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Official: Onslaught of Iowa, Neb. tornadoes rare

News, Weather

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A National Weather Service meteorologist says Friday evening’s tornado-spawning storms in northeastern Nebraska and northwestern Iowa were unusual for this time of year.  Meteorologist Mike Fuhs in the service’s Sioux Falls, S.D., office says it’s unusual to get “not just this many tornadoes this late, but tornadoes this strong.” As many as nine tornadoes hit the area from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Friday, and some “were quite powerful,” according to Fuhs.

Fuhs says a couple of the tornadoes are estimated to have been one-quarter to one-half mile wide. He says it’s too early to estimate where the tornadoes will rank on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which ranges from the weak EF0 to the top-of-the-scale EF5.

Villisca man steps on the gas instead of the brake: hits clinic Saturday

News

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A medical clinic in Villisca sustained $8,000 damage Saturday morning, after it was hit by an out of control pickup truck. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a 1998 Dodge 1500 pickup driven by 88-year old Gerald Raymond Maxwell, of Villisca, was pulling into a parking spot on the south side of the 300 block of East 4th Street at around 8:20-a.m., when Maxwell pressed on the gas instead of the brake.

The pickup jumped a curb and slammed into the Villisca Medical Clinic. No injuries were reported. Damage to the truck was estimated at $500. No citations were issued.

2 non-injury accidents in Villisca Friday

News

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say no injuries were reported following two separate accidents Friday, in Villisca. Just after 11-a.m., a pickup driven by 16-year old Blake Michael Haidsiak-Riggle, of Villisca, collided with a car driven by 16-year old Whitney Joyce Bales, of Prescott. The accident happened as Haidsiak-Riggle was traveling west on Depot Street, and was unable to make the turn due to the road conditions. The 1995 Ford F-150 he was driving slid into a southbound 2002 Chevy Impala driven by Bales, causing a total of $2,000 damage. No citations were issued, due to the road conditions.

The second accident happened at around 1:45-p.m., Friday in the 2900 block of 265th Street, in Villisca. Sheriff’s officials say a 2007 Kenworth semi tractor-trailer driven by 57-year old Ricky Charles Lukehart, of Red Oak, had been been pulling away from a stop sign and didn’t see a 2002 Chevy 1500 pickup being operated by 61-year old Allan Ernest Olson, of Griswold. The semi hit the right rear side of Olson’s eastbound truck, causing a total of $2,100 damage. Authorities say Lukehart was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop sign.

Michigan State beats Iowa 26-14

Sports

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Connor Cook threw for a career-high 277 yards and two touchdowns and Michigan State opened Big Ten play with a 26-14 win over Iowa on Saturday. Darqueze Dennard had a pair of interceptions for the Spartans (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who held the Hawkeyes (4-2, 1-1) scoreless in the second half.

Cook put Michigan State ahead to stay with a 37-yard TD pass to Bennie Fowler early in the third quarter. Freshman Michael Geiger added three field goals in the second half for the Spartans, who held Iowa to 23 yards rushing.

Mark Weisman ran for just nine yards on seven carries for the Hawkeyes, who lost for the first time since its season opener.

20 farmsteads destroyed in Woodbury County, Iowa

News

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An emergency management official says tornadoes destroyed nearly two dozen farmsteads in northwestern Iowa’s Woodbury County, and some 60 more have been damaged. County Emergency Management Director Gary Brown said Saturday that 20 farmsteads were destroyed in Friday night’s powerful storms. Brown says the storms cut a path 35 miles long through the county, from Sloan to Pierson.

Despite the massive damage, no one was killed. Only person suffered minor injuries in a car accident associated with the storm. Brown says at least a couple of hundred residences along the storm’s path are without power, mostly in rural areas. Some phone service is also out.

Brown says it’s too early for monetary damage estimates, but notes, “There’s a lot of cleanup to do here. There’s a lot of damage.”

Videos, photos show tornado damage in Neb., Iowa

News

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Videos and photos taken by the public and posted online show the extensive damage wrought by tornadoes in northeast Nebraska and northwest Iowa.

The images show a number of businesses, including a farm implement showroom and a grain elevator at Wayne, Neb., destroyed. Many other businesses and homes stretching from Wayne to Cherokee, Iowa, are missing roofs and sections of walls. Windows in buildings and vehicles have been smashed. A semitrailer and tractor can be seen overturned in some photos.

The National Weather Service says at least six, but as many as nine tornadoes ravaged the region as a powerful storm cell moved through the area Friday night. No deaths were reported, but 15 people in and around Wayne were treated for injuries.

This is Your Nishna Valley 10-05-2013

Podcasts, This is Your Nishna Valley

October 5th, 2013 by admin

w/ Jim Field and Lavon Eblen

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Iowa parents urged to take part in “Let’s Talk Month” with their kids

News

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

“The talk” about the birds and the bees isn’t something most parents look forward to having with their kids, but October is the month when parents are urged to have conversations with their teens about pregnancy prevention. Bobbie Jo Sheridan is a training and education coordinator at Eyes Open Iowa, an advocacy and education group based in Des Moines. Sheridan explains the goals of “Let’s Talk Month.”

“To encourage parents and their children to talk about healthy relationships, family values and sexual health,” Sheridan says. “We often find that kids want to hear this information from their moms and dads but moms and dads are uncomfortable sharing this information with their kids.”

Sheridan says communication is the name of the game in these important conversations. “We always encourage parents to just give the facts,” she says. “There’s lots of websites, EyesOpenIowa.org is one of them, where parents can find tons of information so they can provide medically-accurate information for their kid.” Sheridan says there is good news as a result of pregnancy prevention efforts.

“We are very fortunate in Iowa that we have a low teen pregnancy rate, but when we look at high school kids, about 43.9% of high school kids have had sexual intercourse, so that number is still quite high and we’d like to see it lowered.” Learn more at www.eyesopeniowa.org.

(Radio Iowa)

8-a.m. News, 10/5/13

News, Podcasts

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

An on-air recording of the News w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson (technical issues – I apologize for the poor quality sound)

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(Podcast) 8:17-a.m. Sports, 10/5/13

Podcasts, Sports

October 5th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

An on-air recording of the Sports w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson (technical issues – I apologize for the poor quality sound)

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