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Iowa COVID-19 update for 3/19/21: Hospitalizations up; 6 additional deaths; 667 additional cases

News

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard, today (10-a.m., Friday), shows 667 additional positive test results for COVID returned from the labs, for a total of 372,886, and six additional deaths, for a pandemic total of 5,672. There was one additional death reported in Madison County, for a total of 19. Long-Term Care facility deaths account for 2,225 of the total number of deaths across the state.

Iowa continues to report no Long-Term Care (LTC) facility COVID-19 outbreaks. Hospitalization data show: 189 Iowans are hospitalized with COVID (19 more than on Thursday); 44 are in an ICU (up 3); 45 people were admitted to a hospital across the state (compared to 27 Thursday), and 21 patients are on a ventilator.

RMCC Region 4 hospitals (those in western/southwest Iowa) show: those hospitalized with COVID are at 19; 11 people are in an ICU; there were four people admitted, and four people remain are on a ventilator.The 14-day and seven-day positivity rates remain at 3.9% each.

The State reports nearly 1.19-million vaccines have been administered, with nearly 1.14-million of the shots given to Iowans. Those persons who have received a required two doses of the vaccine, amount to 415,743.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

  • Cass, 1,386 cases; {+0}; 52 deaths
  • Adair, 950; {+3}; 31
  • Adams, 327 {+0}; 4
  • Audubon, 495 {+0}; 9
  • Guthrie, 1,192 {+3}; 28
  • Harrison County, 1,820; {+5}; 70
  • Madison County, 1,617; {+4}; 19
  • Mills County, 1,672; {+6}; 20
  • Montgomery, 1,045 {+0}; 36
  • Pottawattamie County, 11,045; {+22}; 149
  • Shelby County, 1,255 {+1}; 34
  • Union County,  1,285; {+5}; 31

Posted in News |

Drought persists and could last into summer

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Hydrologists predict an “average” flood risk in much of the Missouri River Basin this spring, in large part due to dry conditions, as much of the region is experiencing moderate to severe drought. Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, says soils in the basin are dry and have a lot of room to take in water from rain and melting snow, which lowers the flood risk. Fuchs says, “Think of them as a big sponge, that when they are dry and there’s room in that profile for moisture to get in, any type of rain that hits them is going to get soaked in.”

Parts of northwest Iowa are shown to be in severe and extreme drought in this week’s map from the U-S Drought Monitor. Fuchs says the ground will be able to take in moisture from runoff, but if those soils aren’t replenished, plants aren’t going to have the moisture deep enough in the soil to tap into and grow. “It’s kind of a balancing game of getting that moisture into the soil so plants can utilize it if it does get dry and drought starts developing,” Fuchs says. “And if you don’t have that, what you end up seeing is the impact of that drought really taking off more so in a hurry than if that moisture was there.”

Fuchs says he expects the drought to persist in the High Plains through June. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting -no- major flooding across the country for the first time in three years.

(By Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather |

Iowa man gets 45 years in killing outside Gary gas station

News

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — An Iowa man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty in the 2015 death of an Illinois man fatally shot outside a Gary gas station. A Lake County judge sentenced 25-year-old Dontrall Jer’i Phillips of Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday after accepting his guilty plea to a murder charge under a plea agreement that calls for prosecutors to drop a robbery charge. Phillips was one of four people charged in the April 2015 shooting death of 21-year-old Donald Fuzzell of Calumet Park, Illinois, during a botched robbery in the parking lot of a Gary gas station.

 

Posted in News |

Carr and Gremmel advance to NCAA Wrestling Quarterfinals for ISU

Sports

March 19th, 2021 by admin

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The first two rounds of the 2021 NCAA Championships are in the books, and David Carr and Gannon Gremmel are into Friday’s quarterfinals. In total, five Cyclones are still battling for the podium in St. Louis with Ian Parker, Sam Colbray and Marcus Coleman along with Carr and Gremmel.

As the team race begins to unfold, the Cyclones find themselves in 19th place after day one with 8.5 team points. The Iowa Hawkeyes lead the field with 33.5 team points.

Next Up
The NCAA Championships resume tomorrow morning with quarterfinal and consolation action. Session III (125-157 quarters and consis) will kick off at 10 a.m., followed by Session IV (165-285 quarters and consis) at 2 p.m. Both of those sessions will be broadcast on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN3.

Day two of the NCAA Championships concludes with the semifinals and blood round at 7 p.m. Session V will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN3.

