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Marion County Development Hosting Seminars for Housing Needs Assessment Next Week

KNOXVILLE — Marion County Development invites the public to attend one of the kick-off meetings to learn more about the upcoming housing needs assessment in the county.

BACKGROUND:  In 2015, organizations within Marion County came together to complete the 2016 Marion County Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment under the leadership of the Marion County Development (MCD), a department of county government.  This assessment provided the data and analysis which has led to over 800 housing units either completed, in construction or being planned.

WHAT IS INCLUDED? The Assessment includes data divided into sub-markets and examined different types of housing (rental, senior and for-sale with subsets under each type) to provide each area of the county with what is needed to activate housing to meet the needs of area employers.

WHY NOW? The world has changed since 2015, with unpredictable interest rates, increases in remote work, variations in construction costs, changing customer tastes, and increased demand for additional housing to keep growing industry expanding in Marion County.  We want more residents, instead of more commuters.

WHO IS INVOLVED?  MCD has contracted once again with Maxfield Research who is a leading firm in the Midwest in housing development with over 30 years of experience.  Thanks to the donations by area businesses, communities and organizations, MCD is able to do this project.

Click Here to learn more.

Semien’s 5 RBIs, Seager’s home run lead Rangers over Diamondbacks 11-7 for 3-1 World Series lead

PHOENIX (AP) — Adolis García gathered Texas Rangers hitters in a clubhouse side room Tuesday afternoon and told them his World Series was over.

Max Scherzer was finished, too, injuries costing the American League champions their top slugger and potential Game 7 starting pitcher.

“Pull together guys. Let’s finish it!” Travis Jankowski recalled García saying.

Rangers batters not only bonded, they whipped through the Arizona Diamondbacks like a desert storm.

Marcus Semien’s two-run triple and three-run homer powered Texas to a 10-run lead by the third inning, Corey Seager hit another long home run and the Rangers won 11-7 to move ahead three games to one in the World Series.

“That took a lot of guts for him to come out there and speak,” Seager said of García. “He was vulnerable. He wants to be out there. He told us he loved us.”

Texas improved to a record 10-0 on the road this postseason and closed within one win of the first title in the 63-season history of a franchise that started as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961.

Nathan Eovaldi tries to clinch the third all-wild card Series on Wednesday night against Zac Gallen in a rematch of Game 1 starters.

“We’ve got our top guy on the mound now,” Semien said. “He’s a guy who’s been waiting for this moment the entire year.”

Forty-two of 49 previous teams to take 3-1 leads have gone on to win the World Series. The most recent club to overcome a 3-1 deficit was the Chicago Cubs against Cleveland in 2016.

Rangers batters built a 10-0 cushion by becoming the first team in Series history with consecutive five-run innings. Seager’s third two-run homer of the Series capped the second, Semien’s drive punctuated the third and Jonah Heim added an eighth-inning shot.

Texas scored its first 10 runs with two outs, battering an Arizona staff that needed four pitchers to get its first eight outs. Miguel Castro’s wild pitch brought home the first run, and an error by Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker — the first by either team in the Series — led to five unearned runs in the third.

“This was nothing that we saw coming,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It all came unraveled on us there in a matter of two innings.”

Seager and Semien, All-Star middle infielders signed as free agents for $500 million combined before the 2022 season, have six RBIs each in the Series. Seager, the first shortstop with three Series homers, has four long balls in his last five games dating to the AL Championship Series. After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 2020 title, he could join Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as the only two-time World Series MVPs.

Jankowski, replacing García in right field, singled in the second and hit a two-run double in the third in his first Series at-bats.

“I was locked in last night waiting, preparing to start. I didn’t get the official news until 2 o’clock today,” Jankowski said. “Shoot, I’ve been ready to go 15 years ago.”

Andrew Heaney, a 32-year-old lefty with his fifth big league team, earned the win by allowing four hits in five innings. Six relievers followed, with closer José Leclerc getting the final out.

“We had a 10-run lead. It’s a lot easier to go out there, attack the strike zone and not feel so confined to having to make perfect pitches,” Heaney said.

There was a festive mood at Chase Field, where the roof was open for the second straight night and some fans arrived in Halloween costumes.

