Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Can you tell the difference between a “scud” cloud, and a “wall” cloud? Do you know the difference between a “funnel cloud,” and a Tornado? Trained storm spotters know the difference, and serve as the local eyes for the National Weather Service when severe weather threatens. Each year, meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) travel to most of the 51 counties they serve to provide a comprehensive multi-media spotter training presentation. The classes are hosted by local emergency management officials, fire departments and a few amateur radio clubs. There are several opportunities for you to attend one of these classes free of charge. The classes typically last one-to two-hours.

The courses cover information about severe weather climatology, severe thunderstorm types, different weather threats and how to identify them, how to report severe weather, spotter safety and severe weather communications. If a class is not offered in your county, you are welcome to attend a class in a nearby county.

In the KJAN listening area, classes are being offered in March at the following locations and times….

March 8th     at the Prescott Fire Station in Adams County, beginning at 7-p.m.

March 14th   at the Lewis Fire Station in Cass County, starting at 7-p.m.

March 15th  at Southwestern Community College in Creston Room 180, at 7-p.m. (Union County)

March 21st  at the Mt. Ayr Courthouse Assembly Room, at 7-p.m. (Ringgold County)

March 26th at the Carroll Fire Station, beginning at 6:30-p.m. (Carroll County)

March 27th at the Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Winterset, at 7-p.m. (Madision County)

And, in April….

on the 4th, at the Audubon Courthouse, beginning at 6:30-p.m. (Audubon County), and on the 18th, at the Menlo Community Center in Menlo (Guthrie County), beginning at 7-p.m.

For other locations, dates and times, check out http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/?n=spotterinfo

338 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

…VERY STRONG WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY…

A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN MINNESOTA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. AS THE STORM TRACKS THROUGH THE REGION WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS 45 TO 55 MPH. THE STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP NEAR SUNRISE OVER WESTERN IOWA AND INCREASE OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION BY LATE MORNING.

A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FAR WEST & SOUTHWEST COUNTIES IN OUR LISTENING AREA (MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE) FROM 7-A.M. WEDNESDAY UNTIL 4-P.M., AND FROM 6-AM UNTIL 6-P.M FOR CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR AND RINGGOLD COUNTIES.

* TIMING...STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY 6 AM WEST OF HIGHWAY 71 BY SUNRISE AND INCREASE TO NEAR INTERSTATE 35 BY 9 AM CST. WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. A CORRIDOR BETWEEN HIGHWAY 30 AND HIGHWAY 34 IS EXPECTED TO EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST WINDS WITH GUSTS TO OVER 50 MPH AT TIMES.

* WINDS…WINDS WILL REACH 30 TO 35 MPH FOR MUCH OF THE DAY WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 45 AND 55 MPH BY LATE MORNING THROUGH MID AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS…LOOSE OBJECTS WILL BE BLOWN AROUND. HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY DRIVING ESPECIALLY ON NORTH SOUTH ROADS AND INTERSTATES. SNOW DEVELOPING OVER FAR NORTHERN IOWA BY MID MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WILL RESULT IN A PERIOD OF LOWER VISIBILITY AND POSSIBLY DIFFICULT TRAVEL FOR SEVERAL HOURS. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES OR TREE DAMAGE MAY OCCUR IF STRONGER WINDS DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH WIND GUSTS TO OVER 45 MPH. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION. MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE MAY ALSO OCCUR DUE TO UNSECURED OBJECTS BLOWING AROUND.

The Atlantic Fire Department was dispatched to a ceiling fire at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Atlantic, at 716 W. 7th Street. The building has been evacuated, and the first fire crews on the scene show no smoke. Police also reported smoke, but nothing visible inside, either.

As it turns out, it was just the ballast on a light fixture that had burned out and was causing the smell. No damage or injuries were reported.

(corrected phone number at bottom of story)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say opportunities to spend the summer in an Iowa state park is available for individuals who serve as campground hosts. Hosts are needed for the season at Pine Lake, Pilot Knob, Walnut Woods, Lake Keomah, Lake Manawa, Lewis and Clark, Bellevue, Backbone, Beeds Lake, Clear Lake, Ledges, Nine Eagles, Pikes Peak, Viking Lake, Yellow River and Elk Rock. If an entire season is too much, three state parks have host needs of shorter durations. Hosts are needed from April through June at Lacey-Keosauqua, from the end of June through October at Prairie Rose, and for July and August at Volga River.

Campground hosts receive free camping at a designated site while they help state parks staff by assisting campers, explaining park rules, and helping with registration, and serving as an impromptu local tour guide. Hosts will help park staff to keep the park clean and with light maintenance.

