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Iowans made last-ditch effort at White House to reverse EPA’s RFS decision

Ag/Outdoor

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa/Brownfield) — A northwest Iowa farmer who was at the White House earlier this week says he’s disappointed President Trump has failed to uphold the renewable fuels deal he agreed to in September. Kelly Nieuwenhuis, a farmer from Primghar, said “It is pretty upsetting to American farmers and rural America.”

Nieuwenhuis and four other Iowans met with Larry Kudlow, the president’s top economic advisor, on Tuesday — and Kudlow provided a briefing on the E-P-A’s final decision on the ethanol production mandate. “We knew right away that this wasn’t the deal that was promised,” Nieuwenhuis says. Nieuwenhuis was at the White House with representatives from the Iowa Corn Growers and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Nieuwenhuis says the group made it clear to Kudlow the E-P-A’s 2020 biofuels blending requirements are “woefully inadequate.”

“He didn’t understand. He couldn’t figure out why we wouldn’t be happy with this deal,” Niewenhaus says, “and we just basically told — or I did — that, you know, for us to put the word trust and the EPA in the same sentence was not possible.” Nieuwenhuis says Senator Grassley set up the meeting with the president’s economic advisor, so the Iowans could make a last-minute pitch for changing the E-P-A’s plan for ethanol and biodiesel.

“We were firm with him, yet respectful,” Nieuwenhuis says. “…But you know this wasn’t the certainy of the deal that we had with the deal that they made with Senators Ernst, Grassley and Governor Reynolds and the ethanol industry.” Nieuwenhuis says it’s frustrating the president didn’t keep his promise. “Again we feel the oil industry took charge of the situation and pretty much forced the hand of our leaders and made then lean their way with the ruling,” Nieuwenhuis says.

Nieuwenhuis is chairman of the board of Siouxland Energy. The ethanol plant in Sioux Center shut down for a few weeks, but has been running this fall at about half its normal capacity.

(Additional reporting by Brownfield Network’s Ken Anderson)

Godfrey, Ft. Wayne visit Iowa State Sunday afternoon

Sports

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Purdue Fort Wayne (7-7) vs. Iowa State (6-4)
James H. Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa; Sunday, 12 p.m. CST

BOTTOM LINE: Two sophomore guards will be on display as Jarred Godfrey and Purdue Fort Wayne will go up against Tyrese Haliburton and Iowa State. Godfrey has scored 22 percent of the team’s points this season and is averaging 18 over his last five games. Haliburton is averaging 20 points and 6.6 assists over the last five games.

SUPER SENIORS: Purdue Fort Wayne has relied heavily on its seniors. Brian Patrick, Matt Holba, Dylan Carl and Marcus DeBerry have combined to account for 51 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 46 percent of all Mastodons points over the team’s last five games.

FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: Haliburton has either made or assisted on 51 percent of all Iowa State field goals over the last three games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 23 field goals and 17 assists in those games.

DEFENSIVE DISRUPTION: Iowa State is 5-0 when limiting opponents to 41.9 percent or worse from the field, and 1-4 when opponents shoot better than that. Purdue Fort Wayne is 5-0 when allowing 40.7 percent or less and 2-7 whenever opponents exceed that mark.

ASSIST RATIOS: The Cyclones have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Mastodons. Iowa State has 43 assists on 78 field goals (55.1 percent) over its previous three outings while Purdue Fort Wayne has assists on 36 of 70 field goals (51.4 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Iowa State has turned the ball over on just 15.3 percent of its possessions this season, which is the ninth-lowest rate among all Division I teams. The Cyclones have turned the ball over only 11.4 times per game this season.

Sanders and Klobuchar to criss-cross Iowa

News

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Two Democrat Presidential candidates, Senator Bernie Sanders, from Vermont, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, from Minnesota, will be in western Iowa over the coming days, making campaign stops and holding meet & greet or town hall-type events.

