(Radio Iowa) – More severe weather stormed across Iowa on Tuesday night, bringing high winds, heavy rain and large hail. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Lee says there were perhaps 30 sightings of funnel clouds statewide and a few of them touched down to become tornadoes. “Preliminarily, we think there may have been three, and they were pretty weak funnels that just briefly touched down and didn’t really produce any damage,” Lee says, “so it’s kind of hard to tell how many there were because most of them didn’t really damage anything.”

Tornadoes were reported near Cumming, Van Meter, Lambs Grove, Patterson and Ely — with reports of funnel clouds stretching from Charter Oak in western Iowa all the way to the Cedar Rapids area in the east. Lee says the active nighttime weather pattern followed a very hot, humid day. “We had a lot of instability and a kind of boundary laying across roughly the I-80 corridor across the state,” Lee says. “It was able to spin up those little funnels but thankfully, most of them didn’t touch down and weren’t of any particular severity, so it was a spectacular sight but not one that did a lot of damage, thankfully.”

While there was no damage reported from tornadoes in this series of storms, Lee says there -was- damage from other elements. “The largest hail stone that we had reported fell near Winterset and that was about roughly baseball-sized,” Lee says. “We also had some strong winds, particularly out close to Omaha, that were measured wind gusts up around 90 miles an hour with some damage, so it was a night for severe weather across at least the southern half of the state.”

Storm damage Tuesday night (6/25) west of the Tri-Center High Schoo by about 2 miles or so. Winds gusted up to 60 mph. (Photos courtesy Zach Ploen)

The typical tornado season in Iowa runs April, May and June, and the state’s seen an above-average number of twisters this year. “It doesn’t really end in June. It just gradually tapers off,” Lee says. “We can get tornadoes in any month of the year and they’re most likely in May and June, but they still occur fairly regularly in the other summer months as well. We have a long way to go, particularly in an active year like this one.”

Prior to last night’s (Tuesday night’s) storms, the National Weather Service reported Iowa had 86 tornadoes so far this year, with 44 in April and 42 during May. The average in a year is about 50. In 2021, Iowa had a record 63 tornadoes in a single day — in December. That was during the state’s second derecho in as many years, and that December outbreak set another record for most EF-2 tornadoes in one day — at 21. Iowa’s worst-ever day for deadly tornadoes was May 15th of 1968, when the state saw five massive F-5 tornadoes that killed 18 people.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston, Tuesday evening, temporarily arrested, and then released, a woman who allegedly allowed an animal at her residence, to run at-large. 26-year-old Paige Nicole Westbrook, of Creston, was cited at the scene and released on a summons to appear in court.

The former Ringgold County Conservation Director is suing the county for alleged discrimination, defamation and malicious prosecution. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Kathryn Mortensen Zimmerman is suing the county, the board of supervisors, the county auditor, a county deputy and an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation employee, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

According to her lawsuit, Zimmerman began working for the county in 2010 as the director of Ringgold County Conservation, which maintains three public parks for camping. Beginning in January 2021, she alleges, the supervisors, particularly Colby Holmes, engaged in a pattern of gender discrimination, sexual discrimination, age discrimination, retaliation, harassment, slander and defamation.

The lawsuit alleges Holmes “fabricated and disseminated false information” pertaining to Zimmerman’s work ethic, character and competence, while stating at a board meeting that she would be “better off as a janitor.”

Holmes is also accused of falsely claiming Zimmerman hid money within her budget and used it on personal expenses, and of telling the county’s conservation board “it isn’t right that (Zimmerman) is making more money than some other male employees,” according to the lawsuit. Holmes is also alleged to have posted a hostile comment to Facebook alleging Zimmerman could not do her job and should leave.

The lawsuit alleges that after Zimmerman filed complaints about Holmes with the county auditor, county attorney and the Iowa Public Information Board, Holmes urged the conservation board to reduce her compensation for overtime.

In December 2022, the lawsuit alleges, Holmes “intentionally physically assaulted (Zimmerman) with his vehicle and yelled, ‘move your ass!’ and ‘get out of the way!’ ” The lawsuit claims that after Zimmerman filed a police complaint on the matter, she was investigated by the DCI and charged with filing a false police report.

According to the police report in that case, Zimmerman claimed Holmes struck her with his vehicle — a statement that police say was contradicted by witnesses and by Zimmerman’s own initial statement to officers.

