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Man accused of arson also charged with attempted murder

News

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A man already accused of setting a fire that injured two people at his eastern Iowa home has been charged with attempted murder. Buchanan County court records say charges of arson and third offense domestic assault also have been filed against 44-year-old Shane Heins. Heins’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 25.

Investigators say Heins set the fire March 2 in Independence in an effort to kill his wife, Christina Heins, and her uncle, Nick Necker. Both were taken for treatment to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. A witness reported seeing Shane Heins throwing items and furniture around the home and pouring gasoline around the wooden steps between the house and garage.

Posted in News |

Flood Watch issued for far west/southwest Iowa Counties, beginning 1-a.m. Wednesday

Weather

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-Page Counties: A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT/EARLY WED. EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.

The National Weather Service in Omaha/Valley has issued a  Flood Watch for portions of Iowa and Nebraska from 1-a.m. Wednesday through 7-p.m. Wednesday.

* A strong storm will bring warming temperatures and 1 to 3 inches of rain to the region during the middle of the week. This will result in an increased risk of river flooding, do to the unusual
combination of heavy rain, snowmelt, saturated or frozen soils, and thick ice cover on area rivers. Significant and rapid river level increases are possible do to runoff or localized ice jams. Anyone with interests along or near area rivers should continue to monitor the forecast and river levels closely.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding devel

Posted in Weather |

ISU Extension and Outreach Offers Certified Handlers Program March 13

Ag/Outdoor

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The Shelby County Extension will offer the Certified Handlers Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) this Wednesday, March 13th. The program will be shown across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP). The local attendance site is 906 6th Street, Harlan. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the course will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. The registration fee is $45. To register or obtain additional information about the CIC, contact the Shelby County Extension & Outreach office by calling 712-755-3104.

The course will provide continuing instruction credit for certified handlers. Topics to be covered include recognition of sensitive areas as potentially impacted by pesticides, responding to spills and accidents, pesticide labels, and pesticide container handling and disposal. Additional information and registration forms for this and other courses offered by the PSEP team can be accessed at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/psep/.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Legislators take four-day, eight-stop tour of Iowa’s tech schools & training academies

News

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — A tour of some of Iowa’s top technical schools and academies is scheduled this week for a group of key state lawmakers and officials with the Association for Career and Technical Education, or A-C-T-E. Jarrod Nagurka, the public affairs manager for A-C-T-E, says eight stops are planned. “There’s a huge need for these career and technical education programs,” Nagurka says. “We see all sorts of business and industry sectors that span across the economy recognizing there is a skills gap between the jobs and careers they have available and the skilled labor they need in order to fill those jobs.”

Nearly 100-thousand Iowa high school students are enrolled in some form of career and technical education program, along with another 11-thousand students at the post-secondary level. Nagurka says the demand for skilled labor is growing — and so is the interest among students. “Career and technical education, both at the high school level and at the post-secondary level from community colleges and other training programs, are really helping fuel that talent pipeline to make sure that business and industry have the workers they need to meet their demands,” he says.

Nagurka says students who pursue career and technical education training programs will reap a host of benefits. “Students who take CTE programs are more engaged, they have higher graduation rates, lower risks of dropping out,” Nagurka says, “and for students who take two to three technical education credits, 91% of them enroll in some sort of college experience.”

Higher earnings are another plus, he says, as students who earn a credential that’s even less than a two-year associate’s degree will often out-earn the average bachelor’s degree recipient. The delegation will tour the Sioux City Career Academy and Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City on Monday, MMCRU High School in Marcus and the North Central Career Academy in Eagle Grove on Tuesday, the Western Outreach Center in Holland and the Waterloo Career Center on Wednesday, and Linn-Mar High School in Marion and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids on Thursday. Learn more at www.acteonline.org

Posted in News |

Skyscan Forecast – Monday, March 11th, 2019

Weather

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly Cloudy. High 38. E/SE winds @ 5-10.

Tonight: Cloudy w/scattered light freezing drizzle. Low 31. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Cldy w/rain. High 41. SE @ 15-25.

Wednesday: P/Cldy to Cldy w/rain & scatt. thunderstorms. High 52.

Thursday: Mo. Cldy w/light rain. High near 40

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 37. Our Low was 18. Last year on this date our High was 39 and the Low was 26. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 69 in 1900. The Record Low was -22 in 1948.

Posted in Weather |

RICHARD GLEN HAGLER, 66, of Panora (Memorial Svcs. 3/13/19)

Obituaries

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

RICHARD GLEN HAGLER, 66, of Panora, died Friday, March 8th, at Mercy Medical Center/West Lakes in West Des Moines. Memorial services for RICHARD HAGLER will be held 2-p.m. Wednesday, March 13th, at the Twigg Funeral Home, in Panora.

Friends may call at the funeral home, one-hour prior to the Memorial Service.

Burial of cremains will be held at a later date.

RICHARD GLEN HAGLER is survived by:

A daughter, two sons,

His sisters – Sheryl (Jerry) Streeper, of Maquoketa; Cynthia (Paul) Dewitt, of North Augusta, SC.

and many nieces and nephews.

 

Posted in Obituaries |

Midwest Sports Headlines: 3/11/19

Sports

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have released veteran linebacker Justin Houston after they were unable to work out a trade, freeing up $14 million in much-needed salary cap space. The 30-year-old Houston signed a $101 million, six-year deal with the Chiefs in 2015 that was at the time a record for a defensive player.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Megan Gustafson scored 45 points Sunday to lead No. 10 Iowa past No. 8 Maryland 90-76 for its first Big Ten Tournament title since 2001. It’s the longest gap between conference crowns since the tourney became an annual event in 1995, and the Hawkeyes claimed the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid with a victory over the Big Ten’s regular-season champion. Kaila Charles scored a career-high 36 point for the Terrapins.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Amir Harris scored the go-ahead layup with 10.8 seconds left and Thorir Thorbjarnarson blocked Jordan Bohanon’s 3-point try at the buzzer as Nebraska came back from a nine-point deficit in the last minute of regulation to beat Iowa 93-91 in overtime. The win might have served as an emotional sendoff for Cornhuskers’ coach Tim Miles, whose future at Nebraska is in serious doubt after his team’s free fall the second half of the season. Iowa lost its fourth straight.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bradley rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2006, beating Northern Iowa 57-54 in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game. Elijah Childs scored 16 points for fifth-seeded Bradley. The Braves trailed 35-17 with 17 minutes left. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time overall _ in their last appearance, as a 13th seed, they beat Kansas and Pittsburgh before losing to Memphis.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Alexa Middleton scored 24 points, Bridget Carleton and Ashley Joens had double-doubles and No. 19 Iowa State took control down the stretch to defeat No. 21 Texas 75-69 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. The second-seeded Cyclones, winners of five straight, will face No. 1 Baylor in their first championship game appearance since 2013.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kalani Brown scored 23 points in 21 minutes, and No. 1 Baylor breezed past Kansas State 88-60 in a Big 12 Tournament semifinal. Juicy Landrum scored 19 points and Lauren Cox had 18 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Lady Bears, who won their 22nd straight game.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa News Headlines: Monday, March 11, 2019

News

March 11th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Just two months after a federal court judge struck down Iowa’s existing law meant to discourage investigations of animal abuse on farms, lawmakers are pushing another so-called ag-gag measure that opponents say would likely land them in court again. Civil rights and animal rights groups are surprised Iowa Republican lawmakers would try to pass another law inviting further lawsuits when they haven’t yet completed appeals in the last lawsuit, for which legal bills already likely exceed $200,000.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — About 20 pigs and sheep died after a barn caught fire in Iowa but no one was hurt. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the fire was reported shortly after 6 a.m.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper tells a house party in Dubuque, Iowa, that immigration hard-liners have to accept that they won’t be able to drive out everyone who is in the U.S. illegally. Hickenlooper says it would be “crazy” to think that a country founded and defined by immigrants would ever expel 10 million to 11 million people. Hickenlooper launched his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination this week. He is on his first Iowa swing as an official candidate.

DENMARK, S.C. (AP) — Rural America is a stronghold for President Donald Trump and Republicans. But there are Democrats and persuadable voters there who are important to picking the Democratic presidential nominee. Some Democratic presidential candidates are reaching out to rural areas and small towns as they campaign for the 2020 election. Cutting into Republican advantages in the general election could help flip several swing states that gave Trump his 2016 victory.

Posted in News |

No. 19 Cyclone women close strong, top No. 21 Texas in semis

Sports

March 10th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Alexa Middleton scored 24 points, Bridget Carleton and Ashley Joens had double-doubles and No. 19 Iowa State took control down the stretch on Sunday to defeat No. 21 Texas in the Big 12 Conference tournament semifinals. The second-seeded Cyclones (25-7), winners of five straight, face No. 1 Baylor on Monday night in their first championship game appearance since 2013.

Carleton, the Big 12 Player of the Year, had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Joens added 13 and 12.

Posted in Sports |

Gustafson scores 45 to help No. 10 Iowa take Big 10 title

Sports

March 10th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Megan Gustafson scored 26 points in the first half and finished with 45 on Sunday to lead No. 10 Iowa past No. 8 Maryland 90-76 for its first Big Ten Tournament title since 2001. It’s the longest gap between conference crowns since the tourney became an annual event in 1995.

The Hawkeyes (26-6) also claimed the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid with a victory over the Big Ten’s regular-season champion. Gustafson’s point total was the second-most in tourney history, trailing only her 48-point performance in a quarterfinal loss to Minnesota last year.

Kaila Charles scored a career-high 36 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Terrapins (28-4), who lost for just the second time in 14 games — both to Iowa and this time largely because of Gustafson’s incredible start.

The two-time conference player of the year, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, went 10 of 14 from the field and drew seven fouls in the first half.

The Hawkeyes have won five straight and 10 of 11. And while Gustafson’s dominance inside this weekend should be a major concern for whomever Iowa plays in the NCAA Tournament, the Hawkeyes also demonstrated they can use her presence to free up teammates. It could be a wicked postseason combination.

Gustafson also had 10 rebounds to extend her own conference record for career double-doubles to 85 and her single-season school record to 31. She finished 17 of 24 from the field and 11 of 14 at the free-throw line. … Davis added 14 points while Kathleen Doyle had 13. … Makenzie Meyer and Alexis Sevillian each had five assists.

The Hawkeyes had two injury scares. First, Stewart left briefly in the first half when Austin rolled into her legs in front of the Iowa bench. She walked to the end of the court, where she composed herself before returning to the game. Two minutes later, Davis stayed down after appearing to get hit in the face as Charles was driving to the basket. Davis also returned and finished the game.
UP NEXT
Iowa: Must wait until next week to find out its NCAA Tournament destination.

Posted in Sports |