(Radio Iowa) – The Army Corps of Engineers has completed significant repairs and upgrades to levies, dikes and other structures damaged by flooding along the Missouri River five years ago. Clint Mason, the Corps’ Missouri River program manager, expects barge traffic to increase. “Right now I think we’re seeing a resurgence of navigation after we’ve made the repairs over the last two years,” Mason says.

Officials estimate Midwest flooding in 2019 caused nearly three BILLION dollars in damage. Congress allocated over 340-Million dollars to repair the Missouri River’s navigational channel. Army Corps offices in Kansas City and Omaha typically have total budgets around 10 million dollars. “An influx of $340 million-plus — it was definitely orders of magnitude above what we would get in a normal year,” Mason says, “and even more than what we’ve seen after past floods or other major events when we’ve had damages.”

There are about seven-thousand structures along the lower Missouri River, from Sioux City to St. Louis, that maintain a navigational channel that’s 300 feet wide and nine feet deep. Mason says the influx of funding was particularly helpful in addressing delayed maintenance of structures made of rock and stone. “The rock breaks down with freeze thaw. High flow events will push the rock or move it off of our structures, things like that,” Mason says, “and so over time those rock structures require continual upkeep and maintenance.”

Low water levels in the river due to the recent drought helped speed along the Corps’ repairs. The Missouri River is the longest river in the U-S. It starts in Montana and drains into the Mississippi River at St. Louis.

(Preston, Iowa) – One person died late Tuesday morning after they were struck by a vehicle while in a parking lot of a gas station/convenience store. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened in Preston, at around 11:26-a.m., Tuesday. Authorities say a 2012 Hyundai Elantra was attempting to leave the parking lot of the Country Store, when the accident occurred. The names of the driver and victim were not released. The accident remains under investigation.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

(Nora Springs, Iowa) – A crash early this (Wednesday) morning southwest of Nora Springs, in northern Iowa, claimed the life of a woman whose identity was not immediately known. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2022 KIA Telluride SUV was traveling on U-S Highway 18 eastbound Avenue of the Saints near mile marker 195, at around 12:34-a.m., when for reasons unknown, the vehicle left the road and entered the median, where it struck a bridge pillar.

The SUV burst into flames. Its driver – who was only occupant of the vehicle – died at the scene. Authorities were calling the driver “Jane Doe,” pending identification and notification of family. The crash victim was transported by Nora Springs Ambulance to MercyOne Hospital in Mason City.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Floyd, Cerro Gordo, and Worth County Sheriff’s Departments.

(Radio Iowa) – August ended with an above-normal run of hot weather, but State Climatologist Justin Glisan says the average temperatures for the month lines up with past records. “About 71 degrees again, that’s the overnight low plus the daytime high, divide by two gives us a good climatological trend to look at if we’re above or below average,” Glisan says. “That’s right near normal across the state.”

Glisan says the rainfall for August was a different story, as it was down. “A little drier than normal if you look at precipitation across the state,” he says, “and particularly you look at north-central Iowa, getting over into western Iowa, where we had higher precipitation deficits Overall, about an inch below normal, at three-point-two (3.2) inches.”

The temperatures for June, July and August averaged out to 72 degrees.  “And that’s what we expect for summertime behavior. And actually, we were wetter than normal across the state as well, about 14 inches of rainfall, and that’s about a half inch above normal,” Glissan says. “Now there were pockets in western Iowa where we saw precipitation deficits 50 to 75 percent of normal. And then, of course, the June in mid June, a flooding event in northwestern and north-central Iowa with epic amount of rainfall and flooding.”

The early forecast for the fall doesn’t see the cool temperatures staying around. Glissan says that all depends on how the La Nina develops. “Those outlooks that they are trending warmer for September, October, November, and then a slight signal for drier than normal conditions across southwestern Iowa. But again, we’ll have to see if this La Nina develops, because that is the dominant climate driver as we move into fall and even into wintertime as well,” he says.

The meteorological autumn started Sunday.

(Radio Iowa) – State Regulators have hired two companies to conduct a study of the state’s gaming industry that could play a key role in the decision to award a new casino license. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Tina Eick) says the studies are due December 30th, and the two companies will make a presentation to the Commission on their findings at their meeting in January.

The move comes after the Iowa Legislature’s two-year moratorium on new gambling licenses expired. The Linn County Gaming Association has a proposal for a casino on the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids if the I-R-G-C decides to award a new gambling license after reviewing the study and getting other input.

