United Group Insurance

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25th

Trading Post

November 25th, 2011 by Jim Field

FOR SALE: John Deere 8-foot by 6-foot tilt bed, single-axle trailer. $500/obo. 712-764-3659.

FREE: I’m giving away a 4 month old Cocker Spaniel  BLACK/WHITE . Dog is very friendly, would make  a great X-MAS gift. Call (712) 250-0655 Leave Message.

17 laptop computers stolen from Iowa state office in Pott Co.

News

November 25th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Seventeen aging laptop computers have been stolen from an Iowa Department of Human Services office in Pottawattamie County.Nine of the social workers’ laptops were missing when workers arrived on Sept. 26. Department spokesman Roger Munns says police found no sign of forced entry. When workers arrived on Sept. 30, eight more laptop computers had been taken. The door locks have been changed and the county is getting estimates for installing an electronic-key entry system. Munns says the computers were 5 to 6 years old and were scheduled for replacement. He says no private information was stored on them.

NWS: IA Tornado Season started big, ended with a whimper

News, Weather

November 25th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Johnston says there were 50 tornadoes in the state this year, which is just above the 30-year average of 47 tornadoes. Altogether, 16 people were injured by the events, but there were no fatalities. Craig Cogil says the season started-up rapidly in March and early April, but lost steam as the season progressed. Cogil says two significant tornado days occurred early in the season, on March 22nd over southwest to south central Iowa during the late afternoon and evening hours. The event produced 8 tornadoes over a 2-hour period, including an EF-2 in Madison County, which caused property damage to several farms and one home.  EF-2’s produced winds of 111-to 135 miles per hours.

An event on April 9th was the largest outbreak of tornadoes for one day across Iowa since May, 2004, when 20 tornadoes twisted their way across the state. The event started during the mid-evening hours when the first tornado, an EF-3 (with winds of 136-to 165-mph), hit Mapleton, in Monona County. Nearly 100 homes were destroyed and many other severly damaged in a 12-to 15-block area. The event resulted in 14 injuries and 500 residents being displaced. Several other tornadoes formed over the next several hours that day, from west central into north central Iowa, including one that tracked more than 29-miles from northern Sac through southeastern Buena Vista and western Pocahontas Counties.  It had the distinction of being 1.5-miles wide at times, and produced numerous “Satellite” tornadoes, which tracked around the main tornado. One of the satellites was an EF-4 (winds from 166- to 200-mph). It destroyed a farmstead and tossed a combine nearly 300-yards.

Two significant tornado events occurred in May, including two on May 11th that hit the town of Lenox within a span of 5-minutes. Both tornadoes were rated as EF-1’s, producing winds of 86 to 110-miles per hour. Both tornadoes caused extensive roof and tree damage. The other tornado event in May was in eastern Iowa’s Howard County.

The remainder of the season saw 10 more tornadoes occurr on six different days. The most occurred on June 20th, when four twisters were observed. The last tornado of the season was on July 11th. It caused extensive damage in portions of central and eastern Iowa. The fact the last tornado was confirmed on that date marked the earliest cessation of tornadic activity in the state since reliable records started in 1980, beating the previous earliest cessation record set on July 24, 1992.

For more detailed info., surf to www.weather.gov/desmoines.

Iowans warned about using online pharmacies

News

November 25th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Rural Iowans who have to make a long trek to a drug store might consider buying their prescription medications online, but they’re being warned against it. Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, says most of those websites are flaunting the law, in addition to selling bogus drugs.

“It’s a $75-billion industry and you really can’t buy medications online without a prescription, legally, but unfortunately, you’re able to do so and you’re able to do so with websites that are operating illegally, are dangerous and are probably selling counterfeit drugs,” Catizone says. An association study of online drug stores revealed just how crooked most of those businesses have become.

“We looked at over eight-thousand websites selling prescription drugs,” Catizone says. “Ninety-six-percent of those websites were fake, rogue or illegal sites that were breaking both federal and state law.” He says it’s even more disturbing to hear that any type of drug, from diet pills to pain killers, can be purchased online and without a prescription. 

Catizone says, “You can order virtually any prescription drug in the world that you want, but the other side of the issue is, if you’re not using a legal, on-site pharmacy or talking to your doctor, the chances of what you are getting being a real med are probably nil and the dangers of using or taking or buying those meds are high and very significant.” He says counterfeit medication manufacturers have become very skilled at producing convincing products that look like the real thing, but they’re usually made in unsanitary conditions and contain dangerous substances, like rat poison or lead. Erectile drugs are the most-counterfeited. The study also found one in six Americans bought medications online last year.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Know the store policies when you go shopping

News

November 25th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A spokesman for Iowa’s Attorney General says you can save yourself a lot of holiday hassles if you take a little time to keep know some shopping rules. Geoff Greenwood says the first thing to know is that stores set the conditions on things like returns. Greenwood says a lot of people get confused because they think that state law requires stores to accept returns, but he says there isn’t such a law for a refund, exchange or credit unless a store advertises such a policy. Many stores are offering layaway plans this year in an effort to boost sales. The stores also set layaway rules.

