Twice a year, during the spring and fall, you may experience some degree of television interference due to a phenomenon known as “sun outages.” During the fall equinox, or September 27 to October 15, it is expected sun outages will occur.
Mahaska Communication Group (MCG) recently put out a press release advising customers of this possibility in our area.
A sun outage is an interruption in satellite signals caused by interference from solar radiation. The interference is caused when the sun is in direct line with a communication satellite and the sun’s radiation overwhelms the satellite signal.
Although this interference will cause an outage, the outage itself will only last up to fifteen (15) minutes at a time. During the outage, you may experience disruptions with picture quality and sound when watching television. Sun outages do not affect internet or phone service.
A rural Knoxville man was reported missing early Sunday morning on September 23 by his family. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from Ted Richard Roberts’ family saying they hadn’t had any communication with him in two to three weeks.
A missing persons report was sent out later that day as officials began to search his last known address.
Just four days later, on September 27, around 8:00 AM, members of Fire and Rescue and Law Enforcement from Marion and Jasper Counties began an organized search for Ted Richard Roberts north of Attica, Iowa.
Shortly after 9:00 AM, one of the search team members discovered the remains of Mr. Roberts in a field about 550 yards north of his residence. The scene was secured and a Marion County Medical Examiner investigator was called to the scene.
The remains of Mr. Roberts were transported to the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
The Iowa Department of Transportation in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration recently conducted an in-depth assessment of a portion of land north-northwest of Oskaloosa. The plan: building a bypass that converges north and south traffic on Highway 63 to Highway 163.
The idea of building such bypass has been on the thoughts of many for years now. The study began in July of 2013, recently the Environmental Assessment was released.
There is hard-hitting evidence that this could greatly improve traffic, accident rates and safety in and around Oskaloosa. The crash rate on Highway 63 above the statewide average, by almost 20-percent. From 2007-2011, the rural crash rates on Highway 63 were also higher than statewide averages.
Between 2010 and 2014 there were 171 crashes on Highway 63 within the Oskaloosa corporate limits, a stretch of road that is only 3.1 miles.
The Environmental Assessment addresses the need to improve traffic operations stating that “currently, all through traffic on U.S. 63 in the study area must travel through the city of Oskaloosa through its busiest intersection at U.S. 63 and IA 92 located along the west side of the City Square Park in downtown.” Many semi, freight and grain truck traffic operates on these routes coming from Eddyville, Bussey or Ottumwa area to travel north to New Sharon, Pella or traffic determined for Interstate 80.
By creating this bypass, semi and constant highway traffic will be kept out of the city of Oskaloosa. Freeing up one of the busiest intersections from turning or merging freight truck traffic in the city. The proposed bypass would begin on the intersection of Highway 163 and 235th Street, it would then meet Highway 63 roughly at 210th Street (East).
Mapped plans from the DOT Environmental Assessment document.
Within this assessment the DOT took research notes about the intended area and landscape. Making sure to log the various areas that were considered wetlands, woodlands, flood lands, prime farming land, the location of streams or rivers, and what the department determined as bad habitat. Listings of plant species located within the study area is also readily available.
A question some may have with this proposed bypass would be the widely talked about Regional Airport location. The assessment covered that as well. An Environmental Assessment was completed for the proposed airport for the Federal Aviation Administration in October 2016. The location of the proposed airport would lie just west of the proposed interchange of the U.S. 63 Oskaloosa Bypass and IA 163.
The Iowa DOT is soliciting comments on the document during the comment period which ends December 4, 2017. To be considered in the decision document, please email or postmark your comments by that date and send them to:
Jay Christensen is stepping down as CEO of Mahaska Health Partnership, effective immediately.
Christensen led the Hospital as CEO for 18 years. He was involved in several building and expansion projects, including the Hospice Serenity House, the clinic addition and the new Patient Care Wing, opened in 2013, which houses Inpatient Services, Surgical Services and the Birthing Center.
