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RAMON SMITH, 92, of Atlantic (Svcs. 12/21/23)

Obituaries

December 18th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

RAMON SMITH, 92, of Atlantic, died Sunday, December 17, 2023, at his home. Funeral services for RAMON SMITH will be held 11-a.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church in Atlantic. Roland Funeral Service in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Visitation with the family present will be held from 9:30 a.m. to the time of service, Thursday, December 21st at Zion Lutheran Church in Atlantic.

Burial will be at the Atlantic Cemetery following the luncheon with full military honors by the Atlantic Color Guard.

Memorials may be made to the family for later designation.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

Posted in Obituaries |

HEATHER JEAN (DAHLKE) HAINES, 45 (Celebration of Life 12/30/23)

Obituaries

December 18th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

HEATHER JEAN (DAHLKE) HAINES, 45, died December 15, 2023, at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. A Celebration of Life Service for HEATHER HAINES will be held Saturday, Dec. 30. 2023 at 11-a.m., at the Oakland United Methodist Church. Casual dress is preferred – jeans and Okoboji attire, if you have any. Rieken Funeral Home has the arrangements.

Memorials will be directed by the family.

HEATHER JEAN (DAHLKE) HAINES is survived by:

Her long-time life partner – Heath, and their two children: Hayden Haines (and Cherry Budd), of Hancock. and Hayley Haines, of Harlan.

4 grandchildren.

Her parents, Eddie and Dinah Dahlke.

Her sisters – Melissa Dahlke (Wayne May); Jennifer Dahlke (Brian Conklin); Elizabeth Dahlke (Kyle Ausdemore); Cyndy Haines, and Susan (Bryan) Christopherson.

Other relatives and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

CROOKS EARNS BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARD

Sports

December 18th, 2023 by admin

IRVING, Texas – Iowa State women’s basketball player Audi Crooks has earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors following a 20-point performance in a 105-68 win over Troy. It marks the first weekly award of Crooks’ career and the first award for an Iowa State player this season.

Crooks led the Cyclones with 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor in Sunday’s victory. Her field goal percentage (.900) tied the fourth-best mark by a freshman in program history. Crooks connected on her first seven attempts from the field, starting with a 3-pointer in the first three minutes of play. She narrowly missed her second double-double of the season with nine rebounds. Crooks led the Big 12 this week in field goal percentage (.900) and was second in scoring average with 21.0 points per game.

Crooks leads the team with 16.1 points per game and .670 season field goal percentage. She ranks eighth among NCAA Division I freshman for points per game and is seventh nationally and third in the Big 12 among all players for field goal percentage. She’s the only freshman in the country to average double-figure scoring and shoot over 65 percent from the field. Crooks also chips in 6.0 rebounds per game and has added 3-point shooting to her game, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum for its final non-conference game of the season, facing in-state opponent UNI on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.

Posted in Sports |

Those pretty poinsettias are not a cause for poisoning concerns

News

December 18th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Can poinsettias kill you? There’s a long-standing rumor about the red-and-green flowers traditionally associated with Christmas being deadly if eaten, but registered nurse Tammy Noble, at the Iowa Poison Control Center, says that’s simply an urban legend that is not true.

“Poinsettias have had a bad rap over the years,” Noble says, “but we’ve found that they’re not as toxic as what we thought 50 years ago.”

One study found that a child would have to eat as many as 500 poinsettia leaves to become poisoned, but aside from that, Noble says the leaves taste terrible so no one would likely ever eat a lethal dose of them. They’re a lovely plant, she says, and they shouldn’t concern you.

“We know that swallowing some of the leaves can cause mild upset stomach,” Noble says, “but it’s okay to have poinsettias in your house or to give to family members who are in nursing homes. They’re low risk.”

Other plants that may appear in your house during the year-end holidays could pose a more significant threat. Noble says to take care with holly berries and mistletoe as they -can- be poisonous.

If you have a question or concern, call the Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center anytime at 1-800-222-1222.

The poinsettia is native to Mexico and dates back centuries to when the Aztecs cultivated them to be more like trees that grew to be ten feet high. Seventeenth-century Franciscan priests in Mexico used poinsettias in nativity processions, the first recorded use for a Christmas celebration, though they weren’t called poinsettias then. That didn’t come until Joel Robert Poinsette introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1825 while he was the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The plants were later named to honor him.

Posted in News |

Atlantic Police held family Christmas program this past weekend

News

December 18th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue reports the A-PD’s Family Dreams Christmas was held Saturday, Dec. 16th. The Chief says “This year’s program served eight full families of shopping at local businesses around town as well as four additional families with a visit through our toy room. Each family also received a box with all items needed to cook a delicious Christmas meal. This program was able to assist 37 children and 17 adults from 12 families. We were also assisted by the Atlantic Girls Basketball throughout the day.”

In addition, local authorities conducted the “Shop with a Cop” program on Sunday the 17th. Chief Hogue said “We had 27 individuals on hand to assist with shopping. They represented the APD, APD Reserves, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa DNR, as well as a couple of retired officers. We also had members of officers families join in to help. In total we took 35 children shopping during this program.

Together, these two programs assisted 72 children and 17 adults from 24 different Cass County families in having a much more joyful holiday this year. Neither of these programs would be possible without the generosity of our community. Thank you to everyone who donated and supported these two programs in 2023!!” (Photos provided courtesy of Chief Devin Hogue)

Posted in News |

Freeman Earns Record 4th B1G Freshman of the Week Honor

Sports

December 18th, 2023 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa forward Owen Freeman was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, it was announced Monday by the league office. It is Freeman’s school-record fourth accolade this season.

