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7AM Newscast 01-30-2014

News, Podcasts

January 30th, 2014 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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Atlantic Middle School students get pitching tips from a pro

News, Sports

January 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A pitching clinic sponsored by the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund brought Carlo Walton to the Atlantic Middle School every Sunday in January. Walton, a former basketball player for Iowa State University and Washburn University, also played 3 years as catcher in the minor leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Pictured:  Chase Mullenix, Joey Walker, Ryan Hawkins, Carlo Walton,  Garrett Franken, Tyler Thomas, Kenny Jimerson, Brendan Holmes, Melanie Petty  (Photo courtesy Melanie Petty)

Pictured: Chase Mullenix, Joey Walker, Ryan Hawkins, Carlo Walton, Garrett Franken, Tyler Thomas, Kenny Jimerson, Brendan Holmes, Melanie Petty (Photo courtesy Melanie Petty)

Melanie Petty, Fund representative, said “This particular clinic was aimed at third grade through high school age boys interested in pitching. Our goal is to give back in ways that represent Trevor’s interests, and Trevor was a pitcher so this was a perfect opportunity for us.”

To date, the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund has donated over $75,000 to a variety of area projects and organizations. Their annual fundraiser, the T-Fred Memorial Golf Tournament, will take place August 9 at Atlantic’s Nishna Hills Golf Club. For more information, like the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund on Facebook.

Red Oak pair arrested on assault charges, Wednesday

News

January 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in Montgomery County report a man and a woman were arrested Wednesday afternoon on assault charges. 23-yearold Caleb Nathaniel Brown and 21-year old Bradina Sky Gary, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody at around 2-p.m., after officers with the Red Oak Police Department responded to a reported domestic situation in the 1800 block of East Summit Street.

An investigation determined Brown and Gary had allegedly assaulted each other. Both were subsequently charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where their bonds were set at $300 each.

Pott. County “Freedom Rock” finds a home in Oakland

News

January 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A large boulder painted with a patriotic theme by Adair County artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, of Greenfield, will be found in the Pottawattamie County city of Oakland, thanks to the efforts of a local coffee clatch. The Daily NonPareil reports a “Freedom Rock” for Pott. County was approved by the mayor and city council, after the Oakland Coffee Ladies – a six-member group – approached Mayor Michael O’Brien about bringing it to Oakland.

LaDonna Applegate, a member of the Oakland Friday Coffee Ladies, said the rock will be placed in the Spring near Chautauqua Park. The rock is part of a statewide program that places a patriotic rock in each Iowa county. The rock will serve as a marker to attract tourists and also honor southwest Iowa veterans. Many counties have contracted with Sorensen to have Freedom Rocks painted, while four others (Shelby, Adair, Adams and Ringgold) already have their rocks in place and completed.

The original Freedom Rock is located just south of Interstate 80 on Highway 25 in Adair County, attracts about 14,000 people each year. Sorensen paints a different theme on it every year during the late Spring or Summer. The rock in Oakland is a pink granite and will be highly visible for drivers because of U.S. Highways 6 and 59 that pass through the town. The city paid $1,000 in fees to obtain the rock for Pottawattamie County.

NE man gets 2 life terms for the murder of a former western IA woman

News

January 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A Nebraska man convicted of killing a former western Iowa woman and her husband was sentenced Wednesday to two life terms in prison. The Daily NonPareil reports 34-year old Matthew Hinrichsen, of Ewing, NE, will serve two life sentences for murdering newlyweds Victoria Lee Vargas and her husband Alex, in December 2012. Victoria Vargas was a former Missouri Valley city councilwoman. Their murders took place in northeast Nebraska’s Antelope County.

Hinrichsen – who was convicted in Antelope County District Court in October 2013 – received a life sentence for each of two counts of first-degree murder, 25 to 30 years for one count of possessing a firearm while committing a felony and 40 to 50 years for one count of using a firearm to commit a felony. His sentences will be served consecutively.

The bodies of the couple he killed were discovered in a burned-out mobile home on Dec. 8th, 2012. The Nebraska Attorney General said autopsies showed Alex Vargas was shot three times in his midsection, while his wife suffered traumatic blunt force trauma to the head before their home was torched.

Hinrichsen, an ex-boyfriend of Victoria’s, was arrested the same day at a family member’s home.

Iowa early News Headlines: Thu., Jan. 30th 2014

News

January 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Acclaimed opera singer Simon Estes joined forces with fine arts lobbyists to advocate for arts education. Estes, along with members of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, urged lawmakers to add fine arts to the Iowa Core Curriculum in a presentation Wednesday before the Senate Education Committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has appointed former U.S. Representative Leonard Boswell to the Iowa Department of Transportation Commission. Branstad announced the appointment yesterday. Boswell, a Democrat, will take over a seat vacated by former Democratic state Senator Tom Rielly, who resigned due to a professional conflict of interest.

