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Hawkeyes Drop Midweek at UNI

Sports

May 2nd, 2024 by admin

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Iowa softball team fell to Northern Iowa, 6-5, on Wednesday afternoon at the Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex.

The Hawkeyes had Jena Young and Tory Bennett reach in the first on back-to-back singles, but both were left stranded as UNI got out of the jam. Sophomore Jalen Adams got her 23rd start of the season in the circle. She retired the Panthers in order in the bottom of the first with the help of a caught stealing by catcher Skylinn Pogue.

Iowa had two runners reach in the third and senior Sammy Diaz cashed in with an RBI single to take the lead, 1-0. Senior Brylee Klosterman followed that up with a single of her own to score Young from third. Pogue extended the Hawkeye lead as two crossed home a single up the middle to make it, 4-0.

The Hawkeyes added another run in the fourth as Grace Banes came home on a sac fly from Bennett to extend their lead to five. The Panthers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth. They plated three runs to cut the Iowa lead to two as freshman Andrea Jaskowiak took over in the circle with one out and the bases still loaded. Jaskowiak got out of the jam to send the game to the sixth with Iowa leading, 5-3.

UNI got within one on a leadoff home run to start the home half of the sixth. Junior Haley Downe entered in relief with a runner on first and no outs. The Panthers tied the game on an RBI double and then took the lead, 6-5, on a wild pitch. Iowa managed to get one runner on in the top of the seventh but could not push the run across as the Panthers secured the game.

Iowa (16-27, 4-16) travels to Champaign, Ill. this weekend for the final Big Ten series of the season. Game one against the Fighting Illini will be on Friday May 3 at 5 p.m. CT.

IOWA STATE NAMES MATT LEACH HEAD SWIMMING & DIVING COACH

Sports

May 2nd, 2024 by admin

Ames, Iowa – Matt Leach, who has spent the past six seasons as the Head Swimming Coach at Washington State University, has been named the fifth head coach of the Iowa State Swimming & Diving program, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Dr. Calli Sanders announced today.

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt, Katie, and their children, Eloise and Arlo, back to the Midwest and to our Cyclone family,” Sanders said.  “We believe Matt embodies the perfect blend of characteristics and experiences that we were looking for in our next head coach, bringing Power 5 head coaching experience, a commitment to the whole student-athlete, and boundless energy, to our program. His enthusiasm for joining our community and leading our swimming and diving program was undeniable throughout the entire interview process, and he has a clear vision for the future of the Cyclone Swimming & Diving program.”

Leach inherited a Washington State program that hadn’t produced an NCAA Championship qualifier in nearly a decade prior to his arrival in Pullman and promptly turned it into one that produced an NCAA qualifier every year (excluding the 2020 season when the NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID) during his six-year tenure in Pullman, including the Cougars’ first NCAA Championship scorer in some 17 seasons in 2024. WSU finished tied for 40that the 2024 NCAA Championships and scored points for only the sixth time in program history.

Washington State produced one of the most impressive performances in the program history at the 2024 Pac-12 Conference Championships. The Cougars recorded 21 WSU Top 10 times, including six school records and a pair of medals, while as a team, WSU totaled 498.5 points to register the program’s second-highest point total since 1987 (Pac-10/12 era).

All-told, Leach’s WSU program saw five NCAA Championship qualifiers, its first-ever PAC-12 Conference individual champion and 60 Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll members.

“I am honored to be the next Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Iowa State University,” Leach said. “Coach (Duane) Sorenson has been an absolute pillar of this program and I am thrilled to be named his successor. I want to sincerely wish him well in his retirement and hope to see him on the pool deck.

“I would like to thank President Wendy Wintersteen, Jamie Pollard and Calli Sanders for allowing me to lead the next generation of Cyclones,” he added. “I am humbled and extremely excited to get to work and help lead, grow, and inspire these student-athletes into the next chapter of success. Go Cyclones!”

Before taking over as Washington State’s head coach, Leach spent three seasons at Indiana State, where he started the Sycamore women’s program from scratch in 2015 and hit the water the following year. In the program’s second competitive season, he was honored as the 2017-18 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year after guiding ISU to a 13-win campaign that featured a 10-dual match win streak and a record-setting team performance at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships where it set school records in every event, highlighted by the program’s first individual conference champion. Nine Sycamores earned All-MVC honors, including a trio of first-team selections.

