24th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Freese-Notis KJAN listening area forecast and weather information for Atlantic.

(24-hour Rainfall = .18″)

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