Applications are available online at http://volunteer.iowadnr.gov then click on the campground hosts link toward the middle of the page.  Or, call 515-242-5074 to have an application mailed. Linda King, with the DNR’s office of volunteer services, said they would like to get hosts placed in parks by around the middle of March, so they are ready to go, in April.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying persons responsible for the recent theft of numerous tractor weights. Officials say they’re investigating six separate incidents, during which area farmers have reported the front weights of their tractors have been stolen. At this time, only John Deere brand tractors have been targeted. The thefts have resulted in several thousand dollars worth of losses.

If you have any information about the thefts, call Fremont County Crimestoppers. Your tip could lead to an arrest and conviction, result in a $1,000 reward. Call 1-800-432-9240 with your tip, or, 712-374-2424. Callers can remain anonymous and still be eligible for the reward.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman wants to remind residents of the county who recently received their Voter Registration cards in the mail, that you DO NOT have to return the card, if all the information printed on it, is correct. You only need to return the postage paid card if information on it is incorrect, such as your name, your address or other, pertinent information.

The way the card was printed has caused problems for many county auditors’ offices, because it is confusing and seemingly contraddictory. But the bottom line is, that you do not need to return the card, if your information is correct. Returning cards with no changes to them costs the a little more than a dollar each time they are mailed and processed.

Wishes to Walt Disney World® Resort may be the most typical wish for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but there was nothing commonplace about a six-year old Underwood girl’s wish. Elizabeth (her last name was not released) wanted to go to the Disney Theme Park to meet Belle, Cinderella, Tinkerbell and Rapunzel, and when her wish was fulfilled, Elizabeth became the 2,500th child to receive a wish in the state of Iowa.

Elizabeth from Underwood gets her wish to visit Disney World, in FL

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa grants the wishes of children living with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. A wish come true helps children feel stronger and more willing and able to battle their life-threatening medical conditions. For many wish children and their families, it marks a turning point in their fight against their illnesses.

The Iowa Chapter grants approximately one wish every other day and 82 cents of every dollar donated goes directly toward wishes. Examples of some of our wishes include to have a room redo, to meet a sports or movie celebrity, to be a dolphin trainer, and to go places like the Super Bowl or, like Elizabeth, to Walt Disney World® Resort.

In 2012, the Iowa Chapter is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and 2,500 wishes granted to Iowa’s children living with life-threatening medical conditions.

(Press Release from the Make-A-Wish Foundation)

A traffic stop on Interstate in Cass County Monday afternoon resulted in the arrest of a Washington State man on a drug charge, and the seizure of cash. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Wayne Brosam told KJAN news the arrest occurred after he pulled a 1999 Honda over for speeding, at around 4:40-p.m. near the Marne Exit (51-mile marker) on westbound I-80. Brosam says after the driver denied him permission to search his vehicle, Cass County Deputy Brian Quist and his K-9 partner “Kane” were called to conduct a free-air search around the car. The dog indicated on the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. During a “Probable Cause” search, Brosam and Quist located a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, along with $4,000 in cash, tucked away in suitcase, located in the trunk of the car. 

The cash was seized, and the driver, 42-year old Lloyd V. Dual, of Eatonville, Washington, was taken into custody on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance for Personal Use. Dual was booked into the Cass County Jail and released this (Tuesday) morning on $1,000 bond. Trooper Brosam said he became suspicious of Dual’s intentions when his travel plans didn’t make sense. The man told the Trooper he was traveling from Indiana to Washington State. While in the Trooper’s vehicle, Brosam said he could smell marijuana on the man’s clothes.

The latest data indicates two incumbent congressmen in Iowa will be battling for reelection in a district that has a slight Republican voter registration edge. After the 2010 Census Iowa lost one of its five congressional districts and Republican Congressman Tom Latham of Clive and Democratic Congressman Leonard Boswell of Des Moines are running against one another in the new third district. That district now leans Republican. The district covers 16 counties in southwest Iowa and includes the city of Des Moines. 

The latest statistics indicate nearly 35 percent of voters in the district are registered Republicans, while about 33-and-a-half percent are registered Democrats. The rest are independents. The other two Democratic congressmen from Iowa — Bruce Braley of Waterloo and Dave Loebsack of Iowa City — are running in districts which have a Democratic voter registration edge. 

Republican Congressman Steve King has been representing a district that has a significant G-O-P edge. The new fourth congressional district has a 47-thousand more registered Republicans than Democrats. Former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack is challenging King’s bid for a sixth term. Go to www.radioiowa.com to see the latest information on voter registration in each of the four congressional districts.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)