(Radio Iowa) – A storm front pushed hazardous weather through the state Tuesday afternoon and evening, spawning hail and damaging winds in some areas. National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Donovan says northern Iowa took the brunt of it. “We did have a couple of tornado confirmations certainly around the Gilmore City area in addition to near Bode and Harvey up in Humboldt County as well, so we will be sending storm survey crews up there today to really determine the damage,” Donovan says. “We have actually had some other potential areas that we could have some minor or isolated tornado touchdowns as well.”

Hail that was a bit larger than two-and-a-half inches in diameter was reported near Gilmore City. There were no reports anyone was injured in Tuesday’s storm. Cool and windy conditions remain in the forecast for the next few days. “Really, overall kind of an unpleasant day Thursday where we’ll have wind gusts in that 40-50 mile range through most of the day,” Donovan says.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, Tuesday evening, arrested a Nebraska man two Montgomery County warrants. Authorities say 34-year-old Charles R. Brown III, of Omaha, was arrested in Red Oak on warrants charging him with a Probation Violation on an original charge of assault causing bodily injury, and a second charge of Child Endangerment causing Bodily Injury.

Brown was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10,000 bond for the assault charge, and a $5,000 bond for the child endangerment charge.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The City of Audubon has a new, full-time Police Officer. According to the City Council minutes from their meeting on Monday, Sean Staples was hired. He will be on probation for a couple of months. Officer Derrick Seaton has turned in his resignation, and was hired by the County.

In Fire Department news, it was noted radios are in all vehicles, and handhelds are being tested. Next week Motorola is to meet with County about a tower. Some of the officers attended a class to understand ISO ratings. The Fire Association is starting up fundraising again. April 23rd will be a comedian at the Parish Center. May 28th will have the annual Golf Tournament.

Chief Tyler Thygesen discussed with the Council a change in the floor plan to try and add a severe weather shelter. He also discussed putting the matter back on the ballot for the November General Election. And, the Council adopted a resolution that approves the hiring of TJ Jacobsen as a Volunteer Firefighter.

Theresa Murray , representing the Audubon Chamber, addressed the Council about a letter sent to them. She stated that she had talked to Barb Smith about the Christmas lights and was told that the City put them up in the past. Mayor Jacobsen stated that when she talked to Barb Smith she got a different answer. Mayor Jacobsen stated that the new resolution would establish a process for use of City property that would clarify who is responsible along with when and how long. Molly Christensen explained that the Chamber has never in an official capacity put them up or taken them down. It has been by volunteers. The Chamber does not want to be involved in the hanging of the Christmas lights.

The Council moved to adopt the First Reading of this Ordinance that amends the width of R-2 and R-3 property. It essentially allows homes to be built on smaller lots.  They then waived the second and third readings. In other action, the Audubon City Council approved eliminating the cap and setting a 5- year sliding scale for abatement. And, they agreed to set the Public Hearing on the Amendment to the Urban Revitalization Plan for May 9^th, at 5:30pm

(Radio Iowa) – By an overwhelming margin of 73-to-17, the Iowa House has voted to make changes in Iowa’s popular Bottle Bill. The Senate passed similar, but not identical legislation last month. Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant says it’s a watershed moment for the law that assesses a nickel deposit on containers of beer and pop, to encourage customers to recycle the empties and get their nickels back.

“For many years now we have discussed and negotiated ad-nauseum how to modify and update this law so that we can correct the problems that have developed,” Lohse says. “…The rate at which Iowans have redeemed cans and bottles appears to be shockingly low…The number of places or lack thereof for consumers to redeem them have consistently dwindled over the years.”

The House and Senate now have both voted to let grocery stores quit accepting empty beer and pop containers and repaying deposits, but the House has added a new twist. Any grocery store that continues to serve as a redemption site would be paid a handling fee of three cents per container. That’s the new rate redemption centers in the business of just handling empty containers would get, too.

Lohse says it makes sense to reward grocery stores that would keep paying back customers’ deposits. “If they’re going to do what redemption centers do, then they should should also not feel the pain of one cent,” Lohse says, “which is part of the problem that we have currently.” The House-passed plan has a reporting mechanism to try to figure out the amount of unpaid deposits wholesale distributors of beer are keeping, but that’s not included in the bill the Senate passed in late March.

Any changes in Iowa’s bottle and can deposit law would have to pass the House and Senate in identical form before a bill would be sent to the governor.

(Omaha/Valley, NE) – The National Weather Service is compiling information with regard to the severe storms that passed through Nebraska and Iowa, Tuesday evening and Tuesday night. In this area:

• Pea-size hail was observed at KJAN in Atlantic, at around 9:45-p.m.
• Pea-to-Dime size hail in Templeton (Carroll Co.) at 9:19-p.m. along with 70-mph winds
• A Tornado debris signature was picked-up on radar 4-miles NE of Logan (Harrison County) at around 8:20-p.m. The debris signature continued northeast until just east of Woodbine.
• At around 9:25-p.m., the public reported one-inch diameter hail in Malvern (Mills County)
• Dime-size hail was reported in Little Sioux (Harrison Co.) at around 8-p.m.
• Nickel-size hail was reported 3 miles W. of Ute (Monona County), at around 5:35-p.m.