“The Board of Trustees is appreciative of Jay’s many years of service, but believes this change is in the best interest of the hospital,” said MHP Board of Trustees Chair David Langkamp. “Given the rapidly changing healthcare landscape, the Board decided a change in leadership now will put MHP in the best position moving forward to continue to serve the healthcare needs of Mahaska County and the surrounding communities.”
“The Senior Team Leaders are working together with other leadership during this time of transition at MHP,” Langkamp said. “They, along with the MHP Board of Trustees, are confident that MHP will move forward and become an even stronger healthcare organization.
“We are continuing our efforts at physician recruitment and remain focused on providing high quality patient care to the communities we serve.”
Beginning at 7:30 AM next Monday October 2nd, Mahaska County will be doing pavement repair, widening and overlaying Old Hwy 102/G-5T.
The project will begin north of the South Skunk bridge, south of 155th street and proceed north and easterly to a point approximately 1320 east if the intersection of County Roads T-33 and Old Hwy 102 or G-5T.
The second section of the project will begin at the intersection of T-22 and G-5T and proceed north to the south City Limits of Peoria.
The project is scheduled to be completed in 30 working days which is the 13th of November weather permitting. The project is intended to keep one lane open for traffic through the use of flaggers and pilot cars. The possibility of complete closure time will be kept to a minimum.
We ask those that commute on this road to allow for extra time to deal with the one-lane traffic or the detour route is down Hwy 63 from New Sharon to Hwy 92 in Oskaloosa then west to Hwy 163 and back to Pella.
The lane widths during this work will make it unsuitable for wide loads, so using the detour is advised. Mahaska County asks for your patience as we complete this project so as to try to get project completed earlier.
If you have any questions you can call me at my office at 641-672-2897.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Administrator Steven J. Peterson today announced that physical loss loans are available for 10 counties in Iowa, due to four separate disaster events. Farm operators who have suffered major physical losses caused by excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, hail, high winds, lighting and tornadoes that occurred from June 22 through August 18, 2017, may be eligible for emergency loans.
For the June 22 disaster event, an Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification has been issued for Butler and Franklin counties as the primary damaged area.
Additionally, 10 Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for programs based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Black Hawk, Bremer, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin and Wright.
For the June 28 disaster event, an Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification has been issued for Fremont, Jones, Linn, Marion, Page and Taylor counties as the primary damaged area.
Additionally, 20 Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for programs based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Adams, Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Lucas, Mahaska, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Polk, Ringgold, Union and Warren.
For the Aug. 10 disaster event, an Administrator’s Physical Loss Notification has been issued for Clinton County as the primary damaged area.
Additionally, four Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for programs based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Cedar, Jackson, Jones and Scott.
FSA’s low interest emergency loans may be made available to any applicant with a qualifying loss in the counties named above. Approval is limited to applicants who suffered severe physical losses only.
Physical loss loans may be made to eligible farmers and ranchers to repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agriculture operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops and hay.
Producers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans for physical losses.
Please contact FSA for more information on loan eligibility and the application process. FSA office information is available at offices.usda.gov. Additional FSA disaster assistance program information is available at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
The Main Street Program of the Oskaloosa Area Chamber & Development Group has held the Young Ambassador Contest for several years to raise funds to promote the Lighted Christmas Parade. The contest is fun for kids and parents all across Mahaska County. Main Street is seeking area boys and girls ages three through kindergarten to enter, as well as businesses willing to display the canisters of one or more children. The Young Ambassadors will be Oskaloosa representatives at the 2017 Lighted Christmas Parade, November 30, 2017. This Year’s Theme is “30 Years of Christmas Past”.
Entries for candidates will be accepted through Friday, October 20; so enter today! To enter, submit to the Main Street Office of the OACDG (222 1st Ave East) a recent photograph (no larger than 3 x 5) with the name, address, phone number, date of birth of the child, the parents’ name on the back of the picture and $5.00 fee for registration.