Josh Jung doubled off opener Joe Mantiply leading off the second and in came Castro, who gave up García’s winning homer in the 11th inning of Game 1. Jung advanced on a groundout and put Texas ahead when Castro bounced a changeup off the plate for a wild pitch.

Semien hooked a slider that landed about 18 inches fair and bounced into the left-field corner for a two-run triple and a 3-0 lead.

“Looking for the outside corner. It didn’t do what I want to do. It just kind of stayed in the zone there,” Castro said through a translator.

Seager hit Kyle Nelson’s slider 431 feet off a video board above the right-center wall for his sixth postseason homer.

“Made a mistake to the wrong hitter,” Nelson said. “The plan was to carefully pitch around him.”

In the first World Series to open with three errorless games, Arizona’s defense cracked at an inopportune time. After singles by Jung and Nathaniel Lowe with one out in the third, Luis Frías relieved and Heim hit a sharp grounder to Walker, who had a chance for a double play but dropped the ball on the transfer as he looked to throw to second.

Jankowski doubled and Semien sent a fastball at the letters over the left-field wall for his first homer since Sept. 27.

“I hadn’t jogged around the bases in a while,” Semien said.

Heim had been 0 for 12 before his homer against Ryne Nelson.

TEAM HALLOWEEN

Rangers players gathered with their families at the team hotel at 10 a.m. About two dozen children were in costume, with Jankowski’s two sons and daughter dressed as a falcon, Spider-Man and Bingo from “Bluey.”

“I’m sure they’re all sugared up now, which is great,” Jankowski said after the game, breaking into a wide smile.

LATE SURGE

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth for Arizona and a three-run homer in the eighth against Chris Stratton. Tommy Pham had a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and Gabriel Moreno delivered a two-run single in the ninth.

STREAKING

Arizona’s Ketel Marte had two hits, extending his record postseason hitting streak to 20 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

García (left oblique) and Scherzer (back spasm) were removed from the Texas roster a day after getting hurt. INF/OF Ezequiel Durán and LHP Brock Burke were added, and Burke was charged with three runs in the eighth. … Seager appeared to twist one or both ankles on his home run swing. He was removed for for a pinch runner after doubling in the ninth and said he was fine. … Rangers rookie Evan Carter was hit on the right pinkie by a pitch in the ninth.

UP NEXT

Eovaldi is 4-0 with a 3.53 ERA in five starts this postseason. He left with a 5-3 deficit in Friday’s opener, allowing five runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Gallen gave up three runs and four hits over five innings in the opener and is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA in five postseason starts, yielding six homers in 27 1/3 innings.

3 northwest Iowa turkey operations hit with bird flu this month

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

State and federal officials have confirmed bird flu has hit a third commercial turkey operation in northwest Iowa.

The facility is in Buena Vista County and had about 30,000 turkeys on site. Another turkey production facility in Buena Vista County was hit by bird flu two weeks ago. On October 23rd, officials announced birds in a commercial turkey operation in neighboring Pocahontas County were being euthanized after bird flu had been detected there.

From April through September of this year, there were NO cases of bird flu reported in the state.

According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture, though, there were two outbreaks of bird flu at the beginning of the year — one in late January at a Buena Vista County turkey production facility and another in mid-March in a backyard flock in Chickasaw County.

DNR looking for gray fox as part of a research project

DES MOINES — The Iowa DNR is asking trappers for help with a study on Iowa’s gray fox population.

“We’re asking trappers who happen to catch a gray fox alive to contact me or wildlife technician Dave Hoffman directly so we can make arrangements to equip the animal with a neck collar and release it for tracking purposes as part of a research project. If they can’t reach us, another option is to contact their local wildlife biologist or conservation officer,” said Vince Evelsizer, furbearer biologist with the Iowa DNR.

Hoffman’s cell number is 641-425-0737; Evelsizer’s is 641-231-1522.

“Our gray fox population is down and we’re concerned. At this time, the cause for their population decline is unknown. We’re hoping this study will give us some data related to causes of mortality, habitat use, home ranges, etc., that we can begin to learn more about what is going on with this population.”

The gray fox population in Iowa and other Midwestern states has declined over the past 25 years. In Iowa, the population decline is correlated with increases in the population of coyotes, raccoons, and bobcats. Increasing coyote and bobcat populations may affect gray fox populations through competition and predation. Raccoons may impact gray fox populations through the spread of disease, particularly canine distemper virus. Canine distemper is common in raccoons, and gray fox are highly susceptible to this lethal disease.

