A nuclear power plant near Council Bluffs that was forced to shut down during last summer’s massive Missouri River flooding is -still- closed. The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station is some 20 miles north of Omaha on the Nebraska side of the river and is a matter of yard from the Iowa border. Gary Gates, CEO and president of the Omaha Public Power District, says there’s still a lot of work to do before the plant can be brought back online. “We’re still in that mode of finding out all of the items we need to work on,” Gates says. “The progress has been great to date and we’re excited about that. We’re finally in the phase now where we’re starting to do a lot of physical work.” 

Many people in Iowa and Nebraska were concerned about safety hazards during the 2011 floods as the facility was surrounded by record-high water. Gates says the flood slowed progress but caused no problems at the plant. He says many challenges were discovered during the process to upgrade the plant to a higher power level. With the extreme heat of the past several weeks, electric usage is peaking but Gates says, the utility is meeting the high demands, even with Fort Calhoun remaining offline. “We bought some power ahead so we covered that,” he says. “The current units we have are operating extremely well in difficult conditions.” 

Even though there are no significant problems in meeting the demand for electricity in the region, Gates says the nuclear plant at Fort Calhoun is still needed, for two primary reasons. “It provides 500-megawatts of carbon-free, CO2-free emissions for us and that’s a positive, and the other is a diversity of fuel mix,” Gates says. “We’ve found over the years, the best thing we can do for our customer-owners is to have all different kinds of fuel available. In my experience, each one has been challenged and each one has been very positive so we want to maintain that fuel diversity.” 

The plant has been offline since April of 2011. It’s still unclear when it will be restarted.

(Radio Iowa)

Adair/Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf says the 9-1-1 lines are currently down in Guthrie County. It’s not known when service will be restored. Persons with an emergency are asked to call the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office at 641-747-2214.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department reports three people were arrested Friday night. 28-year old Tara Squibbs, of Corning, was arrested at around 8:40-p.m. on a charge of Aiding and Abetting a No Contact Order. She was subsequently released on $500 bond. At around 9:45-p.m., 35-year old Terry Squibbs, of Corning, was arrested for Violating a No Contact Order. Squibbs was also released from custody, on a $500 bond.

And, Just before 11-p.m., 18-year old Cody Johnson, of Stanton, was arrested in 500 block of 8th Street in Corning, on Public Intoxication and Possession of Alcohol by persons underage, charges. Johnson was being held in the Adams County Jail early Saturday morning.

A call to authorities in Montgomery County late Friday night about a woman letting air out of trucks in Villisca, resulted in the arrest of a Prescott woman. Sheriff’s officials say 19-year old Shelby Kate Evans was charged with Criminal Mischief and Public Intoxication, following an investigation into the incident in the 1100 block of west High Street, which was reported just after 11-p.m., Friday. Evans was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $600 bond early Saturday morning.

Two Midwestern economists say the drought that’s hit the region will “absolutely” be felt beyond the farm and will be a damper on the national economy. Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University, says his research finds the drought hitting beyond the farm field, impacting other businesses like ethanol plants and farm equipment dealers. “Depending on the weather, we’re going to see some significant impacts,” Goss says. “And this is going to roll across the U.S., all the way from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota — less impacts up further north — (and in) Missouri, very significant impacts, so this will have some impacts on GDP.” The latest report, released Friday, shows the country’s Gross Domestic Product increased by one-and-a-half percent in the second quarter.

There was a drought last year in the south, Texas was especially hard hit, but Iowa State University economist Bruce Babcock says this year’s drought will have a far wider impact because corn and soybean losses will be significant.  “I think Midwesterners mainly felt the southwest drought because now we’re experiencing higher beef prices over the last six months because the herds got culled and we’re now at our smallest cattle herd size in I don’t know how many years,” Babcock says. “…Now we have a potentially another round of shrinking the cattle herd again, but also because of higher feed grain costs, and so this should be a wider-spread event.” According to Babcock, it’s the smaller producers who are most likely to get out of the cattle or hog business this year.

A U-S-D-A report recently estimated food prices would climb five percent because of the drought, but Babcock suggests that impact is under-estimated because the calculation was made before the full extent of crop losses became clear. “It’s really the livestock sector that’s going to be taking the big burden here through higher feed costs,” Babcock says. “It’s not necessarily the crop sector. Even though the drought’s there, it’s not like we’re going to produce zero and what we do sell is going to be sold at a higher price and so crop income is going to be somewhat buffered.” Babcock estimates more than 90 percent of Iowa grain farmers bought crop insurance for this growing season. Skyrocketing feed costs will lead to increased prices for not just beef and pork, but for many other grocery store items, including eggs, milk and cheese.

Each month, Goss and some of his colleagues at Creighton University survey bankers in the Midwest and his July survey is nearly complete. “These are bank CEOs in rural portions of 10 states, average community size 1300. We asked them the impact of this drought. We asked about the impact on ethanol plants and biodiesel and two-thirds of those with ethanol and biodiesel plants in their area reported there were either cut-backs or shut-downs — temporary shut-downs, of course,” Goss says. “…We have an ag equipment sales index. (It) dropped to recession levels this month.” Goss and Babcock made their comments on the Iowa Public Television program, “Iowa Press” which aired Friday night and will be replayed Sunday at noon.
(Radio Iowa)

Seven people were injured as a result of two separate accidents involving a total of 9 vehicles Friday evening, in Pottawattamie County. Both crashes occurred just hours apart, near a construction zone. The first accident took place on I-80 eastbound, about two-miles east of Shelby, at around 4:15-p.m. It involved four semi tractor-trailers and three other vehicles.