There were numerous reports of tornadoes or funnel clouds out of northwest and north central Iowa, including near Gilmore City and Humboldt, along with large hail. Gilmore City had tennis ball size (2.5″ hail at around 6:48-p.m.  There were many reports of winds near or in excess of 70-p.m. at the line of intense storms passed through the state.

(Hamburg, Iowa) – A woman from Missouri was arrested Tuesday on a warrant associated with an incident that occurred in Fremont County on Feb. 19, 2022. According to Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope, on Feb. 19th, Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office initiated a pursuit of a vehicle driving 100 mph southbound Interstate 29 near the 8-mile marker. During the pursuit, deputies observed the driver throw a firearm from the vehicle. The gun was recovered and found to be reported stolen out of Missouri.

Deputies and Missouri law enforcement agencies pursued the vehicle south of Mound City, Missouri, approximately 50 miles from the start of the pursuit, where spike strips were deployed, ending the pursuit. The driver of the vehicle, 35-year-old Crystal Clark, of St Joseph, Missouri, fled from the vehicle and was later apprehended by Missouri law enforcement and released pending Iowa charges.

Crystal Clark

A warrant was requested, and on April 12th, 2022, Clark was extradited back to Fremont County Iowa. She was taken into custody on charges that include: Theft 2nd Degree; Eluding while participating in a felony, and Trafficking in Stolen Firearms. Clark’s bond was set at $15,000.

Creston, Iowa— Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report a collapsed streambank and broken sewer line on Hurley Creek, in Creston, resulted in a wastewater discharge to the creek today (Tuesday).

The cast iron sewer line broke when the streambank caved in. Discharging at about five gallons per minute, the untreated wastewater is entering Hurley Creek near the North Spruce Street bridge south of West Spencer Street.

The DNR advised keeping children and pets away from the creek for 24 to 48 hours after the discharge stops.

The city was working to quickly repair the broken line.

(Radio Iowa) – President Biden visited an Iowa ethanol plant this (Tuesday) afternoon to highlight his administration’s move to allow nationwide sales of E-15 during the summer months. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw says it’s the single most important step Biden could have taken to keep fuel costs down this summer.

“It’s keeps a cheaper fuel that’s more ‘Made in America’ in the market when we’re dealing with these overseas oil embargoes of Russia and all this stuff that’s driving up prices,” Shaw says. In parts of rural Iowa, E-15 is about 30 cents per gallon cheaper than gasoline with 10 percent ethanol and it’s a cheaper option near Shaw’s office in suburban Des Moines.

“Down the street from me there’s one store on one side of the street that’s selling E15 10 cents under and the store on the other side of the street is selling it for 20 cents under E10,” Shaw says, “so you know which one I go to.” Some stations in Minnesota and other parts of the country have E-15 priced 50 cents a gallon cheaper than E-10.

The Trump Administration moved to allow year-round sales of E-15 in 2019, but a recent court ruling in a lawsuit filed by the oil industry would have blocked sales in much of the country this summer.  “We really appreciate what President Biden is doing not just to help Iowans and Americans save money this year, but E15 won’t leave the marketplace,” Shaw says.

“There won’t be a disruption and we’ll continue to work with them on a permanent fix.” There are 22-hundred gas stations in Iowa and about 275 of them offer E-15. “Consumers who have access to E15 are going to continue to save money,” Shaw says. Shaw was among the crowd at the POET plant near Menlo for today’s (Tuesday’s) event.

(Radio Iowa) – President Biden has taken a temporary step to ensure E-15 can be sold year-round.

Biden spoke about the decision to a crowd of invited guests inside an ethanol plant near Menlo Tuesday afternoon.

Biden says energy prices are the major driver of inflation right now.

Emily Skor is executive director of Growth Energy, a trade association for ethanol producers. Skor says the president has made a commitment to find a permanent fix.

In 2019, the Trump Administration moved to allow nationwide E-15 sales from June to mid-September.

Twitter photo of Pres. Biden at POET Biorefining, via Christian Datoc, White House Correspondent, Washington Examiner.

A federal judge ruled in favor of the oil industry’s challenge of that move and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. That means the litigation path for addressing this issue is closed and Skor says the industry is pursuing two options: E-P-A action or passage of a bill in congress.

Iowa Farm Bureau president Brent Johnson says ethanol is a major market for one of Iowa’s main crops and Biden’s announcement helps stabilize the ethanol industry.

Biden made the announcement in a storage barn for dried distillers grain — by by-product of ethanol production and hosts left a 300 ton pile of it inside for the event.. Michael Walz is a V-P for POET, the company that owns the facility Biden visited.

POET operates 33 ethanol plants in eight states.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Harlan Police Department reports three, recent arrests. On Saturday, April 9th, 24-year-old Miranda Marie Shamblin, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Shamblin was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with assault and interference with official acts.

On April 6th, 27-year-old Mackenzie Ann Robinson, of Harlan, was arrested by Harlan Police on an active Shelby County warrant. Robinson was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with violation of a no contact order.

And on April 5th, 28-year-old Brandon Christopher Allen, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Allen was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with violation of a no contact order.