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Iowa early News Headlines: Sat., August 1st 2015

News

August 1st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nineteen Iowa counties will be getting federal help in their recovery from severe storms last month that delivered high wind, tornadoes, heavy rain, hail and thunderstorms A statement from the White House released Friday says President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration to help share the cost of emergency work, repair and replacement of facilities including roads and bridges with state and local government agencies.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by seven Iowa residents who claimed the city of Des Moines violated their constitutional rights by operating an automated speed detection camera on Interstate 235. Judge Charles Wolle says in an order filed Friday that previous rulings by the Iowa Supreme Court and another federal judge in Cedar Rapids establish the camera’s legality.

NODAWAY, Iowa (AP) — Officials estimate about 15,000 gallons of manure was spilled near a hog operation in southwest Iowa. The state Department of Natural Resources says manure ran out a pipe Thursday afternoon at a New Fashion Pork facility near Nodaway in Adams County.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Kenny Wallace has made more starts in NASCAR’s second-tier circuit than anyone. Yet he’s arguably known more for his TV work than his driving. Wallace is set for one last weekend in the spotlight before retiring from NASCAR as a driver. Wallace will make his 547th and final NASCAR Xfinity start Saturday night at Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Iowa Boys State Baseball Tournament Scores (7/31) & Championship Schedule (8/1)

Sports

August 1st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Friday’s Semi-finals
Class 3A
Waverly-Shell Rock 12, Boone 2
Harlan 6, Pella 5
Class 4A
SE Polk 14, Waukee 10
Iowa City/West 5, Cedar Rapids/Kennedy 2

Today’s Championship Games (8/1)
Class 1A
11:00-a.m. Mason City/Newman Catholic (38-4) vs. Pleasantville (35-3)
Class 2A
1:30-p.m. Waterloo/Columbus Catholic (32-5) vs. Clear Lake (29-11)
Class 3A
5:00-p.m. Waverly/Shell Rock (34-4) vs. Harlan (28-7)
Class 4A
7:30-p.m. SE Polk (32-13) vs. Iowa City/West (34-11)

Kenny Wallace preps for final NASCAR race

Sports

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Kenny Wallace has made more starts in NASCAR’s second-tier circuit than anyone. Yet he’s arguably known more for his TV work than his driving. Wallace is set for one last weekend in the spotlight before retiring from NASCAR as a driver. Wallace will make his 547th and final NASCAR Xfinity start Saturday night at Iowa Speedway.

Iowa has become known as a showcase for NASCAR’s youngest drivers. But the attention will be focused on the 51-year-old Wallace, the brother of track designer and Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

Flash Flood Warning: Ringgold/Union/Adams Counties

Weather

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

706 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…

NORTHWESTERN RINGGOLD COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA…

SOUTHWESTERN UNION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA…

EASTERN ADAMS COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN IOWA…

* UNTIL 100 AM CDT

* AT 704 PM CDT…DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS REPEATEDLY MOVING OVER PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA. A RELATIVELY NARROW RIBBON OF 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE MORE HEAVY RAINFALL. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE…

CRESTON…MOUNT AYR…CORNING…LENOX…DIAGONAL…PRESCOTT…

TINGLEY…CROMWELL…ARISPE…SHANNON CITY…KENT AND CRESTON

MUNICIPAL AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

TURN AROUND…DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD

DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

 

Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Western Harrison County

Weather

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

603 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN IOWA…UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 602 PM CDT…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR CRAIG…OR 37 MILES NORTHWEST OF OMAHA…MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

HAZARD…60 MPH WIND GUSTS AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED.

IMPACT…HAIL DAMAGE TO VEHICLES IS EXPECTED. EXPECT WIND DAMAGE TO ROOFS…SIDING AND TREES.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…

BLAIR…MISSOURI VALLEY…TEKAMAH…HOOPER…MONDAMIN…MODALE… PISGAH…UEHLING…CRAIG…OAKLAND…HERMAN…MAGNOLIA…LITTLE SIOUX…WINSLOW…DESOTO BEND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE…PELICAN POINT STATE RECREATION AREA AND SUMMIT LAKE STATE RECREATION AREA.

