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Wrong-way vehicle in Stuart leads to arrests

News

February 25th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Stuart Police Department reported Saturday, that late Friday night,  Stuart Officers stopped a vehicle after witnessing it traveling the wrong direction on a one way street. Inside the vehicle officers recovered over one-pound of marijuana, and various items of drug paraphernalia.

Two search warrants were later served at a home in Stuart and Rural Adair County, where more marijuana, drug paraphernalia and prescription medications were recovered. No names were immediately released.

Two suspects were arrested and face felony drug charges. More charges are possible, following completion of an investigation.

Stuart PD social media photo of evidence seized.

Smits with 22 points leads Valparaiso over Drake 69-64

Sports

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Derrik Smits scored a career-best 22 points and grabbed six rebounds and Valparaiso closed out the regular season with a 69-64 win over Drake on Saturday.

Smits was 10 of 14 from the field for the Crusaders (15-16, 6-12 Missouri Valley Conference), who finish last in conference and will not see tournament play. Markus Golder added 13 points and nine rebounds and Tevonn Walker had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Valparaiso led 28-14 with 6:10 to go in the first half but Drake finished on a 16-2 run to tie it up at 30-30 at the break. Smits scored eight points as part of a 23-14 run to open the second half and Golder capped it with a dunk, lifting the Crusaders to a 53-44 lead with 10:02 to play. Drake cut it to 63-61 with 29 seconds remaining but could not get closer.

Reed Timmer scored 28 points for the Bulldogs (16-15, 10-8) who finish tied for third along with Illinois State, securing a place in the conference tournament.

No. 6 Texas holds off Iowa State 72-59

Sports

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ariel Atkins scored 20 points, Lashann Higgs had 14 and No. 6 Texas held off Iowa State 72-59 on Saturday for its eighth win in nine games. Brooke McCarty had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Longhorns (23-5, 14-3 Big 12), who bounced back nicely from a loss to No. 3 Baylor that clinched the league title for the Lady Bears. The Longhorns outrebounded the Cyclones 44-35 and shared the ball like they have for most of the season.

Texas entered the game fifth in the nation in rebounding margin and with four starters averaging at least 10 points a game. Iowa State kept it close at times, even though Texas opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run to go ahead 31-17. The Cyclones (12-16, 6-11) closed to 52-45 when Adriana Camber beat the third-quarter buzzer with a layup, but Atkins hit a 3 that pushed the lead back to 10. McCarty’s 3 with 2:23 left made it 67-57, ending the Cyclones’ faint hopes for a comeback.

Bridget Carleton had 23 points for Iowa State in its home finale. The Cyclones shot just 4 of 22 on 3s. The Cyclones are almost finished with a rare losing season. But they should be better in 2018-19, with just one senior in the starting lineup and five-star point guard Ashley Joens set to join the program next fall.

Iowa State travels to face the Kansas Jayhawks, Tuesday.

Des Moines city cemetery cleanup to begin March 1

News

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Flowers and decorations left on graves in several Des Moines city cemeteries must be picked up by the end of the month, or be thrown out by city workers. Des Moines Parks and Recreation staff will begin removing memorial decorations placed on gravesites in municipal cemeteries on March 1. Cemetery visitors have until Wednesday to collect any decorations they’d like to keep.

Items cemetery staff will remove and discard include vigil lights, statues, floral decorations, fences, boxes, toys, vases, glass, wood signs, cement blocks, and similar articles. Workers will complete the clearing by March 16. Afterward, the public will again be allowed to place decorations on gravesites, which may remain until the next municipal cemetery cleanup, scheduled to begin the week of July 2.

Northern Iowa beats Missouri State 71-56

Sports

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Klint Carlson scored 16 points and Northern Iowa beat Missouri State 71-56 on Saturday. UNI, ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 63.1 points per game, held Missouri State to 36.5 percent shooting. Hunter Rhodes added 13 points and Wyatt Lohaus 11 for Northern Iowa (15-15, 7-11 Missouri Valley Conference). Carlson and Rhodes were among four UNI seniors honored before the game. The seniors, who have won 99 games, have been a part of two NCAA Tournament teams and a pair of MVC tournament championships.

UNI will be a higher seed at the MVC tournament and thus play its first opening-round game since 2003. Jarred Dixon led Missouri State (17-14, 7-11), the preseason MVC favorite, with 14 points and Jarrid Rhodes and Alize Johnson each scored 11. Obediah Church grabbed 13 of Missouri State’s 30 rebounds. The Bears have lost nine of their last 11 games.