Klobuchar will be making her third bus tour across Iowa, with stops in Creston, Diagonal, Corning, Bedford, Clarinda, Sidney and Council Bluffs tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21). On Sunday, she travels to Logan, Harlan, Audubon and Denison for public events, before moving on to communities in northwest Iowa. (Her local, Dec. 21st schedule is as follows):

  • 12:30-p.m. – Adams St. Espresso in Creston (213 W. Adams St.).
  • 1:50-p.m. – Ringgold County Freedom Rock (W. 3rd St.), in Diagonal.
  • 2:45-p.m. – At the Primrose in Corning (619 Davis Ave.)
  • 4:00-p.m. – Taylor County Museum (1001 Pollock Blvd.), in Bedford.
  • 5:00-p.m. – Garrison House (106 N. 16th St.), in Corning.
  • 6:45-p.m. – Silver Spur Bar & Grill (708 Illinois St.), in Sidney.
  • 8:15-p.m. – The Gorman’s Residence (203 5th Ave.) in Council Bluffs, for a House Party.

On Sunday, Dec. 22nd, the Senator from Minnesota will be:

  • At the Bunkhouse Cafe Too, in Logan (123 N. 4th Ave.), at around 9-a.m.
  • At 10:15-a.m., she’s scheduled to be in Harlan, at Mike & Honey (1101 7th St.).
  • 11:30-a.m. – Albert the Bull in Audubon.
  • and at 12:30-p.m., at the El Jimador Mexican Grill, in Denison (2506 4th Ave.)

Sanders returns to Iowa Dec. 29th through the 31st, for campaign stops in Polk, Dallas and Madison Counties. On Monday, Dec. 30th, Sanders will hold a Winterset Town Hall in the Winterset Middle School Commons area, beginning at 6:30-p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are encourage to RSVP via the Sanders’ campaign website.

Update on “Active Shooter” response at Camp Dodge

News

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

In an update to an earlier report, a spokesman for the Iowa National Guard, Friday (Today), said “A combination of factors led to a 911 call from Camp Dodge Wednesday initiating an active shooter response from local, county and state law enforcement agencies.” Col. Michael Wunn said “A preliminary review by Camp Dodge security personnel has revealed that there was no actual threat to the base or to base personnel at the time of the call.”

Col. Wunn said “In response to recent attacks at military bases in Hawaii and Florida, U.S. Northern Command recently directed military installations to assess force protection procedures and increase security measures as appropriate for their installations and facilities. Additionally, as part of this heightened security posture, personnel were reminded to remain alert and act if they observe suspicious activity.

Early Wednesday afternoon, the Camp Dodge supply warehouse (Bldg. W12), a large facility designed to receive shipments as well as issue clothing and individual equipment, took steps to increase its security posture by locking doors that normally remain open during business hours to prevent free access to the building.

Non-warehouse personnel present in the facility at the time the increased security measures went into effect mistook these actions as an active event rather than proactive steps to secure the warehouse. Told they were under lockdown, they reported it to their supervisor at the Camp Dodge Range Control office as a potential active shooter situation. Repeated return calls from the Range Control office to verify the situation at the warehouse went unanswered and prompted a decision to call 911.”

Wunn said “Compounding the confusion at the time of the 911 call were ongoing security concerns related to an incident with a former Iowa National Guard Soldier, who recently made threatening statements to Camp Dodge personnel.”

He added, “As reported Wednesday, Camp Dodge security and multiple law enforcement agencies responded swiftly to the call, arriving on scene within minutes. Base personnel were instructed to lockdown and shelter in place in accordance with active shooter protocols. Law enforcement officers took steps to search and clear the building and surrounding area. Once these steps were complete, the all-clear was issued and the lockdown lifted.

Despite any inconvenience and disruption caused by yesterday’s response, all parties agree that in today’s environment, it is better to error on the side of caution and act when confronted with a real or perceived threat.”