Changes in Iowa’s forest habitat may also contribute to lower gray fox numbers. Mature, even-aged forests don’t support the prey base needed for gray fox. A combination of these factors, as well as potential other unknown factors, may have contributed to their decline.

Evelsizer said they are offering a $400 reward as an incentive for live-caught foxes that are healthy and used for the study.

Gray fox can be found statewide, but their core area is eastern and southern Iowa, in forested habitats, like cedar thickets, deciduous forests, the driftless region, on old farms and overgrown pastures.

They are smaller than the red fox with adults weighing up to 12 pounds. They have a seasonal diet feeding on birds and rodents, but eat young grasses in the spring, grasshoppers, crickets, mulberries, raspberries in the summer and wild plums, grapes, apples and pears in the fall. They are also capable of climbing trees, which is a unique feature for a member of the canine family.

Voting for Oskaloosa Main Street’s Young Ambassador Contest Has Begun

OSKALOOSA — Now is the time to place your votes for the Main Street Young Ambassador of your choice. Twenty local children, ages three through kindergarten are seeking monetary votes to become this year’s Young Ambassadors.

Local merchants who are sponsoring the children have banks with the name and picture of the child on the bank. Money placed in the canister of your choice is considered votes. As a reminder, any amount of money may be deposited. Proceeds will go to Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Preschool and the Main Street Oskaloosa Lighted Christmas Parade to be held Saturday, December 2 at 7 pm in Downtown Oskaloosa.

The winners of the Young Ambassador contest will be announced Monday, November 27, 2023, at 6:00 pm at the Penn Central Mall. Event includes music, entertainment, and of course Santa and gifts.  Participants are additionally invited to participate in the Lighted Christmas Parade.

Show your support by voting for these youngsters. For candidate and sponsor locations, call the Main Street office of the Mahaska Chamber & Development Group at 641-672-2591, or find a list on the Oskaloosa Main Street Facebook page.

Matthew Perry’s ‘Friends’ cast mates mourn their friend, say they are ‘all so utterly devastated’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The stars of “Friends” say they are mourning the “unfathomable” death of Matthew Perry.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer said in a joint statement to People on Monday. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”

From 1994 to 2004, each of the five actors appeared in every episode of all 10 seasons of the NBC sitcom along with Perry, who was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday at age 54.

“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” the statement said. “In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

It was the first public statement on Perry’s death from Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc or Schwimmer.

After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred giving a cause of death, which may take weeks to determine.

Others public mourning Perry on Monday included Salma Hayek, his co-star in the 1997 rom-com “Fools Rush In,” which Perry had said was probably his best film.

“It’s taken me a couple of days to process this profound sadness. There is a special bond that happens when you share dreams with someone, and together you work towards them,” Hayek said in an Instagram post. “Throughout the years, he and I found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude. My friend, you are gone much too soon, but I will continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance, and your lovely heart.”

Perry is being mourned by fans worldwide, including some who placed flowers and heartfelt tributes outside the New York building that served as an exterior for the show.

Others who worked with Perry expressed their sorrow on Sunday, included “Friends” co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, who said, echoing the style of the show’s episode titles, that this “truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”

Morgan Fairchild, who played mother to Perry’s Chandler Bing on the show, and Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler’s sometime girlfriend Janice, gave similar sentiments.

UI expert: Distracted walking could put trick-or-treaters at risk

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

Most of us have heard how dangerous distracted driving can be, and how the number-one distraction is our phones, but distracted walking can be equally as deadly, especially with Halloween tomorrow.

Elizabeth O’Neal, a professor in the University of Iowa’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, says parents should tell their kids to leave their phones alone while they’re trick-or-treating, or else they may get so distracted, they endanger themselves in traffic.

“All of us have seen it, if not engaged in it,” O’Neal says. “We have these handy little computers that we walk around with in our pockets, and a lot of the time, they are drawing our attention away from the task at hand — when we’re crossing roads.”

Most parents have drilled into their kids’ heads to look both ways before crossing a street, but O’Neal says that’s only two-thirds of a vital lesson.

