Today: Partly cloudy. High 88. Winds variable @ 5-10.
Tonight: P/Cldy to cldy w//isolated thundershowers. Low 65. N @ 5.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 88. NE @ 5-10.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High near 90.
Sunday: P/Cldy. High 93.
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 77. Our Low this morning, 59. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 93 and the Low was 65. The Record High on this date was 103 in 1946. The Record Low was 42 in 1974.
[Updated] (Omaha, NE)- National Weather Service survey teams out of Valley, NE., have finished assessing the damage from Tuesday nights’ storms. Officials say two tornadoes were reported. One occurred near Murdock, NE. The other near Treynor, IA.
The Intermittent tornado began at about 12:18-a.m. Wednesday approximately 3 miles south of Treynor and ended 3 miles southeast of Treynor. The tornado traveled mainly across crop and pastureland. It packed winds of up to 102 mph, and was 75 yards wide. The twister struck the Prairie Crossing Winery, destroying the event center. Peripheral damage occurred to trees and vines. The community of Treynor, including the Treynor Football Team, quickly organized, and within an hour, helped to clear the trees and debris from the property. Owner Doug Gray was appreciated of their efforts.
A cluster of supercell thunderstorms moved through the region Tuesday evening, June 14 2022 into the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 15th 2022. The storms produced widespread wind gusts of 75 to 115 mph, hail from 1 to 3 inches in diameter, and two EF1 tornadoes. Minor flooding was also reported in Omaha. The storms caused widespread tree damage, and some structural damage to homes and businesses.
See the details below…
SIDNEY, Iowa – Iowa State Patrol Technical Accident Investigators are conducting the investigation into the collision that resulted in the death of Fremont County Deputy Austin “Melvin” Richardson.
Deputy Richardson started his law enforcement career with the Auburn Police Department (Nebraska) in 2007 and then came to the Sidney Police Department in 2011. In 2015, he became a deputy with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office where he remained employed until his end of watch on June 14, 2022.
Fremont County Deputy Austin “Melvin” Richardson
Deputy Richardson also served many years with the Sidney and Percival Fire Departments. A procession of law enforcement vehicles escorted Deputy Richardson’s body from the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, to the Rash-Gude Funeral Home, in Hamburg, Wednesday afternoon.
Funeral arrangements are being arranged and the location and date are yet to be determined. The Hilltop Animal Hospital has set up a donation site with the Malvern State Bank. Please send any donations in the name of the Jennifer Richardson Support Fund.
Deputy Richardson, his wife Jennifer, and family
(Radio Iowa) – Out of state visitors at two western Iowa parks will have to keep paying an entrance fee for at least two and a half more years. Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs had three million visitors last year and Representative Brent Siegrist, of Council Bluffs, says the fee may be a way to thin the crowds.
“Lake Manawa is the most heavily used park in the state park system, particularly because it’s next to Omaha and there are tons of Nebraskans that come over,” Siegrist says. “…Waubonsie State Park also is down near the Missouri border in Fremont County and they have a lot of traffic and visitors there.” In 2019, the legislature authorized an entrance fee of five dollars per out-of-state vehicle at both parks. It was a pilot project, to see if visitor traffic would change.
“The COVID years dramatically affected those parks at that time,” Siegrist says, “so they didn’t have a particularly good read about whether this is something they wanted to extend into the future.” This week Governor Reynolds approved the bill that keeps the fee in place until the end of 2025. Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says the fee can be a tool for keeping the peace in the park that’s just 10 miles from Omaha.
“When they have a crowd coming over to our parks to use it for purposes that you and I or anyone else here might not enjoy to take our families there and just enjoy the day — whether they want to drink or tear up the park or go off-road or so something like that, this is one more tool to try to maybe redirect some of our non-residents back to their state,” Dawson says.
There’s a daily fee for every vehicle entering a NEBRASKA state park. It’s six dollars for Nebraskans and eight dollars for everyone else. The State of Iowa began charging a 10-dollar yearly park user fee in 1987, but it was repealed two years later. During debate of the continued entrance fees for Lake Manawa and Waubonsie State Parks, legislators said they were not interested in imposing entrance fees at the other 81 state parks and recreation areas in Iowa.
