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Hillaker talks about the climate and chances for rain

News, Weather

February 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Climatologist Harry Hillaker paid a visit to Atlantic, Tuesday, speaking to a group at the Cass County Community Center. He also sat down with KJAN’s Jim Field, to discuss the drought, and chances for rain this year. Hillaker says last Summer, Atlantic made the record books for the least amount of precipitation in one month. The trace of rain we received at KJAN…the official National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic…tied the record for the lowest rainfall in July.

He says following a good start to the growing season, with above normal precipitation in June, July was a terrible time for the crops. Still, he says overall Iowa’s crops weathered the hot dry Summer without much difficulty. He said “It wasn’t a great year by any means, but not as bad as, in most cases, what people would have guessed.” Hillaker says the concern now is with what this year has in store. He said “Iowa is kind of blessed, in that it has such good soils,” with a high-capacity to hold any moisture it receives. Eastern Iowa he says, fared better than the southwest part of the state precipitation-wise over the Fall and Winter, but the picture doesn’t look all that bad for us for now, anyway.

He said things were in the “ballpark of normal” last Fall…dry, but not extremely dry…certainly not as bad as 2011. Hillaker says any moisture we did get made its way into the ground. And, there’s still the months of March and April ahead of us, as well as parts of May, before the soil starts to use up the moisture it has stored. He says there’s a 50-50 chance we’ll be in “pretty good shape” locally, for soil moisture to start off the season. Hillaker says far northwest Iowa, northwest of a Sioux City to Mason City line, has had an extremely dry fall, and it would be a stretch for even a “normal” amount of precipitation to turn that situation around this Spring.

He says looking back at the drought records, they’ve found 20 other occasions where there was an unusually strong combination of heat and dryness. The records also indicated a pattern. And it’s not a very nice pattern, according to Hillaker, in that the season following a drought in Iowa, has also been on the “dry side of normal.” He says the rainfall may not be as low as in the previous year, and the temperature may not be as hot, but we can still expect it to be warmer than normal, and drier than normal.

He says people need to be prepared for a possible water shortage this Summer.

Backyard and Beyond 02-06-2013

Backyard and Beyond, Podcasts

February 6th, 2013 by admin

Lavon Eblen speaks with Cass County ISU Extension Program Coordinator Kate Olson about the upcoming Boots to Heels Conference.

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NW Iowa woman charged with 2 Nebraska crash deaths

News

February 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) – A woman from northwest Iowa has been charged with vehicular homicide for the Nebraska crash deaths of a 57-year-old woman and her 3-year-old granddaughter.  Twenty-seven-year-old Heather Reisdorph, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts.

Authorities say her vehicle ran into the back of one that was waiting to turn left off U.S. Highway 75/77 south of Dakota City on Jan. 6. The impact pushed the vehicle into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by another vehicle.   Patricia Oldenburg, of Homer, Neb., and her granddaughter, Regan Coenen, of Sioux City, Iowa, died. Eight-year-old Braden Coenen was injured.

8AM Sportscast 02-06-2013

Podcasts, Sports

February 6th, 2013 by admin

w/ Jim Field

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Safety group: Student athletes need bill of rights

Sports

February 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) – A coalition of more than 100 groups is recommending that student athletes have access to health care professionals, better-trained coaches and up-to-date equipment.  The recommendations released Wednesday are included in a call to action designed to protect the nearly 8 million students who participate in high school sports each year.

The Youth Sports Safety Alliance says health professionals such as athletic trainers or doctors should be available at every school. The group also is telling schools to warn students about performance-enhancing substances. It recommends creation of a national registry to track student athlete deaths. The alliance calls on schools to have clean and well-maintained facilities and require students to have a physical exam – including testing for concussions – before their season starts.

8AM Newscast 02-06-2013

News, Podcasts

February 6th, 2013 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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Heartbeat Today 02-06-2013

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

February 6th, 2013 by admin

Jim Field speaks with State Climatologist Harry Hillaker about the climate status in the Nishna Valley

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Iowa panel considers bill on breast density info

News

February 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Legislation that would require facilities offering mammograms to also give patients information on breast density will be considered by state lawmakers.  Democratic Rep. Helen Miller of Fort Dodge is the leading sponsor of the bill, which is scheduled for debate by a House subcommittee, today (Wednesday).

Women who have dense breast tissue have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than women with more fatty tissue, and it can be harder for a mammogram to catch a possible tumor.  The advocacy group Are You Dense says five states have established similar laws, including New York, Texas and California.  A recent study by the American Cancer Society showed that women with denser breasts had the same chances of breast cancer survival as patients with less dense breasts.

Program offers $2,000 tax credit to Iowa home buyers

News

February 6th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

A new program announced Tuesday by the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) is designed to provide tens of thousands of dollars in federal tax relief to hundreds of first time home buyers in the state. IFA Executive Director Dave Jamison says a program of this type hasn’t been offered in Iowa since the mid-1990s. The Take Credit! Mortgage Credit Certificate program allows eligible home buyers to qualify for up to $2,000 a year in federal income tax credits through the life of the mortgage. “Potentially, that’s a $60,000 difference to somebody,” Jamison says.

Eligibility for participation in the program varies by county, “But, we can roughly say if the household income for two is under $70,000 and the home purchase price is (under) $250,000, you’re in the ballpark,” Jamison says. The IFA has allocated $50 million toward the program.  “We expect that will help approximately 1,000 Iowans and it will run until the $50 million is allocated — or about a year is what we expect,” Jamison said.

About 100 lenders in Iowa are participating in the program. More information is available online at iowafinanceauthority.gov

(Radio Iowa)

7AM Newscast 02-06-2013

News, Podcasts

February 6th, 2013 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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