A second criminal charge against Zimmerman alleged interference with official acts. According to an April 2023 press release from the DCI, that charge stemmed from a Dec. 5, 2022, incident at Poe Hollow Park. According to the DCI, Zimmerman refused Ringgold County deputies and bomb technicians entrance to the park so they could work on an explosive device found earlier that morning.

Court records indicate the two criminal charges are still pending, with no trial date set.

Due to the alleged hostile work environment in the county, the lawsuit alleges, Zimmerman was constructively discharged in February 2023. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for sexual discrimination, retaliation, defamation and malicious prosecution.

The county and the DCI have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says dairy exhibitors will be required to submit additional tests before their dairy cattle can be transported to a show to help minimize the potential spread of Avian Influenza. The Department’s order for fairs and exhibitions will go into effect on July 1st. The order will require dairy exhibitors participating in Iowa fairs or exhibitions to complete testing for Bird Flu within seven days of moving to the exhibition.

Secretary Naig says in a statement the state wants to strike a balance between allowing our 4-H, FFA, and dairy exhibitors the opportunity to show their animals, while also requiring additional testing to protect livestock and minimize the potential spread of the virus.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man was arrested Tuesday night in Red Oak, on assault and child endangerment charges. According to the Red Oak Police Department, Nathan Allen Aldrich was taken into custody at around 8:20-p.m., in the 200 block of S. 8th Street. Aldrich was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault/3rd or subsequent offense, and four-counts of Child Endangerment. He was being held in the jail without bond, as of the latest report.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision between a UTV and a car Tuesday evening in Union County resulted in one person being transported to the Creston hospital. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened at around 6:42-p.m. on the High and Dry Road, south of Creston.

According to the Sheriff’s report, a 2012 VW Passat driven by 17-year-old Rebecca Janae Hoffman, of Diagonal, was traveling south on the High and Dry Road, and had attempted to pass a 2024 Polaris UTV operated by 24-year-old Alexis Elizabeth Baker, of Creston. Hoffman didn’t realize Baker was slowing down to turn left into a driveway, because the UTV had no functioning turn  signals.

Hoffman swerved to avoid colliding with the UTV, but her car clipped the left front tire of the UTV. Following the collision, the car entered the east ditch and came to rest. Baker was thrown from the UTV and suffered head injuries. She was transported by Medic 1 to the Greater Regional Hospital in Creston. Damage from the collision amounted to an estimated $3,400.

No citations were issued, but the Sheriff’s report noted Alexis Baker failed to signal her intentions as  a contributing factor in the accident.

(Radio Iowa) – The top Republican in the Iowa House says the legislature must update the state’s eminent domain laws in response to the Iowa Utilities Board decision to approve the route for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. The board’s decision gives the company authority to force unwilling property owners to let the pipeline on their land. House Speaker Pat Grassley says landowner rights are one of the highest priorities for House Republicans and that’s why they passed two different bills on the topic — bills that died in the Republican-led Iowa Senate.

Grassley says House Republicans will seek feedback from Iowans on changes in the use of eminent domain in projects like the carbon pipeline. Two dozen other House Republicans — and seven Republicans who are state senators — have signed a joint statement, calling the Iowa Utilities Board decision a dark day for anyone who owns property in Iowa. The group says the board has crossed a line and the state’s proud tradition of clean government is being sullied.

Supporters of the pipeline say it will help Iowa-produced ethanol compete in low carbon fuel markets around the globe. In a written statement, Monte Shaw of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association said despite the overheated rhetoric of a few, the overwhelming majority of impacted landowners support this project. According to Summit’s C-E-O, 75 percent of Iowa landowners along the pipeline route have signed contracts to let the pipeline pass through their property.

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Here is the list of lawmakers who signed on to the statement: Senator Kevin Alons, Senator Jeff Taylor, Senator Dennis Guth, Senator David Rowley, Senator Sandy Salmon, Senator Cherielynn Westrich, Senator Lynn Evans, Representative Steven Bradley, Representative Ken Carlson, Representative Mark Cisneros, Representative Zach Dieken, Representative Dean Fisher, Representative Thomas Gerhold, Representative Cindy Golding, Representative Helena Hayes, Representative Steven Holt, Representative Thomas Jeneary, Representative Bradley Sherman, Representative Jeff Shipley, Representative Luana Stoltenberg, Representative Mark Thompson, Representative Anne Osmundson, Representative Brooke Boden, Representative Henry Stone, Representative Heather Hora, Representative Skyler Wheeler, Representative Eddie Andrews, Representative Dan Gehlbach, Representative Bob Henderson, Representative Bobby Kaufman, and Representative Charles Thomson.