Iowa State Match-by-Match
125: No. 32 Patrick McCormick (UVA) dec. No. 33 Kysen Terukina, 6-2.
No. 30 Micah Roes (BING) dec. No. 33 Kysen Terukina, 10-4.

133: No. 20 Ryan Sullivan (WVU) dec. No. 13 Zach Redding, 4-3 (TB1).
No. 29 Paul Bianchi (ALR) dec. No. 13 Zach Redding, 9-4.

141: No. 26 Colin Valdiviez (NW) dec. No. 7 Ian Parker, 8-5.
No. 7 Ian Parker dec. No. 23 Saul Ervin (SIUE), 4-2 (SV1).

149: No. 15 Griffin Parriott (PUR) dec. No. 18 Jarrett Degen, 10-7.
No. 31 Corey Crooks (ASU) dec. No. 18 Jarrett Degen, 8-6.

157: No. 3 David Carr maj. dec. No. 30 Markus Hartman (ARMY), 16-2.
No. 3 David Carr maj. dec. No. 14 Will Lewan (MICH), 10-2.

184: No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) dec. No. 29 Sam Colbray, 2-1.
No. 29 Sam Colbray maj. dec. No. 13 Christopher Weiler (WIS), 12-4.

197: No. 12 Lucas Davison (NW) dec. No. 21 Marcus Coleman, 8-3.
No. 21 Marcus Coleman dec. No. 28 Nick Reenan (NC State), 6-1.

285: No. 6 Gannon Gremmel dec. No. 27 Zach Knighton-Ward (HOF), 5-2.
No. 6 Gannon Gremmel dec. No. 11 Zach Elam (MIZ), 3-1.

Posted in Sports |

Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors Visit First Whitney Bank & Trust

News

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by First Whitney Bank & Trust Thursday, March 18th. Paul Gude, Bank President, shared that there was much to celebrate at First Whitney, the first being the retirement of Deb Pellet. Deb has been with First Whitney Bank for 42 years, starting in 1979. Deb is looking forward to spending more time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

Ambassador’s Pictured Left to Right: (Back Row) Steve Andersen, Graydon Schmidt, Linda Robinson, Jason Nicholas, Carole Schlake, Brain Ruge, Bill Saluk, Dr.Keith Leonard, Kevin Fergeuson, Carole Schuler, Dawn Marnin, Scott Bennett, Dolly Bergmann, Mike Cook, Arlene Drennan.
(Front Row) Paul Gude, Jeff Gude, Misty Nelson, Emily Hart, Beth O’Brien, Jayme Farver, Ted Robinson, Lori Krichhoff, Anne Quist, Heidi Roland-Hinman, Connie Wails, Deb Pellett, Rich Perry, Nedra Perry, Rachel Czaja, Ruth Sears, Kennedy Freund.

Paul introduced Anne Quist as the new Assistant Vice President, who works primarily with real estate loans. Anne is busy with real estate loan applications due to interest rates being at an all-time low. Paul also introduced Jeff Gude as the new Loan Officer in Training. Jeff is working primarily with the Paycheck Protection Program which is helping business owners of all types get through a hard time brought on by COVID-19.

First Whitney specializes in all aspects of banking such as personal, agricultural, and commercial. Paul shared his pride in his team stems from their hard work and dedication to their community and to one another. Each team member is cross trained and efficient in many aspects of banking which allows them all to be able to help their customers in any way possible.

First Whitney Bank & Trust is located at 223 Chestnut Street & 700 Chestnut Street. Contact 712-243-3195 or 712-243-4183 or visit http://www.firstwhitneybank.com/ for more information.

Posted in News |

8 Hawkeyes advance to NCAA Wrestling Quarterfinals

Sports

March 19th, 2021 by admin

ST. LOUIS – Eight University of Iowa wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships following second-round wins Thursday night at the Enterprise Center.

The Hawkeyes scored bonus points in 12 of 18 wins, putting together an 18-2 record on the opening day. Iowa recorded six major decisions, five technical falls and one pin. The Hawkeyes’ four top-seeds – Spencer Lee, Jaydin Eierman, Alex Marinelli and Michael Kemerer – outscored their opponents by nearly 100 points, 127-30

“Bonus points are crucial. They’re an indication of your team and philosophy and you can see the communication getting through to our guys,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “Our guys have horsepower and it is starting to come out.”

Iowa scored bonus points in five bouts in Session II and leads the team race with 33.5 points.

Austin DeSanto registered a first-period fall in one minute, 33 seconds, to finish his day with an opening round technical fall and a second round pin at 133.

