COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Google’s newest data center in western Iowa is ready to help the company deliver Internet search results, find directions and save information. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company held an open house Thursday afternoon to show off its second data center in Council Bluffs — just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Neb.

Google says it has invested more than $1.1 billion in its two Council Bluffs data centers and created more than 130 jobs so far. The first one opened in 2009. Google has said it chose Council Bluffs for the centers because it offered relatively cheap electricity and had land and skilled workers available. The company also applied for up to $300 million in tax incentives from Iowa.

Republican Congressman Steve King dismisses the idea the U.S. government will go into default if congress fails to raise the debt limit later this month. Obama Administration officials suggest a debt limit must be raised by October 17th and economists say failure to raise the limit could trigger a massive drop in stock markets around the globe and increase borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.

“I don’t think the credit of the United States is going to be collapsed. I think that all this talk about a default has been a lot of demogoguery, a lot of false demogoguery,” King said today on CNN. “We have plenty of money coming in to service the debt. When we stop servicing the debt, then we’d be in default. We’re a long, long ways from that.” During the previous partisan fight in the summer of 2011 over the nation’s debt limit there was a 17 percent drop in the value of blue-chip stocks calculated in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, plus Standard and Poor’s lowered its credit rating for the United States.

“I remember the last time we came up to the debt ceiling deadline and there was all of this talk that the Tea Party was going to collapse the economy,” King said on CNN. “Even though the people that were opposed to increasing the debt ceiling essentially gave in and the debt ceiling was increased, they were still blamed for the effect on the markets.” President Obama has said he will not negotiate on raising the debt limit and it should be a yes or no vote in congress, but Republicans have a growing list of items they want to tack onto a deal, including the go-ahead for the Keystone X-L Pipeline from Canada to Texas and as well as at least a year’s delay in implementing the Affordable Care Act.

“We need to get down to the clear part of this,” King said on CNN. “The American people have rejected ObamaCare. The president is willing to put all of that on the line to save his namesake piece of legislation which I think would go down in history as the largest political tantrum ever.” King made his comments this morning (Thursday) during an appearance on C-N-N’s “New Day” morning show. A group of C-E-Os from some of the nation’s largest financial institutions went to Washington D.C. yesterday (Wednesday) and told reporters failure to raise the debt ceiling would “extremely adverse” damage to the economy.

(Radio Iowa)

Three local racing legends from Shelby County are now the feature characters in a brand new NASCAR book. Former Council Bluffs resident and author John Havick has written The Ghost of NASCAR to tell the story of the first Daytona 500 in 1959. Havick says there are three men, who were an intricate part of the book. “It’s about 3 racers in Harlan, Johnny Beauchamp, Dale Swanson and Tiny Lund. Beauchamp and Lund both won the Daytona 500 and Swanson was a great mechanic and built engines for drivers in several states.”

Havick built an infatuation with the sport when his grandfather sold his car to an aspiring racecar driver in the 50’s named Johnny Beauchamp and as a boy, Havick decided to see how the car performed. The book depicts the controversial ending to the 1959 Daytona 500 in which two drivers, Beauchamp and Lee Petty claimed victory. Havick said Beauchamp was in the lead for most of the race.

“He stayed up near the front for most of the race. Then suddenly around lap 149, Lee Petty appears out of no where and racing right by Beauchamp and the last 50 laps this is how it went along. They flashed near the finish line close together. No one said except the flag man and the owner of NASCAR Bill Frentz said Beauchamp won the race and then there was all this trouble afterwards.”

The lack of technology back in those days did not help the controversy as it took three days before NASCAR announced Petty the winner of the race. To this date, the debate rages on between fans and drivers about who actually won the 1959 Daytona 500. Havick said one of the details about the race is how drivers kept their lap count. “Some of the people in the pits believed when Petty pitted, his lap counter had failed and counted it as a lap and that brought him up.”

