United Group Insurance

Adair man claims $1 million Powerball prize

News

February 20th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

A western Iowa man was desperately searching for a place to eat Saturday afternoon when he finally settled on pizza from a convenience store in Guthrie Center. While there, Steve Petty bought a Powerball ticket and ended up winning a one-million dollar prize.

Steve Petty (left) & IA Lottery CEO Terry Rich

He had previously stopped at three restaurants – which were all closed. “If one of those restaurants had been open, I may not have bought a ticket,” Petty said. He claimed his prize today (Monday) at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines. The 58-year-old Petty, who lives in Adair, works as a tax preparer and is the organist for Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on the east side of Des Moines.

 

“You can imagine driving from where I live to the east side of Des Moines, you put miles on your car quickly,” Petty said. “My 2004 Prius is at the 199,000 mile stage and I’m not sure how much longer it will go, so a new car will come in handy in the near future.” Petty also plans to set aside some money for retirement and fix up his home to help care for his 95-year-old mother. She landed in the hospital last Thursday after taking a bad fall. Petty said his mother was “minimally responsive” Friday morning, but her condition has since improved. Petty was at the hospital Sunday when he informed his neighbors of his good fortune. “They came to the hospital and they said ‘have you validated your ticket?’ I said, ‘What does that mean?’ They had me sign my ticket and took me to the convenience store. They put the ticket in the machine…and it was indeed a one-million dollar winning ticket. I was overjoyed,” Petty said. Petty is an infrequent customer of the Iowa Lottery.

“I think this million dollar ticket came on a return of 22 to 28 dollars,” Petty said. After taxes, Petty is collecting $700,000.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

Documentary tells the story of the underground railroad

News

February 20th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

A new documentary film and book tells the story of the Underground Railroad which slaves followed through Iowa to find freedom in the mid-1800s. Filmmaker Gary Jenkins of Kansas City says he was reluctant to tell the story until a friend and a descendant of a slave urged him to see the remains of an underground railroad stop in Quindaro, Kansas. Jenkins says he saw where runaway slaves hid in cellars, wells and secret rooms. “I didn’t really want to do it and one day I rode my motorcycle over to Quindaro and found it and walked down in and looked at the ruins,” Jenkins says. “I was inspired standing there in the actual place where I knew Jimmy’s great-grandfather, George Washington, had come across the frozen Missouri River, had gotten help, got into the Union Army and lived out a full life.” That stretch of the Underground Railroad along the Missouri-Kansas border was considered one of the most dangerous escape routes. To reach Canada, freedom seekers had to dodge professional slave catchers, federal marshals, and Missouri slave holders. Jenkins says it was a region-wide effort.

He says, “They had this cadre, this organized group of Kansans and Iowans and Nebraskans who banded together and helped people escaping out of Missouri and got them on this kind of complicated, over a-thousand mile journey to at least Chicago where there was a large free black population, and some of them went around to Ontario, Canada, through Detroit.” The escape routes began along the Missouri/Kansas border, north to Nebraska City, Nebraska, east across the Missouri River through Tabor, Iowa, then east into Illinois and north to Chicago. The 75-minute documentary film is called: “Freedom Seekers: Stories from the Western Underground Railroad.” It premiered last week in Kansas City. The companion book is “John Brown and the Last Train.”

Learn more at the website: “http://lifedocumentaries.com”

(by Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Cass Co. Memorial Hospital Construction Update

News

February 20th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic say their construction and renovation project is proceeding on schedule, with occupancy of the new two-story addition expected late this summer.  One phase of the 30-month project has already been completed – the expansion and remodeling of the Atlantic Medical Center.  A 1,240 square foot addition housing exam rooms and office space for Dr. James Brown’s obstetric and gynecology clinic opened in October 2011.  Internal remodeling to create four additional family medicine exam rooms, nurses station, clinical offices and a new blood draw station were completed the first week of February 2012. Pat Markham, CCMH CEO says “We are very pleased with the progress of construction and quality of work being done,” said Pat Markham, CEO.  “Our contractors have been diligent about staying on schedule, and the mild winter has certainly helped them accomplish that goal.”

Construction on the 41,690 sq. ft. addition to the east side of the hospital began in March 2011.  The first floor of the addition will house a new Emergency Department, surgical suites and same day surgery area.  Crews are currently installing millwork and finishing the wallpaper and paint in these areas.  Gridwork for the acoustical ceiling tiles is being hung, and three elevators are being installed.