Leach went to Indiana State after spending six seasons at the University of Wyoming (2009-15), including the last four as the program’s associate head coach, and worked extensively with sprint swimmers. His group helped rewrite the Cowgirl record books, as every spring event school record was broken during his time at the Laramie institution. He also coached sprint swimmers to NCAA and Olympic trials competitions at Wyoming, including two-time All-America selection Kelsey Conci who earned trips to the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke and the 50 and 100 freestyle, placing 10th in the 100 backstroke at the 2011 NCAA Championships and ninth at the 2012 championships.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Louisiana State in 2004, and then spent two seasons (2007-09) as a volunteer assistant coach on the Tigers’ staff. Leach coached several athletes to the NCAA Championships, and a Top 25 ranking for the men’s and women’s teams. He also served as the head age group coach at Tiger Aquatics from 2006-09 and was named the 2007 Louisiana State Age Group Coach of the Year for his efforts in his rookie season.

The Portland, Ore., native swam collegiately at Indiana University (2000-04), where he was a four-time All-American. He helped the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Conference title in the 200-medley relay as a senior and still holds school records as a member of the 200-freestyle relay and 400- medley relay. Leach also competed at the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

He graduated from Indiana in December 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental management and received his master’s degree, also in environmental planning and management, from LSU in May 2007. Leach and his wife, Katie, who hails from Springfield, Ill., have one daughter, Eloise, and one son, Arlo.

Leach starts his duties in Ames on May 13 and replaces Duane Sorenson, who is retiring from the University next month after leading the Cyclone swim program for 27 years.

April a little wetter, warmer than normal

News, Weather

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says April brought the showers the state needs. “We’re actually about eight-tenths of an inch above average and particularly wet across southeastern Iowa and northwestern Iowa, where we’ve seen drought removal and drought improvement,” Glisan says. April was also warmer than normal. “Two degrees above the normal average that we would expect for April,” he says. The April average temperature is around 48 degrees. Glisan says the storms that brought the rain also gave us some severe weather. “Almost 40 tornadoes reported across the state and that’s approaching the April record,” he says.

Glisan says the immediate outlook for this month shows the same trends as April. “We’re trending towards warmer to near normal temperatures, but we’re also seeing a wetter signal for the first two weeks of May,” Glisan says. “And May being the second wettest month of the year for Iowa climatologically, we could expect a lot of thunderstorm potential, and a lot of rainfall potential across the state.” Glisan says the rain is welcome to combat the drought, but farmers also need a little dry time to plant. “We do need to get planted, we do need to get that field work completed, and we’ve been wet over the last two weeks,” he says.

Corn and soybean planting were slightly ahead of schedule heading into this week.

UI studies driverless cars and how to show pedestrians it’s safe to cross

News

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – As driverless cars become more popular on our roads, researchers at the University of Iowa are studying ways to make those cars transmit simple messages to pedestrians that it’s safe to cross in front of them. U-I Professor Jodie Plumert says they’re testing out one potential signal so computerized cars can let those on foot know they’re being “seen” by its cameras. “It had a light on the top, like a little dome light, and it was red,” Plumert says, “and then as it approached the intersection, it either turned green when the car began to decelerate, or it turned green just after the car came to a stop in front of the pedestrian.” The concept is being tested in a virtual reality lab at the U-I using projections of vehicles on giant screens that surround real kids, about a hundred of them so far, all between the ages of eight and 12. Plumert, a professor of psychological and brain sciences, says the results so far are revealing.

“When the cars were decelerating gradually and the green light came on early, children did enter the road before the car came to a complete stop,” Plumert says. “But when the green light came on, just after the car came to a stop, the children waited for that light to come on before they entered the road. So they were sort of treating it like it was a crosswalk signal and if it came on early, it was like, ‘Okay, I can go,’ and if it came on late, they waited for it to come on.” Autonomous vehicles need to be able to relay key information to pedestrians, she says, before even more of them enter the flow of traffic.

“This issue of — even if it were a car with a driver — if cars are decelerating gradually, seeing kids being willing to start crossing before that car came to a complete stop was another aspect of the study that was interesting — and also concerning about children’s traffic behavior.” Driverless vehicles are quickly gaining in numbers and Plumert sees them being used in big cities like Los Angeles already as a taxi service, as well as for making deliveries of shipments large and small. “This is kind of a whole new world,” Plumert says, “because here these these vehicles might be driving around and there’s no driver in there to communicate with you, like wave to you or make eye contact to say, ‘Yep, I see you and I’m gonna wait until you cross the road here.'”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety projects there will be three-and-a-half million vehicles with self-driving functionality on American roads by next year, and four-and-a-half million by 2030.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Thursday, May 2nd, 2024

Weather

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11am. High near 69. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Light east wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms developing late. Low around 48.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, otherwise Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
Sunday: Mostly sunny w/a slight chance of showers during the afternoon. High near 70.
Monday: P/Sunny & windy, w/a 60% chance of showers and/or thunderstorm during the afternoon. High near 76.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 66. Our Low was 45. 24-hour Rainfall at KJAN (ending at 7-a.m. today), was .78.” Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 66 and the Low was 27. The All-time Record High on May 2nd was 91, in 1968. The Record Low was 17, in 1908. Sunrise: 6:15; Sunset: 8:18.

