A man hunting deer in Madison County Wednesday south of Truro was injured while using an unconventional weapon. Iowa Department of Natural Resources spokesman, Kevin Baskins, says the accident involved a 69-year-old man from Cumming. “In this particular instance we had a gentleman who was on a stand and took a shot at a deer when the muzzleloader he was using exploded,” Baskins says. The man identified as Theodore Larson lost a thumb in the explosion.

“He was unable to find his thumb after the gun exploded,” Baskins says. He says Larson was unable to find his thumb and was eventually flown to a Des Moines hospital for treatment. Baskins says the muzzleloaders are often new reproduction guns that are still loaded in the old way. Baskins is not sure what type of gun Larson was using, but said they will try to find out why it exploded. “Our officers are experts at looking at these firearms and being able to examine what’s left of the gun to determine what may’ve happened to make it perform that way,” he says.

Baskins says the muzzleloader shotgun season overlaps with the regular shotgun season. He does not believe there have been that many problems with the oldstyle weapons. “I think it’s an unusual case. It’s not unheard of and that’s obviously one of the reasons why we want to further investigate and determine why that gun did perform the way it did,” according to Baskins.

Baskins says the accident happened around five in the evening and Larson was likely airlifted to the hospital because it was the quickest way at that time of day to get him in for treatment.

(Radio Iowa)

Chiefs running back Peyton Hillis responded tersely to comments by former teammate Joe Thomas, likening him to a “crazy ex-girlfriend” who won’t move on. Thomas, the Browns’ offensive tackle, said Wednesday that Hillis didn’t always play hard during his time in Cleveland. He referred to Hillis as “toxic” and accused him of putting his contract situation ahead of the team. The Chiefs visit the Browns on Sunday. Hillis responded Thursday by saying, “Joe Thomas, he can have his opinions all he wants. It’s kind of like a crazy ex-girlfriend, you know? It’s been over a year. Get on with it.” Hillis said it’s easy for Thomas to rip others for seeking a new contract when “you get paid $100 million by one team.”

*****

In the final days of Jovan Belcher’s life, he could have taken advantage of numerous avenues for support provided by the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL. There are hotlines established by the league that connect players, staff and their families with third-party counselors unaffiliated with the NFL or its teams. There are also numerous symposiums and support personnel whose jobs are to ensure the well-being of the players. But as many players suggested, having support available is only half of the equation. They must also take advantage of it, and that means a willingness to admit when they have problems. Said Chiefs offensive lineman Ryan Lilja: “The resources the league and the teams offer are always good, it’s just up to guys to take advantage of it.”

*****

A relative of the slain girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher says she was a loyal friend who brought joy to others with her smiles and laughter. Kasandra Perkins’ great-uncle also told mourners at a service Thursday that Perkins loved her family and considered her 3-month-old daughter, Zoey, to be the love of her life. Family and friends gathered at a rural North Texas church to remember the 22-year-old Perkins, five days after Belcher killed her then shot himself in the head. A white casket bedecked with a spray of white lilies was the mourners’ focal point at Ridgeview Family Fellowship in Blue Ridge, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. Great-uncle Ted Downing said Perkins “had a deep, deep understanding about the important things in life.”

• A-H-S-T 46, Essex 29
• St. Albert 58, Abraham Lincoln 45
• Shenandoah 49, Stanton 41

• A-H-S-T 49 Essex 44
• Stanton 59 Shenandoah 47

Class 5-A

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs have placed defensive lineman Allen Bailey on injured reserve with an ankle injury and signed linebacker Leon Williams to fill his place on the roster.   Bailey was hurt in last Sunday’s win over Carolina. Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said that team doctors determined he would miss about four weeks, essentially keeping him out through the end of the season.  Williams was with the Chiefs during training camp before being cut.

The Chiefs are dealing with numerous injuries heading in to Sunday’s game at Cleveland. Center Ryan Lilja, safety Abe Elam, linebacker Derrick Johnson and cornerback Brandon Flowers were not practicing Thursday, while safeties Kendrick Lewis and Eric Berry, linebacker Tamba Hali and left tackle Branden Albert were limited.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – For the first time since at least the mid-2000s, both Iowa and Iowa State head into their annual December matchup with legitimate NCAA tournament expectations. Those postseason hopes will take a hit for the loser of Friday night’s showdown in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes (7-2) and Cyclones (6-2) have each lost to the two best teams they’ve played; Iowa to No. 24 Wichita State and Virginia Tech, and Iowa State to No. 21 Cincinnati and No. 11 UNLV.    Each team could use at least one quality nonconference win before league play starts.

w/ Jim Field

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that left-handed reliever Randy Choate and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a $7.5 million, three-year contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement is subject to a physical before the deal can be finalized.

Choate had a 3.03 ERA and no record in 80 games this year, tying for the major league lead in pitching appearances. He held left-handed batters to a .158 average (16 for 101) and righties hit .325 against him (13 for 40). Choate was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Miami Marlins in July along with shortstop Hanley Ramirez and the Marlins started to get rid of payroll.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Board of Regents President Craig Lang says the University of Iowa is not doing enough to protect students and employees from sexual misconduct in light of the resignation of a former athletics department counselor. Lang said Wednesday during a board meeting that the regents overhauled campus policies after a high-profile assault case involving Iowa football players in 2007.

Lang said one change required employees to participate in sexual misconduct training, and Iowa’s handling of the Peter Gray case shows the school “is not doing a good enough job in this area.” Lang says he expects the university will address “the obvious breakdowns” the case exposed. Gray resigned last month after he was accused of improperly touching athletes for years, conduct that allegedly dated back to the 1990s.