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Addie Bundy Named Iowa Soccer’s Director of Operations

Sports

May 6th, 2025 by Jack McGonigal

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Former Hawkeye Addie Bundy will join the University of Iowa soccer staff as director of operations, it was announced Tuesday by head coach Dave DiIanni. Bundy spent three seasons as a soccer student-athlete from 2021-23.

“Welcoming Addie back to campus where she had a great undergraduate career is an exciting moment for our program,” said DiIanni. “Not only will she be excellent in the position of director of operations, but she understands the standards, expectations and history of Iowa soccer and what it took to build the program and sustain the success we’ve had.”

Bundy had a stellar freshman year, earning unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman team honors. For her career, the Fort Collins, Colorado, native started 19 games, tallying six assists and two goals and accumulating 2,169 minutes across three seasons. Bundy was a part of the Big Ten Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament team in 2023.

Off the field, Bundy was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and she was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in 2022.

“This is truly a full-circle moment, and I’m grateful to return to the University of Iowa women’s soccer program – this time as a member of the staff,” said Bundy. “It’s an honor to contribute to the growth of a team, community and university that gave so much to me.”

“I’m excited to help develop the next generation of student-athletes and support the continued success of Iowa and the Big Ten.”

Bundy returns to Iowa City after spending the past year as a support specialist for Visit Fort Collins, a destination marketing organization focused on promoting Fort Collins, Colorado. She also served as an assistant soccer coach at Rocky Mountain High School this past spring.

Bundy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa in 2024.

Posted in Sports |

California Bound! Iowa State Women’s Golf Advances to NCAA National Championships

Sports

May 6th, 2025 by Jack McGonigal

LUBBOCK, Texas— For the second time in program history, the Iowa State women’s golf team has advanced to the NCAA National Championships. The Cyclones finished the NCAA Lubbock Regional in third place, the highest finish in school history at an NCAA Regional. It was the 15th-straight year the Cyclones have been in a regional, advancing to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2014.

The Cyclones shot a 272(-16) in round three, which was the best 18-hole score in NCAA Regional play in school history. This brought the Cyclones’ total down to 10-over for the 54 holes, which put them in the top five teams, qualifying for their second NCAA championship. 

The Cyclones had a three-way tie for first on the team, with all three tying for eighth, which was the second-best individual finish in school history at the NCAA Regionals. Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn led the Cyclones today after shooting a school record at the NCAA Regionals with a six-under round. This brought Chul-Ak-Sorn’s total to plus-two with a team-high seven birdies to show for it.

Pammy Chookaew, who shot a three-under final round, which tied for the fourth-lowest 18-hole round in school history at the NCAA Regionals. This brought her total to a plus two, placing her in a tie for eighth. Chookaew grabbed five birdies in her final round. 

Keeley Marx is next up after shooting a four-under, bogey-free round, also bringing her total to a plus-two. Marx’s four-under round tied for the second-lowest NCAA Regional round in school history. Marx’s four birdies helped her out with that. 

Nichakorn Pinprayoon was right there with them, shooting a three-under final round, bringing her total to a plus-five. With Marx, this three-under round tied for the fourth lowest in school history at the NCAA Regionals. Pinprayoon also had an impressive five birdies to end her tournament. Alexandra Vidal rounded out the Cyclones after shooting a four-over round, bringing her total to a plus-16, placing her in a tie for 51st. 

Winning the NCAA Lubbock Regional was No. 7 Wake Forest after shooting two-under after 54 holes. 

With the Cyclones qualifying for the finals, the Cyclones will play the NCAA Championships on May 16-21 in Carlsbad, Calif.

Team Leaderboard 

1 – (7)Wake Forest – 289-287-286=862
2 –  (6)Texas – 290-294-282=866
3 – (30)Iowa State – 298-304-272=874
4 – (31)Tennessee – 305-300-281=886
5 – Purdue – 308-296-285=889
Qualifiers for NCAA Championships
6 – (19)Texas A&M – 306-299-284-889
7 – UC Davis – 307-296-287=890
8 – (18)Arizona – 305-297-290=892
9 – Florida Gulf Coast – 309-308-285=902
10 – Campbell – 310-302-295=907
11- Tarleton State – 313-312-293=918
12- Texas A&M-C.C. – 330-326-304=960

Iowa State Scorecard

T-8 – Pammy Chookaew – 73-76-69=218
T-8 – Keeley Marx – 75-75-68=218
T-8 – Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn – 74-78-66=218
T-19 – Nichakorn Pinprayoon  – 77-75-69=221
T-51 – Alexandra Vidal – 76-80-76=232

Posted in Sports |

Secretary Rollins Requires States to Provide Records on SNAP Benefits, Ensure Lawful Use of Federal Funds

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

Washington, D.C., May 6, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will require States to make certain all records associated with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and allotments are shared with the federal government. The announcement was made today (Tuesday), but U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said “President Trump is rightfully requiring the federal government to have access to all programs it funds, and SNAP is no exception. “

Rollins said “For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data. The Department is focused on appropriate and lawful participation in SNAP, and today’s request is one of many steps to ensure SNAP is preserved for only those eligible.”

