MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Thousands of people were without power Friday after a flurry of unexpected tornadoes swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities. The storms even surprised weather forecasters when they hit the region Thursday afternoon, causing extensive damage to a manufacturing plant and prompting the evacuation of a hospital.

The National Weather Service said Friday that at least five tornadoes and likely more struck. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson said it will take days to determine their strength and total number. The most extensive damage was in Marshalltown, a city of 27,000 people where 10 people were injured, brick walls collapsed into the streets, roofs were blown off buildings and the cupola of the historic courthouse tumbled to the ground.

Heavy equipment crews worked around the courthouse lawn Friday to remove entire trees blown over or shredded by the storm. The loud beep of backing trucks and grinding chain saws echoed several blocks away. Businesses and homes had gaping holes, some with roofs torn off or collapsed inward.

Alliant Energy spokesman Justin Foss said 500 utility poles needed to be replaced and 10 to 12 truckloads of poles were on their way. He said 200 crews have been called in to make repairs and restore power to 6,600 customers still without power. Natural gas service remains shut down in part of the city, he said.

In Marshalltown, the main hospital was damaged and all 40 patients at UnityPoint Health were being transferred to several other hospitals. Some buildings at the Iowa Veterans Home sustained roof damage, but no residents or staffers were injured at the facility that houses nearly 500 people, home officials said.

Such strong storms weren’t expected. Forecasting models produced Thursday morning showed only a slight chance of strong thunderstorms later in the day, said Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, said
“It didn’t look like tornadic supercells were possible,” Krull said. “If anything, we were expecting we could get some large hail, if strong storms developed.”

Elsewhere, seven people were hurt when a tornado hit the agricultural machinery maker Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella, scattering huge sheets of metal through a parking lot and leaving one building with a gaping hole. People were still working at the plant at the time. Seven people injured at the plant were taken to Pella Regional Health Center, hospital spokeswoman Billie Rhamy said. They all were released after being treated for their minor injuries, Rhamy said.

A tornado also destroyed several homes in the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A new study shows that Iowa’s counties are having trouble achieving gender balance on boards and commissions as required by state law.

The study by Iowa State University’s Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics found only four counties in the state are balanced, which is down from six counties two years ago, the Quad-City Times reported. Researchers collected data from 97 counties.

Scott, Harrison, Jasper and Winneshiek counties achieved balance on all seven boards, while 15 other counties fell one board short, the report said.

According to the report, 58.92 percent of boards and commissions were gender balanced, up just 0.28 percent from two years earlier. The percentage of boards that were balanced reached 58.64 percent in 2016, up from 49.53 percent in 2014.

There’s better representation of women on health boards, 78 percent of which are gender balanced, but only 40 percent of compensation boards are balanced, said Kelly Winfrey, coordinator of research and outreach for the center. Winfrey said achieving gender balance will require going beyond accepting applications. It also requires recruiting.

A separate report will be issued for cities soon.

Officials with Greenfield Municipal Utilities, Friday (Today), said the water system in the community and surrounding customers of GMU is now safe to drink. Here is the statement issued this afternoon:

“Customers of Greenfield Municipal Utilities were notified on 7/17/2018 of a problem
with our drinking water and were advised of a bottled water advisory followed by a boil advisory on 7/18/2018. We are pleased to report that the problem has been corrected and that it is no longer necessary to boil water for human consumption. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Greenfield Municipal Utilities has flushed out their storage and distribution system.
Results of the samples sent to the lab for analysis on Thursday, July 19, 2018 confirm
that we are within the recordable DNR limits.

This document officially lifts the boil order that began on Wednesday, June 18, 2018.
As always, you may contact GMU at 641-743-2741 with any comments or questions.”

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two early morning arrests on Friday. At 2:21am Deputies arrested 39-year-old James Patrick Duffy of Lincoln, NE on a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. Duffy was taken to the Mills County Jail and held on $300 bond.

At 5:30am Deputies arrested 24-year-old Mariah Mae Dale of Council Bluffs for Providing False Identification Information. Dale also had a warrant out of Pottawattamie County for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $300 on the Mills County charge and $10,000 on the Pottawattamie County charge. Dale was arrested at the 34 mile-marker of Interstate 29.

In July, Cass County Public Health is offering two free classes for the public to learn about bleeding control as part of the Stop the Bleed campaign. Bleeding from a traumatic injury can lead to death in just a few minutes, well before medical help can arrive.

“Stop the Bleed teaches someone how to safely and immediately take action, potentially saving a life.” said Beth Olsen, Director of Cass County Public Health. “Everyone should know how to recognize life-threatening bleeding and take appropriate steps to control bleeding until help arrives.”

The Stop the Bleed campaign is a national initiative originating from the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the White House, and other governmental and private agencies. The program is currently being championed by the American College of Surgeons-Committee on Trauma. The program is based on recommendations identified in the Hartford Consensus, which was a review of mass casualty and active shooter events. The program is designed to teach civilian bystanders basic hemorrhage control techniques.

Cass County Public Health is offering free Stop the Bleed classes for the public on Monday, July 23 from 5:30-7:00 pm and Wednesday, July 25 from 5:30-7:00 pm. The classes will be held at Cass County Public Health 1408 East 10th Street Atlantic. Space is limited. Please call (712) 243-7551 to reserve your spot. Cass County Public Health also schedules large group training on Stop the Bleed for any interested groups, such as schools, churches, youth groups, offices, etc.

