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Council Bluffs man run over by van in hit-and-run

News

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Council Bluffs man is hospitalized after he was struck by a van and run over while trying to cross the street.

Police say 51-year-old Robert Whitmore stepped into the street about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday and was hit by a dark-colored SUV. Visibility at the time was limited because of heavy rain.

Whitmore suffered a broken back and broken ribs. He was taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., where a report on his condition is not being released.

Thursday Girls State Tennis Results

Sports

June 2nd, 2011 by Jim Field

Class 1-A Singles First Round:

  • Elizabeth Metheny (Atlantic) defeated Amanda Stefanik (Oksaloosa) 6-3, 6-1
  • Sarah Dalton (Dubuque Wahlert) defeated Chelsy Petersen (Harlan) 6-0, 6-0
  • Kristy Carr (Ballard) defeated Catie Faust (Council Bluffs St.  Albert) 6-0, 6-1

Class 1-A Singles Quarterfinals:

  • Sarah Dalton (Dubuque Wahlert) defeated Elizabeth Metheny (Atlantic) 6-1, 6-0

Class 1-A Singles Consolation First Round:

  • Erin Olson (Estherville-LC) defeated Catie Faust (Council Bluffs St.  Albert) 6-4, 6-2
  • Elizabeth Metheny, Atlantic defeated Erin Olson, Estherville-LC, 6-4, 7-5

Consolation Semifinals (Friday)

  • Ena Alcan, Fairfield, vs. Elizabeth Metheny, Atlantic

Class 1-A Doubles First Round:

  • Rachel Pierson/Emily Pierson (Red Oak) defeated Haley Resnick/Jamie White (Davenport Assumption) 6-0, 6-0
  • Whitney Schipper/Ashley Dohlman (Aplington-Parkersburg) defeated Kristen Alesch/Rachel Ingram (Denison-Schleswig) 6-4, 6-1
  • Lindsay McGonegle/Lindsay McManus (Waterloo Columbus) defeated Beth Reiter/Teal Driscoll (Clarinda) 6-4, 6-2

Class 1-A Doubles Quarterfinals:

  • Rachel Pierson/Emily Pierson (Red Oak) defeated Kim Bearbower/Rachel Schaefer (Waterloo Columbus) 6-1, 6-0

Class 1-A Doubles Consolation First Round:

  • Kristen Alesch/Rachel Ingram (Denison-Schleswig) defeated Haley Resnick/Jamie White (Davenport Assumption) 6-4, 7-5
  • Beth Reiter/Teal Driscoll (Clarinda) defeated Kim Chishom/Courtney Huebsch (Osage) 6-4, 6-0

Consolation Quarterfinals

  • Alli Gerking/Aubry Kolegraff, Spirit Lake/Okoboji, defeated Kristen Alesch/Rachel Ingram, Denison-Schleswig, 6-1, 6-1
  • Beth Reiter/Teal Driscoll, Clarinda, defeated Colby Hoyer/Ashley Tinguely, Holy Trinity Catholic, 6-2, 6-2

Consolation Semifinals (Friday)

  • Beth Reiter/Teal Driscoll, Clarinda vs. Kim Bearbower/Rachel Schaefer, Waterloo Columbus

DNR REQUESTING SUSPENSION OF RECREATIONAL BOATING ON MISSOURI RIVER, OPENS STATE PARK FOR EVACUEES

News

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources closed all state run boat ramps on the Missouri River Thursday morning and is requesting that the U.S. Coast Guard suspend recreational boating on the river due to dangerous river flows and flooding conditions.

In addition, the DNR has suspended the 14-day maximum length of stay rule for people who had to evacuate their homes from the Missouri River flood and choose to camp at Waubonsie State Park in Fremont County.
“We will look at waiving the maximum length of stay at other state parks in western Iowa if the need arises,” said DNR Director Roger Lande.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing the water release to record levels from the series of federal dams on the Missouri River beginning at Fort Peck in Montana.  Closer to Iowa, the Gavins Point Dam, at Yankton, S.D., will more than double its record flow of 70,000 cubic feet per second to a projected 150,000 CFS by mid June.

“We are expecting to see record flooding along the Missouri River and as a safety measure, we are closing all of our boat ramps and are encouraging our city and county partners to close theirs as well,” said Lande.

The projections from the Corps indicate that ramps could be closed as long as six weeks, or more, depending upon additional precipitation in the watershed.  Once flows return below 70,000 CFS, boat ramps can be reopened after passing inspection.

In addition to boat ramps, the DNR has closed and removed the staff at Wilson Island State Recreation Area, north of Council Bluffs, and is watching the levee separating Lake Manawa State Park from the Missouri River.

“The levee at Lake Manawa has never been tested for this length of time like it will during this flood,” Lande said.  “The levee will be carefully monitored for signs of stress.”

Gov. Branstad issues Disaster Proclamation for 6 Counties along the MO. River

News

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

(DES MOINES) – Governor Terry E. Branstad has issued a disaster emergency proclamation for six counties bordering the Missouri River: Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury.

The Governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to prepare for, respond to and recover from the effects of predicted flooding due to increased releases from reservoirs on the upper Missouri River.

The Iowa Department of Transportation will provide dump trucks to Woodbury County to assist in building an earthen berm along the river to hold back flood waters.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources closed all state run boat ramps on the Missouri River Thursday morning and is requesting that the U.S. Coast Guard suspend recreational boating on the river due to dangerous river flows and flooding conditions.

