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Supreme Court upholds hate crime conviction for notes left on a home

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the hate crime conviction of a man who left derogatory notes on a Boone home where a rainbow flag was flying. Robert Geddes argued the handwritten notes he left at the home were free speech and his conviction for trespass as a hate crime violated his constitutional rights.

The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the conviction, saying the statute in question does not criminalize speech, but does criminalize conduct with a specific intent to trespass on property because of the property owner or possessor’s association with persons of a certain sexual orientation.

Geddes was sentenced to five consecutive one-year terms with the jail time suspended and was placed on probation for up to two years.

Big Ten Announces 2023 Football Championship Game Honorary Kids Captains

Sports

December 1st, 2023 by Asa Lucas

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Four patients from Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent (PMCH) have been selected as the Honorary Kid Captains for the 2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game presented by Discover, the conference announced Friday. Mallory Amara and Drew Shouse will assist the Big Ten East champion Michigan Wolverines, while Kayson McPhearson and Ellie Zuver will aid the Big Ten West champion Iowa Hawkeyes.

Chosen by the children’s hospital’s care team to serve as honorary captains, each will receive a commemorative jersey, special recognition during the game and the opportunity to participate in the pregame coin toss at midfield of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Mallory Amara was playing with a toy when the battery fell out. Before her parents were even aware of what had happened, Mallory had put the battery in her mouth and swallowed it. She came running to her mom, who noticed she was not acting like herself. Mallory could not stay awake. Her mom asked her if she was okay, and Mallory said, “No.” Her parents rushed Mallory to the ER, where an X-ray confirmed a battery was stuck in her throat. They were told to go directly to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent. Mallory was taken into surgery, the battery was removed and an NG tube was inserted. Her esophagus was burned but Mallory is doing well and eating solids again. Her family is grateful to Rachel Dunn, MD, BS, a Pediatric Gastroenterologist, and the staff at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.

Kayson McPhearson was diagnosed with kidney failure at a young age and placed on dialysis for six months at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. He was placed on the transplant donor list, and his family’s prayers were answered when Kayson had a kidney transplant in 2019. Kayson is a very active boy who likes to play with his brother and sister and ride on his four-wheeler and dirt bike. He continues to see his kidney doctor at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital for follow-up care and brings a light to everyone in the room with his contagious smile and personality.

Drew Shouse had his first open heart surgery at just five days old. He was too high-risk to send back to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until his second open heart surgery so he stayed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) until he was seven months old. After 263 days in the PICU he finally was able to go home on a ventilator and had all types of accessories for his health needs. He had speech, occupational and physical therapy in home, and a third open heart surgery in October of 2017 at 2.5 years old. Following a third open heart surgery, he became completely ventilator-free at age five, then was able to have his trach removed the following year. Drew is doing fantastic and his parents are grateful to the amazing pediatric team at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and for the care they have received over the years.

Ellie Zuver was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (no left ventricle in her heart) around 24 weeks. After Ellie’s birth, she was intubated and immediately brought to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent. At her post-natal echocardiogram, it was determined that she also had an intact atrial septum, which made her first surgery, the Norwood procedure, quite emergent. She was transferred from the NICU to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), underwent the Norwood procedure on her third day of life and was intubated for more than two weeks. She spent her first seven weeks in the NICU and PICU before having her second surgery, the Glenn procedure, in October 2019. She had her third surgery, the Fontan procedure, in June 2022 and spent a total of five weeks in the hospital. Ellie had a seizure and stroke two days post-op but has had no lingering issues. She recently visited her neurologist and does not need to be seen for another year. The family is beyond grateful for the care and compassion they have received at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.

Michigan and Iowa will meet in the 2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. For more information, visit bigten.org/fcg.

State animal shelters face overcrowding

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The state’s animal shelters continue to be overcrowded. Brenda Iwen, of Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue in Sioux City, says they are overcrowded with dogs, and are not the only ones. “Right now the rescue world is in a crisis. Not only us but all the shelters are full, rescue groups, it doesn’t matter where you’re at Texas, Tennessee, Iowa everybody’s full and because of that dogs are getting dumped,” she says.

