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Several roads in Northwest Iowa are currently affected by flooding

News

June 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – June 22, 2024 – If you are planning a trip in northwest Iowa this weekend you need to be aware of several road closures that may slow down your trip. Between the evening of June 20 and morning of June 22, portions of northwest Iowa received significant rain, resulting in flooding along various primary highways. There are currently widespread flash flooding and river flooding issues.

Iowans are urged to closely monitor conditions and never enter a water-covered roadway. Flood waters can force a vehicle off the roadway. In addition, it is not uncommon for roadways and shoulders to be damaged when flooded, presenting unsafe conditions for motorists.

The Iowa Department of Transportation has issued the warning of travel strongly discouraged in the counties of Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien, Clay, Emmet, and Dickinson.

As of 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, there are 20+ specific locations on the primary highway system with road closures. Not all of the closures will allow for detours as the secondary roadways are also flooded. The Iowa DOT suggests visiting 511ia.org as it has the most up to date roadway closures. Turn around and don’t drown.

The Iowa DOT is working with other state agencies to assist local communities in flood response. This includes traffic control and pumps. Flood recovery will begin once the rain stops, and flood waters can recede.

The latest traveler information is available anytime through the 511 system.

Traffic stop results in an arrest Tuesday in Adams County

News

June 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Corning, Iowa) – A traffic stop Tuesday west of Corning resulted in the arrest of a woman on drug charges. According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Deputies made the traffic stop on Highway 34 at Gingko Avenue. During an investigation that followed, the K9 “Midge” was deployed and alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

The driver, 66-year-old Marlene Dewylia Dukes, of Villisca, was subsequently arrested on charges that include Possession of Methamphetamine, Operating While Intoxicated, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Dukes was transported to the Adams County Jail and later posted bond.

Pott. County Deputy shoots & injures aggressive dog that attacked a child

News

June 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Friday,  say a deputy used his service weapon, Wednesday, to shoot and injure a dog that had been acting aggressively and attacked a child. In a press release, the sheriff’s department said at around 3:30-p.m., Wednesday, a Pottawattamie County Deputy was attempting to serve a civil paper in Council Bluffs. The Deputy was told that the owner of the dog was just at the house, but was out trying to catch his dogs that ran from the residence. The Deputy observed an adult male in a blue truck trying to catch a pit bull that was white in color with brindle on its shoulders.
The Deputy was attempting to give this male his paperwork when the dog ran at the Deputy in an aggressive manner. The Deputy retreated to his cruiser and the owner advised the Deputy he was going to try and catch the dog and the Deputy followed to assist. The dog ran south across the street. The Deputy went around the block and observed the dog halfway up the hill on Union Street. The dog then ran down the hill and charged at a juvenile male who was walking on East Pierce. The Deputy began honking his horn to distract the dog from the juvenile.
The dog jumped up on the juvenile and tried to bite him. The Deputy was able to chase the dog away using his patrol vehicle. The Deputy exited his vehicle and went to the juvenile to check on him when the dog returned in an aggressive manner. The dog returned this time showing his teeth and growling. It was at this moment the Deputy drew his firearm and fired a single round at the dog that was now a few feet away. The dog then ran east between the homes. The Deputy immediately requested additional assistance.
The Deputy confirmed that the juvenile was not physically harmed by the dog. The Deputy collected witness information as additional law enforcement arrived in the area to locate the fleeing dog. The Sheriff’s office was notified that the dog was located a short time later. Council Bluffs Animal Control took custody of the dog and it was turned over to its owner at a later time. The dog had a gunshot wound to its right shoulder.

High School Baseball Scores from Friday

Sports

June 22nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Hawkeye Ten 

Council Bluffs Lincoln 7, Glenwood 1
Denison-Schleswig 10, MVAOCOU 0
Lewis Central 11, Atlantic 1
Harlan 8, St. Albert 4
Underwood 2, Creston 1

Western Iowa Conference

AHSTW 4, IKM-Manning 3
Tri-Center 12, Audubon 2
Treynor 12, Missouri Valley 2

Corner Conference 

Stanton 10, East Mills 0 – Corner Conference Tournament

Rolling Valley Conference 

Coon Rapids-Bayard 12, Ar-We-Va 0
Woodbine 14, Boyer Valley 2
CAM 13, Exira-EHK 3

West Central Activities Conference 

Waukee Northwest 18, Van Meter 8
Alta-Aurelia 8, Madrid 3
Perry 5, West Central Valley 0

High School Softball Scores from Friday

Sports

June 22nd, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Hawkeye Ten 

Denison-Schleswig 7, Spencer 2
Glenwood 2, Saydel 1
St. Albert 11, Harlan 10
Denison-Schleswig 7, Spencer 2

Western Iowa Conference

AHSTW 11, IKM-Manning 1
#7 Audubon 10, Tri-Center 0
Treynor 7, #8 Missouri Valley 2

Corner Conference 

Griswold 9, Fremont-Mills 6 – (Corner Conference Tournament Champions)

Rolling Valley Conference 

Coon Rapids-Bayard 6, Ar-We-Va 4
Woodbine 16, Boyer Valley 5

Raccoon River Conference

Carlisle 3, Solon 2
#12 Bondurant-Farrar 11, Roland-Story 0
#8 ADM 11, Knoxville 0
#13 Urbandale 9, Boone 6
#11 Winterset 7, #12 Waukee 5

West Central Activities Conference 

Glidden-Ralston 5, Panorama 4
Nevada 6, Ogden 5

Skyscan Forecast for Saturday, June 22, 2024

Weather

June 22nd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Saturday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 17 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 64. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light north northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 88. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph after midnight.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 95.
Tuesday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 86.
Friday’s high was 90 degrees and this morning’s low was 74. This day last year in Atlantic the high was 91 and the low 59. The record high on this date is 100 degrees set in 1933 and the record low set in 1972 is 32 degrees. Sunrise this morning was at 5:46 am. Sunset this evening is at 8:57 pm.

Flooding causes wastewater bypasses, unsafe waterways and closes parks

News

June 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

STATEWIDE — Following heavy rainfall throughout Northern Iowa, the DNR encourages Iowans to stay out of streams until the waters recede. Heavy rain has inundated several areas of Iowa and led to multiple wastewater discharges, flooded waterways in northwest Iowa, and park closures across the state.

Wastewater and Drinking Water

The DNR Field Office in Spencer was notified early this (Friday) morning of several wastewater bypasses and animal feeding operation discharges in Lyon, Sioux, Dickinson, O’Brien, Osceola, and Clay counties. Currently, the department is unaware of impacts to municipal drinking water supplies or fish kills. DNR staff will continue to monitor these situations and assist impacted communities.

Heavy rainfall can overload wastewater collection systems and underground sewer pipes carrying sewage to a treatment plant. With sewage pipes overwhelmed, excess water has nowhere to go and can back up into basements through floor drains. Bypassing can lower the water level and alleviate pressure in the collection system, keeping sewage from backing up into basements, which could present health risks.

State Park Impacts

In the Iowa Great Lakes area, some docks, boat ramps, public beaches, and roads are underwater and may be closed over the next several days due to changing conditions and potential hazards.

George Wyth State Park, in Waterloo, will close Monday at 3:00 pm due to predicted levels of the Cedar River. The park will remain closed through Friday, depending on additional rainfall.

Dolliver State Park, near Lehigh, the Des Moines River is expected to crest at 15 feet during the next few days, which will close the road through the park.

Wilson Island Recreation Area in Pottawattamie County is predicted to be flooded by the rising Missouri River later in the week.

Campers who have made a reservation will be notified if there is a campground closure. More areas may be impacted with additional rainfall. Plan ahead and visit the DNR’s Alerts and Closures web page for the latest information: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Alerts-and-Closures 

Rivers and Lakes

Due to heavy rainfall, rivers and lakes in Northern Iowa are unsafe for swimming or boating. Fast currents, floating debris, hidden obstacles, and the potential of bacteria make these areas dangerous. Boaters and paddlers should plan ahead as additional areas may become unsafe as flood waters move downstream.

