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Defense lifts Northern Iowa by San Diego 17-3 in FCS opener

Sports

December 1st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Brawntae Wells returned an interception for a touchdown early in the first quarter, Christian Jegen sealed the game with a pick late in the fourth quarter and Northern Iowa defeated San Diego 17-3 in the first round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday. Jegen went 52 yards the other way with a Reid Sinnett passing attempt and Trevor Allen scored on a 7-yard run on the next play to seal the defensive battle. The Panthers (9-4) play at seventh-seeded South Dakota State (8-4) next weekend. Northern Iowa lost at South Dakota State 38-7 two weeks ago.

Northern Iowa finished with 268 yards to 213 for the Pioneer League champion Toreros (9-2), who had their nine-game winning streak stopped. UNI, runner-up in the Missouri Valley Conference, is making its 21st playoff appearance while San Diego, which averaged 498.8 yards and 41.7 points per game, was appearing for the sixth time. Sinnett, from Johnston, Iowa, was 22 of 36 for 187 yards and three interceptions. The Toreros, who also lost a fumble, got a field goal in the closing seconds of the first half, capping a 73-yard drive.

Will McElvain was 13 of 27 for 186 yards for the Panthers. Northern Iowa had a field goal in the fourth quarter to end a 68-yard drive.

Posted in Sports |

K-State holds off Iowa State 27-17 in ‘Farmageddon’

Sports

December 1st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Chris Klieman gathered his players in the locker room after a heart-stopping win at Texas Tech and challenged not his seniors, who soon would be playing their final game for Kansas State, but the rest of the guys who would be around for years to come. The first-year coach wanted his youngsters to lay it on the line for the veterans. “Without question,” he said, “they played an excellent football game.”

Jacardia Wright ran for a touchdown, fellow freshman Joshua Youngblood returned a kickoff 93 yards for another score, and the Wildcats’ aggressive defense shut down Brock Purdy and high-flying Iowa State to win a 27-17 defensive slugfest on a cold, windy Saturday night. The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) only managed 57 yards passing and 288 yards of total offense, but they scored the final 13 points while holding the Cyclones in check.

The Wildcats beat the Cyclones for the 11th time in 12 meetings in the game known as “Farmageddon.” They also have won seven straight in Manhattan against their fellow land-grant college. Iowa State’s offense came into the game sixth nationally in passing at 330.5 yards per game, but Purdy struggled with the stiff, cold wind out of the west. He also got little help from his receivers, who dropped several passes — a few of them on crucial third downs.
UP NEXT
Both teams will await their bowl destinations next weekend.

Posted in Sports |

Biden launches Iowa trip with focus on Trump, rural America

News

December 1st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Joe Biden launched an eight-day bus tour of Iowa on Saturday projecting confidence, ignoring his many Democratic presidential competitors and pledging that he will unseat President Donald Trump in 2020. The former vice president pledged first to win the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses, despite recent polls suggesting his standing there has slipped in recent months.

“I promise you, I promise you,” Biden told a few hundred supporters outside his Council Bluff campaign office, “we’re going to win this race, and we’re going to beat Donald Trump, and we’re going to change America.” Behind the optimism, Biden aides acknowledge he must sharpen his message and bolster his voter outreach operation ahead of the caucuses that start Democrats’ 2020 voting. But his advisers also insist he has wide support and remains well-positioned to recover any lost ground.

His chief argument — his perceived strength against Trump — was on clear display Saturday. Sidestepping his philosophical tussle with progressive Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders over the party’s direction, Biden struck a general-election posture. He added an emphasis on small town and rural America, an electoral swath where Democrats have struggled in recent elections but that could prove critical in both the nominating fight and November battlegrounds.

“We’re going to touch on what we think is a forgotten part of this campaign,” Biden said, bemoaning the effects of Trump’s tariffs on Iowa farmers and highlighting his own rural policy plans shaped with the help of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. The former Obama agriculture secretary recently gave Biden his most high-profile Iowa endorsement.

Iowa polls suggest that Biden, while a front-runner nationally, is in a jumble near the top. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, of South Bend, Indiana, appears to hold a narrow edge over Biden, 77; Warren, 70; and Sanders, 78. The senators have animated the party’s left flank, while Buttigieg joins Biden in Democrats’ center-left wing but is calling for generational change. Thus far, Buttigieg, Warren and Sanders have drawn consistently larger Iowa crowds than Biden, while some party activists criticize his campaign as insufficiently aggressive.