Iwen says dumping dogs makes the problem worse. “We have a trapping team and so when dogs are dumped we trap them and then we try to find them foster homes,” Iwen says.”The problem is our foster homes are full and the shelters are full so it’s a crisis right now and I don’t know what we can do to change it other than spay and neuter.” She says it appears people have stopped spying and neutering animals and that leads to animals with unwanted litters.

“Right now we have three litters of puppies. Unwanted and so they come in with mom and and now we’re trying to find homes and so nice dogs but again we just have so many,” she says. “But you just can’t when you get a call you can’t just say I’m sorry we’re fall. We can’t help you just got to figure out where we can fit them in at.” Iwen says their costs for the extra animals are going to top 100-thousand dollars. “And that’s just on vet bills, that’s not our fuel, insurance, that’s not anything. That’s just our vet bills,” Iwen
says. “Because once we bring a dog or a cat into our system they get the same care that our own personal animals get.”

All of Noah’s Hope rescuers are volunteers, and she says they have had good financial support from the
community.

Carroll County Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Controlled Substances from Life Care Center Employer

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa reports a nurse from northwest Iowa, who stole controlled substances from a life care center where she was employed, pled guilty Thursday (11/30) in federal court in Sioux City. 32-year-old Cassandra Lynne Vonnahme, from Arcadia, entered a guilty plea to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by means of misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge, and one count of false statements relating to health care matters. Vonnahme had been scheduled to begin a jury trial on December 11, 2023.

At the plea hearing, Vonnahme admitted that between November 2020 and December 2020, she diverted controlled substances and falsified related documents. The controlled substances Vonnahme stole and the records she falsified pertained to actual patients. Vonnahme was later convicted of burglary in Carroll County in 2021, where she stole controlled substances from a stranger’s home.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a pre-sentence report is prepared. Vonnahme remains free on bond pending sentencing. Vonnahme faces a possible maximum sentence of 9 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 4- years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being investigated by the Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.

MARY “PRUE” FREDERICKSON, 98, of Harlan (Memorial Svcs. 12/15/23)

Obituaries

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

MARY “PRUE” FREDERICKSON, 98, of Harlan, died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at home. A Memorial service for MARY “PRUE” FREDERICKSON will be held Dec. 15,2023 beginning at 11-a.m., at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan.

Visitation at the funeral home is on Dec. 15th, from 10-until 11-a.m.

MARY “PRUE” FREDERICKSON is survived by:

Her daughters – Mirandi (Terry) Galbraith, of Celina, TX; Sandra Leuschen, of Harlan; Kerri (Jeff) Christensen, of Schuyler, NE; and Staci (David) Byrd, of Denton, TX.

7 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Trailer strikes a van in Creston – no injuries reported

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Creston,Iowa) – An accident Thursday afternoon, in Creston, caused $3,000 damage to a van, but no one was injured. Creston Police report a 2022 Dodge RAM pickup driven by 40-year-old Luis Miguel Huerta-Fernandez, of Hobbs, New Mexico,was pulling a trailer and traveling south on Cherry Street in Creston at around 4:05-p.m., Thursday, when a 2019 Chrysler Pacific van driven by 81-year-old Nellie Lou Loury, of Creston, began to back out of her driveway.

Huerta honked the horn to get Loury’s attention, and swerved out of the way, but when he came back into the correct lane, his trailer hit the van on the left front fender. The trailer wasn’t damaged. No citations were issued, but the Police report noted Loury failed to yield the right-of-way while exiting her driveway.