The Iowa State Patrol says the driver of one of the semi’s, 64-year old David Nyhus, of Arena, WI, was seriously injured in the crash and flown by LifeNet helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha., where he was listed in serious condition. Two other people were injured, including an eight-year old child, who was a passenger in a 2007 Toyota Camry, driven by 32-year old Jessica Cook, of Winthrop, Iowa. The other person injured was identified as 47-year old Jeffrey Vondeaxplette, of Moreno Valley, CA. Both were transported by ambulance to the Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan.The drivers of the other vehicles were not injured. The crash resulted in the eastbound lanes of I-80 being closed for more than five-hours, with traffic being diverted through Avoca.

The Patrol says traffic was stopped due to heavy traffic merging into one lane because of the construction ahead of them. The semi driven by Nyhus was traveling eastbound in the right lane, and for reasons unknown, failed to stop with the traffic ahead. The semi swerved to the right and hit Cook’s Camry in the rear. The car was shoved forward into a 2011 Ford Fiesta, driven by 27-year old James Paul,of Columbus, NE. Paul was not injured in the crash. The semi continued down the eastbound shoulder of I-80, where it hit a semi driven by 60-year old Thomas Kuster, of Madrid, a 2005 Ford F-250 pickup, driven by 31-year old Jacob Zech, of Omaha, and a 2007 Volvo semi, driven by 38-year old Slatcho Gueirguiev, of Prospect Heights, IL. After Nyhus’ semi pushed the Volvo semi into a 2011 International semi, driven by Vondeaxplette, the Volvo rolled onto its left side.

The accident remains under investigation, with charges pending.

The second accident happened less than one-half mile away from the first, in the westbound lane of I-80, at around 8:15-p.m. The State Patrol says four children, ranging from eighth-months to 6-years of age, all of whom were from Omaha, were injured, when the 2002 Chrysler van they were in was rear-ended by a semi. The children were transported by Shelby Rescue to Myrtue Hospital. Officials say the accident occurred as the van, driven by 27-year old Rachel Foster, of Omaha, was traveling in the right lane of I-80 westbound, and was slowing for traffic in front of her. The van was hit from behind by a 2006 Freightliner semi, being driven by 28-year old Steven Daubs, of Robinson, IL.

No injuries were reported following a crash between a semi and a van Friday evening on Interstate 80 westbound near Neola, in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van driven by 59-year old Marvin Wendel, of Jackson, WY, was traveling west in the left lane at the same time a 2008 Kenworth semi driven by 56-year old Raymond Pratt, of Harrison, MI was attempting to pass him, in the right lane. The semi crossed the divided line and came into contact with the van near mile marker 27. No dollar amount of damage was listed in the Patrol’s report, which also did not indicate if there were any citations issued.

Dozens of western Iowans and eastern Nebraskans who sold gold coins and jewelry at a traveling antique show earlier this month are learning the checks bounced. The Treasure Hunters Roadshow bought tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise during the show in the Missouri River town of Nebraska City, Nebraska, on July 3rd through the 7th. Warren Myers, who hosted the event, says the company told him it would reimburse the customers. Myers says: “They told us, ‘Hey, everybody’s getting paid. You guys don’t have to worry about it. Just send us their information and we’ll cut ’em a check. We’re going to give them what we owe them and a little something extra for their time and for their bank fees.'”

Officials now say thousands of bad checks were written to employees, vendors and customers nationwide. The Roadshow is owned by T-H-R Associates, based in Springfield, Illinois. At the Nebraska City show, reports say the company wrote 94 checks, totaling more than 37-thousand dollars. Amounts ranged from 15-dollars to more than 19-thousand dollars. Myer says he left the Roadshow after the Nebraska City show. He says the company stopped doing shows in June due to financial issues, but started again recently. “The week after Nebraska City, the company sent out an email to all employees and told them to shut the shows down and go home,” Myer says. “The owner, Jeff Parsons, put a ‘stop payment’ on all checks from employees to venders to media.”

To those people who sold their gold and other heirlooms to the company’s “appraisers,” he has some advice. Myer says, “One of the things they can do, give all those bad checks to the state Attorney General’s office, let them build a case, have an arrest warrant out for them and make them come back to Nebraska City and answer all these charges.” The Otoe County (Nebraska) Prosecuting Attorney’s office is taking complaints in the case at (402) 873-9044. You can also contact the Consumer Fraud Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s office at 800-243-0618. Nebraska City is about 45 miles south of Omaha and is just across the Missouri River from the Iowa towns of Sidney and Hamburg.

(Radio Iowa)

Three people, including an infant, were injured during a single-vehicle, rollover accident this (Friday) morning, in western Iowa’s Monona County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened as a 2000 GMC Jimmy was traveling north on Interstate 29 near Whiting, at around 7:15-a.m. Officials say for reasons unknown, the SUVwent off the shoulder and overcorrected, causing it to roll through the median, before coming to rest on its wheels in the southbound lanes.

The driver of the SUV, Tiffany Lucas, of Jefferson City, MO, and a front seat passenger, Derek Vining, also of Jefferson City, were ejected during the crash. Lucas was transported by Mercy Air Care helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Sioux City. Vining, and an infant in the vehicle, were transported by Burgess Ambulance, to the same hospital.

The accident remains under investigation.