Posted in News |

GENE HOSFELT, 82, of Massena (Funeral Svcs. 12/4/19)

Obituaries

December 1st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

GENE HOSFELT, 82, of Massena, died Saturday, November 30th,  at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic.  Funeral services for GENE HOSFELT will be held 10:30-a.m. Wed., Dec. 4th, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Massena. Steen Funeral Home in Massena has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Massena, with a Prayer Service at 4:30-p.m., and the family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Burial is in the St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery in Massena.  A luncheon will be held at the church following the services at the cemetery.

Memorials may be directed the Gene Hosfelt memorial fund to be established by the family at a later date.

GENE HOSFELT is survived by:

His wife – Shirley Hosfelt, of Massena.

His daughters – Brenda Hosfelt, of LaVista, Nebraska, and Christina (Alan) Carothers, of Lincoln, Nebraska

His sons – Michael (Mary) Hosfelt, and William (Angela) Hosfelt, all of Massena

10 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; his sister-in-law, Donna (Ron) Martin (Ron) of Greenfield; other relatives and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

NWS forecast for Atlantic & the area: 12/1/19

Weather

December 1st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: **WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON** A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 29 by 5pm. Windy, with a northwest wind 23 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 16. Wind chill values as low as 10. Windy, with a north northwest wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 39. Wind chill values as low as 5. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. South wind 6 to 9 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 47.

Posted in Weather |

Wind Advisory continues until Noon for all of S.W. & western IA (12/1/19)

Weather

December 1st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

303 AM CST Sun Dec 1 2019

…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TODAY…

* WHAT…Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.

* WHERE…Western and Southwestern Iowa.

* WHEN…Until noon CST today.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.
Crosswinds may cause travel difficulties especially on east
west roads.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a light
or high profile vehicle.

Posted in Weather |

TORNADO WARNING UNTIL 4:45-P.M. for NE Guthrie & West Central Dallas Counties

Weather

November 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

425 PM CST Sat Nov 30 2019 – The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Tornado Warning for…Northeastern Guthrie County in west central Iowa…West central Dallas County in central Iowa until 445 PM CST.

* At 424 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Panora, or 10 miles east of Guthrie Center, moving northeast at 25 mph.

SOURCE…Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT…Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of northeastern Guthrie and west central Dallas Counties, including the following locations… Lakin Slough Game Management Area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Posted in Weather |

Wind Advisory issued for Cass & area Counties late tonight thru Noon, Sunday

Weather

November 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Cass-Adair-Adams-Union-Taylor-Ringgold–

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO NOON CST SUNDAY…

* WHAT…Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-Page-Counties…

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST SUNDAY…

* WHAT…Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a light or high
profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

Posted in Weather |

Prosecutors calling 8-year-old to testify against dad

News

November 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors plan to call an 8-year-old boy to testify against his father in an Iowa triple-homicide trial. KCCI-TV reports that the state on Wednesday filed a motion that would allow the boy to testify via a closed-circuit TV feed. The child is the son of Marvin Esquivel-Lopez of Guatemala, who faces three counts of first-degree murder in the July shooting deaths of 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter and her 5-year-old son.

The killings happened in Des Moines. Court documents say the child was an eyewitness. Esquivel-Lopez pleaded not guilty. His trial starts Jan. 27. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said Escobar-Orellana is in the United States illegally and had twice been deported before the shooting. He was convicted in 2010 of illegal entry into the U.S.

Posted in News |

LaVERNE MARTENS, 79, of Atlantic (Svcs. 12/5/19)

Obituaries

November 30th, 2019 by Jim Field

LaVERNE MARTENS, 79, of Atlantic, died Friday, Nov. 29th, at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. Funeral services for LaVERNE MARTENS will be held 10:30-a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5th, at St. John’s United Church of Christ, south of Lyman. Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Wednesday, Dec. 4th, from 8-a.m. until the time of family visitation, which is from 4-until 7-p.m.; Online condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

Burial is in he Weirich Cemetery southeast of Lyman.

LaVERNE MARTENS is survived by her:

Sons – Tony (Paula) Martens, of Lewis; Todd (Michelle) Martens, of Griswold, and Terry Martens, of Brayton.

Her sister – Judy Roberts, of Exira.

4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, and her in-laws.

Posted in Obituaries |