Thursday Boys Wrestling

Sports

December 1st, 2023 by admin

@ Atlantic

Earlham 42, Atlantic 37

@ Cam

Lenox 27, Cam 24

@ Audubon

Audubon 45, AHSTW 24

Logan-Magnolia 69, AHSTW 12

AHSTW 42, Woodbine 24

Audubon 66, Audubon 15

Audubon 42, Woodbine 36

Logan-Magnolia 60, Woodbine 15

@ Clarinda

Clarinda 54, Griswold 12

Maryville 42, Clarinda 40

Maryville 60, Griswold 6

@ Underwood

Glenwood 56, Underwood 17

Glenwood 59, Riverside 15

Underwood 44, Riverside 35

@ Nodaway Valley

Nodaway Valley 52, east Union 27

Nodaway Valley 48, West Central Valley 21

Nodaway Valley 46, ACGC 15

West Central Valley 45, East Union 33

ACGC 42, East Union 42

@ Missouri Valley 

Missouri Valley 66, Denison-Schleswig 12

Denison-Schleswig 42, Tri-Center 36

West Monona-Whiting 33, Denison-Schleswig 33

Missouri Valley 63, Tri-Center 15

Missouri Valley 58, West Monona-Whiting 21

West Monona-Whiting 36, Tri-Center 31

@ Mounty Ayr

Shenandoah 66, Clarke/Murray 12

Shenandoah 66, Mounty Ayr 15

Shenandoah, 84, East Mills 0

Shenandoah 54, Southwest Valley 21

Southwest Valley 18, East Mills 0

Clarke/Murray 37, Southwest Valley 36

Southwest Valley 42, Mounty Ayr 27

Clarke/Murray 48, Mount Ayr 30

@ Wayne 

Wayne 54, Bedford 18

Central Decatur 53, Bedford 18

Wayne 42, Central Decatur 36

@ Southeast Valley

Panorama 49, Coon Rapids-Bayard 33, Southeast Valley 30

DECEMBER 2023

Birthday Club

December 1st, 2023 by Lori Murphy

December 1:

  • No Birthdays Submitted

December 2:

  • Janet Nielsen of Atlantic (winner)
  • Tammy Madsen of Kimballton
  • Sandy Lauritsen of Audubon

December 3:

  • Logan & Collin Evans of Griswold (winners)

December 4:

  • Roger Hansen of Atlantic (winner)
  • Chloe Scott Waters of Glendale, Az

December 5:

  • Judy K. Anderson of Atlantic (winner)
  • Robert Sampson of Atlantic
  • Rhonda Fauble of Exira
  • Ruth Ann Kief of Scottsbluff, NE

December 6:

  • Marilyn Carter of Atlantic (wnner)
  • Rich Robertson of Atlantic
  • Pam Auerbach of Atlantic

December 7:

  • Felicia Nelsen of Walnut (winner)
  • Tamry Paulsen of Anita
  • Jan Sorensen of Exira
  • Chance Will of Anita

December 8:

  • Madison Embree of Massena (winner)
  • Kailey Santisteban of Exira
  • Clint Paulsen of Anita

December 9:

  • Carolyn Hartman of Cumberland (winner)
  • Marlene Schwab of Atlantic

December 10:

  • No Birthdays Submitted

December 11:

  • Pat Lauritsen of Kaimballton (winner)
  • Steve Green of Atlantic
  • Mary Christensen of Audubon

December 12:

  • Meaghan Sager of Atlantic (winner)

December 13:

  • Gary Stetzel of Atlantic (winner)

December 14:

  • Beck Benton of Exira (winner)
  • Aubrey Waters Nuzman of Council Bluffs

December 15:

  • Shirley Winston of Atlantic (winner)
  • Brooke Lamp of Atlantic

December 16:

  • Lindley Eblen of Atlantic (winner)

December 17:

  • Virgil Koontz of Lewis (winner)
  • Camryn Paulsen of Exira
  • Sage Baxter of Cambridge, Ia
  • Raelynn Murray of Audubon
  • Linda Sampson of Exira

December 18:

  • Julie McVay of Audubon (winner)

December 19:

  • Connor John Silence of Atlantic (winner)

December 20:

  • Ellie Rutherford of Atlantic (winner)
  • Ellie Pelzer of Atlantic
  • Deb Schuler of Atlantic

December 21:

  • Kim Sears of Atlantic (winner)
  • Howard “Harley Davidson” Bock of Atlantic
  • Brenda Zellmer of Atlantic
  • Tabitha Sothman of Cumberland

December 22:

  • Kim Jensen of Exira (winner)

December 23:

  • Brian Jensen of Hamlin (winner)
  • Maggie Stapley of Lewis
  • Keith Feltner of Jeffersen

December 24:

  • Ashley Van Aernam of Exira (winner)
  • Sharon Kline of Guthrie Center

December 25:

  • Dennis Bornholdt of Atlantic (winner)
  • Collette Muhr of Exira
  • Jean Hinners of Elk Horn

December 26:

  • Chuck Petersen of Atlantic (winner)
  • Steve Oglesbee of Massena
  • Kim Stowell of Atlantic
  • Sacha McLaren of Atlantic

December 27:

  • Marcia Bourke of Audubon (winner)

December 28:

  • Colt Doherty of Atlantic (winner)

December 29:

  • Joan Lauritsen of Harlan (winner)
  • Rylee Larsen of Cumberland
  • Judy Rathman of Exira

December 30:

  • Becky Thompsen of Exira (winner)
  • Colleen Riesgaard of Exira
  • Johnny Walker of Brayton
  • Marilyn Stein of Lewis
  • Helen Rossell of Atlantic

December 31:

  • Axton Michael Nelson of Audubon (winner)
  • Doris Jensen of Atlantic
  • Sandy Schlotzhauer of Atlantic
  • Christa Wiskus of Atlantic

 

Thursday Girls Wrestling

Sports

December 1st, 2023 by admin

Treynor Invitational

Missouri Valley won the team championship with 162.5 points. Clarinda had 79 for second and Treynor scored 73 in third. Glenwood finished with 67 and Audubon had 64 were fourth and fifth.

The Lady Reds had eight champions in Jordan Buffum (120), Lea Gute (130), Brooklyn Lange (135), Preslee Mass (140), Riley Marcum (145), Nicole Olsen (155), Maya Zappia (190), and Jocelyn Buffum (235), all winning their weight classes.

Dan Gable Donnybrook

Riverside Carly Henderson went 3-0 on day one and will compete in the semifinals at 120 pounds. Henderson won her first two matches by fall and picked up a major decision in the quarterfionals.

Former western IA missile site leaves behind contaminated wells and land

News

December 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Missouri Valley, Iowa/KETV) — Landowners near Missouri Valley want to know if their land and water are safe because they’re living on a former missile site. The Air Force scrapped the “Atlas D Missile Site 3” decades ago, but safety questions remain. All of the structures that had been in operation in the 1950’s and 60’s, were demolished in 1988. The area was sold for residential and ag use in 2006. But in 2013, a contaminant called “TCE**” was detected in residential wells.

The pandemic forced people in Missouri Valley to wait years to ask questions in person about the safety of their land, and water. On Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers worked to provide them with some answers.

The Army Corps of Engineers says out of 140 drinking water wells tested 25 wells had levels of TCE. The Corps of Engineers said they wanted to assure the affected landowners and others, that they’re only trying to help, by cleaning the contamination up and fixing related issues. Engineers says they hope to have an effective plan on how to do so sometime in the next three-years, likely between 2025 and 2026.

With a final decision on a remedy sometime between 2026 and 2027. You can still submit your input HERE. The questionnaire site is available until Dec. 15th.

**Trichloroethylene (TCE) is used as a solvent for degreasing metal parts during the manufacture of a variety of products. It can be found in consumer products, including some wood finishes, adhesives, paint removers, and stain removers. TCE can also be used in the manufacture of other chemicals. TCE that has been spilled or dumped on the ground can pollute soil and groundwater, where it may pollute private and public drinking water wells.