The author said he had stacks of old newspaper articles and programs from his childhood that helped him start his research for the book. The Ghosts of NASCAR is on sale in bookstores or directly from the University of Iowa Press online at www.uiowapress.org. Author John Havick will be making an appearance to discuss the book in Harlan this (Thursday) evening at the Harlan Library from 6:30pm until closing.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Officials with the Atlantic Medical Center report the AMC is offering influenza vaccines Monday through Friday, 8:30 – 11:00 am and 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm, and Saturdays 8:30 – 11:00 am.   No appointment is needed.  It takes about two weeks for influenza vaccine to provide full protection.  Officials say with the holidays coming up, it’s a good idea to get an influenza vaccine by early November to provide protection during the holiday gatherings with larger groups, where influenza is easily spread.

In order to prevent getting the flu,  experts suggest you get the vaccine, and  practice good hand washing.  Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but also those around you who may be too young (under 6 months) or have a medical condition that prevents them from being vaccinated.

There are four strains, or types, of the flu that typically hit the midwest during flu season —  two types of Influenza A and two types of Influenza B.  The flu vaccine that has been available in the years past will still be available this year. This year there is also a vaccine that has all four strains (types) of the flu virus in it (two A strains and two B strains), to provide even greater protection against influenza. Atlantic Medical Center will have both types of vaccine available.

Patients can also receive Pneumonia, Tetanus with whooping cough (Tdap), and Shingles vaccines when they come in for an influenza vaccine. For more information, contact the Atlantic Medical Center Immunization Nurses at 712-243-2850.

No injuries were reported following an accident Wednesday evening, in Atlantic. According to the Police Department, vehicles driven by Cole Holaday, of Marne, and Brett Imhoff, of Atlantic, collided at the intersection of 7th and Chestnut Streets at around 7:50-p.m. The accident happened as Holaday was turning  south onto Chestnut from westbound 7th Street. In doing so, he failed to yield to Imhoff’s eastbound vehicle.

Holaday was subsequently cited for Failure to Yield prior to making a left-hand turn. Damage from the accident amounted to $3,500.

A public hearing was held Wednesday morning in Greenfield, with regard to a Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment. Adair County Auditor Mindy Schaefer told KJAN News following discussion, during which the Board of Supervisors heard no comments or objections, the Board voted to approve the amendment, which Schaefer says is strictly for the Secondary Roads Department. It will allow the department to finish using already bonded for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money, and the spending of the bond proceeds in a timely fashion, as required.

The Board also heard one of three presentations with regard to a possible Geographic Information System (GIS). The system integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. Schaefer says the board will hear two more presentations during their meeting next week, and on October 16th, they will make a decision on whether or not to pursue GIS and how to pay for it.

And, the Adair County Supervisors heard from Larry Burger, with Speer Financial Services, with regard to General Obligation (G.O.) and TIF Bonds. Schaefer said the Board will move ahead with the process of acquiring a TIF Bond, and hold a public hearing no later than December 1st, so it can be certified as debt. The approximately $5-million TIF Bond will be used for additional road projects in the Urban Renewal Area that was approved earlier this year. Schaefer said the Bond would be paid-off within five-to seven years.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City official says it’s treating four people for neuroinvasive disease stemming from a West Nile virus infection.  The virus is carried by mosquitoes and infects the brain and spinal cord. It can cause brain damage, paralysis and death.

Bertha Ayi is medical director of Global Infectious Disease Services at Mercy, and she told the Sioux City Journal that Mercy has seen six patients from Sioux City between the ages of 40 and 80 test positive for the virus this year. One patient died.

The Iowa Public Health Department says 26 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Iowa so far this year. Ayi is urging the people to protect themselves by wearing insect repellent outdoors and avoiding mosquito-infested areas though November.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The National Weather Service says several rounds of thunderstorms are expected across Iowa today through Friday evening. There is a threat for severe weather over central and western Iowa this afternoon and evening with the potential for large hail and damaging winds. An isolated tornado is also possible. Additional storms are expected to develop over northern Iowa by Friday afternoon. Large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes are possible with this activity. One final line of storms will arrive Friday evening and will bring and additional severe weather threat. Storms will end Saturday as much cooler weather arrives. Sunday will remain cool with a few showers forecast over the northern half of the state. Seasonal and mainly dry conditions are expected for the start of next week.