(Council Bluffs, IA) The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved $3.7 million in grant and initiative funding to 14 nonprofits and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska. The largest recipient was the City of Council Bluffs, which received $2,000,000 for West Broadway beatification, $500,000 for new signage at the Mid-America Center and $25,000 for holiday lights at Bayliss Park.

The $2 million for West Broadway is the second installment of a $9 million total investment for aesthetic improvements to Council Bluffs’ main thoroughfare. The holiday lights grant is also the second phase of funding to expand the annual tradition at Bayliss Park. New signage at the MAC is a next step in the Foundation’s strategy to reinvigorate the area. With the addition of The Courtyard by Marriott hotel opening soon and the continued success of the Iowa West Field House, as well as the interest of restauranteurs, the area is poised for greater growth and in need of proper signage to identifying amenities and heighten the visibility of the entertainment district.

“These grants are a part of our economic development and placemaking strategies. We believe they will make our community an attractive place to live and do business,” said Pete Tulipana, President and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation. “Whether it be through large initiatives like West Broadway or smaller grants like the holiday lights, placemaking investments are both extremely visible and impactful for both our residents and visitors.”

Healthy families also was a theme of the latest cycle of funding. Heartland Family Service received $160,000 to continue providing mental health services and teacher training at Lewis Central schools while FAMILY, Inc. received $35,000 toward the Raise Me to Read campaign designed to support literacy and early learning in Pottawattamie County. The Charles E. Lakin YMCA was awarded $100,000 to cover costs to merge with The Center in Council Bluffs.

“Our strategic alliance with The Center is going to increase our organizations’ community-wide impact,” said Chris Tointon, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Omaha. “This grant from the Iowa West Foundation is a yet another great show of support from the community for the partnership, representing the belief that the Y and The Center will be better together.”

In the focus area of education, Iowa Western Community College Foundation received more than half a million dollars to continuing implementing Iowa West Foundation’s post-secondary education initiative, Pottawattamie Promise. Now entering its fourth year, the program provides full tuition scholarships and support services in high school and college to Council Bluffs, Riverside, Lewis Central, A-H-S-T-W, and Tri-Center community schools’ students. Approximately 70 new students will begin their college careers at Iowa Western this fall.

Vice President of Student Services at Iowa Western, Tori Christie, said Pottawattamie Promise has been a “game-changer” for many student scholars by minimizing the multitude of obstacles they encounter.

“More young adults are going to college, and more of them are succeeding in that endeavor – an endeavor that many didn’t think was in their future,” she said. “It is amazing to know that we are achieving our goal of improving post-secondary attainment.”

Finally, as part of its ongoing commitment to rural southwest Iowa communities, the Foundation also awarded grants to two fire departments in Pottawattamie County. The Avoca Volunteer Fire Department received $10,000 and Walnut Fire and Rescue received $9,986, both for EMS equipment.

One arrest was reported in both Creston and Glenwood recently.

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest of 68-year-old Katheryn Susan Nelson of Creston on Thursday at 10:31am at a residence for Failure to Abate Nuisance. She was cited and released on Promise to Appear.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Tuesday of 20-year-old Jordan Edward Thompson of Glenwood on a warrant for OWI 1st Offense. Thompson was arrested at 10:08pm on Centre Drive in Glenwood. Bond was set at $1,000.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports three inmates at the Page County Jail were hit with additional charges on Thursday.

27-year-old Keith James Land was arrested on a Page County Warrant for Failure to report contraband in a correctional institution. He was in the Page County Jail awaiting bed space at the Men’s Regional Correctional Facility in Council Bluffs for a previous conviction. Bond on this warrant was $2,000.

29-year-old Joseph Cody Foster of Shambaugh was arrested on a Page County Warrant for Possession of a weapon in a correctional facility. He was in the Page County Jail awaiting bed space at the Men’s Regional Correctional Facility in Council Bluffs for a previous conviction. Bond on this warrant was set at $10,000 cash only.

30-year-old Kennith Alan Cline of Coin was arrested on a Page County Warrant for Parole Violation. No bond on this warrant. Cline was in the Page County Jail on charges of Violation of the sex offender registry 2nd offense with bond at $5,000.

The Red Oak Police reports that a Dodge Ram Quad Cab pickup that was reported stolen on Thursday has been located in Council Bluffs. The Council Bluffs Police Department notified the Montgomery County Communications Center at approximately 1:00am Friday that the stolen truck was found in the city of Council Bluffs. The truck’s driver side window was busted out, as well as the steering column damaged.

Red Oak Police would like to thank the community, county, and surrounding area for their attentive mind set, as they received several calls in reference to the incident after it was released by the media. The investigation into the theft is ongoing.

The Red Oak Police report a vehicle left the scene of an accident on Thursday at 12:10pm. Officers were called to the Feed Lot restaurant for a report of a burgundy Dodge Durango that backed into a 2006 Buick Lucerne in the parking lot. Witnesses stated that a white older male with a beard was driving the Durango that backed into the Buick and then drove off. Officers are searching for that vehicle and driver and the incident is still being investigated by the Red Oak PD. The Buick sustained an estimated $1,200 damage.