The five members of the Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a work session this evening at the high school. During their 7:30-p.m. meeting in the Media Center, the Board will discuss the Atlantic High School Building Leadership Team (BLT), the budget, and Capital Projects. No action on those matters is expected to take place during the work session.
Arraignment hearings will be held this morning in Cass County District Court, for three men facing Willful Injury and Going Armed with Intent charges, associated with a stabbing that occurred late last month. 18-year old Bryce Baker, 21-year old Austin Nelson, and 23-year old Mykel Thorn, all of Atlantic, are scheduled to appear in court on the felony charges.
The charges are connected to the stabbing of 43-year old Robert Leslie, of Atlantic, during the early morning hours of January 28th. Police responding to the vicinity of 1011 Birch Street after receiving a call about a fight in progress, found several subjects in the area, and fleeing the scene. Soon thereafter they discovered Leslie, suffering from puncture and slashing wounds. He was hospitalized, but has since been released.
Two of the suspects were taken into custody at the scene, while the third was arrested later, following the execution of a search warrant at 900 Hickory Street, in Atlantic. Baker and Thoren were released from custody on $15,000 bond each, last Thursday. Nelson bond was set at $15,000. All three are scheduled to appear for their trials on March 26th.
MICHAEL RAYMOND SCHECHINGER, 74, of Westphalia, died Sat., Feb.23rd, at his home. A Mass of Christian Burial service for MICHAEL SCHECHINGER will be held 10-a.m. Thu., Feb. 28th, at the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Westphalia. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.
Visitaition at the St. Boniface Catholic Church Parish Hall is on Wed., from Noon until 9-p.m., with a Wake service at 5:30-p.m. The family will greet friends at the church, from 4-until 8-pm Wednesday.
Burial will be in the St. Boniface Cemetery.
MICHAEL SCHECHINGER is survived by:
His wife – Mary, of Westphalia.
His sons – Michael (Karen) Schechinger, of Westphalia; Bob (Carol) Schechinger, of Treynor, and Roger Schechinger, of Menifee, CA.
His daughters – Susan Schechinger & Ron Yockey, of Kirkman; Bonnie (Tony) Cairney, of Westphalia, and Sherie (Steve) Hollander, of Glenwood.
His step-daughter: Linda (Kevin) Gaul, of Waterloo.
His step-son: John (Vicki) Holler, of Waterloo.
His sisters – Agnes Wehr, of Westphalia; Jane Ragsdall, of Hiram, GA; and Joyce (Stan) Ulmer, of Harlan.
His sisters-in-law, 24 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, other relatives & friends.
Whether the drought continues or not, Iowa farmers will soon be able to check soil moisture levels at a dozen key spots statewide.
ISU Soil monitor.
Elwynn Taylor, an agronomist at the Iowa State University Extension, says moisture levels can vary greatly over short distances, but this new network will offer farmers good ballpark figures. “People that have a sandy place and a place with clay already know they have great differences,” Taylor says, “but still, if we have some idea on a very common soil for the county, if we know what is going on there, it will give an idea of how things are changing and the likely direction it will be moving in.”
I-S-U’s Department of Agronomy is upgrading weather stations at several research and demonstration farms. At least 12 should be fully functional in several weeks when spring arrives. Farmers can always dig a hole themselves to try and gauge the soil moisture, but Taylor says doing so accurately is a hassle. “To really know, you have to get a measure of soil from a certain depth, weigh it, dry it, weigh it again and see how much water the drying removed from it to know how much water was really there in your soil,” Taylor says. “It gets to be a real headache and, of course, people aren’t going to do that on a day by day, week by week, month by month basis.”
At each station, moisture sensors will be placed a foot, two feet and four feet deep in the soil. Readings will be taken every 15 minutes and sent by cellular phone text messages to the network. Each station costs about 12-thousand dollars to buy and install. It’s hoped the network of weather stations can be expanded so there’s one in every county, but for now, a dozen will give a good snapshot of drought conditions to help farmers manage their risks. “If you see that the weather station received an inch of rain and the soil moisture has moved up to such and such a level from where it was at the moisture station, and you know that at your farm because of the gauge out on your post that you got an inch and a quarter, you probably did a little better,” Taylor says, “or if you got half an inch, you didn’t do as well.”