“Make sure your eyes are wide open what the rules are, and also pay attention to how much they’re charging you, in some cases they will charge you a storage fee for the layaway,” Greenwood says. He says make sure you know what the storage cost is up front on an item. Greenwood says the return polices vary widely, so don’t think what works at one store will also work at another.

He says some stores require a receipt for a return, others don’t. Some can look up your purchase, while others can’t. There are set rules stores have to follow when it comes to gift cards.
Greenwood says money on a gift card cannot expire for at least five years from the time you buy it or from the time you load it with money. He says it is possible to charge you an inactivity fee if you don’t use the card. Greenwood says you should ask the stores about their policies if you are unsure of their rules.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

HARLEY DEAN HOLLINGSWORTH (infant), (Private Svcs planned)

Obituaries

November 24th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

HARLEY DEAN HOLLINGSWORTH, the infant son of David and Kourtney Hollingsworth, of Brayton, was born and passed away Mon., Nov. 21st, at the Methodist Women’s Hospital in Omaha, NE. Private family funeral services are planned for HARLEY HOLLINGSWORTH. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira is assisting with the arrangements.

Interment will be in the Elk Horn Lutheran Cemetery, in Elk Horn, IA.

HARLEY DEAN HOLLINGSWORTH is survived by:

His parents – David & Kourtney Hollingsworth, of Brayton.

His brother – Jordan, of Brayton.

His grandparents – David Hollingsworth, of Omaha; Shirley Sims, of Des Moines; Kevin (Jean) Hinners, of Exira.

His great-grandparents – Dale (Marge) Nelson, of Elk Horn, IA; Marlene Niel, of Omaha; & Larry (Della) Hinners, of Manning.

Other relatives and family friends.

BETTY LORRAINE JOHNSTON, 91, of Exira (Svcs 11-28-11)

Obituaries

November 24th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

BETTY LORRAINE JOHNSTON, 91, of Exira, died Tue., Nov. 22nd, at home. Funeral services for BETTY JOHNSTON will be held 10:30-a.m. Mon., Nov. 28th, at the Exira Christian Church. Kessler Funeral Home in Exira has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family will be present 2-p.m., Sunday (11/27).

Burial will be in the Exira Cemetery.

BETTY JOHNSTON is survived by:

Her sons – Larry (Darlene) Johnston, of Audubon; Gary (Kathy) Johnston, & John (Judy) Johnston, all of Green Valley, AZ; Jim (Mary) Johnston, of Silver City; & Richard (Tracy) Johnston, of Exira.

Her daughters – Becky (John) Shaw, of Winterset; Shirley Jensen, of Des Moines; & Kay (Jim) Kjergaard, of Audubon.

Her brothers and sisters – Marion, Jr. & wife Margery Walker, of Exira; Phyllis Hensley, of Burnett, TX; Virginia Beckman, of Waterloo; Forrest (Shirley) Walker, of Minden; and Kelly (Betty) Walker, of New Town Square, PA.

20 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren, other relatives, in-laws, and friends.

Record High Temperatures were set today (Thursday)

News, Weather

November 24th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

As  meteorologists had expected, record high temperatures were set across the state this (Thursday) afternoon. Here at KJAN, the OFFICIAL National Weather Service reporting and record-keeping station for Atlantic, a 96-year old record high temperature fell by the wayside when we topped out at 68-degrees.  The old record of 62, was set in 1915.  A record high of 64 in Shenandoah was broken when the community topped out at 70-degrees at around 3:15-p.m..

In Des Moines, the record high was broken just after 3-p.m., when the temperature hit 67-degrees. The old record was 65 set in 1915.

Iowa VA hospitals to be monitored by docs in Minneapolis

News

November 24th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Veterans in intensive care units at Iowa’s two V-A hospitals will soon be under the care of doctors in Minneapolis via the Internet. The Department of Veterans Affairs is going to the “hub and spoke” concept for providing health care in I-C-Us. Dr. Craig Piquette, at the Omaha V-A Medical Center, says advanced technology will make the Minneapolis V-A the hub for several other hospitals in the Midwest. “Due to the availability of intensive care-trained physicians in Minneapolis, they just have more of them than what we do here,” Dr. Piquette says. “Then the spokes are the seven ICUs across the region which includes facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota and Nebraska.” The technology involved in creating an electronic or “tele-ICU” is already in place in Omaha and Fargo and will be coming soon to Iowa and elsewhere.