“We always need to look left to the traffic that’s going to be closest to us when we’re crossing the roadway, look right to see traffic that’s coming in the farthest point, and then look left again,” O’Neal says, “because things that are in that traffic lane that are closest to us can change quickly. So, making sure the kids are looking left, right, and left again, is going to be really important.”

When trick-or-treating — and every day — O’Neal says we need to cross roads at a place where drivers are expecting pedestrians to be.

“So that’s going to be at intersections, corners, marked crosswalks,” O’Neal says, “and when possible, always crossing at a marked crosswalk or an intersection with a pedestrian crossing light.”

It’s said there’s safety in numbers, and there’s more visibility in numbers, but O’Neal says if your costumed kids are trick-or-treating in a group, they may be more prone to tricks, and trouble.

“As pedestrians, children are riskier when they’re in the presence of a peer, and when they’re engaging in the task with a peer, so at that age, it’s pretty rewarding to do risky things when you’re with your friends,” O’Neal says. “So encouraging your kids to make sure that they are crossing at those marked crosswalks, not darting across the street in the middle of the block.”

If the kids protest and don’t want adult chaperones, parents can keep tabs on the location of their little goblins by using GPS phone trackers or Apple Air Tags.

ISU Extension ‘Money Smart’ Statewide Virtual Series Begins Nov. 14

AMES, Iowa – As financial pressure from inflation continues, many Iowans may be worrying and wondering how they can cut costs and save money. The uncertainty may make anyone feel anxious about their personal financial security.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host “Money Smart: Prioritizing Bills, Credit and Debt,” a free, three-part, virtual series on Tuesdays, Nov. 14, Nov. 21 and Nov 28, from noon to 1 p.m. or 5:30-6:30 p.m. Participation in either the noon series or the evening series is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.

“This virtual series provides tools to help manage money effectively, make better financial decisions and live according to your priorities,” said Barb Wollan, a human sciences specialist in family wellbeing.

Participants will improve their financial wellbeing by developing an emergency spending plan, creating a prioritized bill paying strategy based on future consequences, developing skills to improve their own credit and learning strategies to manage debt.

The topics – prioritizing bills, protecting credit and managing debt – are presented in one-hour, online Zoom sessions.

Individuals may choose to register for either the noon series or the 5:30 p.m. series, as they will cover the same content. Human Sciences specialists in family wellbeing with ISU Extension and Outreach will lead the program using research-based strategies to decide which bills and monthly expenses to pay first, how to protect one’s credit history, and managing debt even when money is short.

Sessions are free to participate in with pre-registration required online by Sunday, Nov. 12. Register for the noon to 1 p.m. series at https://go.iastate.edu/CMHWBI or the 5:30-6:30 p.m. series at https://go.iastate.edu/AKC7PO.

Once an individual has registered, they will receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link and class information.

Questions can be directed to Barb Wollan at 515-832-9597 or bwollan@iastate.edu.

Iowa DNR to host open house on Lake Keomah improvement plans tomorrow

OSKALOOSA — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting an open house to discuss renovation and improvement plans for Lake Keomah State Park, from 5:30 – 8 p.m. on Nov. 1, at the Lake Keomah Lodge. The public is invited to attend.

The DNR will share plans for a lake restoration project at Lake Keomah to improve water quality and recreational opportunities. Construction is tentatively scheduled to start fall 2024 and continue into spring 2026. Planned improvements include additional watershed practices to protect the lake, stabilizing the shoreline, dredging in targeted areas, upgrading the boat ramp and trail, and improving fish habitat.

The address for the state park is 2720 Keomah Lane, Oskaloosa.

State XC Results: Osky’s Carter Shines, Pella Nearly Sweeps

By Sam Parsons

The state cross country meets wrapped up in Fort Dodge on Saturday, with plenty of area athletes in attendance.

One of the highlights of the meet was the trio of runners sent by Oskaloosa, as Tierney Carter, Emmalee Wells-Stout, and Will Roach constituted the biggest group sent by the school to the state cross country meet since 2016. Wells-Stout and Roach each earned identical 82nd place finishes, with the former clocking in at 20:47.8 and the latter finishing his run in 17:25.3. The sophomore Carter, however, was the standout for the Indians: in her second consecutive state cross country appearance, she bested her PR and brought home an 11th place finish at 19:14.1, earning all-state honors in the process.

