The office of Governor Terry Branstad today (Thursday), announced that in cooperation with the Governor of the state of Iowa and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, approximately 45 members and 20 vehicles from the Iowa Army National Guard are deploying to High Ridge, Mo. to provide water purification and water transportation services.

The Soldiers are members of Companies A, B and C, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, located at Camp Dodge, Cedar Rapids and Oelwein. The Soldiers and their equipment will arrive in Missouri on January 1st and begin transporting and producing potable water that same day.

The Iowa National Guard is providing one Tactical Water Purification System (TWPS) and 15 “Hippos” (Load Handling System Compatible Water Tank Racks for transporting water) for the mission in Missouri. The TWPS uses state-of-the-art reverse osmosis technology to produce 1,500 gallons-per-hour (GPH) of potable water. The Hippo consists of a 2,000-gallon potable water tank with an integrated pump, engine, alternator, filling stand, and 70-foot hose reel with bulk suction and discharge hoses. It has the capacity to pump 125 gallons of water per minute.

The state of Missouri requested assistance from the state of Iowa to help provide potable water after High Ridge’s Public Water Supply District 2 Treatment Plant was contaminated by extensive flooding. The Treatment Plant serves approximately 6,500 customers in High Ridge and Murphy, Mo. and is located approximately 350 miles southeast of Des Moines, Iowa. More than 20,000 Missouri residents are currently without potable water due to flooding.

Support is provided under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (“EMAC”) (pronounced “ee mack”), an agreement executed previously between all 50 states, to assist one another in times of crisis. EMAC is a national, mutual aid and partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during Governor-declared or federally-declared emergencies. Once the conditions for providing assistance to a requesting state have been set, the terms constitute a legally binding contractual agreement that make affected states responsible for reimbursement.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Powerball jackpot has risen to $334 million, the 12th largest in the game’s history. No one won the jackpot on Wednesday, and the next drawing is set for Saturday. The lump-sum cash prize for the winner is $205 million. Iowa Lottery spokesman Kevin Kirkpatrick says the prize hasn’t been this large since March 2013, when a New Jersey man won $338 million.

Powerball’s largest jackpot was more than $590 million in May 2013. Kirkpatrick says the game would have to continue a few more rounds without a winner before it could reach that level. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – An Allegiant Air flight headed to Iowa has made a safe emergency landing at a Tennessee airport. Chattanooga Airport spokesman Albert Waterhouse said Allegiant Air Flight 760 landed around 8:30 a.m. Thursday after reporting a problem with one of its engines. Waterhouse said the plane landed safely, and no injuries were reported.

He said there were 153 passengers on board the flight, which was headed from Orlando, Florida, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He said Allegiant is sending another plane, which will take the passengers on to their destination.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker reported to the Board of Supervisors during their meeting Thursday morning, that there are two bridge projects that will utilize Federal Highway Bridge Funds in the current budget year. Bids for the projects will be let in mid-January. They include bids for bridge #347, on the Cass/Audubon County line in the northeast part of Cass County, and bridge #20, located south of Cumberland. Bids for those projects will be let January 20th.

Marker said because of some addition monies received through the Road Use Tax Fund, his department can also work on three more bridges that are currently in the design phase. He says they hope to replace the wood abutments and pilings and replace them so that the bridges can be removed from the embargoed (weight limit) list. Those bridges include #16 in Massena Township, south of Massena. Bridge #102 in the southwest corner of the County, and Bridge 123.

Work on the bridges is set to begin this spring, with completion anticipated by the end of June, 2016.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Thursday, approved a Resolution for voluntary annexation by the City of Atlantic, of property located just past the east City Limits. Cass County Attorney David Wiederstein said the property located at 56988 635th Street, is owned by a screen-printing company (A-Plus Designs/Outfitters Plus Retail). A trust for the owners had requested on their behalf, that the land be annexed.

The Supervisors approved the request after Auditor/Board Secretary Dale Sunderman read a Resolution pertaining to the matter. The Board also approved a Resolution of Support for the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a man from Ringgold County was arrested Wednesday afternoon on sex abuse charges. 18-year old Quintin Tyler Chumbley, of Mt Ayr, was arrested at the Ringgold Union County line, on a Union County warrant for two counts of sexual abuse in the 3rd degree. Chumbley was being held in the Union County Jail on $10,000 bond.

(9-a.m. news)