(Radio Iowa) – Four of Iowa’s state parks remain closed to all visitors due to extensive damage from Monday’s strong wind storm, while several other state parks are only partly open as cleanup operations continue. Alex Murphy, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the majority of the trouble is with downed trees, as there was little structural damage in the parks.  “We have one cabin that was hit by a tree at Union Grove State Park but otherwise, our parks are open,” Murphy says. “We’re just encouraging people to avoid those areas. Staff are working very hard to clear the roadways, the trails, all of those areas, so people can still get out and enjoy that, although most people in these areas are busy cleaning up their own back yards.”

The state parks that are closed are: Palisades-Kepler, Pleasant Creek, Lake MacBride and Wapsipinicon. Parks that are partly open as cleanup is underway include: Big Creek, Ledges, Pine Lake, Walnut Woods and Rock Creek. Iowans are consistently generous with their time and eager volunteers want to help clear out the mess, yet Murphy says now is -not- the time. “We realize people really want to help, people really want to see what’s happened to their parks that they love and that they visit all the time, but just let staff have their space and get the areas cleaned up,” Murphy says. “The quicker they can do that, the more open these parks will be and we can open up the closed ones as well.”

The winds exceeded 100 miles an hour in some areas during the derecho, and the destruction is extensive. “We’re fortunate a lot of it is tree damage and we didn’t have any of our visitors that were injured or anything like that, so we’re very thankful in those areas,” Murphy says, “but I would have a hard time believing this wasn’t one of the worst straight-line wind damage storms that we’ve seen in our state parks.”

Assessment is still underway, so no dollar figures are available yet on repairs, or on the length of time it may take to reopen all facilities.

iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Alerts-and-Closures

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), says a report about a suspicious vehicle on the side of the road Wednesday evening, near Crescent, resulted in the arrest of 31-year old Adam Paul Glancy, of Council Bluffs. Glancy was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of marijuana/1st offense. Glancy was said to have been uncooperative throughout the incident investigation. He was transported to the Pott. County Jail and held on $2,300 bond.

Wednesday afternoon, 25-year old Derick Wayne Fuller, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested on a warrant for Aggravated Theft/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000. Tuesday evening, 19-year old Dylan Floyd Michael Harrod was arrested in Treynor, for Driving While License Suspended or Revoked. Tuesday afternoon, 21-year old Jacobi Christian Mauer was arrested at the Pott. County Courthouse, on a State of Iowa warrant for Violation of Probation.

And, 45-year old Kathleen Marie Gerhardt, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact or Protective Order/Contempt of Court, following a report from staff at the Pott. County Jail.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Meyer & Gross Real Estate and the Atlantic Community Promotions Commission, will host a Drive-In Movie experience this Saturday, August 15th. Chamber Executive Director Bailey Smith says the event is being held Saturday because they were not able to hold it June 20th, as originally planned. The Drive-In Movie will be at the Cass County Fair Grounds in the grandstand area, beginning around 8:30 PM with a showing of “Grease”. Cars may begin parking at 7 PM.

The screen is 60 feet long with a high definition projector. A transmitter will be provided to hear the movie from inside vehicles. Attendees will turn their radio to a certain station and the transmitter will play the audio through their car speakers. Entry is $15 per car. Limited parking is available, and tickets must be purchased before the event. Tickets can be purchased at www.atlanticiowa.com. Tickets that were purchased for the original date in June will be honored for this showing.

In consultation Cass County Public Health to ensure all safety measures are met, individuals are not allowed to leave their vehicles, unless it’s to use the restroom, but may sit in the back of vehicles and beds of trucks with individuals from the same household. Outside seating will not be allowed. Concessions will not be available. A porta-potty and handwashing station will be on the fairgrounds. Persons wanting concessions are encourage to stop at Atlas Atlantic Cinema’s curbside pop-up popcorn night before they come to the movie, from 6 PM – 8:30 PM. Visit Atlas Atlantic Cinema’s Facebook page for more information and pricing of the concessions they will be providing curbside.

For more information, visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Chamber at 712-243-3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com. The Drive-In is sponsored by Meyer & Gross Real Estate, Hy-Vee, Family Crisis Support Network, Nishna Valley Family YMCA and the Atlantic Community Promotions Commission.

The Cass County Conservation Board is sponsoring a “Breakfast with the Birds” Program! The program will be held this Saturday, Aug. 15th at Sunnyside Park, Camblin’s Addition Shelter, beginning at 9-a.m. This year, due to COVID-19 there will not be breakfast available, feel free to bring your own breakfast. Officials encourage social distancing, with marked spaces for each family, during the program.