Lee scored a takedown and pair of four-point tilts on his way to a 15-5 major decision at 125.  He outscored his opponents, 32-6, Thursday and has outscored his opponents, 149-19, in 12 career matches at the NCAA Championships.

Marinelli used a six-point move in the first to build an 8-1 lead, added a reversal in the third and more than two minutes of riding time to move on to the quarterfinals with a 13-2 major decision at 165.

Kemerer added a second technical fall victory to his day, terminating his 174-pound bout in 5:06 with a 17-1 lead. Cassioppi closed Thursday’s second session with the Hawkeyes’ 12th bonus-point win, this one an 11-0 major decision at 285. He outscored two opponents Thursday, 20-1.

Iowa also got second-round decisions from Jaydin Eierman, Max Murin and Jacob Warner. Eierman advanced to the quarters with 5-3 decision at 141. He scored a takedown in the first and added a pair of escapes and 2:11 of riding time. Murin advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in as many NCAA tournament appearances, avenging a Big Ten tournament loss to Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett with a 5-3 decision. He scored the decisive takedown with 24 seconds left in the third period. Warner advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win at 197.

Kaleb Young and Nelson Brands dropped decisions at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively. Both wrestlers return to the mat Friday morning in the wrestlebacks.

“We have to get ready for Day 2,” said Tom Brands. “We have eight on the front and two on the backside and we have to be ready to go. There is a lot of wrestling left. Let’s score points early and often.”

The NCAA Championships resume Thursday with quarterfinal and consolation rounds. Session 3 begins at 10 a.m. (CT) with weight classes 125-157. Session 4 begins at 2 p.m. with weight classes 165-285. ESPNU and ESPN3 are providing television and online coverage of Sessions 3 and 4.

IOWA’S SECOND ROUND NCAA RESULTS

  • 125 – #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) major dec. #17 Killian Cardinale (WVU), 15-5
  • 133 – #4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) pinned #20 Ryan Sullivan (WVU), 1:36
  • 141 – #1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) dec. #16 Cole Matthews (PITT), 5-3
  • 149 – #12 Max Murin (Iowa) dec. #5 Ridge Lovett (NEB), 5-3
  • 157 – #12 Brady Berge (PSU) dec. #5 Kaleb Young (Iowa), 3-2
  • 165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) major dec. #17 Thomas Bullard (NCST), 13-2
  • 174 – #1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) tech. fall #17 Benjamin Pasiuk (ARMY)
  • 184 – #5 Hunter Bolen (VT) dec. #12 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 6-2
  • 197 – #5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec. #12 Lucas Davison (NU), 3-0
  • 285 – #5 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) major dec. #21 Tate Orndorff (OSU), 11-0
  •  

IOWA’S QUARTERFINAL NCAA MATCHUPS

  • 125 – #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. #9 Devin Schroder (PU)
  • 133 – #4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. #5 Micky Phillippi (PITT)
  • 141 – #1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) #9 Dresden Simon (CMU)
  • 149 – #12 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. #4 Boo Lewallen (OKST)
  • 165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. #8 Shane Griffith (STAN)
  • 174 – #1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. #8 Daniel Bullard (NCST)
  • 197 – #5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. #4 A.J. Ferrari (OKST)
  • 285 – #5 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. #4 Cohlton Schultz (ASU)

IOWA’S CONSOLATION MATCHUPS

  • 157 – #5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. #22 Benjamin Barton (CAMP)
  • 184 – #12 Nelson Brands (Iowa) vs. #22 Devin Kane (UNC)

TEAM STANDINGS

  1. IOWA                33.5
  2. Penn State         28.0
  3. Missouri             23.5
  4. NC State             21.0
  5. Oklahoma St.     20.0
  6. Arizona State     19.5
  7. Minnesota         16.5
  8. Michigan            16.0
  9. Nebraska            14.5
  10. Virginia Tech      14.5

Posted in Sports |

Cass County Conservation News: Rescheduled “Common Bird Feeders” & “Owl Prowl” Programs; Bald Eagle Program set for March 28th

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

You are invited to join the Cass County Conservation Board for the “Common Feeder Bird Identification” and Owl Prowl Programs, this Sunday, March 21st 2021 at the Outdoor Educational Classroom near Massena. You can enhance your birding skills, by learning how to identify common Iowa birds that like to visit your feeders. Join Kelly McKay from ‘Building Better Birders’ as he shares about Common Feeder Bird Identification. Funding for the program is made possible by the Resource Enhancement and Protection – Conservation Education Program (REAP – CEP). The workshop will be conducted by Kelly McKay (BioEco Research and Monitoring Center), with assistance from Mark Roberts (Clinton County Conservation) and Brian Ritter (Nahant Marsh Education Center).