Atlantic hosts Lewis Central tonight on KJAN, Exira-EHK welcomes West Harrison on Spartan Media

Sports

December 20th, 2019 by admin

The Atlantic Trojans play host to the Lewis Central Titans for a varsity basketball doubleheader tonight and we’ll have coverage on KJAN. We’ll start our pregame coverage at 5:50pm with the girls game set to tip-off at 6:00pm, the boys will follow at about 7:30pm. Chris Parks has the call from the Atlantic High School gymnasium. Tune in on air at AM 1220, FM 101.1, and online at kjan.com. You can also catch live video of both games on KJANTV.

Also tonight through the KJAN Video Network the Spartan Media channel will have the live broadcast of Exira-EHK vs. West Harrison varsity hoops doubleheader. Pregame coverage will also begin at 5:50pm before the 6:00pm girls game. Also in between games tonight the 2010 Exira Vikettes State Championship team will be honored for their historic season.

Join us tonight for some great high school basketball coverage.

Police: Iowa woman said she ran over girl in racist attack

News

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — Police say they’ve charged a Des Moines woman with attempted murder after she told officers she intentionally ran over a 14-year-old girl because she believed the teen was Mexican. Natalia Miranda suffered a concussion and severe bruising in the attack but is expected to make a full recovery.

This undated photo provided by the Polk County (Iowa) Jail shows Nicole Marie Poole Franklin. Clive, Iowa police on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, charged Franklin, of Des Moines with attempted murder. She’s accused of purposely running down a 14-year-old girl who was walking along a sidewalk in a suburban neighborhood. Police say Franklin told investigators she hit the girl because she is “a Mexican.” The girl was seriously hurt but is recovering from her injuries. Franklin is being held in the Polk County Jail.(Polk County Jail via AP)

Clive Police Chief Mike Venema said Friday during a news conference that 42-year-old Nicole Marie Poole Franklin admitted to steering her SUV onto a sidewalk on Dec. 9 in the suburban Des Moines community and intentionally running over the teenager. Natalia was walking to school to watch a basketball game. Police say Franklin made derogatory statements about Latinos during a police interview.

Friday night for Floyd: Big Ten moves Iowa-Minnesota game up

Sports

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The next edition of the Iowa-Minnesota college football rivalry will be staged on a Friday night. The Big Ten has moved the Hawkeyes-Gophers game in 2020 from Sept. 20 to Sept. 19. This will be the earliest-ever meeting between the two schools that play annually for the Floyd of Rosedale bronze pig trophy. In 113 all-time matchups, the Hawkeyes and Gophers have only met in September twice. That was in 2012 and 2013. Iowa leads the series 63-48-2.

The Big Ten began scheduling Friday night games in 2017. Minnesota hosted one in 2018, a victory over Indiana.

Mahomes flourishes in snow as Chiefs keep winning

Sports

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Patrick Mahomes added another memorable performance to an impressive start to his career last weekend against Denver. He completed 27 of 34 passes through a driving snowstorm to lead Kansas City to a 23-3 victory. It was the kind of weather that should have made it difficult for a kid from Texas to throw the ball. Instead it allowed Mahomes to show off his arm strength and accuracy in new ways. Now, the reigning league MVP hopes to carry that hot hand into Sunday night’s game in Chicago.

CINDY PIERCE, 65, of Panora (No services at this time)

Obituaries

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

CINDY PIERCE, 65, of Panora, died Thursday, Dec. 19th, at Panora Specialty Care. Cremation has taken place, and No Services will be held for CINDY PIERCE at this time. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora is assisting the family.

CINDY PIERCE is survived by:

Her husband – George Pierce, of Panora.

Her son – David Minicucci, of Santa Barbara, CA.

Her daughter – Jenny Forner, of Adel.

and 3 grandchildren.

JIMMY “JIM” CHRISTENSEN, 68, of Greenfield (Svcs. Pending)

Obituaries

December 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

JIMMY “JIM” CHRISTENSEN, 68, of Greenfield, died Friday, December 20, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.  Funeral services for JIM CHRISTENSEN pending at the Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield.

Online condolences may be left at www.steenfunerals.com.