DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Severe weather making its way across eastern Iowa has produced at least one tornado. The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado was located around 5:25 p.m. Thursday in rural Donahue, south of DeWitt. It was reportedly moving east at 50 mph toward Clinton but wasn’t expected to continue into Illinois.

Meteorologist John Haase says there have been no reports of structural damage. He says the tornado caused some blown-over semitrucks and uprooted or damaged trees. Hail as large as ping pong balls was predicted in the area. Tornado warnings have been cancelled in Clinton and Scott counties. Several eastern Iowa counties remained under a tornado watch until 8 p.m.

Law enforcement officers from across Iowa and as far south as Missouri converged on Audubon Thursday evening, to participate in memorial services for a K9 who died from injuries he suffered during an accident while he and his partner were responding to help Cass County Deputies with an incident on Interstate 80.

Audubon County K9 “Harry’s” ashes are contained in this special urn.

About a dozen K9 handlers assembled in the Audubon Memorial Building to paid tribute to K9 “Harry”, a Belgian Tervuren, who was euthanized March 28th.

Everyone in uniform saluted when “Harry’s” urn was brought into the room and placed on the table that held pictures of he and his partner, along with an American flag folded in a triangle. Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson acknowledged the presence of Harry’s fellow canine officers and their handlers.

Johnson mentioned the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department’s K9 program started in 1993 with donations from the public. The County has had three K9’s since then, the cost of which has been paid for through drug forfeitures. Harry came to the department in 2010, as a one-year old. Johnson said was exceptional in narcotics detection. He said K9’s have been referred to as a “Well trained pet,” but Johnson said “Harry was no pet.”

He said he was a “Head strong and intelligent K9,” who was responsible for numerous drug busts, the recovery of more than $270,000 in drug money, and numerous arrests. He also had his mischievous side. Johnson said Harry tore up the coat of his handler while he wasn’t looking, and poked holes in Johnson’s winter jacket.

After Cass County Deputy Kyle Quist, himself a K9 trainer/handler, spoke about the way the animals become a part of the deputies’ family, Harry’s partner, Audubon County Deputy Shawn Young, tearfully read from the “K9 Promise.”

Harry’s partner, Deputy Shawn Young

He concluded by calling into Audubon County Dispatch, one final time, that Harry’s tour of duty, had ended. Young radioed “Audubon 5-6….this is the final call for K9 Harry…end of watch..March 28th, 2015…10-42.”

(Left) Cass County Dep. Kyle Quist, his partner Vader, and fellow K9 handlers & their partners.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Legislation aimed at expanding high-speed Internet in Iowa continues to move forward this session, though lawmakers agree there will be some changes to the bill.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation said today (Thursday) the public will be informed each week through the local media, about detours for Highway 6 in Atlantic, once a long-awaited construction project begins in the next few weeks. The road is scheduled to be closed from the intersection of Olive Street and Highway 6 (7th Street) east to just past the entrance to Burger King.

IA DOT District 4 Transportation Planner Scott Suhr and District 4 Assistant District Engineer Don Stevens provided the media with a project update this (Thursday) morning. While the exact start date has not yet been determined because the contractor for the project has not yet signed the documents necessary to begin, Suhr says in the days leading up to construction, orange “Trailblazing” detour signs with the names of each business will be erected, directing people to those local businesses they would normally have access to on 7th Street.

Signs will also be placed at 7th and Olive directing traffic to 10th Street for local, through traffic. Other, non-local or “Global” traffic will take Highway 173, Interstate 80 and U-S Highway 71 into or around Atlantic.

Bid letting on the project took place on March 17th. And, while the exact start date has yet to be determined, construction will start no later than June 6th and be completed in two-to three-months, depending on the weather. In ideal situation, Suhr said construction would start following the last day of school, and be completed before the fall semester begins.

Project updates will be made available to the media for dissemination to the public on Monday afternoons, following meetings with the contractor, once construction begins. The idea is to keep the public informed on progress being made while the project is underway.

A strain of bird flu that’s particularly deadly to chickens and turkeys is now confirmed in three states that border Iowa. Randy Olson, executive director of the Iowa Poultry Association and Egg Council, says while the disease has mostly hit turkey flocks elsewhere, poultry producers statewide need to be vigilant about biosecurity to prevent spreading the disease. “It’s one that our producers are very cognizant of, they’ve been very concerned about biosecurity protocols,” Olson says. “It’s important to known there’s no human health consequence to this disease but it’s very consequential to a commercial operation that has an infection.”

Olson says Iowa producers with backyard flocks need to especially be on the lookout for the disease, known as H-5-N-2, and take precautions. “We’re encouraging anybody with backyard flocks to be very diligent in your biosafety protocols,” Olson says, “You shouldn’t be allowing your birds to mix with migratory waterfowl. Keep them indoors if possible. It’s a very serious disease that causes a rapid increase of mortality.”

This bird flu strain is confirmed in several states, including Minnesota, South Dakota and Missouri. Iowa is the nation’s leading egg-producing state with 60-million laying hens that produced 16 and a half billion eggs in 2014.

(Radio Iowa)

UPDATE:  The memorial service for the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Harry will be held today at the Memorial Building at 5:00 pm instead of the City Park due to the weather.

The Union County Sheriff’s Department says a rural Lorimor resident reported today (Thursday), their green, 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 4-wheel drive off-road machine, had been stolen from a farm property. The 700cc machine had a red hitch on the front. The loss was estimated at $6,000.

An investigation into an incident early this (Thursday) morning resulted in the arrest of a man charged with Impersonating a Police Officer. Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says officers arrested 20-year old Brian Lewis Frey, of Clarinda, at around 1:30-a.m.

Officials were notified that at approximately 1:00 a.m. Frey allegedly used red/blue lights while operating a red 1998 Ford Mustang registered to him, to pull over a vehicle on State Street.  Frey and his car were located in the Clarinda Lied Recreation Center parking lot on East Main Street.

The man was taken into custody without incident and later released after posting a $2,000 bond. All reports have been forwarded to the office of Page County Attorney Jeremy S. Peterson for review and decision regarding the filing of formal charges in Page County District Court. Police Chief Keith Brothers stressed there was no danger to the public and this appears to have been an isolated incident.

The Creston Police Department received two reports of recent thefts, this week. On Wednesday, a resident on North Lincoln Street told authorities someone took several electronic items from her home, including a Dell tablet, RCA tablet, an Ipod Touch, and Ipod Shuffle. The loss was estimated at $382. The items were taken sometime between March 11th and 25th.

And on Tuesday, a resident in Creston reported to police that someone had taken his backpack that contained a Leatherman tool, Interline jacket, Eye glasses, and carabiners. The items were taken from 107 N. Division Street, sometime between 8-and 8:15-p.m., Tuesday. The loss was estimated at $200.

The 7-a.m. report from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS