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Summer Games of Iowa Special Olympics to open Thursday

News, Sports

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

A few thousand athletes with intellectual disabilities from across Iowa will be gathering in Ames this week for the 34th annual summer games of the Special Olympics. Games spokeswoman Stephanie Kocer says the opening ceremony will be held Thursday night at Hilton Coliseum. “We have just over 2,800 athletes this year and 2,000 volunteers and about 1,500 coaches that come,” Kocer says. “They’re all coming to Ames and the Iowa State campus.”

The competitions run through Saturday and are the highlight of the year for many hundreds of the participants. “It’s three days of a ton of different sporting events,” Kocer says. “We have six sports: swimming, athletics — which is track and field, bocce, cycling, soccer, tennis and developmental events.”  This year is a special one as the games are marking their 50th anniversary. “We’re doing a few different things to celebrate the 50th here in Iowa,” Kocer says, “and there’s also going to be a big 50th celebration in July in Chicago, which is where the first games were held.”

Special Olympics was started by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968. Today it is the largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

http://www.soiowa.org

Posted in News, Sports |

University of Iowa freezes most pay increases

News

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa has frozen pay increases for teachers and other staff members until January. The Des Moines Register reports that it’s not certain whether the freeze will be lifted then. University administrators blame the freeze on uncertainty about revenue there will be from tuition, fees and state allocations. In April the university announced a moratorium on building projects and a review of whether to close some centers.

University of Iowa Health Care employees will receive average salary hikes of 1 percent beginning July 1. Also, workers covered by bargaining agreements will receive their scheduled pay hikes. Coaches and sports staff are paid through the athletic department’s budget and won’t be affected by the freeze. The university has more than 18,000 employees.

Posted in News |

CONNIE JEAN HERRINGTON, 64, of Harlan (Svcs. 5/17/18)

Obituaries

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

CONNIE JEAN HERRINGTON, 64, of Harlan, died Sunday, May 13th, at Avoca Specialty Care. Funeral services for CONNIE HERRINGTON will be held 11-a.m. Thursday, May 17th, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home, in Harlan.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday, from 9:30-a.m. 11-a.m.

Burial will be the Benton Cemetery in Benton, IA.

CONNIE JEAN HERRINGTON is survived by:

Her sister – Pamela (Roger) Rust, of Harlan.

Her step-Mothr: Rosemary Herrington, of Cedar Rapids.

Her step-brothers: Jim (Ann) Freeze, of Cedar Rapids, and Tim (Shana) Freeze, of Robins, IA.

numerous nieces and nephews.

Posted in Obituaries |

4 men arrested in Red Oak after an assault

News

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak Police arrested four men Monday evening, after police investigated a report of an injured male who had been involved in an assault, in the 200 block of 1st Avenue. The men allegedly involved in the assault, were: 36-year old Charles Kent Woodward, Jr., 30-year old Zane Mikal Lamb; 35-year old David Allan Minard, all of Red Oak. They were charged with Disorderly Conduct and were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond, each. Cody Dean Johnson, of Corning, was charged with Disorderly Conduct, and was scheduled to be taken into custody for further evaluations. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted Red Oak Police during the incident investigation and arrests.

Posted in News |

2 from Creston arrested on drug & other charges Monday, in Adams County

News

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Two people from Union County were arrested at around 10-p.m. Monday, following a traffic stop on Highway 34 at Birch Avenue. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says Timothy Hansen, of Creston, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, No Insurance, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession with the intent to deliver. And, Ronnee Abel, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession with the Intent to Deliver. Both subjects were being held in the Adams County Jail.

Posted in News |

Skyscan Weather Forecast for Atlantic & the area, 5/15/18

Weather

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Today: Areas of fog & low clouds this morning; P/Cldy otherwise. High 78. N @ 10.

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 52.

Tomorrow: P/CLdy. High around 80. SE @ 5-10.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High 82.

Friday: Mo. Cldy w/scattered showers & tstrms. High around 80.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 82. Our Low was 56. Last year on this date our High was 91 and the Low was 67. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 97 in 2017 and 1894. The Record Low was 29, in 1937, 1973 & 1983.

Posted in Weather |

Iowa Gaming Association ready to push for sports betting after Supreme Court Ruling

Sports

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The U-S Supreme Court has overturned a law which limited sports betting to the state of Nevada. Iowa Gaming Association president, Wes Ehrecke, says the state’s casinos have been preparing for the possibility of legalized sports betting in anticipation of the ruling. “This ruling is great news and we’d hoped that this would have been the outcome when New Jersey had challenged the constitutionally of only allowing one state — Nevada — to have legalized sports betting for over the last two-and-half decades,” Ehrecke says.

The Iowa Gaming Association represents the 19 state-licensed casinos and pushed for legislation making sports betting legal, but it failed to pass in the last session. Ehrecke says legislators wanted the certainty of the Supreme Court ruling before moving ahead, and he says they hoped the ruling would have come four weeks ago. “But now we will deal with trying to get the education and awareness ready for the next session,” Ehrecke says.

