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Iowa Auditor: Governor could use state savings for virus aid

News

December 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is sharply criticizing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for not calling the Legislature into an emergency session to approve spending to help people suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. Sand, a Democrat, in his annual budget review says Iowa will lose bars, restaurants and possibly hospitals due to economic hardship. He says Reynolds, a Republican, could have called the GOP-run legislature to spend some of the $1 billion the state has accumulated to help. A Reynolds spokesman says Iowa is ranked as the most fiscally responsible and resilient state in the country.

Posted in News |

Iowa COVID-19 update for 12/18/20: No new deaths to report; Positive cases up 1,905; Hospitalizations down

News

December 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The latest information from State of Iowa’s coronavirus dashboard (as of 10-a.m. Friday), indicated there were no additional COVID-19 deaths over the previous 24-hours, keeping the state’s death toll at 3,451. Underlying cause deaths amount to 3,169, while 282 account for contributing factor deaths. Deaths at Long-Term Care facilities account for 1,135 of those who died.The website said 2,947 of the state’s deaths involved Iowans with preexisting conditions.

Long-Term Care facility outbreaks are down from 147 Thursday to 141 today. There are 5,681 positive cases and 2,976 recoveries reported in Iowa’s care facilities. State data shows 1,305,950 Iowans have been tested for coronavirus, with a total of 208,681 recovered. The number of new positive COVID-19 cases statewide is 1,905, for a total of 264,115. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is down from 13.7% yesterday to 13.5% today, while the 7-day rate 10.4%.

Hospitalization data: show 701 Iowans with COVID-19 are in hospitals across the state (down from 746 yesterday); 136 COVID patients remain in an ICU (down 10 from Thursday); 96 were admitted (compared to 95 yesterday); and 80 are on a ventilator (7 less than Thursday).  Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa (RMCC Region 4) report: 41 hospitalized (Unchanged from Thursday); 14 are in an ICU (3 more than previously reported); six were admitted (2 less than yesterday), and seven patients remain on a ventilator.

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, 970 cases; {+11}; 38 deaths
  • Adair, 538; {+12} 16
  • Adams, 224; {+5}; 2
  • Audubon, 342; {+2}; 7
  • Guthrie, 873; {+6} 22
  • Harrison County, 1,305; {+8}; 50
  • Madison County, 870; {+14}; 8
  • Mills County, 1,225; {+2}; 12
  • Montgomery, 665; {+7}; 13
  • Pottawattamie County, 7,710; {+69}; 83
  • Shelby County, 882; {+3}; 23
  • Union County,  962; 13

Posted in News |

Midwest Sports Headlines: 12/18/20

Sports

December 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Iowa State has swept the Big 12′s top individual football awards as determined by a vote of the league coaches. Running back Breece Hall has been named the conference’s offensive player of the year and junior linebacker Mike Rose the top defensive player. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell was named the league’s coach of the year in the All-Big 12 selections. The Cyclones play five-time defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma in conference championship game Saturday.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — No. 8 Iowa State will have to beat No. 12 Oklahoma again to win the Big 12 title. The first conference championship game in school history for the 8-2 Cyclones is a rematch against the 7-2 Sooners. Oklahoma is going for its sixth Big 12 title in a row on Saturday. The Sooners have won six games in a row since their 37-30 loss to the Cyclones on October 3. Iowa State has a five-game winning streak since its only Big 12 loss to Oklahoma State.

NEW YORK (AP) — Marcus Zegarowski scored 20 points, shooting 6 for 7 from 3-point range, and No. 9 Creighton cruised to a 94-76 victory over St. John’s. Denzel Mahoney had 16 points and freshman center Ryan Kalkbrenner added a season-best 15 off the bench to help the Bluejays bounce back from a home loss to Marquette in their conference opener Monday night. Damien Jefferson had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Christian Bishop added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Creighton. Julian Champagnie led the Red Storm with 17 points as St. John’s fell to 0-3 in Big East play.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With six 100-yard receiving games already, the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce is poised to become the first tight end in NFL history to lead the league in receiving. He has 1,250 yards with three games still to play, giving him a 70-yard lead over Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf and another 13 yards over the Buffalo Bills’ Stefon Diggs — oh, and teammate Tyreek Hill is at 1,158 yards. Kelce is having just as special of a year off the field, too. He was recently made the Chiefs nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his work with children from impoverished backgrounds.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is finally getting his first chance to play in a city where he very well might have ended up starting his NFL career if Kansas City hadn’t traded up to get him. Saints coach Sean Payton has said Mahomes and Marshon Lattimore were the top two prospects under consideration with the 11th overall pick in 2017 when the Chiefs traded for the 10th overall pick and took the QB that led them to last season’s Super Bowl triumph. Lattimore says it worked out well for both teams and that he is excited to play against Mahomes.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, 12/18/20