MARENGO, Iowa (AP) — A former county treasurer in eastern Iowa has been accused of stealing more than $62,000 from the county over several years. The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office says Kimberly Tanke has been charged with felony first-degree theft in connection with missing funds. A private auditing firm and Iowa County officials say the money was taken between 2006 and 2010, when Tanke served as treasurer. They gave their findings to authorities, including the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

BOONE, Iowa (AP) — Boone police say autopsies are complete on the bodies of two people found dead in their home last week, but it’s still unclear how they died. KCCI-TV reports the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s report showed no apparent injury or trauma to the bodies of 47-year-old Lisa Kurth and 56-year-old David Morrison. They were found in a Boone home on Friday.

Governor appoints former Congresman Boswell to transportation commission

News

January 30th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has appointed former Congressman Leonard Boswell to the state transportation commission. The governor announced he appointed Boswell to fill out the term of Tom Rielly, who resigned from the commission due to a business related conflict of interest. Boswell served in Congress from 1997 to 2013 and prior to that was a state legislator and a decorated veteran of the Army who served in Vietnam.

Boswell is a Democrat who has worked with the Republican governor recently on the initiative to recruit veterans to come and live in Iowa when they leave the military. Boswell’s appointment must be confirmed by the Iowa Senate and the term runs through April of 2017. The seven-member commission set transportation policy and state law requires the commission be balanced by gender and party affiliation.

(Radio Iowa)

2 injured during a crash in Page County, Wednesday

News

January 29th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa State Patrol reports two people from Essex were injured during a crash this (Wednesday) morning, in Page County. The drivers of both vehicles, 37-year old Stacy Graham and 65-year old Claude Harris, were flown by helicopter to Creighton Hospital in Omaha following the crash at around 9:20-a.m. on Highway 48.

The Patrol says a 2010 Ford Fusion driven by Graham was northbound on Highway 48, when for reasons unknown it crossed the centerline of the road and collided with Harris’ 1998 Ford F-150 pickup. Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles and had to be extricated by mechanical means.

The accident remains under investigation.

Bill to raise state gas tax a dime clears House subcommittee

News

January 29th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Advocates for an increase in the state gas tax flooded the statehouse today (Thursday) — just as a bill cleared a House subcommittee that would raise the gas tax by a dime over the next three years. Representative Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage, was among the five House subcommittee members who voted for it. “We’ve got to do something,” Byrnes said to a packed room. “I don’t think there’s a person in here that argues the point that our infrastructure is aging.” Governor Terry Branstad has consistently said he will not veto a gas tax increase if it clears the legislature and he spoke at a “Transportation Day” rally at the statehouse.

“We need to continue to consider a number of options and discuss the merits and potential challenges associated with each of them,” Branstad said. “I’ve been around long enough to know it’s not an easy task.” Ralph Arthur, chairman of the Iowa Motor Truck Association’s board of directors, says the “reality” is Iowa’s crumbling transportation system makes it harder to attract new business to the state. “Iowa is the third-highest in structural deficiency on their bridges in the country,” Arthur said during the rally. “Only 12 states have worse rural interstates than we do and only seven states have worse urban interstates than we do.” Larry Winum, a banker from Glenwood, says it’s time to raise the gas tax because “there’s nothing else” to cut in state, county and city transportation budgets.

“Bankers — we don’t like to talk about a tax increase…but we like to look at this as an investment,” Winum said during the rally. “It’s a user fee. It’s something that we need and, quite honestly, it has a lot to do with economic development.” Winum is chairman of the Mills County Economic Development Foundation and co-chairman of the Southwest Iowa Coalition Transportation Committee. City and county officials say they’re struggling to maintain roads and bridges and have raised local property taxes to fix roads because gas tax revenue is falling short.

Terry Cox is the city manager, the public works director and the city engineer in Harlan and he made the trek to the statehouse to show his support of a gas tax increase, too.”I just want to support you guys here,” Cox told legislators. “It’s…a tough nut to crack, but I think you’re going to get it done.” In a transportation related move, Iowa’s Republican governor has appointed former Congressman Leonard Boswell to the Iowa Transportation Commission. Boswell, a Democrat, lost his 2012 bid for reelection to the U.S. House. State boards and commissions are, by law, to be balanced by political affiliation. Boswell replaces a Democrat from Oskaloosa who resigned from the Transportation Commission due to a business-related conflict of interest.

(Radio Iowa)

Bluffs man sentenced on drug & firearm charges

News

January 29th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A District Court Judge in Council Bluffs has sentenced 37-year old Scott Norman Hart, of Council Bluffs, to 20-years in prison on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and carrying a firearm regarding drug trafficking. Chief United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner Tuesday, sentenced Hart to 180 months imprisonment on the drug charge, and a consecutive 60 months imprisonment on the firearm charge. Hart was further sentenced to concurrent terms of 5 years of supervised release on both charges. The judge also ordered Hart to forfeit the firearm and ammunition he possessed, and to pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victim Fund. Hart remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at which he will serve his sentence.
The charges against Hart arose from the Fugitive Task Force encountering him at a residence in Council Bluffs on November 9th, 2012. Hart was wanted on a fugitive warrant for absconding from parole in Nebraska. At the time Hart was arrested, he was found in possession of approximately 95 grams of methamphetamine and a small quantity of marijuana. Also found on his person at the time of his arrest was a loaded .380 caliber pistol.