The Moline, Illinois, native earned the distinction after notching his first career double-double in Iowa’s 88-52 neutral site victory over Florida A&M. He finished the game with a game-high 14 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in 19 minutes, while making 6-of-9 field goals in the game.

Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to post a double-double since Joe Wieskamp (against Pittsburgh) in 2018.

Through his first 11 games, Freeman has a school-record four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. He has matched Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino and Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh, who were both recognized four times last season. Freeman is one of 16 players in conference history to earn at least four Big Ten weekly freshman honors in a single season.

Freeman is averaging 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 11 games, while shooting a team-best 63.6 percent from the field. The forward also has 21 blocks and 12 steals, ranking first and second on the team, respectively.

The honor is Iowa’s fifth Big Ten weekly accolade this season. Freeman earned the honor on Nov. 13, Nov. 20 and Dec. 4, while graduate Ben Krikke was the Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 20.

Iowa (6-5) returns to action Wednesday, hosting UMBC at 7 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

Posted in Sports |

PHILLIP DAVID FRASER, 62, of Adair (Graveside Svcs.12/23/23)

Obituaries

December 18th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

PHILLIP DAVID FRASER, 62, of Adair, died near his home in Adair on Saturday, December 16, 2023. Graveside services for PHILLIP FRASER will be held 10-a.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, at the Sunnyhill Cemetery in Adair. Schmidt Family Funeral Home, in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Visitation with the family present will be held at the funeral home on Friday, Dec. 22nd, from 5-until 7-p.m.

Memorials in his name may be left at or mailed to: Schmidt Family Funeral Home at P.O. Box 523 – Atlantic, IA 50022.

Condolences can be sent at: schmidtfamilyfh.com.

Posted in Obituaries |

MICHAEL O. ERNST, SR., 73 of Adair ( Celebration Of Life at a later date)

Obituaries

December 18th, 2023 by Lori Murphy

MICHAEL O. ERNST, SR., 73 of Adair, Ia died Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at Community Care Center in Stuart. A Celebration of Life for MICHAEL O. ERNST, SR will be held at a later date.

Michael’s family is handling the arrangements.

MICHAEL O. ERNST, SR is survived by:

His sons: Mike (Amy) Ernst; Marc (Paula) Ernst and Mitch (Christi) Ernst

His brothers: Jim (Marcella) Ernst

Step-brother: Dave Chambers

Step-sister: Cheryl Chambers

Brothers-in-law: Ken (Jackie) Reynolds; Jim (Sharon) Reynolds and Allen (Billie) Reynolds

9 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, along with nieces and nephews

Posted in Obituaries |

Hawkeyes Add 2 to Roster

Sports

December 18th, 2023 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team has added two transfers to the roster it was announced by head coach Jim Barnes on Monday.

Joining the Hawkeyes in January are junior setter Claire Ammeraal from Central Michigan University and senior libero Joy Galles from the University of Arizona.

Ammeraal (6-foot-1) appeared in 235 sets for the Chippewas over two seasons. In 2023, she tallied 168 kills, 1,080 assists, 323 digs, 55 blocks and 25 services aces.

“Claire is an exceptional student, athlete and high character talent,” said UI head coach Jim Barnes. “She fills up the stat sheet with the rare ability to get assist and also attack as a setter. She is also a great defender and she competes with a fierce determination. Claire is one of the most talented setters in the country. We look forward to having her help lead our team this 2024 season.”

The Madison, Wisconsin, native has notched five career triple-doubles. As a freshman, she registered 131 kills, 932 assists and 69 blocks.

A Lafollette High School prep, she was named Big Eight Conference Player of the Year in 2021 and was a three-time Big Eight Conference first-team all-conference selection and team captain.

Galles (5-foot-5) spent four years in Tucson before transferring to Iowa. As a senior, she started 19 matches and amassed 180 digs and nine aces.

“Joy is an experienced Libero that brings a great inspirational attitude to the court, Barnes said. “Her ability to serve receive at a very high level in the Pac-12, will make an immediate impact on our team. She is a strong leader and plays disciplined defense which will be a big factor going into 2024.”

The native of Truckee, California, was a three-year letterwinner at Truckee High School, earning all-state accolades and was a Distinguished Scholar. She was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Posted in Sports |

Clark Earns 22nd B1G Player of the Week Honor

Sports

December 18th, 2023 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa National Player of the Year candidate, Caitlin Clark, earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors the conference office announced on Monday.
This marks Clark’s 22nd weekly award from the conference, which is second-most in Big Ten conference history behind UI’s Megan Gustafson. (23)
She garnered weekly honors six times last season and for the fourth time this season.
Clark led the Hawkeyes to a neutral site win against Clevland State registering a game-high 38 points, five assists, five bounds and two steals. The All-American sunk nine threes, shooting 61.9% from the field, in front of her hometown crowd in Des Moines, Iowa.
PLAYER NOTES
– Clark surpassed Iowa State’s Ashley Joens to become the NCAA’s ninth all-time leading scorer.
– It was Clark’s 13th game in her career with 35+ points, 5+ assists, 5+ rebounds which is the most in women’s college basketball since 2009-10.
– Clark tied her career-high with nine 3-point field goals made.
– Clark has 48 career games with 25+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds. (NCAA Best)
– Clark is now the all-time leader in 30+ point performances in men’s and women’s college basketball over the last 25 seasons. (42)
– Clark has scored 20+ points in 97-of-112 career games which is the most in program history.
– Clark kept her alive streak of 70 consecutive games making a 3-point basket. (NCAA best)
UP NEXT
The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes will return home to face Loyola Chicago on Thursday in its non-conference finale. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. (CT) inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will broadcast on BTN+ (subscription required) and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Posted in Sports |