News

December 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is sharply criticizing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for not calling the Legislature into an emergency session to approve spending to help people suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. Sand, a Democrat, in his annual budget review says Iowa will lose bars, restaurants and possibly hospitals due to economic hardship. He says Reynolds, a Republican, could have called the GOP-run legislature to spend some of the $1 billion the state has accumulated to help. A Reynolds spokesman says Iowa is ranked as the most fiscally responsible and resilient state in the country.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It’s unclear why Iowa will receive fewer doses of coronavirus vaccine than initially promised by the federal government. But the state is moving ahead with plans to relax restrictions beginning Thursday even while reporting nearly 100 additional deaths. The Iowa Department of Public Health says the state is now expecting 138,300 doses of vaccine by Dec. 27 while earlier estimates were for 172,000 doses. Distributions were also being lowered to other states. The agency says it has known the expected doses were “planning numbers that will continue to change. Iowa reported an additional 97 deaths on Thursday as the state’s death toll increased to 3,451.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ruled that the federal government must pay landowners on the lower Missouri River for flooding damage caused by the Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to protect endangered species. Judge Nancy Firestone, with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, ruled this week that the Corps caused increased flooding by changing habitat on the river to comply with the Endangered Species Act. She says that violated constitutional protections against taking property without compensation. The ruling affects property owners from Sioux City, Iowa, to St. Louis, although not all landowners will qualify for payments. The ruling doesn’t cover all flood-related damages.

DENISON, Iowa (AP) — The former manager of a northwest Iowa credit union has pleaded not guilty in a nearly $1.5 million embezzlement scheme. Janine Keim is charged with embezzlement and making false statements. She entered her plea Wednesday in federal court in Sioux City. Prosecutors say Keim and at least one other employee at Consumers Credit Union in Denison embezzled $1.48 million between May 2012 and March 2018. She also allegedly filed false reports to conceal the missing money. The business is now called Cobalt Credit Union. The credit union’s former head teller, Brenda Jensen, of Denison, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in October to embezzlement.

Posted in News |

High School Wrestling Scoreboard 12/17/2020

Sports

December 17th, 2020 by admin

@ LEWIS CENTRAL

Atlantic-CAM 54, Lewis Central 17
Atlantic-CAM 54, Kuemper Catholic 22
Lewis Central 59, Kuemper Catholic 24

@ DENISON-SCHLESWIG

AHSTW 51, Denison-Schleswig 30
AHSTW 52, Red Oak 19
AHSTW 51, St. Albert 27
Red Oak 36, Denison-Schleswig 33
Red Oak 40, St. Albert 36
St. Albert 33, Denison-Schleswig 30

@ GRISWOLD

East Mills 48, Southwest Iowa 27
East Mills 42, East Atchison, MO 30

@ HARLAN

Harlan 34, Clarinda 32
Harlan 66, Shenandoah 6
Clarinda 48, Shenandoah 6

@ LEMARS

LeMars 66, Thomas Jefferson 6
Sioux City North 60, Thomas Jefferson 6

@ SERGEANT BLUFF-LUTON

Sergeant Bluff-Luton 54, Abraham Lincoln 12
Abraham Lincoln def Sioux City West

@ WAYNE

Nodaway Valley 31, East Union 30
Nodaway Valley 48, Mount Ayr 18
Nodaway Valley 54, Wayne 11
East Union 48, Wayne 12
East Union 39, Mount Ayr 18
Mount Ayr 36, Wayne 18

Posted in Sports |

Atlantic boys swimming gets two event wins at Carroll

Sports

December 17th, 2020 by admin

The Atlantic boys swimming team competed at Carroll on Thursday night. The Trojans had two winners: Alex Sampson in the 50 Freestyle and Bryan York in the 500 Freestyle. Check out the full results for the Trojans below.

200 Free

Bryan York 2:01.90  3rd place
Alex Lihs 2:10.29  5th place

200 IM

Brayden Atkinson  2:22.44  2nd place

50 Freestyle JV

Bryce Schmidtke 30.39 1st

50 Freestyle Varsity

Alex Sampson 24.46 1st
Dawsen Sorensen 30 71 6th

100 Freestyle JV

Dawsen Sorensen 1:09.24  2nd place
Bryce Schmidtke 1:09.90 3rd place

100 Freestyle Varsity

Alex Sampson 55.17 3rd place
Brayden Atkinson 55.82 4th place

500 Freestyle

Bryan York 5:25.04 1st place

200 Freestyle Relay

3rd place 1:41.93 Alex Sampson, Alex Lihs, Bryan York, Brayden Atkinson

100 Backstroke

Alex Lihs 1:06.12 5th place

400 Freestyle Relay

2nd place 3:46.95 Alex Sampson, Alex Lihs, Bryan York, Brayden Atkinson

Posted in Sports |

High School Basketball Scoreboard 12/17/2020

Sports

December 17th, 2020 by admin

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Clarinda 54, Bedford 36

Western Iowa Conference

Audubon 61, Boyer Valley 33
Logan-Magnolia 32, Fremont-Mills 21
Riverside 41, MVAOCOU 36