Results for all area runners can be found below, with complete results available here.

Class 1A Girls

Team finishes: Pekin #6

17. Chloe Gosser – Pekin – 19:54.4

51. Lauren Steigleder – Pekin – 20:50.3

55. Audrey Fariss – Pekin – 20:55.4

59. Addison Achenbach – English Valleys – 20:57.6

76. Audrey Achenbach – English Valleys – 21:13.3

79. Olivia Norrish – Lynnville-Sully – 21:18.8

88. Emmerson Jedlicka – North Mahaska – 21:31.2

114. Abby Guise – Pekin – 22:42.3

120. Lexi Swearingen – Pekin – 22:51.6

132. Breanna Drish – Pekin – 23:27.3

134. Cambree Earnest – Pekin – 23:35.2

Class 1A Boys

Team finishes: Pekin #10

9. Gage Heyne – English Valleys – 16:25.6

10. Brady McWhirter – Pekin – 16:26.5

45. Brayden Veiseth – North Mahaska – 17:28.2

55. Jaedon Wolver – Pekin -17:44.4

69. Hendrick Lowry – Lynnville-Sully – 17:55.8

72. Kurt Kuhnen – Pleasantville – 17:59.1

85. Mason Dahlstrom – Pekin – 18:08.7

97. Cole Millikin – Pekin – 18:25.5

109. Colton Alberts – Lynnville-Sully – 18:38.6

118. Lane Fariss – Pekin – 18:52.9

134. Ben Guise – Pekin – 19:24.7

144. Dylan Sobaski – Pekin – 20:22.7

Class 2A Girls

Team finishes: Albia #9

2. McKenna Montgomery – Albia – 18:35.7

31. Bailey Vos – Pella Christian – 20:15.1

63. Serene Thompson – Albia – 20:52.5

68. Avery Major – Albia – 21:03.5

73. Jaclyn Holmes – Pella Christian – 21:10.5

79. Lila Milani – PCM – 21:20.2

90. Juliana Brown – Albia – 21:33.7

102. Olivia Sheffield – Albia – 21:54.4

104. Millia McAninch – Albia – 21:57.1

121. Lily Buckingham – Albia – 22:44.7

Class 2A Boys

Team finishes: Pella Christian #14

43. Sawyer Meinders – Pella Christian – 17:10.6

62. Garrett Pumphrey – Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont – 17:22.4

79. Deacon Branderhorst – Pella Christian – 17:40.7

84. Tysen DeVries – Pella Christian – 17:49.0

92. Paxton Bouma – Pella Christian – 18:02.7

101. Coby DeRaad – PCM – 18:16.8

109. Shaun Bos – Pella Christian – 18:34.0

119. Eli Hoksbergen – Pella Christian – 18:59.1

125. Logan Gallaher – Pella Christian – 19:46.5

Class 3A Girls

Team finishes – Pella #1

1. Marissa Ferebee – Pella – 18:38.6

11. Tierney Carter – Oskaloosa – 19:14.1

17. Autumn Blink – Pella – 19:30.5

25. Raegan Snieder – Pella – 19:43.4

30. Ruth Dunham – Pella – 19:48.1

49. Macy Schroeder – Pella – 20:08.8

50. Lizzie Neumann – Pella – 20:10.0

53. Elsie Brenneman – Pella – 20:12.4

82. Emmalee Wells-Stout – Oskaloosa – 20:47.8

Class 3A Boys

Team finishes – Pella #2

1. Canaan Dunham – Pella – 15:18.5

3. Nathan Vander Waal – Pella – 15:39.8

11. Devon Browne – Pella – 16:06.7

23. Mason Gaulke – Pella – 16:37.5

35. Liam Crites – Grinnell – 16:52.6

39. Stephen Gaul – Pella – 16:55.1

43. Cadel Conner – Grinnell – 16:57.5

62. Javin Doland – Newton – 17:09.0

72. Noah Schuknecht – Pella – 17:15.1

78. Aren Hellbusch – Pella – 17:20.7

82. Will Roach – Oskaloosa – 17:25.3

84. Landon Menninga – Newton – 17:26.1

113. Isaac Rankin – Knoxville – 17:51.1

Class 4A Girls

123. Jasmin Luedtke – Ottumwa – 20:56.4

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