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Study: Mississippi River shutdown would cost millions

News

February 10th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A recent study by Wisconsin researchers suggests that the failure of any of the 25 aging locks on the upper Mississippi River could result in nearly half a million truckloads of freight on highways between Minnesota and Missouri.

The study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison estimates that a shutdown of the river at Hannibal, Missouri, would require trucks to move over 12 million tons of grain during a nine-month shipping season, costing millions of dollars and damaging roads.

The La Crosse Tribune reports that most of the shipments would travel through southern Minnesota and Iowa, while a smaller amount would move through Wisconsin and Illinois, causing nearly $29 million in pavement damage.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates the backlogged maintenance costs for locks and dams of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers totals to over $1 billion.

Notice from the City of Clarinda

News

February 10th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports: “The City of Clarinda will prohibit all on Street parking as soon as two inches of snow accumulates Friday night/Saturday morning.”

Young helps send Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act to President

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Congressman David Young spoke on the House floor this week about the need to improve phone service in rural communities. “Families and businesses in rural America should have the same communication access as those living in urban areas,” Young said. The Republican is a cosponsor of the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act.

“Telephone companies often rely on intermediate providers to connect calls from larger networks to local service providers and all too often, especially in rural areas, those calls are poor quality, looped, dropped, not even connected, or disconnected,” Young said. The legislation was approved in the U.S. Thursday and now goes to the President for his signature. Other co-sponsors of the bill referred to the issue of dropped calls in rural America as an epidemic.

“Our bill will help address this problem by requiring providers to register with the Federal Communications Commission in order to meet quality standards and ensure reliable phone service in rural areas,” Young said. “It also prohibits providers from using intermediary routing services not registered with the FCC.”

(Radio Iowa)

Firefighters try to stop Plymouth County landfill fire

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Le Mars Fire Department is trying to bring a fire at the Plymouth County Landfill northeast of Le Mars under control. Firefighters were called to the landfill at around midnight and Fire Chief Dave Schipper says they’ve been trying to bring the burning area under control.

“We attempted with an excavator that they have on site her to get to that fire and used our fire equipment to protect the excavator to try and pull the burning pieces out to get them spread out on the ground,” Schipper explains. Schipper says they determined it was too hard to try and get at the fire on the side where it was burning and need to come in from the other side with some more equipment. Schipper says it is important to keep the fire from spreading.

“This landfill is a quarter mile wide and it could burn all the way underneath across the whole landfill,” Schipper explains. He says the main focus was to protect the Plymouth County Landfill equipment as landfill staff assisted with the efforts to combat the fire. Schipper says firefighters were not only battling the fire, but the snow and cold weather as well. Schipper has an idea of how the fire may have started.

He thinks the fire started spontaneously as the fire is in an area of the landfill that has been untouched for at least two years. Schipper says they are awaiting word from the Plymouth County Landfill Board of Directors to determine their next move. He says there are also some environmental concerns that need to be considered.

(Radio Iowa)

Feb. 15th at CCMH – Healthy U: Hearts & Hospitalists

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Atlantic, IA – The next session of Healthy U is scheduled for noon on Thursday, February 15, at Cass County Health System. Paul Kerschinske, ARNP, will talk about both the role of a hospitalist and heart health since February is American Heart Month.

Paul Kerschinske, ARN

Paul received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Creighton and then worked in Intensive Care while pursuing his Master of Science in Nursing and becoming an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Being a Nurse Practitioner has allowed Paul to combine his passion for fitness, science and service to patients into a challenging and rewarding career.

Healthy U is a free educational lunch series at Cass County Health System held monthly in Conference Room 2. The public is invited and welcome to attend, but reservations are required as lunch is provided for all attendees. Call 712-243-7479 to reserve your seat.

Experts try to determine what killed 32 rare trumpeter swans

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — The remains of a trumpeter swan are being analyzed in hopes of solving the mystery of what killed 32 of the rare birds in western Clinton County.

The Quad-City Times reports a hunter found remains of the birds on Jan. 30 in a privately owned wetland area. Most of the birds had been scavenged but at least one full carcass remained and it along with partial remains were sent to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University.

Mark Roberts, of Clinton County Conservation, called the discovery “shocking.”

Trumpeter swans, North America’s largest waterfowl species, were once on the brink of extinction but thanks to a decades-long effort now have an estimated population of more than 63,000 adult birds.

Investigation clears Council Bluffs officer in shooting

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Pottawattamie County attorney says an investigation has found a Council Bluffs police officer was justified in shooting a suspect. The Daily Nonpareil reports County Attorney Matt Wilber joined with other law enforcement officials Friday to announce officer Trevor Benson’s actions in the Feb. 1 shooting were justified.

Benson shot 21-year-old Daton Petrey, of Omaha, during an early morning altercation. Police say Petrey refused to tell Benson his name or get out of his car. When Benson opened Petrey’s door to try to remove him, Petrey put the car in reverse, dragging the officer about 40 feet.

Benson fired two shot, hitting Petrey in the chest. He’s expected to be released soon from an Omaha hospital. Benson wasn’t hurt. Authorities say Petrey will face parole violation charges in Nebraska and then will be tried on Iowa charges.

Wallace Foundation 27th Annual Mtg. set for March 6th

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development invites you to attend the 27th Annual meeting of the Wallace Foundation, on Tuesday, March 6th, at the Learning Center located at the ISU Armstrong Research Farm near Lewis.

The program will begin at 9:30 AM. Featured speakers are Steve Johnson, ISU Farm Management Specialist speaking on ”Riding the Ag Cycles” and Dave Swenson, ISU Economist speaking on “An Overview of Iowa’s Economy and the Growth Challenges Rural Areas Face.”

A complimentary lunch will be served at 11:30-a.m., followed by the annual business meeting at 12:45-p.m.

The Armstrong Research Farm is located 12 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, half a mile south on 525th Street, and a half mile east on Hitchcock Avenue; or 13 miles east of Oakland on Highway 6, half a mile south on 525th Street, and half a mile east on Hitchcock Avenue.

For more information contact the Wallace Foundation at 712-769-2650 or raelynb@iastate.edu.

Ex-Sac City councilman pleads not guilty to sexual abuse

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former councilman of a northeastern Iowa town has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing two young girls. The Sioux City Journal reports that the former Sac City councilman, 76-year-old Gary Hansen Sr., entered a written plea Thursday in Sac County District Court to four counts of second-degree sexual abuse. Police say Hansen had sexual contact with two girls who were then under the age of 12 in 2009 and 2010. Police say one of the victims was about 6.

Hansen served on the Sac City Council until 2015, when he lost a bid for re-election. Hansen’s attorney, Jason Rieper of Des Moines, says his client plans to fight the charges at trial, although they “are reviewing our options.”

Pedestrian killed, and driver who struck her both from Iowa

News

February 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

TOWN OF BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say a woman who was killed while walking in a southern Wisconsin town was from Iowa. And, so was the driver of the car that struck her. Thirty-year-old Chelsea Oakley, of Anamosa, Iowa, died early Thursday when she was struck while walking along Highway 151 in the Dane County Town of Blue Mounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said Friday the 34-year-old driver is from Dubuque, Iowa. Investigators say there was no relationship between the victim and driver and that they were not traveling together.

The crash investigation is ongoing.