(Radio Iowa) – Elder abuse will be defined as a crime in Iowa when a new law takes effect July 1st. Governor Reynolds has approved a bill that creates new criminal penalties for emotional abuse and neglect of Iowans who are 60 or older. “The safety and well being of older Iowans is so very important,” Reynolds said, “and this bill ensures that there will be consequences for those who target and harm them.” The bill establishes a new criminal charge of financial exploitation of an older individual.
“Abuse doesn’t always mean physical. It can also mean financial crimes,” Reynolds said, “and this bill also establishes criminal penalties for those that target individuals for that purpose.” The governor held a bill signing ceremony at a senior living center in Williamsburg.
These changes have been a top priority for A-A-R-P for several years and the bill passed the House and Senate this year unanimously. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, as many as two million Americans above the age of 65 have been abused and about 60 percent of elder abuse is committed by a relative of the victim.
SOFTBALL
Hawkeye Ten Conference
Glenwood 8, Underwood 3
Sidney 3, Shenandoah 2
Southwest Valley 7, Clarinda 6
St. Albert 8, Fremont-Mills 2
Western Iowa Conference
Logan-Magnolia 3, West Monona 1 (8 Innings)
Missouri Valley 6, Tri-Center 1
Rolling Valley Conference
Boyer Valley 7, Glidden-Ralston 1
Whiting 13, West Harrison 8
West Harrison 14, Whiting 12
Woodbine 3, CAM 1
Corner Conference
Essex 5, Stanton 4
Sidney 3, Shenandoah 2
Other Scores
Clarke 7, Central Decatur 0
Mount Ayr 10, Earlham 7
Mount Ayr 9, Earlham 6
West Central Valley 7, Nodaway Valley 5
Orient-Macksburg Tournament
East Union 7, Melcher-Dallas 1
Murray 14, Lenox 5
Orient-Macksburg 11, Mormon Trail 5
BASEBALL
Hawkeye Ten Conference
Atlantic 11, Missouri Valley 9
Clarinda 10, Southwest Valley 0
St. Albert 11, Fremont-Mills 4
Western Iowa Conference
Audubon 3, AHSTW 2
Rolling Valley Conference
CAM 17, Woodbine 0
Coon Rapids-Bayard 4, Ogden 0
Glidden-Ralston 21, Boyer Valley 10
Corner Conference
Stanton 19, Essex 0
Other Scores
Des Moines Christian 10, Central Decatur 8.
Lenox 12, Clarke 4
Nodaway Valley 12, West Central Valley 11
The CAM Cougars baseball team struck early and often on Wednesday night in a 17-0 triumph over Woodbine. The Cougars belted out 14 hits and piled up 13 runs in the second inning to grab the mercy rule win after 3.5 innings.
Colby Rich got the party started in the first with a 2-run homer to left-center that brought Seth Hensley’s lead-off single around. The Cougars would score two more in the opening frame.
The second time to the plate for CAM started much like the first. Chase Spieker reached base to lead-off the second. Then two batters later Lane Spieker sent a shot over the right-center fence to put 2 more on the board. It kept rolling from there as the Cougars racked up 10 hits in that 2nd inning onslaught. After the game Lane Spieker talked about his 2-run blast.
Spieker was also terrific on the mound with 8 strikeouts in the shortened game. The fastball was working well for Lane and he said he felt good after not pitching for a while.
The Cougars get revenge for their lone loss of the season. The Cougars fell 3-1 to Woodbine back on May 26th in a game that was added that day because of some other cancellations. Spieker said it was a much better feeling this time around.
CAM improves to 14-1 on the season. Woodbine falls to 10-3.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic met Wednesday evening. The session began with action on a Resolution approving the Final Plat for the Redwood Subdivision in the City of Atlantic, and the swearing-in/Promotion of Atlantic Police Officer Jimmy James to Sergeant. 
As we’ve mentioned, James has 16-years of law enforcement experience.
