OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Powerful thunderstorms that ripped through eastern Nebraska and western Iowa damaged homes, vehicles and businesses and has left thousands of people without power. Hail from the rain-laden storms shattered windows, roofs and siding at homes around the region. No storm-related deaths have been reported.

Ann Thelen, Director of Communications for MidAmerican Energy, said there were numerous power poles and wires down in Council Bluffs. Thelen said crews were being brought in from all over in Iowa, to help with the repair work. As of 10:30-a.m, more than 46-hundred MidAmerican customers in southwest Iowa were without power, including 1,884 in Council Bluffs, 874 in Mills County, 441 in Bedford, 44 in Glenwood, and nine in Griswold. Thelen said the energy company hopes to have all power restored to customers, by Saturday night.

Omaha’s Eppley Airfield was closed for a time and more than 35 flights were delayed or canceled because of the storms, which rolled through at around 5-p.m. Seven aircraft were damaged, and one Southwest Airlines pilot was struck by hail as he walked off a plane and onto the jet bridge. He was taken in serious condition to a local hospital.

In Council Bluffs, baseball- and softball-size hail knocked out 19 skylights and three classroom windows on the St. Albert Catholic Schools campus. Several cars in the parking lot were hit. School officials say about 25 volunteers worked to clean up the debris, and cover the broken windows and skylights.

Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County say only minor injuries were reported following a rollover accident earlier this week, northwest of Guthrie Center. On Tuesday, a van driven by Allie Brooks, of Guthrie Center, was traveling east on 215^th Street, just west of 190^th Road, when the vehicle went out of control on the soft, wet gravel surface.

The van entered the south ditch and rolled over a fence. Brooks, and the children in her van escaped serious injury, because they were all properly secured with seatbelts. Brooks suffered an injury to her arm, and was transported to the Guthrie County Hospital by private vehicle.

The 2003 Dodge Caravan she was driving, was totaled in the crash.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A judge in Pottawattamie County has ruled a Council Bluffs man will not not have to spend an additional 10-years in jail beyond the 50-year sentence he’ll serve for attempted murder and robbery. Judge Timothy O’Grady said Thursday, that 34-year old David Maddox Jr.’s 10-year sentence for third-degree kidnapping, should be served concurrently. As it is, Maddox will have to serve a minimum of 34-years in prison, for his role in the December 2009 beating of Rodney Koehrsen.

Maddox, and Jeremy Gibler, who was 25 at the time, were convicted in April 2010, of attempted murder, 1^st degree robbery, and 1^st degree kidnapping, for beating Koehrsen, and tossing him into the Missouri River on December 17, 2009.

Last May, the Iowa Court of Appeals reduced the kidnapping charge — which would have meant a mandatory life sentence without parole — to 3^rd degree kidnapping. The court ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to support a finding of a serious injury, during the attack.

Chief Deputy Pottawattamie County Attorney Jon Jacobmeier told the Omaha World-Herald Thursday, he was satisfied with the judges’ decision. Defense attorney Greg Jones also said he was satisfied with the ruling.

One of three men who allegedly tried to burglarize a rural home northwest of Malvern, late Wednesday night, received a round of birdshot in his rear, from a farmer who didn’t take kindly to their intruding on his property. Mills County Sheriff Eugene Goos says the incident took place at around 10:30-p.m., Wednesday.

Goos says 30-year old Miguel Martinez, of Council Bluffs was shot in the rear, outside of the home, while attempting to flee. His wounds were not believed to be life threatening. Goos says Martinez, 19-year old Patrick Hover, of Council Bluffs, were charged with aiding and abetting a burglary, and 33-year old Yosvani Galindo, of Omaha, faces a charge of burglary. All three were being held in jail on $10,000 bond each. If convicted on the felony charges, the men would spend up to 10-years in jail.

The Sheriff says Hover is believed to have been the “wheelman” for the trio. It’s not clear if Martinez actually set foot in the home. One of the men allegedly kicked-in a door to the residence. The action awoke the unidentified farmer, who chased the men away from the scene. Two of the men fled on foot. They were arrested by deputies, with the aid of an Omaha Police Helicopter. Hover, who was driving a 1995 green Chevy pickup, was pulled over and arrested a short time later.

Sheriff Goos said the farmer’s actions were under investigation, but he was not arrested.

Water levels along the flooded Missouri River should start dropping a little faster today. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start cutting its releases of water from Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, South Dakota, by five-thousand cubic feet per second (CFS) each day. Those daily reductions will run through the end of the month. It’ll drop the releases from a peak of 160-thousand CFS at the flood’s crest two months ago. That translated to about a million gallons per second. The Corps wants to cut releases slowly so fragile levees don’t collapse. By September, the rate should be 90-thousand CFS. Daily cuts will start again in mid-September and should be down to 40-thousand CFS by October and down to 20-thousand by December.

(Radio Iowa)

A hazard alert has been issued by the University of Iowa College of Public Health after an especially bad month in Iowa for fatal tractor accidents. Four farmers, all elderly, died in separate incidents between June 8th and July 8th. Each person was killed when an older tractor rolled over and pinned them underneath. U-of-I Occupational Health Professor Marizen Ramirez says tractor rollovers are a significant danger every year.

“On average, we have 8 to 10 tractor rollover deaths per year, so for us to see four in a one month period of time – it did catch our attention,” Ramirez said. The U-of-I has launched a public information campaign to encourage farmers driving older equipment to outfit their machines with tractor rollover protection. Newer tractors come with cabs or with the safety gear already installed.

“It takes money to try to retrofit these models, so it’s a challenge for our communities to come up with innovative ways to encourage folks to retrofit this older equipment so they can keep themselves safe,” Ramirez said. She added that anti-rollover devices used with seatbelts are very effective in preventing injury and death.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Broken windows, damaged buildings and landscaping may be part of the college scene next week as classes begin at Iowa Western Community College on the east side of Council Bluffs. Powerful thunderstorms ripped through the area Thursday night, leaving thousands of people without power. Softball-size hail pounded the college campus and vehicles parked there. In another part of Council Bluffs, officials reported that an ambulance was stranded by high water and mud for more than 90 minutes. It wasn’t carrying a patient.

MidAmerican Energy says power still hasn’t been restored to more than 5,000 customers in Pottawattamie County, across the Missouri River from Omaha.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Powerful thunderstorms that ripped through eastern Nebraska and western Iowa damaged homes, vehicles and businesses and has left thousands of people without power. Omaha Public Power District reported that more than 8,100 customers didn’t have power as of 4:30 a.m. Friday, down from a peak of more than 40,000 customers at 11 p.m. Thursday. MidAmerican Energy says power still hasn’t been restored to more than 5,000 customers in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha.No storm-related deaths have been reported.

Hail from the rain-laden storms shattered windows, roofs and siding at homes around the region. Omaha’s Eppley Airfield was closed for a time and more than a dozen flights were canceled. Damage to seven aircraft was reported. Winds gusted at more than 60 mph.