Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., 8/21/18

August 21st, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo woman has been charged with murder in the house fire deaths of a mother and her son. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports police on Monday charged 41-year-old Denise Susanna O’Brien with two counts of first-degree murder. The charges stem from an April 22 house fire that killed Ashley Smith and her 9-year-old son, Jaykwon Sallis. Court records show a restraining order barred O’Brien from going to the house, where she was involved in a dispute with a resident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Fair has set a record for attendance at the annual 11-day event in Des Moines. Fair officials say an estimated 1,130,260 people attended the fair that ended Sunday. That topped the previous record set in 2017 by 189 people. Attendance was a bit behind the 2017 mark but moved ahead thanks to pleasant weather over the weekend. The fair also set a record for Grandstand concert attendance, with the biggest draw being the 15,775 people who attend a Thomas Rhett concert on Aug. 15.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Racers and others have been answering the call from an 11-year-old Iowa boy who wants auto racing stickers to cover his casket after he dies from leukemia. Caleb Hammond’s uncle, Chris Playle, told The Des Moines Register that his family brought him home to Oskaloosa after determining that the painful hospital treatments he’d been undergoing weren’t working and other options offered little hope. He says the stickers pouring in from social media appeals have helped keep everyone’s spirits up.

Posted in News |

Iowa State Fair sets attendance record of 1.13 million

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Fair has set a record for attendance at the annual 11-day event in Des Moines. Fair officials say an estimated 1,130,260 people attended the fair that ended Sunday. That topped the previous record set in 2017 by 189 people.

Attendance was a bit behind the 2017 mark but moved ahead thanks to pleasant weather over the weekend. The fair also set a record for Grandstand concert attendance, with the biggest draw being the 15,775 people who attend a Thomas Rhett concert on Aug. 15.

Posted in News |

Atlantic Parks and Rec Board approves purchase of west Schildberg playground equipment

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors, Monday, approved the ordering of playground equipment for the west side of the Schildberg Recreation Area (SRA), near the Shelter House. Parks & Rec Director Seth Staashelm said part of the next step in the development of the SRA is the inclusion of playground equipment. Miracle Recreation Equipment of Monett, MO., is having a sale on playground equipment, according to Staashelm.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board meeting, 8-20-18

The equipment he was looking at has a 65-to 75 capacity for the younger kids and costs $16, 899, which is in-line with the Parks Department’s budget of $25,000. It will include a slide, monkey bars, balance beam-type steps, pull-up bars, swing sets and two-to three spring-type rides (with animal characters, etc,). A formed plastic rock climbing wall had been considered, but its cost and the risk of having it be vandalized by spray painters made it less appealing to the Board and Staashelm, for that matter. The price tag allows for the installation of required rubberized-type fall material that protects against injuries.

He said also, an Eagle Scout Boat, Joseph Barkley, of Omaha, was planning to construct a kayak launch project for the boat ramp area near the wastewater treatment plant in Atlantic. But those plans had to be scrubbed because they had apparently never been given permission by the DNR to place a launch near the river. Still, the Scout constructed parking lot signage and refurbished a picnic table. The signs were hand-made, and include access points to the East Nishnabotna River.

Staashelm said work is still being planned for the Sunnyside Park entrance sign, which he said “Will be large,” once it’s finished. He said they are “So getting close to (finally) getting started on [the project]. They’re working with Central Western Fabricators for the metal arch that will be 14-feet tall for truck clearance. Landscaping and other features will be added soon thereafter.

Posted in News |

Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County Respond to Flash Flooding

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed reports somewhere between 4- to 8-inches or more of rain fell overnight Sunday into Monday throughout Pottawattamie County, causing significant runoff, saturated soils, and flash flooding. The event stranded motorists in flooded streets, created bank and hillside sloughing, closed roads, and toppled trees.

Public Works, Roads Department, and Public Safety agencies across Council Bluffs and the county responded to reports of mudslides, trees, and water making roads impassable. As of late Monday afternoon, Reed said approximately fourteen street locations were closed in Council Bluffs as well as three locations in rural Pottawattamie County. Motorists driving through flood inundated streets in Council Bluffs prompted rescue calls to the fire department this morning who provided assistance to motorists in three vehicles stranded in high water. Minor power outages were also reported during the flash flooding event. No injuries have been reported as a result of Monday’s events.

Rainfall and runoff has spiked the West Nishnabotna and Missouri Rivers in the county. The Nishnabotna is predicted to crest at 12.1’ at 7pm Monday night and the Missouri is expected to crest at 28.5’ by 7pm Tuesday night. Both crests place the rivers in their Action Stage classification and are not expected to reach flood stage at this time.

As the high water and flash flooding may have inundated some residential or business properties, any residents are asked to report any damages to the Emergency Management Agency online at https://pottcounty-ia.gov/departments/emergency-management/overview/. Any residents that would like a Red Cross “muck-out” cleaning kit can pick one up at the Emergency Management Agency starting at 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. through this Thursday.

Officials remind and urge residents not to drive through water covered streets and roads. Covered roads can have washouts and other dangerous hazards unseen to motorists. Rapid currents as shallow as 6 inches can cause loss of control and stalling in many cars and a foot of water will float many cars.

Emergency Management provided alert notifications to residents in impacted areas. If you did not receive a phone call or text message and would like to receive emergency notifications during emergencies and other critical events affecting your neighborhood or place of work, sign up for emergency alerts with Pottawattamie Alert, part of the Alert Iowa Network. This system is the primary means of distributing emergency evacuation orders, critical public information, and other important messaged before, during, and after an emergency or disaster. To register, visit the county website at www.pottcounty-ia.gov.

Posted in News, Weather |

Pres. Trump issues disaster declaration for 30 Iowa counties

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(DES MOINES) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds received word today (Monday) that President Donald Trump approved her request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 30 counties impacted by flooding and severe weather from June 6-July 2, 2018.

The counties included in the declaration are: Adair, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Dallas, Delaware, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Hamilton, Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Polk, Sioux, Story, Warren, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek and Wright.

The declaration will provide federal funding to the included counties under the Public Assistance Program. A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance puts into motion long-term federal recovery programs, some of which are partially matched by state programs, and designed to help public entities and select non-profits.

Public Assistance funds may be used for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and may include debris removal, emergency protective measures, repair of damaged public property, loans needed by communities for essential government functions and grants for public schools. Damage assessments in the seven declared counties showed an estimated $16 million worth of damage that could be eligible under the Public Assistance Program.

The governor also received notification that the Presidential Disaster Declaration includes funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state. With this funding, Iowa will be able to minimize the impact of future disasters by taking steps to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards.

The governor requested the declaration on Aug. 1st.

Posted in News |

KIMBERLY GAYLE ERICKSON, 54, of Lewis (Svcs. 8/23/18)

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

KIMBERLY GAYLE ERICKSON, 54, of Lewis, died Sunday, Aug. 19th, at the Cass County Memorial Hospital, in Atlantic. Funeral services for KIM ERICKSON will be held 10:30-a.m. Thursday, Aug. 23rd, at the Rieken-Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold.

Visitation at the funeral home is on Wed., Aug. 22nd, from 6-until 8-p.m.

Interment will be at the Oakwood Cemetery in Lewis. A lunch will follow the interment at the Lewis Community Building in Lewis.

KIM ERICKSON is survived by:

Her husband – Tim.

Her daughter – Autumn (Nick) Osterloh, of Lewis.

Her son – Caleb, of Lewis.

Her brother – Kyle Brown, of FL.

Her sister – Kameo Brown, of CO.

3 grandchildren, many friends and other family members.

, Iowa. Rieken Funeral Home, Inc. is assisting the family with arrangements.

Posted in Obituaries |

IRS again encourages you to check your withholding

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The Internal Revenue Service is again asking you to make sure the right amount of taxes are being taken out of your paycheck. I-R-S spokesman, Chris Miller, says it’s important to look at the numbers now. “Time is running out for taxpayers to do a paycheck checkup. To check their withholding yet this year — to make sure the right amount of tax is being withheld from their paycheck for their particular situation,” Miller says.

Miller says if you find a problem, there are still a few months to adjust your withholding amount to fix it. Doing a paycheck checkup now is going to help those taxpayers avoid a potential unwelcome surprise at tax time,” according to Miller. “And that could be an unexpected tax bill and a penalty. Or it could be a refund that’s unnecessarily large.” He says it’s better for you to not get a big refund, because you can use that money throughout the year. Miller says they made an earlier push for everyone to check their withholding after the new tax law went into effect.

“The new tax law will change the way many of us calculate our taxes. And it also has changed the amount of tax our employers are withholding from our paychecks,” Miller explains. He says those with more complicated tax returns are the ones who most need to check their withholding. Miller says that includes two-income households, those with two or more jobs at a time, those who have had a job only part of the year, those who claim the child tax credit or itemize deductions in 2017 are all some who may see differences. Miller says they know that many people haven’t looked at their withholding since the tax law changed. He says it is easy to do.

“Just go to our website I-R-S-dot-gov (www.irs.gov) and click on the link to do a paycheck checkup, or search for the withholding calculator,” Miller says. “You will need last year’s tax return, and a copy of your most recent pay stub.” Miller says there are still several months left to allow you to adjust your withholding and make up for any imbalance. But he says if you wait — you could run out of time to make a correction that would make a difference.

Posted in News |

ADAM RICHARD NELSEN, 38, of Polk City [a native of Atlantic] (Svcs. 8/24/18)

August 20th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

ADAM RICHARD NELSEN, 38, of Polk City (a native of Atlantic) died Thursday, Aug. 16th. Funeral services for ADAM NELSEN will be held at Noon on Friday, Aug.24th, at the Lutheran Church of Hope, in Ankeny (520 NW 36th St.). Hamilton’s Funeral Home in West Des Moines has the arrangements.

Visitation at the church is on Thursday, August 23rd from 4 to 7 p.m.; Online condolences may be left at www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com.

Burial will be at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel at 2:00 p.m.

Memorials may be directed to to Team Rubicon.

ADAM NELSEN is survived by:

His wife of 10 years – Jennifer Bellman Nelsen.

His parents – Glennda (Richard) Nelsen.

His sisters – April (Jonathan Hansen) McAfee, and Holly (Gary) Hermann

His parents-in-law: Terry (Walt) Beedle and Jim (Paula) Bellman

His sister-in-law: Natalie (Mark Lawless) Beeler.

Other relatives, a host of friends and extended family members.

Posted in Obituaries |

ROBERT A. “Bob” LARSON, 68, of Omaha, NE, formerly of Atlantic (8-23-2018)

August 20th, 2018 by Jim Field

ROBERT A. “Bob” LARSON, 68, of Omaha, NE (formerly of Atlantic) died Saturday, August 18th. Mass of Christian Burial for ROBERT A. “Bob” LARSON will be held on Thursday, August 23rd at 10:30am at St. Gerald Catholic Church in Omaha. Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler Funeral Home in Omaha has the arrangements.

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The family will receive friends on Wednesday, August 22nd from 5pm to 7pm at St. Gerald Catholic Church, 9602 “Q” St. in Omaha, followed by VIGIL SERVICE at 7pm.

Interment in St. Patrick Cemetery in Massena.

Memorials will be directed by the family.

ROBERT A. “Bob” LARSON is survived by:

Wife: Sandi Larson

Children: Buffy (Tim) Larson-Heavey; Alan Larson; Chris Larson; Gini Larson; Nikki (Mike Shellito) Golden and Mike Larson

Siblings: Candi (Randy) Petry;, Sue Randel; Gini Keefhaver; Richard (Diane) Larson and Lisa (Tim) Shaver

9 Grandchildren

Posted in Obituaries |

Alabama tops preseason AP College Football Top 25

August 20th, 2018 by admin

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press preseason college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and 2017 final ranking:

	Record	Pts	Pv
1. Alabama (42)	13-1	1505	1
2. Clemson (18)	12-2	1476	4
3. Georgia	13-2	1350	2
4. Wisconsin (1)	13-1	1271	7
5. Ohio St.	12-2	1256	5
6. Washington	10-3	1215	16
7. Oklahoma	12-2	1173	3
8. Miami	10-3	1027	13
9. Auburn	10-4	1013	10
10. Penn St.	11-2	1012	8
11. Michigan St.	10-3	877	15
12. Notre Dame	10-3	804	11
13. Stanford	9-5	778	20
14. Michigan	8-5	773	NR
15. Southern Cal	11-3	543	12
16. TCU	11-3	533	9
17. West Virginia	7-6	511	NR
18. Mississippi St.	9-4	450	19
19. Florida St.	7-6	384	NR
20. Virginia Tech	9-4	351	24
21. UCF	13-0	312	6
22. Boise St.	11-3	292	22
23. Texas	7-6	216	NR
24. Oregon	7-6	148	NR
25. LSU	9-4	106	18

Others receiving votes: South Carolina 96, Florida 68, Utah 60, Oklahoma St. 51, FAU 38, Arizona 28, NC State 22, Texas A&M 21, Boston College 18, Northwestern 13, Kansas St. 10, Iowa St. 8, Houston 6, Memphis 3, Troy 2, Iowa 2, Kentucky 1, Arkansas St. 1, Fresno St. 1.

Posted in Sports |

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