Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation report the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 between U.S. Highway 30 and Iowa Highway 210 in Story County, are closed for emergency repair work. According to reports, part of the shoulder under construction has washed away in the rain, leading to a partial undermining of the interstate. Motorists will be detoured around the closure using U.S. 30 to U.S. 69, to Iowa 210, and then back on to I-35.

Officials with Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) says a tree limb falling on a power line caused about 230 people to lose power this (Wednesday) morning, in Atlantic. The tree limb fell in the vicinity of W. 29th and Willow Streets, at around 6:20-a.m.  AMU says all of it’s affected customers had their power restored by around 7:15-a.m.

Winds at the time were gusting from 25-to 45-miles per hour, with higher gusts to over 50 miles per hour. Other utilities had reported power outages as well this morning, including customers of Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative in Adams, Cass, Montgomery and Taylor Counties. Mid-American Energy also reported scattered outages in Griswold, Lewis, Carbon, Red Oak and Villisca.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office say they are trying to locate 15-year old Emma Lee Lucas of Bedford. Lucas is 5′ 01″ 100 lbs with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She is likely with 17 year old Matthew Petersen of Sheridan, Missouri. The teens are possibly in a white 2005 Chevrolet Silverado with a winch in the back. The truck has Iowa license plate # DYH683.

Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley will hold three town meetings in southwest and south central Iowa on May 5th and May 6th as part of his annual 99-county meetings.  On May 5th and 6th, Grassley will be in Bedford, Mount Ayr and Leon. 

His schedule is as follows:

Thursday, May 5

Taylor County: 3:45-4:45 p.m. – Taylor County Farm Bureau Meeting Room, in Bedford (607 Pollock Boulevard).

Friday, May 6

Ringgold County : 8:00-9:00 a.m. – Ringgold County Courthouse (109 West Madison Street), in Mt. Ayr.

Decatur County : 10:00-11:00 a.m. – Leon Community Center (203 NE 2^nd Street), in Leon.

Grassley says he will continue his long-standing practice of holding constituent meetings in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.  Iowa’s senior Senator has held a meeting in every county, every year since he was first elected to serve in the U.S. Senate.  His question-and-answer sessions are open topic and cover whatever subjects those attending choose to raise.

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office reports the opening of the Interstate 29 off-ramp (exit 147B) to the new southbound frontage road, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, April 29th, weather permitting. Motorists will now be able to access Nebraska Street and Floyd Boulevard using the new southbound frontage road.