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Ottumwa Man Arrested After Wife Shot with Crossbow

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA — An Ottumwa man is facing an attempted murder charge after police officers say he shot his wife with a crossbow.

The Ottumwa Police Department reports that yesterday morning, officers responded to a report that a woman at a residence on Evergreen had been shot with a crossbow. The victim was identified as 68-year-old Lillian Dennison, and according to the report, she had been shot with a crossbow while sleeping on a couch inside the residence. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated and released from the hospital.

Later that morning, officers of the Ottumwa Police Department and Wapello County Sheriff’s Office arrested the victim’s husband, 68-year-old George Edward Dennison, and charged him with felony attempted murder and domestic abuse assault, an aggravated misdemeanor. He is currently being held at the Wapello County Jail with a $50,000 cash only bond.

EBF School District Awarded Therapeutic Classrooms Grant from Iowa Dept of Education

Posted on by Sam Parsons

EDDYVILLE — The EBF school district was awarded a Therapeutic Classroom grant from the Iowa Department
of Education for $222,240. “We are very excited about receiving this grant to provide support to the Explore Academy therapeutic classrooms,” stated Superintendent Scott Williamson.

The following school districts created the therapeutic classrooms called the Explore Academy last year: Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Albia, Centerville, Chariton, Davis County, Fairfield, Moravia, Moulton-Udel, and Wayne. The Explore Academy is housed in the old Blakesburg Elementary building.

The Explore Academy is a specially designed therapeutic classroom setting where students attend to receive their academic learning as well as have their therapeutic needs met. For students who have trauma or a therapeutic need, it is often difficult for them to achieve in the typical classroom setting.

The Explore Academy opened its doors to meet the needs of multiple students last year. Currently, the academy can serve twelve students. The staff consists of two certified teachers, one of which is also the onsite administrator, five behavior interventionists, and one mental health therapist. The Explore Academy is housed in the EBF district and is a part of our district; it is also an extension of the other 8 schools who participate in the consortium to provide resources for its operation.

Luke Bryan Salutes All Types Of Heroes In ‘Country On’ Video

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Luke Bryan is celebrating all sorts of American heroes with the video for his latest track “Country On.”

The video, part of which was shot in downtown Nashville, has him paying tribute to farmers, truckers, cowboys, firefighters, soldiers, the armed forces and more. In fact, the officers in the clip are members of the Metro Nashville Police Department.

In sharing the video, Luke notes, “It was awesome to spotlight all these great people to create such a special message,” adding that he “truly loved meeting all these local people” during the shoot.

“Country On” is expected to be featured on Luke’s next album, which so far doesn’t have a title or release date.

This day in Country Music History

Posted on by Bob Ballard
  • Today in 1981, the “Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ album by Willie Nelson was certified platinum.
  • Today in 1971, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver was certified gold.
  • Today in 1979, Mel Tillis was #1 on the country singles charts with “Coca Cola Cowboy.”
  • Today in 1979, Carlene Carter of the Nashville Carter family and Johnny Cash’s stepdaughter married rocker Nick Lowe. They have since divorced.
  • Today in 1992, Travis Tritt’s “T-r-o-u-b-l-e” album was released.
  • Today in 1992, “This Is Garth Brooks” video was certified gold, platinum and quadruple platinum simultaneously.
  • Today in 1994, “The Real Patsy Cline” video was certified platinum.
  • Today in 1995, Jeff Carson hit the top of the singles charts with “Not On Your Love.”
  • Today in 1997, Joe Diffie joined Tower Records and America Online for the first “virtual in-store.” Joe chatted and held a “virtual autograph session” during which fans received a virtual autograph via Joe’s electronic writing pad.
  • Today in 2001, the “Girls’ Night Out” tour, featuring Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Jamie O’Neal and Carolyn Dawn Johnson, wrapped up in Louisville, Kentucky
  • Today in 2003, Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar” was released.
  • Today in 2004, Big & Rich’s debut album, “Horse Of A Different Color,” was certified platinum.
  • Today in 2006, Kenny Chesney performed at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Randy Owen, lead singer of the band Alabama, attended the show–the first time he’s ever seen a concert as a ticket-holder.
  • Today in 2012, Highway 101 drummer (and husband to Wynonna) Cactus Moser was injured when his motorcycle collided with an oncoming car near Hill City, South Dakota. His left leg was amputated as a result of the collision – Wy immediately cancelled her tour to be with him.
  • Today in 2014, Blake Shelton’s single, “Neon Light,” hit the airwaves.
  • Today in 2015, Robert Duvall and Billy Bob Thornton made their Grand Ole Opry debuts. Thornton’s comes as a member of The Boxmasters.
  • Today in 2015, Kellie Pickler played a free concert for troops at Fort Riley near Manhattan, Kansas, presented by the USO. Her set included “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You” and “Red High Heels.”
  • Today in 2017, Hal Ketchum made his final Grand Ole Opry appearance before retiring from performing. His wife subsequently revealed he was battling dementia. He lost that valiant fight in November 2020.
  • Today in 2018, Maren Morris performed “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” as a memorial to the recently departed Aretha Franklin during a show in Las Vegas.
  • Today in 2020, On the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, which gave American women the right to vote, Lindsay Ell sings the national anthems for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. The Jays win, 8-7, in 10 innings in an empty stadium in the midst of a pandemic.
  • Today in 2021, Sam Hunt plead guilty in Nashville to two counts of drunk driving in 2019. He was sentenced to 48 hours in a DUI educational center and had his license suspended for the next year.

