The National Weather Service says three short-lived, but highly visible landspout tornadoes touched-down across northern Iowa Wednesday afternoon and evening, as a line of thunderstorms slowly progressed southeast over the area. The tornadoes caused no reported structural or tree damage with only crop damage being reported.

The first report of a tornado came in from Kossuth County, where a small and brief landspout touched down five-miles west/northwest of Algona, at around 5:15-p.m. A funnel cloud was also seen going up and down toward the ground 5-miles west of Algona, a few minutes later.

In Winnebago County, a funnel cloud was reported 4 miles west/northwest of Scarville, at around 6-p.m. About 12 minutes later, multiple social media pictures showed the funnel extending close to, if not touching, the ground in the same area.

In Humboldt County, a funnel cloud was seen forming half-way to the ground, two-miles west/southwest of Bode. A moment later, the same twister briefly touched down.

MARION, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say an unidentified chemical has rained down on a northeast Marion neighborhood. Several people in the eastern Iowa town  called 911 Tuesday night after noticing a white substance on vehicles and houses. No injuries have been reported. Officials initially thought the substance may be a weed killer accidentally dropped by a crop-duster. But Marion Fire Chief Deb Krebill said Wednesday afternoon the substance may be a fungicide that’s also sprayed on crops.

Iowa State Extension agronomist Meghan Anderson says that, to be extra cautious, people in the area should destroy any produce in their gardens.  Authorities are still investigating.

Iowa delegates at the Democratic National Convention had an emotional morning meeting on Wednesday. Ingrid Olson, of Council Bluffs ,stepped up to speak. Olson’s a Bernie Sanders delegate. She offered the Clinton backers in the room some advice: quit telling the Sanders crowd to vote for Hillary Clinton because she’s not Donald Trump. “Please give messages of why we should come together with you,” Olson said. “…We can bring our party together, but it starts with us here and we have to take that home.”

Rebecca Mueller, a Bernie Sanders delegate from Muscatine, was next. “What I want you guys to understand on the Hillary Clinton side, and the party establishment, is that unity is not asking us to remove our Bernie buttons,” Mueller said. As Mueller continued, her voice cracked and she cried. “Do not silence us,” she said. “…You listen first and then you say: ‘What are the barriers that I can bring down?’ And the way that you’re going to bring us together is you listen first.”

Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Andy McGuire was standing right beside Mueller and offered this reply: “We’re going to listen.” Mueller said she’d been listening to convention speakers — and learning things about Hillary Clinton she’d never heard before. “I did not know that she was on the pavement, just like I am, just like all these Bernie delegates out here and so many of the others,” Mueller said. “But I learned that her story is actually so similar — so similar, you guys — to our story.”

Jennifer Gernhart of Fort Dodge, another Sanders delegate, aired another grievance. No Sanders backer was invited to announce Iowa’s results during the convention roll call Tuesday night. Instead, four Clinton backers did it. “We wanted to stand next to you. It was our victory, too,” Gernhart said. “We’re all the same party.” Gernhart suggested the youthful Sanders crowd was being treated like “ignorant children.”

Iowa Democratic Party staffers defended the move to exclude Sanders backers from Iowa’s iconic “roll call” moment. Three of the participants were elected party leaders. The fourth was a Clinton delegate, because Clinton won Iowa’s Caucuses. This debate could be a harbinger of party infighting ahead. Sanders supporters believe they’ve secured a slim majority of slots on the Iowa Democratic Party’s state central committee.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report an arrest occurred Wednesday night, following a traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 48 and 250th Street. 37-year old Joshua Duane Mohn, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 11:30-p.m., for Driving While Barred. Mohn was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

Authorities in Fremont County report a Mills County man and a woman from Fremont County were arrested Wednesday following an investigation into an incident in Tabor. The Tabor Chief of Police and deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a male who was possibly violating a no contact order in Tabor. Upon law enforcement’s arrival to the 200 block of Orange Street in Tabor, they were advised that a male was seen running from the area, hopping a fence and then continuing south.

Marcus Pierce

Taylor Hummel

Deputies made contact with 20-year old Marcus Pierce, of Glenwood, near the intersection of Park Street and Vine Street in Tabor. Pierce was arrested for two counts of Violating a No Contact Order and is being held at the Fremont County Jail awaiting a review from a magistrate. 22-year old Taylor Hummel, of Tabor, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts. She is being held on $300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Alliant Energy has announced it will invest about $1 billion to expand its wind energy operations in the state. Alliant executives and Gov. Terry Branstad made the announcement Wednesday.

The Iowa utility said in a news release that it is seeking regulatory approval to expand its Whispering Willow Wind Farm in Franklin County and possibly develop wind energy in other areas of the state. Utility spokesman Justin Foss says the project will also generate more than 1,500 jobs in Iowa. Foss said it is not yet clear how many turbines the project would see erected.

The company says the five-year project will produce 500 megawatts of energy.

A former City Clerk in Neola faces three felony and six other charges associated with an investigation into improper and unsupported disbursements. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reports Deborah Schierbrock has been charged with Felony Ongoing Criminal Conduct, two (2) counts of Felonious Misconduct, and six (6) counts of Non-Felonious Misconduct, a serious misdemeanor. Schierbrock turned herself in on July 27, 2016 and was released on her own recognizance.  Schierbrock is due back in court on August 19th, 2016.

Schierbrock was the City Clerk in Neola from January 7, 2008 until her termination on August 25, 2013.  After Schierbrock’ s termination by the city of Neola, the Mayor requested an audit be conducted.  The Iowa Office of Auditor of State conducted an audit and filed a report.  The audit identified improper and unsupported disbursements as well as undeposited collections from the City of Neola’s bank account during the time frame Schierbrock was the City Clerk.

After the audit was completed, the investigation was turned over to the DCI.  Agents from the DCI reviewed the audit and conducted several interviews and compiled an investigative report and turned the report over to the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office for consideration of criminal charges.

The Grant Sky Eagles 4-H Club from Guthrie County recently donated 36 receiving blankets and matching burp cloths to the OB Department at Cass County Memorial Hospital. The blankets and cloths were all sewn by members of the club as part of a community service project.

In the photo are club members Reagan Carney, Jaden Carney, Wyatt Rudy, Justin Davis, Bryce Rochholz, club leader Cindy Lundy, and CCMH OB nurses Britni Olson and Kate Nachtman.

A Korean-War era hand grenade that was thought to be a dud, turned out to be real and was safely disposed of in Fremont County, Tuesday. The Sheriff’s Office says a real estate agent found the grenade while cleaning out a property, and had put the device into storage, thinking it was a dummy. When a family member of the agent looked at the grenade and believed it to be real, law enforcement was contacted.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office called the Iowa State Fire Marshall, who confirmed the device was in-fact real. A charge was used to destroy the grenade. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reminds you, that if you should come upon an item that is potentially dangerous, contact your local law enforcement agency, and have them inspect it.