 

Harlan Cyclones advance to State Baseball Championship, Saturday

Sports

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Down 5-4 and with runners on second and third and two outs in the top of seventh inning, eighth grader Brett Sears looped the game-winning two RBI single down the left field line to propel the Cyclones to a 6-5 come from behind win over number two-seeded Pella in the Class 3A semifinals on Thursday afternoon.

Pella concluded their season 34-5. It was their second state tournament appearance in school history, and first since 1997. Number three-seeded Harlan will advance to the title game against Number one-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock (34-4). The championship game is set for Saturday, August 1 at 5 p.m. back at Principal Park.

 

Sept. 8th School Board elections set in Cass County

News

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Cass County Auditor/Election Commisioner Dale Sunderman has released the list of candidates for the September 8th School Board elections in Cass County.

Atlantic School Board Member At Large – 3 to be elected: The seven candidates include Douglas Bierbaum, Alison A Bruckner, Bob Drogo, Mark C Foegen, Dennis Schwanke, Keith R Swanson, and Jenny Williams, all of Atlantic. Current Board members Dennis Davis, Rod Hartwig and Phill Hascall are not running for re-election.

In the CAM School District, where School directors are voted upon at large, the lone candidate for the North District is Julie Williamson, of Wiota. In the South District, where one seat is available, your candidates are Todd McKee, of Massena, and Emily Rouse, of Cumberland.

In the Griswold School District, there is no candidate for the Griswold School Director 1 seat. The candidate for the Griswold School Director 2 seat is: Scott Hansen, of Griswold. The lone At Large candidate is Heather Pelzer, of Griswold.

In addition, patrons of the Atlantic Community School District will have a public measure in front of them on election day with regard to renewal of the 10-year PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy).

The ballot will say “Shall the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Community School District in the Counties of Cass, Pottawattamie, and Audubon, State of Iowa, be authorized for a period of ten (10) years, to levy and impose a voter approved physical plant and equipment tax not to exceed Eighty-five cents (85¢) per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district, and be authorized annually, in combination, as determined by the board, to levy a physical plant and equipment property tax upon all the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, and to impose a physical plant and equipment income surtax upon the state individual income tax of each individual income taxpayer resident in the school district on December 31 for each calendar year commencing with the 2016 calendar year, or each year thereafter, (the percent of income surtax not to exceed twenty percent (20%) to be determined by the board each year), to be used for the purposes permitted by Iowa law, it being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to levy a special tax for any one or more of the purposes permitted by Iowa law?”

1 dead, 1 injured in Monona County motorcycle crash

News

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A motorcycle accident in western Iowa’s Monona County has claimed the life of a Nebraskan, and resulted in injuries to another person, who is also from Nebraska. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1994 Honda motorcycle was traveling north on Interstate 29 just before 8-a.m., Thursday, when for reasons unknown, the cycle drifted into the right lane, then into the left lane, before it kept going into the median, where it crashed.The accident happened about a mile south of the Onawa exit.

Both victims on the cycle are from Omaha. An 81-year old died, while the other person, who is 78, was flown by helicopter to Burgess Hospital, in Onawa. No other information was released about the accident victims.

 

Officials close Gray’s Lake beach due to E. coli levels

News

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials have closed the beach at a popular park near downtown Des Moines because there’s elevated levels of E. coli in the water. The city’s parks and recreation department said Friday that the beach at Gray’s Lake Park is closed due to the bacteria levels. No swimming will be allowed until further notice.

Boat rentals are also not available and people are prohibited from bringing personal watercraft to the lake.

 

Guthrie County included in signed Presidential disaster declaration for Iowa June storm damage

News

July 31st, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nineteen Iowa counties will be getting federal help in their recovery from severe storms last month that delivered high wind, tornadoes, heavy rain, hail and thunderstorms A statement from the White House released Friday says President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration to help share the cost of emergency work, repair and replacement of facilities including roads and bridges with state and local government agencies and some nonprofit organizations.

The counties included are Allamakee, Appanoose, Butler, Clayton, Dallas, Davis, Des Moines, Guthrie, Howard, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Marion, Mitchell, Monroe, Warren, Wayne, Winneshiek, and Wright. A state preliminary damage assessment found the weather system in Iowa June 20-25 caused more than $5 million in damage.