The Common Feeder Birds session will start indoors at 2-p.m.. The Owl Prowl Hike will be outside, starting at 4-p.m.. Pre-Registration is appreciated. Call  769-2372 or email to sign up lkanning@casscoia.us . To find the Outdoor Classroom: take Highway 148 south of Massena; Turn Left on Tucson Road; Follow it East for about two miles, and then make a right hand turn into the parking lot. The programs qualify for the 120hrs Outdoor Challenge, don’t forget to use #120hrsCassCoIA as a hashtag for your adventures.

Milan Bottoms Bald Eagle Night Roost Program

Join Cass County Conservation Board for Milan Bottoms Bald Eagle Night Roost Program on March 28th beginning at 3-p.m., also at the Outdoor Educational Classroom. Join Kelly McKay from ‘Building Better Birders’ as he will define and describe what a Bald Eagle communal night roost is, as well as discussing Bald Eagle winter ecology. Additionally, he will summarize the background and preliminary results of this 6 year project. Funding for this program is also provided by the Resource Enhancement and Protection Program. Mark Roberts will also be there.

Pre-Registration is appreciated. Call  769-2372, or email Lora Kanning.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Senators ponder grants to promote telecommuting in rural Iowa

News

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A group of senators is discussing the idea of giving state grants of up to five-thousand dollars to new remote workers in Iowa who telecommute to jobs out-of-state. Joe Murphy is executive director of the Iowa Business Council, which represents 22 of Iowa’s largest employers. “We really believe tools like this, tactics like this should be explored in a serious way,” Murphy says. “We should be doing everything we can to invite new Iowans coming into our state from out of state.”

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Iowa’s population grew by just four-thousand people from mid-2019 to mid-2020. Craig Patterson, a lobbyist for the Professional Developers of Iowa, says more new Iowans are needed to help existing businesses grow and bring new businesses here. “Population is just a huge issue that our folks run into,” Patterson says.

The original concept was to give at least 100 grants in each of the next five years to cover the costs of someone moving to Iowa and setting up to work from home for out-of-state companies. However, the latest version of the bill also would make residents of the state’s 30 largest cities eligible for the grants if they move to rural Iowa or an Iowa city with a population under 15-thousand. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, says that makes no sense if the goal is to expand Iowa’s population. “There’s no benefit to the overall Iowa economy if we’re stealing a job from Des Moines and, you know, moving it maybe 50 miles west into a smaller community,” Dotzler says.

A senate subcommittee reviewed the proposal this week, but tabled it as senators consider making changes.

Posted in News |

(Podcast) KJAN News, 3/19/21

News, Podcasts

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The news at 8:06-a.m., with Ric Hanson.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.2MB)

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Posted in News, Podcasts |

Roof fundraiser for the Atlantic Armory (Am. Legion Mem. Bldg.), & Virtual Tour info.

News

March 19th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic) – The American Legion Memorial Building – otherwise known as “The Armory” – here in Atlantic, has served as the home for National Guard soldiers, and in its later years, as a museum for military memorabilia, a military library, Atlantic History Center, Memorial Hall, and as a meeting and programs center. The nearly 100-year old building is owned by ARISE – The non-profit Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise. All those years of service have taken a toll on the building, despite remodeling and upgrades. ARISE has helped to pay for repairs and upgrades, including parking lot improvements, but the old girl is showing her age.

ARISE President Steve Livengood, says the unique roof is leaking, and in dire need of repair.

The roof used to be hot asphalt, with hot tar commonly used for repairs. At one point foam was installed over the asphalt, complicating matters.

A local company has agreed to take-on the task of replacing the roof, but it won’t come cheap.

It’s expected to cost around $65,000. Other work is required for maintenance of the building, as well. Livengood says various organizations are working to fundraiser for the repairs.

(If you want to help, make your check out to ARISE, and mail to ARISE. P.O. Box 1, Atlantic, 50022.)

Work on the project is expected to start soon. If you haven’t been to the Armory before, or want to see what’s new, you can take a virtual tour this Sunday, March 21st, beginning at 1 pm. Steve Livengood will lead the video tour beginning with history of the Building. Stay home, put your feet up, get comfortable and link to Zoom. Find the Zoom link on ariseAtlantic.org or Facebook: Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise. After Sunday, the tour program will be available to view on the web and/or Facebook pages.

The American Legion Memorial Building as well as the Rock Island Depot are owned by Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE). It is a non-profit organization with a mission to serve the southwest Iowa community.

Posted in News |