China and US spar over climate on Twitter

Posted on by Sam Parsons

BEIJING (AP) — The world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases are sparring on Twitter over climate policy, with China asking if the U.S. can deliver on the landmark climate legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden this week. U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns took to Twitter to say the U.S. was acting on climate change with its largest investment ever — and that China should follow. China’s Foreign Ministry responded with its own tweet: “Good to hear. But what matters is: Can the U.S. deliver?” The exchange is emblematic of a broader worry. U.S.-China cooperation is considered vital to the success of global climate efforts. With the breakdown in relations, some question whether the two sides can cooperate.

IFA rent and utility assistance program nearing end

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Radio Iowa Contributor

A federally funded program is ending soon that’s helped some 17,000 Iowans stay in their homes with the lights on.

In addition to paying for back rent, the Iowa Finance Authority’s Rent and Utility Assistance Program has higher income barriers, opening it to many more Iowans than comparable rent assistance programs. Lynette Jacoby, director of social services in Johnson County, says the challenge will be to find programs that can fill the gap.

“We know though at the local level that there isn’t funding,” Jacoby says. “We can’t fill a gap of $350,000 a month in rental assistance.” Jacoby said the program’s $170 million impact was not just for residents, but also for landlords who would have lost income from emptied units or the eviction process.

The Iowa Finance Authority says the program will stop accepting new applicants at the end of August, following the national trend of dialing back COVID-era assistance programs. Luke Elzinga works at DMARC, which runs a network of food pantries in the Des Moines area. He says when people have fewer resources to cover rent, they’ll have to make it up somewhere else.

“A lot of the time, people will make sure their rent is paid first so they can remain housed and then figure out how they’re going to feed themselves,” Elzinga says. “That oftentimes looks like turning to a food pantry.” The program ends as DMARC, like other food pantries, was already reporting record levels of demand for food assistance.

Pella Council Moves Forward With Airport Expansion

Posted on by Sam Parsons

The Pella city council met last night and began by swearing in new officer Mitchell Monarchino to the Pella police department.

The council also heard a report from the city’s main electric utility company, Missouri River Energy Services, who reported that the city’s power supply is now about 58% carbon-free. About 37% of the city’s power supply comes from coal, the main contributor to the city’s carbon-based power, with most of the remaining such power coming from natural gas (4% of the city’s total supply). About 8% of the city’s power supply now comes from renewables, with the vast majority being wind-powered (7%).

And the city moved forward with its Pella Municipal Airport expansion project, this time awarding a contract for the Apron expansion.

The Pella city council will hold its next meeting on September 6.

Ottumwa Motorcyclist in Critical Condition After Accident

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA – A motorcyclist in Ottumwa is now in critical condition at a Des Moines hospital after the motorcycle he was driving collided with a car yesterday.