Leader of anti-gay marriage effort dismisses “Iowa Republicans for Freedom”

News

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A Republican who’s leading the effort to ban “same-sex” marriage in Iowa dismisses a new pro-gay marriage group called “Iowa Republicans for Freedom” as out-of-step with Iowans. Jeff Angelo of Ames, and formerly of Creston, supported a ban on gay marriage in Iowa when he was a state senator representing southwest Iowa, but Angelo says he’s changed his thinking on the issue and wants to get his party to change, too. Bob Vander Plaats is the president and C-E-O of The Family Leader, a group that promotes “traditional” marriage between a man and a woman.

“I don’t see Republicans embracing this from Jeff. I don’t see conservatives embracing this from Jeff,” Vander Plaats says. “As a matter of fact, I think most Republicans and most conservatives are going to look at this as, ‘Oh, this is politics as usual. They’ll say one thing to get our vote. They’ll say another thing when they’re in office and then once they leave office, they’re going to say another thing.'”

A Gallup poll released this week found 66 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 think gay and lesbian relationships are morally acceptable. Angelo says he’s formed “Iowa Republicans for Freedom” so his party doesn’t continue to lose ground with younger voters. Vander Plaats isn’t interested in Angelo’s math.

“If Jeff wants to be the politician who runs to where the numbers are going to be, that shows us, you know, there are just no core values,” Vander Plaats says. “And we’re looking for people with core values.”

Vander Plaats led the effort last year to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices who had signed onto the court’s unanimous, 2009 ruling on same-sex marriage. That group’s name was “Iowa for Freedom.” Angelo has named his new, pro-gay marriage group “Iowa Republicans for Freedom.”

(Radio Iowa)

Tiny hamlet of Hamburg may vanish with flood, evacuations underway

News

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Residents in the far southwest Iowa town of Hamburg are being forced from their homes by the flooding Missouri River. Hamburg Fire Chief Dan Sturm says about half of the town is threatened by the rising, dirty water, which is inching closer by the minute.

“Right now, we’re evacuating the lower, south end of Hamburg,” Chief Sturm says. “It’s a work in progress, really, here in town. They’re still moving out. They’re doing a very good job of finding other places to live right now.”

Sturm says a difficult situation is being made even worse as the forecasters say this won’t be a short-term issue. He says most people who are packing up are likely leaving for good.

“They’re talking months of this water staying here and it’s highly unlikely that any houses are going to survive this,” he says. “I just can’t see how anything will be salvageable.”

Sturm says it’s likely there will be little left of the community after this flood. While residents on the south side of the town of 12-hundred are evacuating now, others are doing the same. Hamburg residents are being told the downtown area will likely be completely covered with water, which may remain for several months.

(Radio Iowa)

CAM @ Atlantic Softball 06-01-2011

Podcasts, Sports

June 2nd, 2011 by admin

KJAN Sports Director Jim Field has the call of the CAM @ Atlantic Softball game on June 1st, 2011.

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MARIJOHN V. WALL (6-4-2011)

Obituaries

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

MARIJOHN V. WALL, 89, of Panora,  died Wed., June 1st, at the Guthrie County Hospital, in Guthrie Center. Funeral services for MARIJOHN WALL will be held 10:30-a.m. Sat., June 4th, at the Twigg Funeral Home in Panora.

Visitation at the funeral home is from 4-8pm Fri., June 3rd, with the family present from 6-8pm.

Burial will be in the Greenwood Cemetery at Panora.

06022011 Backyard and Beyond

Podcasts

June 2nd, 2011 by admin

Lavon speaks with Ramona Sorenson, Anita resident, about the Anita City Wide Garage Sales.

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Proposed transmission line could help expand Iowa’s wind energy

News

June 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Turbines near Adair, IA (Photo courtesy Mid-American Energy)

A spokesman for the Iowa Wind Power Association says a proposal by a Texas company to build a two-BILLION dollar transmission line will help the state continue to expand its wind power capacity. Association executive director, Harold Prior, says they want to triple Iowa’s wind power output by 2020, but need a way to get all the new power to the people who need it.

 

He ways they need extra transmission lines or they will have no way to ship out the electricity. Prior says industry has been moving wind farms to “less quality wind regimes” and using higher efficiency turbines that can produce electricity with less wind.

 

Prior says the transmission line proposed by the Houston company will allow the electricity to move from Iowa’s highly productive wind farms. Prior says the line will take 35-hundred megawatts, almost double the current installed capacity of Iowa, and export it to the east coast through an interconnect in Chicago. He says the two-BILLION dollar cost of the project is privately financed and will be paid for by the end user.

Iowa has 25-hundred wind-powered generators that produce some 36-hundred megawatts of electricity. Mid-American Energy has three wind-farm projects in our listening area, all of which were built in 2008.

There are 100 turbines located northwest of Carroll, 230 near Adair, and 102 near Walnut. That’s not counting the various single turbines erected by various municipalities and private businesses or property owners. A new Mid-American Energy Wind farm planned for southeastern Cass, southwestern Adair and northeastern Adams Counties, will add another 193 turbines to the local landscape, 155 of which will be in Cass County.

The turbines near Carroll,  Adair and Walnut, generate 477,800-kilowatts of power, or enough to power nearly 50-homes per year. The average home uses 10,000-kilowatts of power, each year.

(Sources: Radio Iowa, Cass County Engineer’s Office & thewindpower.net)