Mayor Grace Garrett congratulates Sgt. Jimmy James
The Council also recognized Mike Henningsen and Dr. Carol Trewet, for their 20-years of service on the Atlantic Airport Commission. Lori Reid, who, along with her husband Barry, manage the airport, thanked them for all they have done for the airport, the local pilots, and the
Lori Reid and Mike Henngingsen
Lori Reid and Dr. Carol Trewett
“transient pilots,” who have made brief stays in the community. Henningsen said “When the FAA gives you 80-to 90-percent [the cost] of a project that’s been approved, you’re crazy not to go through with it, and you’ve all done that without any backlash over the years, so thank you.” He was referring the the runway and apron expansion, hanger and other essential functions at the airport the Council has backed over the years.
The Atlantic City Council approved a day long street closure for 4th Street, between Walnut and Chestnut, for SHIFT ATL’s Summer Soiree Summer fundraising event/dinner, set to take place July 16th. And, the approved a Wastewater Management Services Agreement with the City of Anita. Atlantic already has similar agreements in-place with Massena and Fontanelle.
In other business, the Atlantic City Council officially set the dates and hours for Fireworks, which are unchanged from last year. Fireworks are permitted in Atlantic on July 2nd, 3rd and 4th, from Noon until 11-p.m. each day. The law bans the discharge of fireworks within 300 feet of a hospital or long-term care facility. The ordinance also states no person under the age of 18 shall discharge DOT 1.4 class fireworks without adult supervision. Consumers must follow the directions on the package, and sky lanterns without a tether rope are strictly prohibited.
And Mayor Garrett put the community on-notice that a big event next week in Atlantic, will draw a large number of people from out of town to the area, beginning this weekend, and some slow moving equipment.
The tractors will depart the Cass County Fairgrounds in Atlantic early Monday-Tues-and Wednesday mornings, June 20-22, and have stops the first day at: the Cumberland Fire Department; Griswold High School; Muller Livestock, and then back to the Fairgrounds, that evening, for a total of 73.77 miles.
Tuesday’s schedule takes the tractors and their riders to: the Exira-EHK High School; Van Wall Implement in Avoca; and Dave’s Country Repair in Walnut before heading back to the Fairgrounds. Total mileage for day-two, is 69.5.
And, on the third and final day of the tractor ride, participants will depart the Fairgrounds in Atlantic and head to the CAM High School in Anita.
[COUNCIL BLUFFS] – Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Reed said Wednesday, “Emergency Management personnel began local preliminary damage assessments today, focusing on the areas with initial publicly reported damages from the overnight severe storm system. Currently there are no significant public infrastructure damages reported and only limited reports of residential & business damages. The heaviest damages observed today were in south central Pottawattamie County which resulted in a total loss of a business.
Additional damages were observed in eastern Pottawattamie County, including Carson, Macedonia, and rural areas eastward toward Cass County. Those damages primarily consisted of residential properties that were affected by falling limbs, trees, or high winds. Currently, (63) structures have been impacted by the severe weather event along with a few parks & recreation areas receiving some form of tree damage, debris, or other related minor damages.”
“The important numbers right now,” Reed said, “are that there have been zero injuries or fatalities related to this storm event and nearly all utility outages have been restored. This nighttime tornado scenario is one of the ones that scares me the most; nearly everyone is home, and nearly everyone is asleep.” Reed reminds everyone that you need to have multiple ways to receive warning alerts. “Have a weather radio, sign up for our free emergency and weather alerts, and leave those device’s volumes turned on during the night – there’s simply no other solution.”
Damage reports from the public will be accepted over the next couple of days as officials continue to assess the overall impact and potential need for assistance. To report your damages and receive updates related to this severe weather event go to the Emergency Management Agency website at https://pcema-ia.org. Your reports and pictures will be essential in assessing the overall impact to the county.
WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa -Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Wednesday (today), said that on June 14, 2022, at approximately 4:44 p.m., the West Burlington Police Department received reports of shots being fired at the West Burlington Municipal Pool, located at 602 West Burlington Avenue. Upon arrival, law officers found Devontae Richardson, 28, bleeding from a single gunshot wound to the face. Richardson was transported to the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center. Eventually, Richardson was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he currently remains in stable condition. No other injuries were reported related to the shooting.
Witnesses observed a vehicle flee the scene, which has been located by law enforcement and subsequently seized. Interviews continue to be conducted by the West Burlington Police Department, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office and agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Law enforcement believes this is an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the general public. No additional information will be released until further notice.
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