The second floor of the addition will house the medical/surgical, obstetric, and intensive care inpatient units.  Progress on the second floor is about three weeks behind the first, as crews work their way through the project.  The east half of the second floor is currently being dry walled and some wall finishes have begun.  Wall units in the patient rooms are being installed, which anchor furnishings and house medical equipment connections including oxygen supplies and patient monitors.  The west half of the second floor is being sheet rocked, and crews are finishing up the mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-ins.

The addition is expected to open for patient care late this summer.  As departments relocate to the new area, remodeling will begin on the vacated space in the existing hospital building.

Monday Boys/Girls Post-Season HS Basketball Schedule

Sports

February 20th, 2012 by Jim Field

Monday Boys Class 3-A District Semi-Finals (tip at 7:00 pm)
Red Oak @ Atlantic  (KJAN & KJAN.com @ 6:50 pm)
Glenwood @ Harlan
Denison @ Carroll
Norwalk @ Creston

Monday Girls Regional Finals (tip at 7:00 pm)
Class 1-A
@ Greenfield:  Martensdale-St. Marys vs. #3 Bedford
@ Underwood:  Corning vs. #6 Ar-We-Va

Class 2-A
@ Cherokee:  #4 Kuemper Catholic vs. #5 Western Christian
@ Guthrie Center:  #3 IKM-Manning vs. #8 Panorama
@ Mapleton:  #1 OA-BCIG vs. #12 Lawton-Bronson

Pujols talks hardens catcher’s negotiating stance

Sports

February 20th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) – Albert Pujols’ departure from the St. Louis Cardinals after 11 seasons drove home the point to his closest friend on the team. At the end of the day, it’s a hard, cold business. Four-time Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina enters spring training this year a lifetime Cardinal seeking a long-term extension, just like Pujols a year ago. Molina is heading into the final year of his contract and he would like to stay in St. Louis. But he emphasizes it’s a two-way street.  
Molina said he thinks of Pujols as a big brother and said Pujols’ exit definitely hurt. But he also said he’s happy in St. Louis and downplayed absences at the team’s White House photo op and Winter Warmup, He said he simply had other commitments.

HSBB: 1A Girls Regional Semi-Final Riverside vs. Ar-We-Va 02-17-2012

Podcasts, Sports

February 20th, 2012 by admin

Chris Parks has the call of the game played Friday, February 17th at Harlan Community High School.

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Change of venue for Atlantic Parks & Rec Board mtg tonight

News

February 20th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

There’s been a change of venue for this evening’s meeting of the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board. Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring says the meeting, which had been scheduled to take place at 5:15-p.m. in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall, will instead be held in the meeting room at the Atlantic Senior Center, located adjacent to the City Hall/Police Department building. The change was necessary, because the City Council is holding a work session in the Council’s chambers this evening. 

Action items and/or New Business on their agenda includes: an update on the Parks & Rec’s Capital Improvement Projects; discussion with regard to the Summer Recreation Programs, including – the playground, a Special Needs playground, Swim Team, Tennis and Softball programs; a review of the Little League Board meeting; a status report on vandalism perpetrated on Sunnyside park; and much more.

8AM Sportscast 02-20-2012

Podcasts, Sports

February 20th, 2012 by admin

w/ Jim Field

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GRACE GAUL, 70, of Earling (Svcs 2-23-12)

Obituaries

February 20th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

GRACE GAUL, 70, of Earling, died Sat., Feb. 18th. A Mass of Christian Burial service for GRACE GAUL will be held 11-a.m. Thu., Feb. 23rd, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Earling. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

The family will greet friends at the church on Thursday, from 9:30-a.m. to 11-a.m.

Burial will be in the St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

GRACE GAUL is survived by:

Her husband – Garry Gaul, of Earling.

Her daughters – Laurie (Tom) Dunlap, of Portsmouth, RI; Kathy (“Kat”) Gaul, of Omaha; & Kristine (“Krissy”) Gaul, of Overland Park, KS.

Her sisters – Betty (Lord) Denan, of Elkader; Alice (“Peach”) Chamberlain, of Omaha; Jane (Dave) Olsasky, of Des Moines; & Diane (Dave) Kleffmann, of Glenwood.

Her brothers – Msgr. Bob Chamberlain, of Des Moines; Alvin (Paula) Chamberlain, of Omaha; Ronald Chamberlain, of Panama; & Duane (Kathy) Chamberlain, of Omaha.

8AM Newscast 02-20-2012

News, Podcasts

February 20th, 2012 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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