United Group Insurance

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the area: 5/22/20

Weather

May 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly cloudy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms. High 71. SE wind @ 10-20 mph.

Tonight: Mo. Cldy w/showers & thunderstorms. Low 60. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Scattered showers/tstrms ending in the morning; Becoming P/Cldy. High 80. S @ 10-20.

Sunday: Partly cloudy to cloudy w/scatt. shwrs & tstrms. High near 78.

Monday: P/Cldy to Cldy w/scatt. showers & tstrms. High 76.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 67. Our Low 56.  Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 67 and the Low 46. The record High for May 22nd in Atlantic, was 98 in 1925, and the record Low was 28 in 1895 & 1963.

Corning man arrested on OWI charge in Red Oak

News

May 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop at around midnight Thursday in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of an Adams County man. Red Oak Police say 18-year old Treynor Michael Dixon, of Corning, was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

ANGELA [Harris] McCUDDIN, 64, of Atlantic (No Services)

Obituaries

May 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

ANGELA [Harris] McCUDDIN, 64, of Atlantic, died Wed., May 20th, at the Cass County Memorial Hospital, in Atlantic. Cremation has taken place, and no services will be held for ANGELA McCUDDIN. Roland Funeral service in Atlantic is assisting the family.

Online condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

ANGELA McCUDDIN is survived by:

Her sons – Matthew (Tara) White, and Brandon (Jordan) McCuddin/

Her sisters – Victoria Ryan; Teresa Henderson, and Janet Larsen.

Her brothers – Steven Harris; Williams (Marianna) Harris, and Kirk Hall.

4 grandchildren, and her cousin, LuAnn (Scott) Ihnken, of Atlantic.

Sports Headlines: 5/22/20

Sports

May 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

NHLPA voting on 24-team playoffs…NFL eyes officiating help, alternative to onside kick

UNDATED (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the NHL Players’ Association’s executive board is voting on a 24-team playoff proposal as they return to play format. Results of the vote could be in as soon as Friday night. Under the proposal plan, the top four teams in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences would play each other for seeding while the remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16. Even if the executive board votes to approve the format, the league and players union still need to negotiate other details, including health and safety protocols.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL is considering adding a “booth umpire” and a senior technology adviser to the referee to assist the officiating crew. NFL clubs received a list of potential rules changes on Thursday. Owners will vote on the proposals at the upcoming league meeting to be held by video conference on May 28. If owners don’t approve adding a booth umpire and/or a senior technology adviser, the league could test a version of both rules in the preseason for possible future implementation.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL has come up with a proposal that would give teams another option instead of an onside kick, permitting a team to maintain possession of the ball after a score by substituting one offensive play. The kicking team would attempt a fourth-and-15 from its 25-yard line. This could be done a maximum of two times per game. Onside kicks have become infrequent and rarely successful since the NFL changed rules on alignments for kickoffs.

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Chase Briscoe won the Xfinity Series’ return to action at Darlington Raceway on Wednesday, two days after the race was postponed by rain. Briscoe used two strong restarts and a quick pit stop to finish on top. He got the lead out of the pits during the final caution, then pulled away from Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier (AHL’-gy-ur) on the subsequent restart with seven laps to go for his fourth career win and second this season.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt has removed the interim title and made Candice Storey Lee the first woman to run a Southeastern Conference athletics program. Lee is one of only five women and the second black woman in charge of a Power Five program. The 41-year-old Lee is a former Commodores basketball captain. She took over as interim athletic director on Feb. 4 when Malcolm Turner resigned after one year on the job.

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, May 22nd, 2020

News

May 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is expanding the state’s coronavirus testing program to include anyone who believes they need a test. Reynolds says additional testing is important as more Iowans return to work. She said Thursday Iowans can go to the TestIowa website and fill out the assessment. Previously the state restricted testing to essential workers. Reynolds on Wednesday announced the opening of movie theaters, museums and zoos on Friday and bars next week. The state posted 19 additional deaths Thursday boosting the state total to 400 and recorded more than 400 new positive cases in the last 24 hours.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them. That is fueling anxiety that working conditions could put employees’ lives at risk. Extensive guidance issued last month by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls for meatpacking companies to erect physical barriers, enforce social distancing and install more hand-sanitizing stations, among other steps. But the guidance is not mandatory. OSHA’s general guidance plainly says the recommendations are advisory and not a regulation or a new legal obligation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Fewer people filed for unemployment last week in Iowa compared to the week prior, but remained historically elevated as the country deals with the economic fallout of coronavirus pandemic. A report released Thursday the by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 13,040 new claims filed between May 10 and May 16. That was drop from the previous week, when 16,735 people filed unemployment claims in Iowa. Officials say more than 187,000 have filed for unemployment since the outbreak began, and nearly $51 million in unemployment insurance benefits has been paid out. Those industries with the most claims last week included manufacturing, which saw nearly 4,700 claims, health care and social assistance, with 1,216 claims and retail, with 827.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of bankers in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states inched upward in May from April’s record low, but still remained profoundly low as efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the rural economy. The overall index for the region rose slightly to 12.5 from April’s record low of 12.1. Any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says nearly three of every four bankers surveyed reported restructuring farm loans to deal with weak farm income. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

At least two hurt in I-80 collision Thu. evening

News

May 21st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Two people in a semi tractor trailer were said to have been injured during a collision with a pickup truck Thursday evening on I-80, near Marne. According to dispatch reports, the accident happened at around 4:31-p.m. at mile marker 53 of I-80 eastbound. Traffic was flowing at last report, albeit slowly and at times, stop-and-go.

Marne Fire and Rescue, Atlantic Fire and Rescue, Medivac Ambulance, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol responded to the scene. As of 5:30-p.m., emergency crews were still on the scene conducting traffic control.

