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Iowa man imprisoned for scamming out-of-state hunters

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

BLOOMFIELD, Iowa (AP) — A southeast Iowa man who scammed out-of-state hunters has been imprisoned. Davis County District Court records say 34-year-old Andrew Wulf was sentenced March 2 in Bloomfield to 25 years in prison. He was convicted in January of two counts of theft and one of ongoing criminal conduct. The records say he intends to appeal.

Wulf owns Whitetail Ridge Outfitters in Tipton. Prosecutors say he swindled three out-of-state customers, led illegal hunts and ripped off customers.

Will we see snow this weekend? Chances are slightly better than good (No Magic 8 ball involved)

Weather

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The National Weather Service says a winter system is likely to bring snow to portions of Iowa Saturday evening through Sunday morning. Confidence in the timing of this event is high. However, confidence is low to medium regarding the location of potential higher amounts of snow. At this time, it appears 1 to 2 inches of snow will in an area roughly along and south of Interstate 80, with around 1 inch falling across the rest of our area.

There is a chance, however, that higher totals of snow may fall across northern Iowa. In this scenario, most of the snow will fall overnight Saturday, leading to potentially slippery roads and hazardous travel Saturday night into Sunday morning. Keep it tuned here today as we will have a more accurate and higher confidence forecast by this afternoon. For next week, quiet weather conditions and above normal temperatures are expected. By next Thursday and Friday, highs in the 50s and even 60s is possible! Again, check back throughout today and this weekend, for forecast updates.

Des Moines raising property tax rate 20 cents

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines is raising the city’s property tax rate 20 cents, following county voters’ rejection of a 1-cent sales tax rate increase. The Des Moines Register reports that the $738 million budget for the next fiscal year also approved Thursday does not call for any immediate staff reductions, but it halts new hiring and any work on projects that don’t have a clear source of funding. The budget takes effect July 1.

Des Moines prepared two budgets before Tuesday’s sales tax vote: one anticipating an estimated $37 million in revenue from the proposed sales tax hike and one without.
A majority of voters in Des Moines backed the increase, but the measure didn’t have enough votes in the suburbs to pass.

Skyscan Forecast & weather data for Atlantic: 3/09/18

Weather

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Today: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 42. SE @ 10-15.

Tonight: Mo. cloudy. Low 30. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Cldy w/light rain mainly during the afternoon. High 45. SE @ 10-20,

Sunday: Mostly cloudy w/light snow or flurries in the morning. High 36

Monday: P/Cldy. High 42.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 37. Our Low (thru 5-a.m. today) was 14 (at 5-a.m., it was 27). Last year on this date our High was 49 and the Low was 15. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 76 in 1986. The Record Low was -10, in 1912.

NE woman arrested on drug charge in Montgomery County

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Deputies in Montgomery County conducted a traffic stop at around 3:45-a.m. today (Friday), and ended-up arresting a Nebraska woman. Authorities report 21-year old Alicia Lynn Johnson, of Lincoln, NE., was arrested on a Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense – charge. Deputies were assisted at the scene near the intersection of Highway 34 and K Avenue, by the Montgomery County K9 Unit, and Officers with the Red Oak Police Department.

House seeks ‘smoother’ private management of Medicaid

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa House has unanimously approved new “accountability measures” for the private companies hired to manage care for Iowa Medicaid patients. Representative Dave Heaton, a Republican from Mount Pleasant, says doctors, hospitals and other health care providers are complaining to legislators about unpaid claims — and patients are complaining about denied care. “We know that there have been some bumps in the system and the governor has recognized some of those difficulties that we are having,” Heaton says. “As a legislator, we thought this bill…was an opportunity to address some of these concerns and encourage our managed care program to operate smoother.”

The bill that cleared the House directs the private companies to adhere to “national industry guidelines” and meet contract deadlines for paying claims. Any error in processing claims would have to be corrected in 90 days. The bill also seeks to ease the process for patients seeking “prior authorization” for things like seeing a doctor or having surgery. Representative Lisa Heddens, a Democrat from Ames, was on the committee that developed these new guidelines. “It’s not quite as strong as I would like the oversight language to be,” Heddens says, “but it does have some very good starting points in it.”