Businesses may request to sponsor their own children or children of their employees. Business sponsors are asked to display a secure bank that will be provided for collecting monetary votes for the candidates. Voting will take place October 30 through November 27, 2017.
The Young Ambassadors will be determined based upon amount of money they receive in their canisters.
The Young Ambassadors will be announced Monday, November 27 at 6:00 PM in Center Court of Penn Central Mall. All participants will receive prizes. In addition, all candidates will be invited to participate inthe Main Street Lighted Christmas Parade, Thursday, November 30.
This Saturday, during halftime of the Statesmen football game against Avila, three new members will be inducted into the William Penn University Athletics Hall of Fame.
BG Campbell (Class of 1975) was described by teammates as one of the most influential members of the men’s golf team.
He was named to the All-Iowa Conference Tournament team three years in a row, and during his final season, Campbell led the program to its second conference title and only outright title in program history, winning the 1974 Iowa Conference Tournament.
“This is such a nice honor and I am really excited to be a part of it (Athletic Hall of Fame),” Campbell said. “I had a nice time at the college and had great teammates which made for a great experience.”
Steven Dawley (Class of 2011), was an integral part in helping the Statesmen football team post some of the best rushing statistics in the history of the program and in the NAIA. The navy and gold led the nation in rushing in 2010 with 4,476 yards (406.9 per game).
In his recommendation for Dawley, Head Coach Todd Hafner said, “Steven was the best offensive lineman this staff has ever coached.”
During Dawley’s career, the team was 29–16 and tied a school record for most wins in 2010, going 10–1. The team also won its first conference crown since 1976.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted into this group of great athletes; it’s very surreal,” Dawley said.
Brian Theobald (Class of 1989) was a great competitor and one of the most important players in building William Penn’s baseball teams in the late 1980s. He was a four-year starter who led the team to two Iowa Conference titles in 1986 and 1988. He was an excellent hitter and outfielder, as well as electric on the mound as a starting pitcher.
A career .300 hitter, Theobald still ranks in the top 10 in career hits and owns the fourth most at-bats in program history. He is one of just a handful of players in program history who effectively handled both pitching and everyday player duties with excellence.
William Penn will honor Campbell, Dawley, and Theobald at the 2017 Athletics Hall of Fame Reception held during homecoming week. They will receive their awards Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Penn Activity Center and will then officially be inducted during halftime of WPU’s game vs. Avila (1 p.m. kickoff).
Story by Wade Steinlage, WPU Sports Information Director
Oskaloosa had a rough time getting going in conference play this season, but the netters have responded with two confidence building wins heading into the stretch run before the playoffs.
Osky won by scores of 25-20, 25-16, 25-23. Most of the match was played back and forth, but the Indians were sure to stay close and put sets away when the window of opportunity opened.
The Indians were led by Josie Bunnell, who logged 13 kills on the night. Emma Kelderman was also a major piece to the Osky puzzle, as she finished with 10 kills. Sophomore setter Jolie Yang was able to find players like Taylor Wills and Baylee Crawford multiple times to lead the balanced Indian attack.
With the win, Oskaloosa is now 6-11 on the season and 2-3 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. The team will be on the road this Saturday to play four games at the Urbandale Tournament.
Their next conference matchup will be a tough one, as the Indians go on the road to face #2 Pella. That match can be heard live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app starting with the pregame show around 7 PM.
Town Square Dental sits on the north side of the Oskaloosa downtown square and just last week unveiled their newly restored interior with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Many of the most fascinating aspects don’t just come from the first floor that has been renovated, but also what has been practically left untouched upstairs.
Upon entry into the main lobby the new front desk sticks out at you, along with all of the beautiful handcrafted woodwork that is milled from all Iowa native trees. The ceiling is the original stamped tin ceiling that is featured throughout the building.
Town Square Dental had once been under a smaller roof until the business took over the building that was previously Alan Adams photography building, the studio has since moved to the photographer’s personal property north of Oskaloosa.
Many of the exam rooms have exposed brick work and are equipped with the latest dental equipment.
