With the month of May underway, let’s look back at the weather stats for Atlantic last month. In April 2013, the average High temperature in Atlantic was 57 -degrees. The normal average High is 62. The average low for the month was 32, which is slightly cooler than the norm of 37. Precipitation for the month was more than an inch above normal, at 4.55-inches, which included melted snowfall (and that amounted to only a “Trace”). Normal precipitation in April here in Atlantic, is 3.43-inches.

The hottest days of the month were the 29th and 30th, both of which topped out at 82. The coolest day was 13-degrees, which occurred on April 1st. Looking ahead to the month of May, our records indicate the average high is 73, while the average low has been 49. Precipitation for the month typically amounts to 4.32-inches.

KJAN is the official National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic.

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate plans to debate a bill that would require people convicted of certain aggravated misdemeanors to submit DNA samples for a federal databank.   Lawmakers are set to debate the measure today (Wednesday).  Under the proposal, adults convicted of crimes like aggravated assault and theft would submit a DNA sample. Under current Iowa law, only convicted felons and sexual offenders are required to submit samples.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is supporting the bill, saying it will help police solve more cases. The American Civil Liberties Union is campaigning against the measure, calling it invasive and excessive.  Republican senators stalled the measure from being debated Tuesday in order to file amendments to the bill.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A monthly economic survey index for nine Midwest and Plains states dropped last month but continues to suggest improving economic growth for the region. The Mid-America Business Conditions index hit 56.8 in April, compared with 58.2 in March.  The confidence index rose to 59.9 last month from 58.2 in March.

Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the supply managers surveyed “expect the upturn in housing to remain an important ingredient of the economic expansion.”

The survey uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.  The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The family of the Sioux City man who’s wanted in the shooting of a Sioux City police officer is pleading for him to turn himself in. Lee Dean is the father of 22-year-old Jamal Dean, who is facing an attempted murder charge in Monday’s shooting of Officer Kevin McCormick. He apologized to Officer McCormick and his family for Jamal’s actions, and asked his son to turn himself in safely, “So that nobody else will be hurt.” Lee Dean is also a friend of Sergeant Mike McCormick, the father of the officer who was shot.

Dean’s mother, Mary Hogan, made an emotional plea for her son to surrender, and Jamal’s aunt, Barbara Dean, wants him to know the family is there to help him. The family members are asking Jamal Dean to contact them immediately when he hears their plea.

(Radio Iowa)

The Sioux City police chief says an officer acted quickly and saved his own life after a known gang member opened fire on him during a routine traffic stop for a seat belt violation. Chief Doug Young says officer Kevin McCormick stopped the car on the city’s west side and then Jamal Dean jumped out of the passenger side of the car and started firing at the officer with a .22 rifle. “A total of eight rounds impacted the windshield of the patrol vehicle,” Young says. “Officer McCormick had not exited his vehicle and was pinned down. The officer’s instincts and training kicked in. Officer McCormick laid down in the front seat of the patrol vehicle — put it in reverse — and floored it to get out of harm’s way.” McCormick was hit with one shot.

“Officer McCormick maintained his composure throughout the ordeal. Even after realizing that he had been hit, he was broadcasting his status and a physical description of the suspect who had fled to the south from the shooting area,” Young says. McCormick is the son of another Sioux City officer and has been on the job about 15 months. Young says he is going to be okay.

“Officer McCormick was transported to Mercy Medical with a wound to the forehead above the right eye. The bullet was surgically removed and officer McCormick will make a full recovery,” Young says. The chief says there were two women in the car and three children ages one, five and six. The children have been turned over to D-H-S. Jamal Dean, who is 22-years-old, is charged with attempted murder and remains at large. Young says Dean has a long record and is a suspect in several shootings. Police are asking anyone with information on Dean’s whereabouts to call the police department.

(Radio Iowa)

A handful of state senators tried to divert 25-million more state tax dollars to the Highway 20 expansion project, but 41 of the 50 senators rejected the idea. Senator Rick Bertrand, a Republican from Sioux City, says finishing Highway 20 as a divided, four-lane roadway all across northern Iowa would be an economic benefit.  “It’s time to fund it,” Bertrand said. “Let’s finish it.” Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the professionals at the Iowa D-O-T should make road-building decisions, not legislators. “Wouldn’t it be nice if all of us could determine where the roads in the state go?” McCoy asked.

Senator Mark Segebart, a Republican from Vail, says only 32 miles of Highway 20 remains two-lane rather than four-lane today in Iowa.  “It deserves to be finished as soon as possible because we know there’s going to be growth that’s going to just bloom all around that highway,” Segebart says. McCoy says it’s a “terribly bad idea” for legislators to start deciding which roads get built. “It would put pork barrel politics back into this legislature,” McCoy says. “…It would forever change the formulas that have been adopted by the DOT Commission.” Bertrand responded: “Senator McCoy, I understand the danger here, but you’re right. When we build this road, the four lanes will be able to ship a lot of pork, a lot of pork on those four lanes — I promise you — a lot quicker.”

U-S Route 20 was one of the first coast-to-coast highways in the United States. Advocates of its expansion have been lobbying for the project since the 1960s. The 32-mile stretch from Early to Movile is the only part of Highway 20 in Iowa that remains two-lane.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Senate has approved $119 million in infrastructure spending that would help maintain state buildings and public land. The House passed a $106 million version of the bill last week, and it now goes to a joint committee for lawmakers to reach a compromise.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — State inspectors say co-owners of a Sioux City massage parlor hired unlicensed employees and some are suspected of giving erotic massages. Hong Chinese Massage owners Shuling Liu and Jingyin Bai had their licenses suspended indefinitely and were each fined $1,000. Both have been charged with five counts, including committing unethical conduct.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Jurors are to resume deliberations today in a government case against a Texas company accused of exploiting mentally disabled workers in Iowa. The federal jury in Davenport deliberated five hours before informing the judge that it would need more time to decide the Henry’s Turkey Service lawsuit case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say it will take several days to reopen traffic along a bridge on Interstate 35 in Warren County that was damaged when an oversized truck crashed into an overpass. The state Department of Transportation says it expects to reopen northbound lanes of Interstate 35 at mile marker 58-point-5 after midnight Friday.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines says one-inch diameter hail was reported to have occurred six-miles north of Prescott Tuesday evening, in Adams County. The report was filed at 6:55-p.m.  Adams County Emergency Management reported a few minutes later, that there was a swath of one-inch hail that fell from Lake Icaria northeastward, to the Adams/Adair County line. The hail fell from about 6:35-p.m. until 7:05-p.m, and was also observed in the Adams County town of Carl.  At 7:15-p.m., one-inch diameter hail was also reported to have fallen seven-miles south of Greenfield, in Adair County. There were no immediate reports of damage.