(Radio Iowa) – Landowners who have refused to grant property easements for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline say they’re outraged state regulators have given the project a green light — and considering their legal options. The Iowa Utilities Board announced today (Tuesday) that the project would get a construction permit if regulators in the Dakotas approve the pipeline route in their states. Jess Mazour of the Sierra Club’s Iowa chapter has been working with a coalition of landowners for the past three years.

“The Iowa Utilities Board voted 3-0 against Iowans and impacted landowners in favor of a dangerous and unpopular project that violates private property rights and the fact that IUB related this decision when a large portion of Summit’s route is underwater is shameful and callous,” Mazour said. “Iowa landowners are currently losing their homes and now get word they may be losing their farms.”

Sherri Webb and her siblings inherited Shelby County land from their grandmother. During the Iowa Utilities Board hearings last fall, she testified against the use of eminent domain to seize her family’s land for the project.  “I hope that the Iowa landowners now understand that absolutely none of their land is safe from being taken,” Webb said. “Will we give up? No. We will appeal and we will never give up.” Attorney Brian Jorde says the first step is a formal request that asks the Utilities Board to reconsider its decision, then a lawsuit could be filed in Iowa district court after that.

“They were handpicked, the three members of the IUB, to do this job,” Jorde says. “…Obviously disappointing, but I invite people to be more disappointed in Iowa’s politicians than Summit.” Jorde says Iowa politicians rolled out the red carpet for the pipeline developer. Governor Reynolds appointed two of the three members of the Iowa Utilities Board after it began reviewing Summit’s construction permit.

Wally Taylor, an attorney for the Sierra Club Iowa chapter, says regulators ignored evidence showing the project had no direct benefit to the public, but is designed to profit Summit and the ethanol plants it chooses to link to the pipeline.  “It isn’t like a train or an airplane where any passenger that buys a ticket can get on,” Taylor says.

The Iowa Utilibites Board decision stipulates that Summit must get approval from North Dakota for its pipeline route and underground storage location AND from South Dakota regulators for the route in that state. The approval process in South Dakota could stretch into 2026.

(Radio Iowa) – Twin brothers from northwest Iowa will appear on tonight’s (Tuesday) episode of “America’s Got Talent,” displaying their abilities in the building of intricate patterns with dominos — and then letting them tumble. Alex Koops of Sioux Center says he and his brother Derek grew up watching the show, so it’s a thrill to be featured guests. Koops says they’ve gained some celebrity status after winning the FOX Network’s “Domino Masters” in 2022.

“There are a lot of kids that loved watching us, come up and tell us about how much they loved our domino topples,” Koops says. “That also led into library programs so that was really cool. We could set up a demonstration. A lot of people came and watched those, a lot of kids, so it was cool showing off.” The twins have just shy of 200-thousand followers on YouTube with 45-million views, and close to 60-thousand followers on TikTok.

For tonight’s show, Koops says they flew to L-A in April and spent a week there. They had one full day to set up their topple for the recording of the episode. Because their setup was extensive, theirs was the first act to go, but it won’t necessarily be the first act that is broadcast tonight. Koops says the setup was a unique experience for them.  “The cool thing about it was, I think the last hour we spent building was when the audience started coming back, so we had probably like two- or 3,000 people just watching us build,” he says.

“Just that was for sure a different experience and then during the topple, I think it was the most we’ve ever performed in front of two- or 3,000 people.” The only interaction they had with the celebrity judges was during the interview before and after the topple. Off stage, the twins enjoyed mingling with other contestants and really enjoyed interacting with the host, Terry Crews.  “We didn’t have quite as much time as we were given on ‘Domino Masters’ for this audition and it’s just the two of us, so it’s not quite as spectacular as maybe those fields, but I’m still really proud of what we came up with,” Koops says, “so I think everyone will enjoy it.”

The brothers could not disclose whether they get to move on in the competition. “America’s Got Talent” airs at 7 p-m on N-B-C.