(Radio Iowa) – Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg has resigned today (Tuesday) and has been named President and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association. In a written statement, Gregg said his kids are growing up too fast and statewide office forces him to miss more of their lives than he can accept — so his time in public service must come to a close.

Gregg, a lawyer who grew up in Hawarden, was the Republican Party’s nominee for attorney general in 2014. He served as the state’s public defender for the next three years — until Kim Reynolds chose him to be lieutenant governor. That was in the spring of 2017, when Governor Terry Branstad resigned and Reynolds was sworn in as lieutenant governor.

Reynolds says Gregg has been a tremendous partner and it comes as no surprise that he prioritizing his personal life.

(Radio Iowa) – Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg has resigned today (Tuesday) after serving in the role for seven years. According to a news release from the governor’s office, Gregg is stepping down to pursue a career opportunity that allows him to focus more on his family. In a written statement, Gregg said his kids are growing up too fast and statewide office forces him to miss more of their lives than he can accept — so his time in public service must come to a close.

Gregg, a lawyer who grew up in Hawarden, was the Republican Party’s nominee for attorney general in 2014. He served as the state’s public defender for the next three years — until Kim Reynolds chose him to be lieutenant governor. That was in the spring of 2017, when Governor Terry Branstad resigned and Reynolds was sworn in as lieutenant governor.

Reynolds says Gregg has been a tremendous partner and it comes as no surprise that he prioritizing his personal life.

(Radio Iowa) – The Mid-America Business Index for August shows Iowa’s manufacturing sector is being hit by a sales slowdown. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss checks in each month with manufacturing supply managers in nine states, including Iowa.

“What we’re seeing in our survey for Iowa, for the region and for the nation is the manufacturing sector is bumping along,” Goss told Radio Iowa. “I won’t call it in a recession…(but) it’s certainly a slowdown and we’re seeing the pinch in the streets as we’re seeing pull backs in employment.”

The state’s overall Business Conditions rating for August marks a fourth month of decline from what Goss calls “growth neutral.” New orders and production were down among Iowa manufacturers in the August report, with an overall decline in hiring. “The national number came out this morning and also showing that employment in the manufactuing sector remains weak and declining and job losses there,” Goss said. “And certainly again, in terms of Iowa, you can trace that back to the agricultural equipment manufacturing, but also to those related industries.”

Ernie Goss

Goss cited a pull-back in facilities that produce fabricated metal. According to the latest data from the U.S. International Trade Administration, exports from Iowa’s manufacturing sector through August are down nearly 6% when compared to the first eight months of last year. “At least going forward, that’s going to unfortunately continue,” Goss said. “…And of course it’s slowing down the Iowa economy and the regional economy.”

Goss has a separate survey that focuses exclusively on what’s happening the agricultural sector. “Those who sell directly to the farmers are having a real downturns in overall sales as the farmers cut back on their purchases,” Goss said, “and we’re seeing some of those impacts.”

In a news release issued this morning by Creighton, Goss said the supply managers he surveys for the monthly Mid-America Business Index are “pessimistic” and 35% of them say a recession is “a real threat.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Police in Atlantic investigated, but found no credible evidence of a shooting, Sunday night. According to a press release, the Cass County Communications Center received a 911 call Sunday from a person who said an individual had been shot behind the apartments in the 1300 block of E. 10th Street, in Atlantic. When officers arrived on the scene, they found no one in the area had any injuries, and that there had NOT been any altercations that occurred.

An investigation into the situation resulted in the arrest of 33-year-old Samantha Wehrli, of Atlantic, for False Reports of an Indictable Offense to a Public Entity, and Public Intoxication. Wehrli was booked into the Cass County Jail.

No other details are being released at this time. If you have any information with regard to the incident, please call the Atlantic Police Department at 712-243-3512.

“A criminal charges is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Department of Corrections officials confirm M-pox or monkey pox has been detected in the state prison in Fort Dodge, but they’re not saying how many inmates are infected with the highly contagious virus. M-pox causes severe rashes and blister-like sores. It was originally found in Africa, but in 2022, m-pox spread around the world in cases linked to travel.

According to a statement from the Iowa Department of Corrections, affected individuals in the Fort Dodge prison are receiving care, with “enhanced sanitation and isolation protocols in place to prevent further spread.” Health officials say m-pox is spread through close contact with someone who has the virus or by touching surfaces or items an infected person has touched.

The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility (I-DOC photo)

State health officials confirmed the first case of monkey pox in Iowa back in 2022. The patients was an adult in north central Iowa who was likely infected during international travel.