Additional information is not available.

Area COVID-19 update 5:20-p.m. 5/21/20

News

May 21st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here’s the latest COVID-19 information from some of the area Public Health Departments (Some counties have stopped reporting their data, since much of it is available on the State COVID-19 dashboard):

Cass County:

  • 308 tested
  • 6 positive
  • 284 negative
  • 18 pending test results
  • “At this point, there is community based spread throughout Iowa and surrounding states, and Cass County is no exception to that. While we understand there is a great deal of curiosity and anxiety about the source of COVID-19 cases, the bottom line is that regardless of where the cases originated, we all have to understand that the virus is here in our county. We encourage everyone to practice social distancing, frequent hand washing or sanitizing, wearing masks as a considerate gesture to those around you, and staying home as much as possible.”

Adair County: 6 positive cases; 2 recovered/

Adams County: 3 positive cases

Audubon County: 11 positive, 8 recovered.

Dallas County: 816 positive, 494 recovered.

Fremont County: 4 & 2

Guthrie County: 42 positive, 27 recovered.

Harrison County: 18 & 17

Madison County: 21 positive, 11 recovered.

Montgomery County: 5 positive, 5 recovered

Page County: 10 & 9

Shelby County: 27 & 22.

Taylor County: 5 & 1.

Union County: 4 & 1

Mills County:

  • 1 new confirmed case (an adult, 41-to 60 years of age who contracted the virus through a known exposure to COVID-19 symptomatic person.)
  • 14 total confirmed cases
  • 11 recovered cases
  • 546 tested.

Pottawattamie County:

On May 21, Pottawattamie County Public Health (PCPH) reports 10 new COVID-19 cases. Nine of the individuals are residents of Council Bluffs and one is from Carter Lake. Three of the cases are 18-40 years old, four are 41-60 years old, and three are elderly adults (81>). These individuals were tested between May 18 and May 19. Thus far, 2,421 Pottawattamie County residents have been tested for COVID-19, and a total of 199 have tested positive. An additional four people have recovered, bringing the total of recoveries to 100. Currently, six individuals are hospitalized and 86 individuals are self-isolating. Based on PCPH contact tracing investigations, a total of 61 Pottawattamie County COVID-19 cases are the result of community spread.

Iowa State AD expects football to start on time

Sports

May 21st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard expects the football season to start as scheduled. The Cyclones open at home on September fifth against South Dakota. Pollard made his comments as part of the Cyclone Virtual Tailgate Tour.

 

Pollard says the big question right now is how many fans will be part of the season opener.

Pollard says as of right now they could have the stadium about half full.

Report: Iowa sees drop in deaths from alcohol, drugs & suicide combined

News

May 21st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — A new report shows more than 150-thousand Americans died from alcohol, drugs and suicide combined in 2018, though Iowa’s numbers fell slightly that year. John Auerbach, president and C-E-O of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Trust for America’s Health, says efforts in Iowa to cut prescription opioid abuse must be working along with other prevention methods.

Auerbach says, “In Iowa, there was about a five-percent reduction in overall deaths from the combination of alcohol, drugs and suicide during 2018, compared to 2017.” While the number of deaths in Iowa dropped overall, some individual areas saw gradual increases, much like the rest of the country. “There were a few areas of concern in Iowa,” Auerbach says. “Suicides were up two-percent and we also saw an increase of four-percent in deaths from methamphetamines and other psychostimulants.”

The pandemic we’re enduring now has the potential to significantly worsen those trends, as he says major disasters often lead to an increase in mental health and substance use disorders. “With COVID-19, there is the trauma associated with the 92,000 deaths already and deaths continue to increase every day,” Auerbach says, “as well as with the economic and social impact of the pandemic.” Given the increase in social isolation and the unprecedented loss of jobs and income, his organization advocates expanding efforts to address stress, finding more ways to help people cope with crisis and to prevent more despair and deaths.

“We need to work on access to care,” Auerbach says. “We know that if you have health insurance and if your care provider includes ready access to behavioral health services, you’re much less likely to die from one of these causes.” Researchers also expect to see a rise in cases of domestic violence and child abuse during the pandemic. See the full report at the website of Trust for America’s Health at TFAH.org.

Agreement will allow small lockers to sell across state lines

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 21st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Agriculture says an agreement that is designed to help small-size meat processing facilities is moving ahead. Iowa Ag Secretary, Mike Naig, says it involved lockers with fewer than 25 employees.

“We’ve got a new cooperative interstate shipment program that will allow them to sell products across state lines for the first time,” according to Naig. “They’ll remain a state inspected locker — but they’ll be able to sell across state lines. And we think this is just a great opportunity that will have a long-lasting impact for these folks.” Without this agreement meat processed at a small-town butcher shop would have to be inspected a second time by FEDERAL inspectors before it could be marketed anywhere beyond Iowa’s borders.

Naig says the deal has been in the works long before the COVID-19 issues with the meat supply chain. He says the process started last June as small meat lockers and processors came to him asked about it. Naig says then they started working with the U-S-D-A on it. Naig says the current coronavirus impact on the supply chain has helped push this forward as livestock producers are trying to be creative for marketing their livestock. The capacity of the large processors dropped with COVID-19 outbreaks and that has led to some producers euthanizing their animals as they have no place to take them.

“It is not terribly widespread yet — but each day that the plants don’t run at full capacity is a day that we are adding to that backlog,” Naig says. “The situation continues to improve with our packing plants, I think as of today (Wednesday), we are running right around 72 to 73 percent of our normal capacity. So, it’s going to take us some time to get back up to that normal capacity that we know we need.” Iowa is the seventh state, to enter an agreement. Those lockers that enter the agreement will still have periodic visits from federal inspectors.