On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14243, Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos, requiring agency heads to “take all necessary steps, to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure the federal government has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive federal funding, including, as appropriate, data generated by those programs but maintained in third-party databases.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is federally funded, administered by States, and includes relationships with processors and retailers, among others, all of which are information siloes. Today’s guidance prioritizes program integrity and will allow FNS, for the first time, transparency into the data long only held by States and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) processors.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

State pays $4.2M to another sibling of teen who starved to death in 2017

News

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A state board has agreed to pay a four-point-two MILLION dollar settlement to the brother of a 16-year-old who died of starvation in her adoptive parents home in Perry. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

(as said) – Investigators say Sabrina Ray was abused and starved to death by her adoptive mother, who’s serving a life prison sentence, and her adoptive father, sentenced to serve 80 years in prison. Sabrina, who died in 2017, and three of her siblings had been in the foster care system. In 2023, two of the siblings were each paid five MILLION dollars to settle their lawsuits against the state. This latest settlement is with a third sibling who allegedly witnessed and suffered abuse in the same home. The lawsuits claimed state officials failed to properly investigate reports that the children were being abused and neglected.

Posted in News |

Connections Area Agency on Aging Senior Farmer’s Market Voucher Distribution

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Connections Area Agency on Aging report Farmers Market vouchers are available for seniors meeting income requirements. Vouchers can be used at participating area Farmers Markets to buy $50.00 worth of fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs and honey. The Vouchers are valid June 1st through October 31st. Connections says they regret that not being able to distribute vouchers at the same level as in previous years. The USDA provided Connections with 1900 sets of vouchers in 2024. This year the Agency received 750 sets of vouchers for its 20-county service area.

Applications will automatically be mailed to anyone that received vouchers in 2024. Individuals will be randomly selected to receive Farmers Market vouchers. Only one set of vouchers per household.

2025 Farmers Market Process:

  • Applications will automatically be sent to last year’s voucher recipients
  • Applicants must complete an application and meet eligibility criteria to receive vouchers.
  • ONE set of vouchers per household is allowed.
  • Voucher distribution is limited. Completed applications must be returned no later than May 30th.

Farmers Market distribution will be done by mail ONLY.

Connections encourages citizens to voice their support for the program by contacting your US members of Congress and share why the program is important to you:

Joni Ernst DC Office (202) 224-3524 Zach Nunn DC Office (202) 225-5476

Chuck Grassley DC Office (202)224-3744 Randy Feenstra DC Office (202) 225-4426

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Iowa wrestlers eye World Championships

Sports

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

One current and one former member of the Iowa Hawkeye women’s wrestling team will bid for a spot on team USA next month as part of the Final X qualifying meet in Newark, New Jersey. Competitors will try to earn a spot in the World Championships in Croatia. Kennedy Blades is coming off an unbeaten junior season for the Hawkeyes and made her first U-S squad last summer when she won silver at the Paris Olympics.

Blades says earning a spot on the U-S Olympic team has made her even more hungry for international success.

Macey Kilty finished unbeaten in her final season at Iowa and two years ago qualified for her first U-S team in Newark.

Kilty will be in search of a spot on a third U-S that will compete at the World Championships.

Three-time Iowa NCAA champion Spencer Lee will bid for a spot on the U-S men’s team. He won silver last year at the Paris Olympics.

Posted in Sports |

Dubuque city council bans feeding bears

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Dubuque City Council passed an ordinance Monday against feeding or harassing bears. During discussion of the ordinance, the D-N-R’s Ross Ellingson said the idea is take away the things that lure the bear in.

Ellingson said bears are becoming more prevalent in Iowa due to the large populations of black bears in neighboring states.

Brian Preston. (photo from Dubuque Council meeting video)

Dubuque County Conservation executive director, Brian Preston, said there is one bear that now lives near the city.

Preston said they are trying to emphasize that feeding the bears is not a good thing.