The new weather stations replace ones that have been monitoring data at the farms for more than 30 years. Taylor said the original units made up the world’s first non-military network of automatic reporting weather stations. The weather stations will also measure rainfall, air and soil temperature, humidity, sunlight, wind speed and direction. A solar collector powers the units.
(Radio Iowa)
An improved technique for breeding new varieties of crop plants may help researchers improve them without introducing genes from other organisms. Iowa State University agronomy professor Kan Wang says “genomic editing” is a method of slightly altering a plant’s own genetics to reduce disease susceptibility, for example. The method is known by the acronym TALEN. “Essentially, this TALEN technology will allow us to precisely, at a specific site of genome or plant genome, to make changes that will bring new beneficial traits to farmers and consumers,” Wang said.
The technique doesn’t carry the same concerns as gene transformation or genetic modification, according to Wang. “I don’t believe it should be regulated as a GMO because there are no extra pieces going in,” Wang said.
ISU researchers have conducted tests showing rice can become more disease resistance when the genome is edited. Scientists are exploring whether similar results will be found in corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum. Wang made her comments on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa program.
(Radio Iowa)
The Freese-Notis forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, and weather data for Atlantic…
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A storm will arrive Tuesday morning in southern Iowa and lift northeast during the day.
Forecast graphic from the National Weather Service in Des Moines (2/25/13)
Moderate to heavy snowfall is still expected across the southeast half of the state with the heavier totals in the southeast and over Missouri. High pressure over the northern Plains may reduce some of the storms snowfall over the region and a slight shift in the track may also cause some adjustment in snowfall amounts. Even with those uncertainties strong north winds will cause blowing snow and reduced visibility over the southeast and portions of central Iowa. Interested persons are urged to check the latest forecasts today and tonight.
340 AM CST MON FEB 25 2013
TODAY…CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW IN THE MORNING. HIGH IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.
TONIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. BREEZY. LOW IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.
TUESDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.
TUESDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW. LOW IN THE MID 20S. NORTH WIND AROUND 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.
WEDNESDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW AROUND 20.
THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 30S. LOW 15 TO 20.
Nominations are now being accepted for the title of “Iowa’s Best Burger.” The award is handed out each year to one restaurant by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Iowa Beef Council spokesperson Michelle Baumhover says judging from past winners, the key may be keeping the burger basic. “I know when we’ve reviewed the judges’ comments, that’s what comes to the top…when it’s a really high quality burger, you don’t need a lot of additives,” Baumhover said.
Last year’s winner of the Iowa’s Best Burger contest: The Coon Bowl Burger.
The Coon Bowl, a diner and bowling alley in Coon Rapids, won last year’s competition. Co-owner Cindy Heydon noted they don’t mix anything into the half-pound burger, not even salt. Nominations for this year’s contest will be accepted through March 10. The top 10 restaurants that receive the most nominations will be announced on March 25. “Then we turn the contest over to an anonymous panel of judges who will go out and try the burgers,” Heydon said. “They will select a burger based on presentation, appearance, taste and safety – making sure it’s at that ‘medium’ 160 degrees.”
The 2013 winner of Iowa’s Best Burger contest will be announced on May 2. In addition to The Coon Bowl last year, previous winners of the award were The Rusty Duck in Dexter (2011) and the Sac County Cattle Company in Sac City (2010).
More information about the contest rules and how to submit a nomination is available at: www.iabeef.org
(Radio Iowa)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a 12-year-old Des Moines girl who went missing after her mother drove her to school earlier this month has been found safe.
Missing 12-year old girl found Sunday night, and the suspect in her disappearance.
Officials say18-year-old Sergio Lopez faces two counts of third-degree sexual abuse and is jailed without bond in Polk County. He’s also charged with violating a no-contact order involving Karina Rodriques-Resendiz . Lopez was wanted for failing to appear in court on one of the sexual abuse charges.
The girl went missing after her mother drove her to school February 8th. She was found Sunday in a house on southeast 9th Street in Des Moines. Authorities brought her to Mercy Medical Center around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, and Lopez was arrested Sunday night. Police had said in announcing the girl’s disappearance that they believed she was with Lopez.
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