For example, Heddens says it would establish one, consistent co-payment amount for all prescription medications. She says there’s confusion among patients, pharmacies and managed care companies because the current system has varying co-pays, depending on the type of medication. These changes had been a priority for House Republicans and Democrats. The proposals now go to the Iowa Senate for review.

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak woman arrested on an assault charge Thu. night

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak Police, Thursday night, arrested a woman on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Authorities report 40-year old Marjorie Denise Peshlakai, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1200 block of Circle Drive, at around 7:40-p.m. She was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.

OWI arrest Thursday night in Adams County

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop Thursday night in Adams County on a vehicle with a headlight out and no license plates. resulted in the arrest of Jonathan Vert, from Creston. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says Vert was taken into custody at around 8:20-p.m. near the intersection of Highway 34 and Quince Avenue. He was charged with OWI/1st offense.

Iowa early News Headlines: Friday, March 9th 2018

News

March 9th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

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

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A western Iowa woman has been sentenced in Nebraska to five years’ probation for being an accessory to a 2016 road-rage shooting death. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 19-year-old Page Green, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced Wednesday. She had pleaded no contest to being an accessory to a homicide in the shooting death of 32-year-old Cristian Pastrana-Marin, of Omaha.

AVOCA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they have charged a western Iowa man whose son took some of his father’s marijuana to school. Court records say the fourth-grader found a small bag of pot Feb. 23 on the floor of his dad’s bedroom in Avoca, took it to school that day and gave it to school officials. James Mills’ attorney said Thursday that her client will plead not guilty to the charges of marijuana possession and child endangerment.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A jury has awarded $2 million in damages to a former Iowa correctional officer who faced retaliation after complaining she was sexually harassed by inmates. The Polk County jury made the award for lost earnings and emotional distress to Kristine Sink, a former officer at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. Jurors ruled that Sink was the victim of retaliation for bringing an earlier lawsuit that exposed the prison’s practice of allowing violent inmates to watch graphic films.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Court records say a central Iowa man accused of killing his mother, father and sister intends to change his plea. The records say lawyers for 21-year-old Chase Nicholson had requested a plea hearing, which has been scheduled for April 30 in Polk County District Court. The records don’t say how he’ll plead and to what charges.

Glenwood headed to first ever State Championship, knocks out CR Xavier

Sports

March 8th, 2018 by admin

(From IHSSA)

DES MOINES – Glenwood is going to the state championship for the first time.

In a thrilling 69-63 victory over two-time defending champ Xavier, Cedar Rapids, the Rams outlasted Class 3A’s top seed in a game that featured 12 ties, 13 lead changes, and tension until the final seconds. The southwest Iowa squad advanced with a pair of seniors, Nate Mohr and Andrew Blum, who first played at Wells Fargo Arena as freshmen, and clinched a spot in Friday’s final game by scoring 21 points each when it mattered most.

Xavier had won the 2016 and 2017 titles with consistent and clutch play, but important shots evaded coach Ryan Luehrsmann’s team on Thursday afternoon. Seniors Matthew Mims and Jackson Joens had 14 points each, but combined to shoot 9-of-35 from the field and were constantly fending off pressure coming from Glenwood’s guards and massive crowd. The game did mark a fourth straight season in the 3A semifinals for Xavier (19-7), which will play in Friday’s 10:30 a.m. consolation game.

Christian Stanislav chipped in 16 points to help Mohr and Blum down the stretch. As a team, the Rams hit 17 of their 18 free throws, cooling off a hot back-and-forth contest. Coach Curt Schulte’s team also hit 18-of-19 free throw attempts in the quarterfinals. Besides the quick quarterfinal appearance in 2015, Glenwood has just one other state tournament tally on its resume; a 1952 trip that included a first round win and quarterfinal loss in the single-class field. On Friday at 6 p.m., the program will get a chance to win the biggest prize in Class 3A.

The Rams will face Oskaloosa for the title on Friday at 6:30pm.