He says “That hub in Minneapolis will eventually monitor intensive care units in Iowa City, Des Moines, Omaha, Fargo, Sioux Falls and the Black Hills facilities in western South Dakota.” Equipment can be placed in a patient’s room at any of the spokes and medical experts at the hub in Minneapolis will monitor that patient’s conditions, in addition to the local staff.  Piquette says, “Our nurse-to-patient ratio is one nurse to every two patients in the ICU but the electronic ICU provides a safety net, another set of eyes that is constantly watching the patient.” There is a restricted area at the Minneapolis V-A equipped with a bank of monitoring screens showing vital signs. There is also a live two-way audio-video feed that instantly connects the patient, bedside provider and the team of critical care nurses and specialists in Minneapolis. Piquette says the cameras and monitors show real-time events and the video resolution is remarkable.

He says, “The cameras can focus in on the patient and are able to allow the physician to assess things such as the size of their pupils and a rash on their skin.” When installation of the tele-ICU service is complete, 75 ICU beds at seven hospitals in five states will be monitored by critical care specialists in the Twin Cities.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Iowa and Nebraska Start New Rivalry

Sports

November 24th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Everything’s in place for No. 22 Nebraska and Iowa to start up a good old-fashioned football rivalry. All that’s missing for their first Big Ten meeting Friday are high stakes, but don’t suggest to Nebraska coach Bo Pelini that there is little to motivate the teams. “It amazes me that people could ask that question,” Pelini said. “Obviously, when you’re an athlete, you compete to compete. It isn’t always about trophies. There is a lot that plays into it. When you go to compete, you go to compete. Trust me, both teams will be out there ready to play.”

The Big Ten and the schools have done all they can to lay the groundwork for a rivalry, contrived or not. Their game is at the end of the regular season, when all the big rivalry games are played, and in the prime day-after-Thanksgiving slot, no less. They even have a trophy for what’s being called the Heroes Game. A sidelight to the game is that citizen heroes from each state will be honored. There’s no shortage of passion among the fan bases. Supporters of the Cornhuskers (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) and Hawkeyes (7-4, 4-3) have been tossing barbs across the Missouri River seemingly forever. To Hawkeyes fans, Huskers fans are an arrogant bunch always gloating about their team’s five national championships. To Husker fans, Hawkeyes fans are jealous wannabes.

Maybe someday the Legends Division title will be decided by this game. Not this year, though. This year it’s all about jockeying for better bowl position. Nebraska has hopes of landing in the Capital One Bowl if a second Big Ten team receives a berth in a BCS game. The Outback, Insight and Gator also are possibilities for both teams. Nebraska is looking to lock up at least a nine-win season for the fourth straight year and an above-.500 conference record after an embarrassing 45-17 loss at Michigan last week. Iowa is going for a third win in four games, which would secure at least an eight-win season for the fourth straight year. The Big Ten assigned Iowa and Nebraska to the same division and let the Hawkeyes’ game with Wisconsin drop off the schedule for now.

Call it a wash, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We traded one team from the east that wears red uniforms that is really good and picked up one from the west that is really good and wears red uniforms,” he said. “It’s one tough team to another. That’s the nature of this conference, though. I think we’re all really pleased about Nebraska joining the league. It’s made us a stronger league, but with that strength comes more challenge, and this is certainly going to be a challenge for us.”

There are only two players from the state of Nebraska on the Iowa roster; no native Iowans are on the Huskers’. It’s been a red-letter game for Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg, though. The junior from Keokuk, Iowa, had a scholarship offer from former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, and athletic director Tom Osborne told Vandenberg that the offer stood after Callahan was fired. Ferentz came along with an offer, and Vandenberg accepted. But Vandenberg said he was impressed with the Huskers.

“The one thing you notice when you go on visits there is how passionate their fan base is,” he said. “They live and breathe Nebraska football just like everybody in Iowa lives and breathes Iowa football. It’s great to be able to play such a quality opponent at such a venue.”

Nebraska is playing a nationally televised game on the day after Thanksgiving for the 22nd straight year. The tradition dates to the days of the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry in the Big Eight. Ferentz said he’s excited about the increased exposure his team will receive. “How can that be a bad thing, unless we go out there and play bad?” he said. “What the heck, I think it’s a great opportunity for our guys to play. They (Nebraska) have had that, enjoyed that. I don’t want to call it a luxury, but I remember that for many years, I used to watch them as a kid. Didn’t they play Oklahoma on Friday? It’s a good thing for us. We’re excited to get invited to the party.”