The Ottumwa Police Department reports that yesterday morning, emergency responders were sent to the intersection of Bruce and Boone and found the operator of the motorcycle suffering serious injuries and was not breathing. On-scene witnesses and arriving responders administered CPR which successfully resuscitated the operator of the motorcycle, who was revealed to be 25-year-old Dalton Hansen, and due to the extent of the injuries, Hansen was flown from the scene by a helicopter to a hospital in Des Moines, where as of yesterday he was in critical condition. The driver of the other vehicle, 27-year-old Lorena Leyva-Garcia, was not injured.

Ottumwa Police reports that preliminary information and investigation indicated that Hansen was traveling eastbound on Boone at what witnesses described as a high rate of speed. Leyva-Garcia was traveling southbound on Bruce, stopped at the intersection, and proceeded into the intersection when the collision occurred. The collision is still under investigation.

Kane Brown Drops New Song ‘Go Around’

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Kane Brown is giving fans yet another taste of his upcoming record “Different Man,” which drops September 9th. The latest is the track “Go Around.”

This is actually the sixth song Kane has shared from the 17-track album. Others include his brand new number one, “Like I Love Country Music,” “Leave You Alone,” “One Mississippi,” “Whiskey Sour,” and “Grand.”

As we told you, Kane is set to perform “Grand” later this month at the MTV Video Music Awards, making him the first male country artist to perform at the annual award show.

This day in Country Music History

Posted on by Bob Ballard
  • Today in 1976, the “Spirit” album by John Denver was certified gold.
  • Today in 1977, the day after Elvis Presley’s death, President Jimmy Carter issued the following statement, “Elvis Presley’s death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable. More than twenty years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense and he was a symbol to people the world over, of the vitality, rebelliousness and good humor of his country.”
  • Today in 1992, Brooks & Dunn’s “Brand New Man” album was certified platinum. It has since been certified for sales of 5-million.
  • Today in 1993, a U.S. postal stamp honoring the late Patsy Cline was unveiled in Boston.
  • Today in 1994, Vince Gill’s “When Love Finds You” album was certified gold and platinum simultaneously.
  • Today in 1994, David Ball’s debut album, “Thinkin’ Problem,” was certified gold.
  • Today in 2000, Lee Ann Womack made her second, appearance on NBC-TV’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” She had just made her debut on the show June 6th, 2000.
  • Today in 2001, Tim McGraw performed on NBC’s “Today” show as part of their “Summer Concert Series” and drew nearly 4,000 fans into Rockefeller Plaza. According to “Today” show sources, this is among the largest crowds they have ever seen as part of their live concert performances. He entertained the masses with three songs – “Angel Boy,” “Things Change” and “Grown Men Don’t Cry” – from his album, “Set This Circus Down.”
  • Today in 2003, LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem before the NASCAR Winston Cup Series GFSMarketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
  • Today in 2003, it was announced that the Dixie Chicks were the top grossing country tour of the year just as they wrapped up the North American leg of their hugely successful “Top of the World Tour.” In three months, the Chicks played to over 1-million people and pulled in $61-million in ticket sales. The “Top of the World Tour” kicked off on May 1st in Greenville, South Carolina and continued for a total of 63 performances, with an average attendance of 15,753 grossing roughly $976,000 paid attendance for each show. On top of that, 57 of the dates were complete sellouts.
  • Today in 2006, Jason Aldean’s “Amarillo Sky” video had its world premiere on CMT.
  • Today in 2009, Brad Paisley’s “Welcome To The Future” video debuted on CMT.
  • Today in 2012, Florida Georgia Line performed “Cruise” in their Grand Ole Opry debut.
  • Today in 2012, the “Teachers Rock” special aired on CBS-TV. Among the performances, Garth Brooks’ live rendition of “The River,” as well as music by Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Freeman and the pop group fun.
  • Today in 2017, Willie Nelson’s concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles included a surprise guest: Kris Kristofferson and opening act Kacey Musgraves. They joined Willie for a gospel medley of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” “I’ll Fly Away” and “I Saw The Light.”
  • Today in 2017, Keith Urban’s single, “The Fighter,” which features Carrie Underwood, was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA. The same day, Eric Church scored a double-platinum single from the RIAA for “Drink In My Hand,” as well as a platinum award for “Record Year.” He also nabbed gold singles for “Mr. Misunderstood” and his Rhiannon Giddens collabo, “Kill A Word.”

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