He says they believe the more than two decades of experience in the state-licensed casinos have make them the best places to run sports betting operations. “Certainly our Racing and Gaming Commission having that expertise and integrity and standards being set,” Ehrecke says. “Having someone come into a casino to establish their account, they could do so in person to bet, but also being able to could come through secure portals to have the option bet on their phone or laptop — we believe would be the best option.”

Critics who oppose legalized sports betting say it expands gambling. But Ehrecke says millions and millions of dollars are already bet illegally each year in Iowa and other states.”This is not really an expansion of gambling, but it allows for a more legalized structured and regulated form of what’s already existed — not only in Iowa, but around the country,” according to Ehrecke.

He says casinos have a variety of options if state lawmakers make sports betting legal. “Every casino would probably do something a bit different,” Ehrecke, “but certainly having a sports betting area. Some could be on the gaming floor, some could be incorporated into their existing sports bars they have now. That will be a part of that decision that works best for each respective casino.”

Ehrecke says the first order of business is to get a sports betting law passed. “We’re looking forward to educating and working with legislators and the media and the public to create awareness about why a legalized sports betting bill hopefully will get adopted here in the next session,” Ehrecke says.

The I-G-A supports a bill that would allow legalized betting on pro and college sports.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in Sports |

Activists call for ban on ‘factory farms’

Ag/Outdoor

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

A coalition of state and national groups are calling for a ban on so-called “factory farming” in the United States. Adam Mason of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement says large-scale livestock confinements have “decimated” family farms. “Thinking back to the late ’70s, there were over 80,000 family farm operations raising livestock across this state. Today, we have 10,000 factory farms,” Mason said. “That ain’t right.”

Bill Stowe is C-E-O and general manager of the Des Moines Water Works, which is among the 100 largest water utilities in the country. “At Des Moines Water Works, our mission is to provide safe, affordable, abundant drinking water for half a million Iowans,” Stowe says. “It’s a job that becomes increasingly difficult, unfortunately, because Iowa’s surface waters are filthy.”

The Raccoon River has pollution levels today that exceed federal standards, requiring additional and expensive treatment before it can be used as drinking water. Stowe says there’s “no question” what he calls “industrial farming” upstream is contributing to the pollution. “With bacteria, with soils, with chemicals and a growing concern for us is blue green algae and cyanotoxins,” Stowe said.

Stowe and the others who spoke at a midday news conference would like city and county officials to have the authority to regulate farming operations. Stowe says corporate interests ruined states like West Virginia and Iowa should take a different path.”We are not going to find ourselves left in a bone pile, a remanent of a failed industrial system like coal mining, because industrial farming and dirty agriculture is heading us on that same path,” Stowe said.

A national group called “Food and Water Watch” has released a report critical of the impact “massive amounts of manure” from livestock operations are having on the environment.of so-called factory farms. A spokesman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association says any moratorium on the pork industry “would greatly stifle rural Iowa economic activity” and limit entry into farming for the next generation. The pork association’s spokesman says modern Iowa pig barns “are designed to contain all manure” and “protect water quality.” He also noted there already are more than 200 pages of state regulations for the pork industry.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Food Banks still facing challenges

News

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Most Iowans don’t realize how many of their friends and neighbors rely daily on the Food Bank for the Heartland to put meals on the table. Brian Barks will take over as C-E-O of the Omaha-based agency on July 1st and says they face many challenges making sure that no one goes to bed hungry. Barks says one of the biggest challenges is trucking the food across a wide area.

“Our guys are driving all the way out to the Panhandle of Nebraska and we serve a good chunk of western Iowa,” Barks says. “Our guys are doing about 30,000 miles a month. We’re sometimes paying more for freight than we are for the food that we buy.”  Barks says they’re two drivers short right now and are in touch with truck driving schools to find more. “The explosion in the cost of transportation in the trucking industry can have serious implications in regards to what we do,” he says.

Barks says they’re looking forward with a long-range hunger forecast.  “We’ve done a ten-year strategic plan that estimates how much food we need and it is 39-and-a-half million meals,” he says. “We’re doing 25-and-a-half million, so we’ve got about 14-million meals in order to get to a point where we have enough food for people to access.”

The Food Bank for the Heartland distributes food to 535 non-profit groups, including schools, homeless shelters and food pantries in 92 counties across Nebraska and Iowa.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Karla James, Omaha)

Posted in News |

Midwest Sports Headlines: 5/15/18

Sports

May 15th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adeiny Hechavarria danced around catcher Salvador Perez with an inventive slide at home plate to score the go-ahead run, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1. Hechavarria dashed home on Matt Duffy’s single to right field in the sixth inning, sidestepped Perez to the right, then dived back toward the plate. Hechavarria faked toward the dish with his right hand, then jabbed his left hand just past Perez’s outstretched glove to tag the plate.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Anthony Holman has been named the NCAA managing director for championships operations and playing rules. Holman will be the lead administrator for the College World Series as successor to Ron Prettyman. Holman also will oversee championships in bowling, men’s ice hockey, FCS football, women’s volleyball, beach volleyball and rifle. Holman also will have responsibilities related to playing rules, governance duties and sport committee activity for multiple championships.

Posted in Sports |