Boys Substate Final Basketball Postponements

Sports

February 24th, 2018 by admin

The poor weather conditions Saturday have forced the postponement of a number of Substate Final Boys Basketball games Saturday.

CLASS 1A

Substate 1 Final – POSTPONED

George-Little Rock vs. South O’Brien, Paullina at MOC-Floyd Valley, now 2/26

Substate 2 Final – POSTPONED, SITE CHANGE

Don Bosco, Gilbertville vs. West Fork, Sheffield, now 2/26 in Clear Lake

Substate 7 Final – POSTPONED

Bedford vs. St. Albert, Council Bluffs at Shenandoah, now 2/26

Substate 8 Final – POSTPONED

IKM-Manning vs. St. Mary’s, Remsen at Denison, now 2/26

CLASS 2A

Substate 1 Final – POSTPONED, SITE TBD

Kuemper Catholic, Carroll vs. Western Christian, Hull at LeMars, now 2/26 at site to be determined

Substate 2 Final – POSTPONED

Sheldon vs. Alta-Aurelia at Spirit Lake, now 2/26

Substate 3 Final – POSTPONED

Garner-Hayfield-Ventura vs. Aplington-Parkersburg at Charles City, now 2/26

Substate 8 Final – POSTPONED

Woodward-Granger vs. Treynor at Harlan, now 2/26

N.W. Iowa county returns ban on guns in courthouse

News

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — County supervisors in western Iowa have renewed a ban on guns in the courthouse after a dispute over allowing weapons in parts of the building where court services aren’t held.

The Sioux City Journal reports that Woodbury County Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday against permitting guns in non-court controlled spaces of the courthouse.

Supervisor Jeremy Taylor switched positions after being a chief supporter of allowing guns in the courthouse. Taylor says it’s “impractical” to bring guns into portions of courthouse floors, while restricting them on others above and below.

The issue has been widely debated by county supervisors and residents since the expanded gun rights bill took effect in July. It’s also been the subject of two orders by the Iowa Supreme Court.

The new gun law expands Iowa’s stand-your-ground provision.

Bluffs man injured in Pott. County accident, Saturday

News

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Icy roads contributed to an injury accident Saturday morning near Minden, in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 23-year old William James Andrew Sidzyik, of Council Bluffs, was transported to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan, after he lost control and crashed the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero he was driving.

The accident happened at around 8:30-a.m., on Interstate 80 westbound, near the Minden exit. The Patrol says Sidzyik’s car went out of control on the ice covered road and entered the gore between I-80 and the westbound on-ramp from Minden. The vehicle continued over the on-ramp and struck two linear posts before coming to rest in the north ditch.

Sidzyik, who had been wearing his seat belt, complained of pain and was transported by private vehicle to the hospital, where he was located by the State Patrol during the accident investigation.

Iowa father of suffocated baby pleads guilty to charges

News

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Ankeny man whose baby died after becoming wedged between a mattress and a wall has pleaded guilty to child endangerment and other counts.

The Des Moines Register reports that 48-year-old Matthew Cohara recently pleaded guilty to child endangerment and possession of marijuana and cocaine in a deal with prosecutors. In exchange, Cohara must attend substance abuse evaluation and treatment and may get deferred judgment.

Police were called to the Ankeny home of Cohara and 33-year-old Michelle Atwell on Aug. 26 after the 7-month-old baby was found not breathing. Police say the baby became wedged between the bed and wall and suffocated after Atwell left her on the bed for hours after breast-feeding her. An autopsy found a cocaine byproduct in the baby’s system.

Atwell has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment causing substantial risk and several drug charges. Her trial is set to begin April 30.

Abuse charge against Iowa nursing home operator dropped

News

February 24th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DANVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A county prosecutor has dropped charges against a southeastern Iowa nursing home operator. The Des Moines Register reports that Des Moines County Attorney Amy Beavers dropped the felony dependent adult abuse-exploitation charge against 47-year-old Marc Johnson, Hamilton, Illinois, whose company runs the Danville Care Center in southeast Iowa.

Beavers says if Johnson were prosecuted, the facility might be forced to close, displacing its three-dozen residents. Authorities had said Johnson took about $1,700 from a center resident to buy a television and other items for the facility.

Dean Lerner, who once ran the Iowa agency that inspects nursing homes, was critical of Beavers’ decision, saying that to “leave this man in a position of authority so the business can remain open just seems absurd.”

Johnson’s attorney, Aaron Hamrock, says the care center maintains there were “no improprieties or irregularities” involving resident trust accounts.