CAM Baseball with another solid win against Exira-EHK

Sports

June 21st, 2024 by Asa Lucas

The CAM Cougars baseball team had another strong win against the Exira-EHK Spartans Friday night by ending the ball game with a 13-3 score through five innings. To start the ball game both teams exchanged base hits but were tied after the 1st inning. Making it seem that this would be another competitive Rolling Valley matchup.  The game’s momentum completely shifted in the 2nd inning when CAM’s first three batters all had base hits to load up the bases with no outs. Then back-to-back hitters were hit by pitches to give the Cougars the lead at 2-0. Then the runs started pouring in for CAM as they would total 8 hits in the top of the 2nd making the score 10-0 after relief pitcher Jameson Kilworth came in to retire the next three batters he faced. The Spartans had no response in the bottom of the 2nd and their batters wouldn’t even reach second base till the fifth inning due to another impressive night from Makade Paulsen.

CAM would tack on 1 run in the 4th and 2 in the 5th to make the game 13-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth. There with two outs Exira-EHK would score 3 runs with an RBI single from Alex Hansen and a 2 RBI grounder from Jaiden Pettepier. With the score sitting at 13-3 through five innings, the officials called the end of the ball game.

Cougars Head Coach Drew Ticknor credited his team’s vision at the plate to create that massive 10 run lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

Coach Ticknor applauded the effort from Makade Paulsen on both sides of the game pitching 5 innings, having 4 hits, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks, and no runs. Paulsen also went 3-4 at the plate with 2 RBI’s.

The victory for CAM gets them to a double-digit win record at 10-6 on the season. The Cougars will be back at home on Monday against a competitive Coon Rapids-Bayard team.

The Spartans’ leading hitter was Austin Rasmussen who had the only extra base hit for Exira-EHK while also going 2-3. The Spartans will start their road trip on Monday against a talented Woodbine squad.

Northwest Iowa faces flooding, evacuations after heavy rains

News

June 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Flood warnings were issued in far northwest Iowa, Friday (June 21), as water levels continue to rise after eight inches of rain fell Thursday night. Rock Valley Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo is closely monitoring the Rock River that runs north of the town of four-thousand in Sioux County as more rain is expected. It reached record levels during devastating flooding ten years ago, and it could get there again.

The projections are pretty close to the 22-point-seven inches for the crest in 2014. During the past several years, Rock Valley built berms to protect property and people. Sandbagging is underway not only in Rock Valley but other communities in nearby Lyon and Plymouth counties.

Van Otterloo says evacuations could be ordered.

Rock Valley will decide sometime this afternoon if it will evacuate the northern part of the city.  Other nearby communities also fearful of flooding include Sioux Rapids, Hawarden, and Akron. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says a woman who tried to drive through a flooded roadway in rural Spencer went into a waterfilled ditch and had to be rescued by two people entered the water, broke the rear window and removed the woman. Within minutes after the rescue, the vehicle was fully under water.

(article by Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio via Radio Iowa)

Atlantic Alumni Jordan Mullen creating History at Ankeny

Sports

June 21st, 2024 by Asa Lucas

May of 2024 brought some major success in the life of Atlantic Alumni and Ankeny Head Track and Field Coach Jordan Mullen. He had the opportunity to watch his track program win the Class 4A State Title this year in Des Moines while eclipsing a state record 112 points. It was the first state title for the Hawks since 1972. The feeling of winning a state title was one filled with passion and euphoria for Mullen.

When reflecting on the moments that led him to such a powerful accomplishment, Mullen had a list of names to thank. But one former coach in Atlantic had a major impact in his high school life. State title winner and Atlantic community member Gaylord Schelling.

Coach Mullen had a prolific career as a Trojan being a seven-time state champion, setting a class 3A state meet record in the 110 meter hurdles his senior year and winning two titles at the Drake Relays in the 110-meter hurdles.

That success carried over for Mullen as a springboard to becoming a Big Ten champion at the University of Iowa, breaking school records, and winning multiple invite titles. Mullen’s time at Iowa was some of his most formative years and he credits his time as a Hawkeye to making him the coach he is today.

Coach Mullen is excited about his second year of coaching at Ankeny. He noted that they have another large class of athletes filled with plenty of talent.

With the size of next year’s group and the memories of winning a state title still fresh, Coach Mullen is keeping his expectations high for next year. He also hopes that his group of athletes can stay healthy throughout the year.

The future is looking bright for the Hawks and Coach Mullen.