‘MEGA’ incentives approved for businesses planning over $1 billion capital investment in Iowa

News

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State officials may now offer far larger tax incentives for up to two businesses that plan to spend at least a BILLION dollars on a new facility. Yesterday (Wednesday), Governor Kim Reynolds approved up to 93 MILLION dollars in tax incentives for the so-called “MEGA” program.

“This legislation presents a tremendous opportunity for Iowa,” Reynolds said. To qualify as a “MEGA” or “Major Economic Growth Attraction,” the business would have to be engaged in research, advanced manufacturing or bioscience. Reynolds says there are seven “certified” development sites in Iowa that would qualify as a location since a business has to build on at least 250 acres to qualify for the MEGA program.

“There’s also a component that helps some of our rural communities that helps some of our rural communities really try to participate in the process,” Reynolds says. The new law provides some state money to help 88 Iowa counties that are outside of urban areas improve tracts of land, so it’s immediately ready for business development.

Reynolds says there “possibly” may be a business that’s ready to spend over a BILLION dollars in capital on a MEGA site in Iowa.  “We want those big investments, those capital investments in our state,” Reynolds says, “and we need to be competitive for that as well.” Reynolds signed the MEGA incentive program into law yesterday (Wednesday). She also signed legislation that will cut Iowa’s personal income taxes by a billion dollars next year.

“As far as we’ve come, I’m also confident that we’re not done yet,” Reynolds says. “…It increases our competitiveness and sends an unmistakable message to the rest of the country.” Reynolds has said she wants to eliminate the state income tax by the end of 2026.

Reynolds says her husband benefited from biomarker testing

News

May 2nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A bill Governor Reynolds has signed into law has connections to her husband’s lung cancer treatment. The law, which will go into effect July 1st, requires insurance plans to cover biomarker testing. The tests of blood or other genetic material helps doctors determine the best course of treatment for diseases like cancer. The governor’s husband, Kevin, was diagnosed with lung cancer last fall and had a biomarker test.

“I can tell you that it definitely makes a difference and it really ties the treatment to a specific marker, so it really does matter,” Reynolds said. “Especially where we’re going with technology innovation and just all of the research that’s being done, this is the future.”

Reynolds made her remarks Wednesday during a bill signing ceremony in her statehouse office. A month ago Reynolds told reporters her husband, Kevin, is doing well and using a breakthrough immune therapy pill as part of his treatment plan.

Cargill Meat Solutions Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

News

May 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2024 – Cargill Meat Solutions, a Hazleton, Pa., establishment, is recalling approximately 16,243 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The raw ground beef items were produced on April 26-27, 2024. The following products are subject to recall [view labels]:

  • 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing “93% LEAN 7% FAT ALL NATURAL LEAN GROUND BEEF” with lot code 117 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four “PRIME RIB BEEF STEAK BURGERS PATTIES” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing “85% LEAN 15% FAT ALL NATURAL ANGUS PREMIUM GROUND BEEF” with lot code 117 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing “80% LEAN 20% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF CHUCK” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four “80% LEAN 20% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF CHUCK PATTIES” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.
  • 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four “90% LEAN 10% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF SIRLOIN PATTIES” with lot code 118 and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the label.

The products subject to recall all bear the USDA mark of inspection on the front of the product label, and establishment number “EST. 86P” printed on the back of the product label. These items were shipped to Walmart retail locations nationwide.

The establishment reported the issue to FSIS after they identified that previously segregated product had been inadvertently utilized in the production of ground beef. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/safetempchart.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Cargill Meat Solutions at 1-844-419-1574.

Atlantic’s Mayor swears-in the City’s latest Police Officer

News

May 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, this (Wednesday) evening, administered the Oath of Office to the City’s newest Police Officer. Adam Roberts, who was hired in April 2024, and is a graduate of the Clarinda High School. Roberts will complete his field training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy at the end of August. His family was present in the Council’s Chambers to witness the event. Officer Roberts has served as an assistant coach for the Atlantic Archery team for the last several years. He and his wife Megan moved to town in 2010. The couple has four children.

Mayor Garrett congrats Officer Roberts following the Oath of Office.

The Council then proceeded to act on an Order to close 6th Street, between Poplar and Chestnut, every Thursday from 3-until 7-p.m., effective June 1st through Oct. 10th, for Produce In the Park. Additionally, during that same period, from 4-until 6:30-p.m. Chestnut Street will not be closed for other events. It also allows a Produce In the Park banner to cross Chestnut Street, from late May though mid-October.

The Council approved a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers, representing the City’s Public Works Department (Street Dept. & Wastewater Dept.). The agreement was previously ratified by Union membership, and is in effect from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council held the second reading of an Ordinance amending the City’s Code of Ordinances, with regard to RAGBRAI ®, to help the local RAGRAI Committee deal with the public health and safety issues that can be created by an influx into the City of a large number of people. RAGBRAI arrives in Atlantic on July 22nd. Riders will depart the following day. The Council approved an update to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, as unanimously passed by the Personnel & Finance Committee, and is recommended for updates every five-years.

They’ll also passed an Order to refer a request for vacating a “Phantom” right-of-way (ROW), to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mayor Grace Garrett:

The request is for an area that begins at the corner of W. 4th and Laurel Streets, terminating westward, at a phantom railroad ROW. The Atlantic City Council reviewed and acted to approve the Contract and Bonds for the Sunnyside Park Splashpad project. The contracts & bonds had not been made available to local project manager Snyder & Associates Engineers, in time for the Council to review the documents. Snyder’s Dave Sturm:

The Council previously passed a resolution awarding the project to the Hensley Group, LLC, out of Muscatine, in the amount of $552,084. They also passed a resolution approving updates to the City’s accounting, record-keeping, human resources management, bank reconciliation, financial reports software, and the FY 2024 Budget Amendment to pay for the update. Councilperson Elaine Otte said the Personnel and Finance Committee took a look the current gWorks Program.

A resolution passed approving the “PRN (Pro Re Nata, or “as the situation demands”) Status Police Officer Opening, Job Description, and Compensation,” as explained by Councilpersons Sarsfield and Otte. Councilman Sean Sarsfield:

Councilwoman Otte added:

In her report to the Council, Mayor Garrett reminded residential and commercial property owners not to blow their grass clippings into the street. The clippings make it dangerous for bicyclists and motorcyclists, and is prohibited in the Code of Ordinances. Several locations on 5th and Mulberry Streets (to name a few) had grass clippings on the street, Wednesday evening.

Judge: Iowa woman stole from and abused her disabled clients

News

May 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A worker at a Davenport home for people with disabilities cannot collect jobless benefits after being fired for abusing and stealing from the home’s residents, a judge has ruled.

State records indicate 56-year-old Tavita Smith-Williams, of Bettendorf, was employed by REM Iowa Community Services of Davenport as a full-time direct support professional from 2020 until she was fired on March 11, 2024. As part of her job, Smith-Williams worked three 13-hour shifts per week in a small, residential group home in Davenport, assisting three adult women with disabilities.

At a recent state hearing, REM managers alleged that in February 2024, one of the three resident clients complained that Smith-Williams had been hostile and had yelled at her; had called her a lesbian for occasionally sleeping in the room of another resident; had been unable at times to assist her with medications; was taking baths in the home; and was walking around the home in her bra and underwear.

The resident also alleged Smith-Williams had been cooking and eating the residents’ food without their permission and was occasionally on her phone and swerving through traffic while driving the residents on errands. In addition, Smith-Williams had allegedly used a resident’s food-stamp benefits to purchase items for herself and was having her personal mail delivered to the home while instructing the residents to watch for the deliveries.

The two other residents of the home allegedly corroborated the complainant’s version of events, saying Smith-Williams was hostile, verbally abusive and had used the residents’ money to purchase a phone charger for her own use. They also alleged there was some sort of transfer of funds between one resident and Smith-Williams in connection with a gasoline purchase, and said Smith-Williams was keeping a basket of her own clothes inside a closet at the home.

When interviewed by REM management, Smith-Wiliams allegedly denied many, but not all, of the allegations, saying she was having her mail delivered to the home because she was in the process of moving. She denied being hostile, but reportedly confirmed using a resident’s money to purchase a phone charger. She allegedly confirmed she had used a resident’s money to purchase food for herself, but asserted she had repaid the resident for the expense.

REM fired Smith-Williams, citing dependent-adult abuse laws that pertain to financial exploitation and verbal abuse.

Smith-Williams subsequently collected $4,074 in unemployment benefits. REM appealed the decision to pay benefits, which led to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge James Timberland. The judge recently ruled that Smith-Williams was ineligible for jobless benefits and ordered her to repay what she had already collected. Court records indicate no criminal charges have been filed in the case.

In 2015, prior to working for REM, Smith-Williams was convicted of theft for stealing $579 worth of merchandise from a JC Penney store.