In the reception area, a photograph of the original wallpaper that was beneath the stamped tin on the walls now hangs above the fireplace. A unique feature at the forefront of the area because the bricks that created the fireplace are original from the building. The walkway that connects the lobby to reception area was once a full brick wall, but the contractors had cut almost exactly where the brick was once laid when it was last patched up. The original slate flooring has been cleaned and polished in the southwest corner of the waiting room.
Dentistry cabinet from Dr. Bowie’s GrandfatherDentistry cabinet from Dr. Tom Bowie’s Father
Family traditions and small pieces of the business’ history were restored and kept in the reception area. Historical photographs from Dr. Tom Bowie’s father and grandfather were preserved and found a home on each of their original dental cabinets, which still had original medicine and tools in their drawers.
Towards the rear of the office, the hallway connecting the from lobby and reception area to the dental rooms provides guests with a miniature museum tour of what was once housed in the building. Photographs of antique dental equipment taken by Rachel Venema photography graces the wall. A collage gallery of the original stamped tin wall coverings which were found throughout the office were created by Rachel Venema and Janel Campbell.
The climax in many tours throughout the office was found toward the end of the hallway where an exposed brick wall held many memories, historical moments and signatures of those from the 1880’s. It has been sealed with a graffiti sealant to avoid smudging of the signatures, and it is definitely a focal point of the office.
“Louis A. Hohn, the town of Oskaloosa was honored in the year 1880”Many of the signatures on the wall date back to the 1880s.
Shayla Van Wyk said the office had a minor difficulty when it came to the paper trail between the old location of Dr. Tom Bowie’s office, which was house in the Mercy Medical building on North Market Street. The offices officially culminated under one roof on April 3rd.
Town Square Dental has four staffed hygienists, three doctors – including Eric De Boef, Kara Weishaar, and Tom Bowie – three full time front desk employees, four assistants and Mary Beth, who is a part-time cross-trained employee.
Many of the staff actually had a personal hand in the renovations and final touches of the office space. Staff spent some of their own time to paint or stain various rooms and fixtures.
Cary Van Kampen guided representatives KBOE/KMZN representatives Kate Sterner and Miranda Keeler upstairs, curious as to what other pieces of history and secrets the walls held.
Vintage wallpaper, high ceilings, original wood work and flooring were some of the unique aspects of the second floor. Many of the upstairs rooms had large skylights to let natural light flood into the rooms. Many of the rooms had an exterior door that led to a long hallway which divided the two sides of the building that had since been converted into a single structure.
One of the most unique rooms was what could be described as the floral room*. Signified by the 1970’s themed wallpaper, this quaint, natural-lighted room overlooked the downtown square. Filled with furniture from the same decade, it was a room lost in time. In one corner of the room lay the same antique dental equipment that was photographed by Venema and hung downstairs.
Van Kampen has many plans for the nearly 12 rooms upstairs. Condensing and renovating many of them into suites.
“We’ve heard Musco say that sometimes they could really use a furnished studio place for a couple weeks or even up to a month,” said Van Kampen.
Van Kampen intends to have three to four units in the upstairs portion of the Town Square Dental building. Other plans include creating a fitness center for employees, a board room to hold staff meetings and a rooftop patio.
This room would ideally be featured as a studio apartment with walls on wheels, stated Van Kampen.
Without getting an architect involved, Van Kampen believes the space upstairs could be converted into two larger units, one small studio and a larger studio styled unit that is equipped with walls on wheels.
The last room Van Kampen seen on the tour was a large flat that currently holds the only access point to the roof. He hopes this large room would be converted into apartment with movable walls to offer versatility and uniqueness.
Though no renovation or contract date is set in place for the second floor of the Town Square Dental building, it comes to no surprise that much of the history was preserved and remembered within the building. With the minute details and decor touches within the dental office itself, it lends itself to be a modern with a historical flair.
– Miranda Keeler, News Director
mkeeler@kboeradio.com
* Editor’s depiction… if given the ability to name rooms.