Pride of Iowa Conference

East Union 38, Moravia 33
Lenox 62, Murray 16
Mount Ayr 60, Wayne 42
Nodaway Valley 65, Martensdale-St. Marys 32

Rolling Valley Conference

CAM 53, Woodbine 46
Glidden-Ralston 59, ACGC 48
Westwood 84, Ar-We-Va 49

Other Scores

CB Abraham Lincoln 60, Sioux City West 29
Parkview Christian 54, Heartland Christian 13

BOYS BASKETBALL

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Clarinda 43, Bedford 24

Western Iowa Conference

Audubon 53, Boyer Valley 42
Logan-Magnolia 74, Fremont-Mills 38

Rolling Valley Conference

Ar-We-Va 49, Westwood 39
ACGC 79, Glidden-Ralston 61
Woodbine 62, CAM 50

Pride of Iowa Conference

Martensdale-St. Marys 63, Nodaway Valley 54
Mount Ayr 52, Wayne 37
Murray 54, Lenox 48

Other Scores

Parkview Christian 78, Heartland Christian 35

Posted in Sports |

Audubon boys pick up first win and deliver Boyer Valley first loss

Sports

December 17th, 2020 by admin

The Audubon Wheelers boys basketball team held Boyer Valley to just 10 first half points and grabbed a 53-42 win on Thursday night for their first win of the season. It was a tough offensive night for both teams but the Wheelers used a strong defensive performance to gain the edge. Audubon led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter and then pulled away to a 26-10 lead at halftime and mostly held at least a 10 point lead the rest of the way. The Wheelers forced a number of turnovers that turned into Bulldog fouls and transition scoring chances. Wheelers Head Coach Coleman Mullenix thought the effort was great.

Boyer Valley leading scorer Gavin Reineke was held to just five points on the night, all of those coming in the first quarter. Coach Mullenix was proud of his team’s ability to make shots difficult for the Bulldogs all night.

Jackson Deist was a bright spot offensively with 18 points to lead the Wheelers to the win. He connected on 3 threes in the first half. Gavin Smith also had a nice night slashing to the basket and finished with 16 points. The Wheelers get that first win and are 1-5 overall. They will host Logan-Magnolia on Friday.

Boyer Valley was led by Drew Volkmann with 11 points and Jaidan TenEyck with 9. The Bulldogs suffer their first loss of the season and are now 5-1. They will travel to face Rolling Valley foe Coon Rapids-Bayard on Friday.

Posted in Sports |

Audubon rides big third quarter to pull away from Boyer Valley girls

Sports

December 17th, 2020 by admin

The Audubon Wheelers girls basketball team picked up their second win of the season on Thursday night over Boyer Valley 61-33. Audubon blew the game open with a terrific third quarter. The Wheelers led by just six at halftime but turned it into a 19 point lead by the end of the third quarter. Jaci Christensen led the way with 11 of her 18 points in that quarter. After the game she said the Wheelers just talked about turning up the defensive pressure at halftime.

Christensen was double-teamed a lot on the block early in the game but as the defensive pressure ramped up that gave her some more room to be effective in the third quarter.

Aleah Hermansen was also big for Audubon, she dropped in 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half to help the Wheelers improve to 2-4. Audubon will be right back at it on Friday night with a home game against Logan-Magnolia.

Boyer Valley was led by 9 points from Talia Burkhart and 8 from Kylie Petersen. The Bulldogs fell to 1-6 and will travel to Coon Rapids-Bayard on Friday.

Posted in Sports |

Join the First Day Hike Challenge in Iowa State Parks

Ag/Outdoor, News

December 17th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – The Iowa DNR and Travel Iowa invite Iowans to participate in the 2021 First Day Hike Challenge to ring in the New Year through the digital State Park Passport. The challenge takes the place of traditional guided hikes due to COVID-19. “We are looking for ways to encourage both outdoor fun and social distancing,” said Todd Coffelt, Bureau Chief of Parks, Forests and Preserves. “First Day Hikes are a popular tradition in state parks, and the passport is a great way for people to enjoy winter hikes on their own or with their families.”

With the First Day Hike Challenge, park visitors can check into any of the more than 50 participating state parks on the passport from Friday, Jan. 1 through the end of Sunday, Jan. 3. Every check-in will qualify for a prize drawing of a 2-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin at Lake Darling State Park near Brighton. Restrictions will apply on the cabin stay, with reservation fees and other business rules applying.

Visitors can go to as many parks as they wish during the weekend — every check-in counts as a contest entry.  Additionally, visitors will find trail suggestions and directions from park staff under the “More Info” tab for each park entry on the passport.

Last year, more than 4,300 people participated in hikes on New Year’s Day across Iowa. Hikers can expect to be surrounded by the quiet beauty of nature in winter, and experience spectacular views, beautiful settings and the cultural treasures offered by Iowa’s State Parks. Participants should dress for the weather, including warm, sturdy boots for winter conditions.

For more details on First Day Hikes in Iowa’s State Parks, and to find links to sign up for the Parks Passport, visit www.iowadnr.gov/firstdayhikes.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor, News |