People who feed the bears could face a fine of up to 750 dollars. The ordinance could also require a resident to take down a bird feeder to deter bears. Residents are advised to stay away from bears and not follow them to try and get a picture or video. Harassing bears to get them to go away is not allowed under the ordinance, as the expert said that could lead to more unwanted interaction with the bears.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |

Bruce Henderson Invitational a Success For Atlantic

Sports

May 6th, 2025 by Christian Adams

Underneath a clear sky and beautiful spring weather the Bruce Henderson Invitational was an astounding success for the Atlantic Trojan Tack and Field team. A packed full stadium was treated to tight races and numerous personal and school records, and the honoring of the Atlantic seniors on what was their last home meet. In addition to the success of the the meet itself, the Trojans performed exceptionally well. While the Girls finished in second, the Boys won the meet outright in an impressive display.

The boys had a night to remember. In addition to winning three events, the Trojans had six other top three finishes and six other top 5 finishes. There were also 36 individual personal records broken. These included Ethan McNeal’s second place finish in the 400m,  Gavin McLaren’s second place effort in the shot put, and Mason Betts 4:52.97 time in the 1600m, just to name a few. Another PR that was broken was Xavier Darrow’s 160-02 Discuss throw that earned first. Darrow spoke of a shared feeling about how being at home boosted his resolve.

One of the most exciting parts of the night came near the end in the boys 4x100m relay when Zander Killion , Jarrett Hansen, Tye Houser and Ethan McNeal broke the previous school record set last year. In and impressive 43.64 the Trojans won with ease as Hansen shared what it meant to break a record he was a part of last season.

On the girls side, the Trojans were nearly as impressive. Atlantic finished with three event wins, along with three other top three finishes, 3 top five finishes and 14 broken personal records on their way to a strong second place finish. Gianna Mixon and Claire Comes broke multiple PR’s. Anoter athlete who had a great was Lila Wiederstein. In addition to winning the long jump, she also broke a pr in her hotly contested win in the 200m dash as she shared her thoughts on her performance.

Senior Morgan Botos also had a strong showing particularly as a part of Atlantic’s 4x200m team that finished second. She shares a feeling repeated amongst both the boys and the girls of added confidence heading into important meets in the days and Weeks to come.

In addition to the success of the upperclassmen head coach Matt Mullenix liked how some of his younger athletes responded.

With conference district and state meets fast approaching, Mullenix said that some ideas had ben strengthend but that their is still room for improvement.

Both the Boys and the Girls teams will be back in action on Thursday at Creston as a part of the Hawkeye Ten Track and Field Championships.

 

 

Posted in Sports |

More young Iowans are opting for pedal power

News

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Hundreds of Iowa students will be walking or riding bikes to class tomorrow (Wednesday), as part of Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day. Matt Burkey, the Safe Routes to Schools coordinator at the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says he’s thrilled they’re seeing such a big boost in Iowa schools that are taking part in this twice-a-year promotion.

“We’ve been seeing, in the last two years, an uptick in schools participating,” Burkey says. “I’ve been averaging about 10 new schools every time, but we’ve doubled our numbers from over 60 schools last October, to now, the count is 127 registered schools all across the state of Iowa to promote Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day.”

Burkey says it’s a fun and active way to kick off the school day. “Back in the 1960s, about 60% of people walked or biked to school, and these days it’s less than 10%,” Burkey says. “So if we can get a few families here and there across the state to say, ‘Hey, I don’t need to drive to school and drop off my young students, if I could just walk or bike with them, get the exercise, get some sunshine, wave at the neighbors.’ It’s a great way to start your day and rebuild a sense of community across Iowa.”

While the official day for the event is Wednesday, Burkey says any day in May will do if you’d still like to sign up. “All you have to do is go to WalkBiketoSchool.org and they’ll have a link right there,” Burkey says. “Anyone can sign up their school. It could be the principal or a teacher, or it could just be a parent that says, ‘Hey, I’m going to get a couple families together and we’re going to walk to school together or bike to school together.’”

The day is part of a national movement to promote safe routes to school and active lifestyles for kids of all ages. By participating, Burkey says schools promote safe walking and biking, raise awareness about traffic safety, and encourage positive change in their communities.

Posted in News |

ROBERT “Bob” MILARCH, 79, of Spirit Lake [formerly of Atlantic] – (Celebration of Life at a later date)

Obituaries

May 6th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

ROBERT “Bob” MILARCH, 79, of Spirit Lake [formerly of Atlantic], died Monday, May 5, 2025, at Accura Healthcare of Spirit Lake.  Per his wishes, no formal services will be held for BOB MILARCH. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date, in Atlantic. Roninson Funeral Home in Spirit Lake is assisting the family.

ROBERT “BOB” MILARCH is survived by:

His daughters – Meagan (Anthony) Dillon; Tiffany (Frank) Dambra and Donna Milarch.

6 grandchildren, his ex-wife and close friend: Sherrill Clausen of Atlantic; and many other friends.

Online condolences may be left at www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com

Posted in Obituaries |