Kay Neuman, rehabilitator and Educator at S.O.A.R., Saving Our Avian Resources. Kay will show and discuss several of her permanently injured birds and will hopefully have one that is fully recovered and ready to release back into the wild!! Please help the CCCB support raptors and education! They hope you will join them for the program!

The Cass and Audubon County Community Foundations is reminding organizations that provided charitable services in either Cass or Audubon County, that the application deadline for funds from the Fall grant cycle is Tuesday, Sept. 1st. As part of the fall grant cycle, $30,375 is available to support Cass County nonprofit organizations and community projects, and $46,500 is available for nonprofits and community organizations in Audubon County.

Of the total allocated funds in Cass County, $1,000 is restricted to the community of Griswold, and $29,375 is available to support projects throughout the county. Of the total allocated funds in Audubon County, $2,650 is restricted to the Exira area, $2,220 is designated for the community of Audubon, and $41,630 is available to support projects throughout the county.

Application details, a fact sheet, and a link to the application form can be found online by selecting Cass (or Audubon) County under the County Listing at www.swiowafoundations.org. Applications will only be accepted through the online system. Only those organizations providing services in Cass or Audubon County are eligible to apply IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTY ONLY. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and be an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) Public Charity, a local municipality, or a fiscally sponsored project.

Both Community Foundations aim to improve the quality of life in their counties, by supporting community needs in the areas of civic engagement, culture, health, education, and social services. The objective of the grant program is to fund projects that will have a permanent impact on, and in, the two counties. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, for Fall 2020, both the Cass County Community Foundation will entertain requests for program and operating support, in addition to the historic focus on items of permanence.

The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of Cass and Audubon County Community Foundation donors. To inquire about donating to either the Cass County or Audubon County Community Foundation, please contact the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa staff or any board member listed below. Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Cass County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair, Kristi Burg of Massena; Vice Chair, Gary Maas of Anita; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic; Royal Bierbaum of Griswold; Sue Hunt of Atlantic; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic. Board members of the Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Genelle Deist of Audubon; Vice Chair, Joel Hoegh of rural Brayton; Secretary/Treasurer, Megan Wagner of Audubon; Gina Benton of Exira, Bob Blomme of Audubon; Steven B. Hansen of Audubon; and Donna Olson of Kimballton.

Please contact Stacey Goodman (stacey@omahafoundation.org) or Tess Houser (tess@omahafoundation.org) at 800-794-3458 with application-related questions. All completed grant applications will be considered at the October Board meeting, with applicants being notified of funding decisions by the end of October.

Sheriff’s officials in Union County report the arrest at around 11-p.m. Wednesday, of 57-year old David Joseph Tindle, from Creston. He was arrested on a Union County warrant for failure to appear. Tindle was transported from the Polk County Jail to the Union County Jail, where he is being held on $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A quarter of a million Iowa homes and business are still without power this (Thursday) morning. Ames residents have been warned damage is so dense and significant, power may be out for a week in some areas. Governor Kim Reynolds toured Marshalltown Wednesday afternoon and told reporters the damage she saw may be worse than the devastating tornado that hit Marshalltown two years ago. “Just from a mental perspective of trying to deal with all of that, it’s just tough,” Reynolds says. “They’re hit pretty hard again.”

The governor has gotten an aerial view of crop damage this week and she visited a grain elevator that was critically damaged. With silos and bins smashed in areas that were hit Monday, Reynolds says storage for this year’s crop will be a significant issue. “There’s no way that they’re going to be able to rebuild the bins this fall — materials, construction — I mean, just across the board it’s not going to happen,” she says.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says farmers may have to resort to open-air storage — piling the grain on the ground.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – More than a quarter million Iowans are still without power, three days after a major wind storm blasted across the state. Alliant Energy spokeswoman Cindy Tomlinson says the situation remains too complex for an accurate estimate of a restoration time. “We don’t want to over-promise and then under-deliver,” Tomlinson says. “We want to make sure when we provide an estimated time that we can meet that window. It’s just going to take a little more time to estimate when services will be restored.”

Reports show 257-thousand Iowa homes remain without electricity, though at the peak after the Monday severe weather, nearly 500-thousand customers were in the dark. Tomlinson says when Alliant’s senior vice president Terry Kouba toured the damage in Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids, he was amazed. “The storm has created damage beyond what we’ve ever seen before and he’s been with our company several decades,” she says. “It’s definitely an experience beyond what he’s ever seen before.”

Tomlinson reminds folks who are using generators to be sure and shut down the main disconnect to the house. If that is still on, it could result in electricity feeding back down the line and could potentially injure a utility worker who’s trying to get your power back on. Tomlinson reminds everyone to continue to avoid downed power lines, because you never know if maybe a generator may be feeding back into those lines, or when the power DOES come back on.