(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – Severe storms rolled through eastern and parts of northeastern Iowa Friday night, bringing large hail and damaging winds. The National Weather Service in Des Moines said there were also reports of funnel clouds in Franklin and Bremer Counties, with one weak twister touching down four-miles north of Iowa Falls in Franklin County, at around 5:45-p.m., Friday. Another tornado was seen 4 miles northeast of Popejoy, in Franklin County. Spotters reported debris was lofted into the air during the event.

KCRG reports the storms initially leaving thousands without power. City officials in Marion said downed power lines and large tree debris were reported. They were advising people to stay away from downed power lines, and assume they’re charged and dangerous.

Hail ranged in size from Marbles and Quarters to ping-pong balls, with some locations near Eddyville and Iowa Falls being hit by Half-dollar (1.25″ diameter) to golf-ball size (1.75″ diameter) hail. The largest hail was baseball size (2.75″ diameter), reported north of Denver, in Bremer County. Winds during the storms gusted to as high as 93 miles per hour near Albion, in Marshall County.

Crews were expected to conduct a damage assessment today (Saturday). The National Weather Service in Omaha says many locations in the eastern part of the State were hit by hail the size of Quarters to as large as Tennis balls and tea cups. The largest stones (2.5-3″ diameter) fell near Elk Horn, NE., at around 6-p.m., and Fremont, NE, at around 5:20-p.m., Friday.

(Rural Moravia, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in southern Iowa’s Appanoose County report a 36-year-old man from Arkansas died following a boating accident, Friday afternoon. The incident happened at around 4-p.m. at Lake Rathbun.  Authorities say the victim – whose name was not immediately released – was on a boat. He got into the water and was hit by the same boat.

Emergency crews searched the area nearly for five hours before finding the man’s body under 14 feet of water. The cause of death is under investigation.

(Monroe, Iowa) – A single-vehicle accident at around 3-a.m. today (Saturday), in Jasper County, claimed the life of a Polk County man. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2006 Buick Rainier SUV driven by 24-year-old John Lucas Dingeman, of Des Moines, was traveling west on Highway 163 northwest of Monroe, when the vehicle left the road and rolled over. Dingman, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the SUV. He died at the scene. His body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, in Ankeny.

The crash remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.

(Rural Taylor County, Iowa) – A UTV accident early this (Saturday) morning in Taylor County, claimed the life of a man from Bedford. The Iowa State Patrol reports a passenger in the vehicle, 24-year-old Clelland David Beason, of Bedford, died at the Clarinda hospital, after he was ejected from a 2015 Polaris Razor that went out of control and rolled on top of him. The accident happened at around 12:36-a.m., on northbound Forest Avenue, between 190th Street and 185th Lane.

The Patrol says the UTV, driven by 24-year-old Jesse Lee Young, of Lenox, skidded off the roadway into the west ditch. Young corrected back onto the roadway, causing the UTV to skid again, this time toward the east ditch. Young over-corrected, causing the vehicle to roll over on the road. Clelland Beason was not wearing a seat belt. He was ejected through the side window area before the UTV rolled on top of him.

The Iowa State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office and Clarinda Medic 4.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A reminder if you’re looking for things to do, Sunday, a Vietnam-era helicopter, Yankee-Lima 37 (YL-37), will be at the Iowa Aviation Museum/Greenfield Municipal Airport, Sunday afternoon. The chopper is expected to land between Noon and 1-p.m., and remain throughout the afternoon.  YL-37, a Sikorsky UH-34D helicopter, was flown in the Republic of Vietnam from 1965-1968 by Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron Three Six Two (HMM-362) known as the “Ugly Angels.”  With fifty-four patches over bullet holes and shrapnel damage from a rocket attack, YL-37 is the only Marine UH-34D Sikorsky with documented combat history that survived the battle to return home.

On many missions, YL-37 was fired on and was once disabled and carried from the crash zone by another helicopter. On her side is a bronze plaque with the names of thirty-three members of the Ugly Angels who gave their lives in Vietnam. YL-37 is supported by the YL-37 Group Foundation of Inola, OK, and has become a flying tribute to Vietnam veterans and all of America’s Armed Forces.

Vietnam War-era Sikorsky UH-34D, YL-37

There is no charge for the event, however, contributions to help maintain and keep YL-37 flying will be accepted and appreciated. The museum will be open from 1-to 5-p.m., with regular admission.

Plans are subject to weather conditions and other issues beyond organizers’ control. If you have questions, call the Iowa Aviation Museum at 641-343-7184. Updates will be posted on the Iowa Aviation Museum Facebook page.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Veteran’s Affairs Administrator Mitch Holmes, Wednesday, provided the Board of Supervisors with his Quarterly Report. Holmes said there were six claims for emergency assistance during the past quarter, totaling more than $1,942, including one indigent burial ($1,500), which accounts for most of the cost.

The auto repairs ($141) were with regard to a veteran’s camper which broke down in the Hy-Vee parking lot. The amount paid also included a place for the veteran to stay while his vehicle was being repaired. Since those types of situations don’t fit the department’s policies, they sought- out and received donations to help with the costs of repairs.

With regard to Federal VA Benefits, Mitch Holmes said…

“So for the quarter,” he said, “We helped 126 individual veterans. Had 129 office visits and 11 home visits.” Home contacts and written correspondence were included as part of the Cass County VA Office services, as well. Year-to-date data, he said, show there were three indigent burials ($4,500 total)…the highest they’ve had in the past couple of years, Holmes said. They made two rent payments ($1,250 total), covered grocery costs for two other clients ($198 total) and made eight trips to the VA hospital ($312 value).

So far over the past year, Holmes said they’ve helped 374 individual veterans, made 396 office visits and 39 home visits, 673 telephone calls, and had 810 pieces of correspondence, including faxes and e-mails. The VA Office brings-in $440,000 per month in Federal benefits for Veterans in the County to receive.

(Sac City, Iowa) – A man from Sac County was sentenced July 20th to 10-years in prison, for the sexual exploitation of a teen. KCAU-TV reports the sentence for 42-year-old Nick Pierce, of Odebolt, was part of an Alford plea to the charge of sexual exploitation of a minor, a class C felony. An Alford plea is one in which is a plea entered for defendants not admitting guilt but pleading guilty as part of a plea bargain.

According to court documents, Pierce sent sexual photos to a 16-year-old boy on April 8. He also asked the teen to send pictures back to Pierce, offering to send money for them. In addition to his prison sentence, Piers must pay a fine of $1,370, and is required to be listed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – A man from northwest Iowa’s Woodbury County was sentenced to federal prison, Friday, for Possession of Child Pornography. 46-year-old Joshua Pedersen, from Moville, Iowa, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was also fined a total of $5,000.  Pedersen must also serve a 5-year term of supervised released following the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa said evidence in the case established that between November 2018, and December 2019, Pedersen used Internet-based, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks “Kik” and “Skout” to knowingly receive and distribute child pornography.  Pedersen also admitted he distributed child pornography to a minor to persuade the minor to create and send him child pornography.  Pedersen has a prior conviction for Dissemination and Exhibition of Obscene Materials to Minors, and multiple convictions for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Th case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. And, for more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Older Iowans in four communities will soon lose their assisted living apartments. KCCI says according to Care Initiatives, assisted living facilities in Lamoni, Odebolt, Panora and Dunlap are converting to independent living apartments, meaning residents who cannot live on their own will need to find a new place to live.

Care Initiatives says it’s working to find new accommodations for those people. The changes will take effect in 90 days.

Care will still run assisted living facilities in Avoca and Correctionville.

DES MOINES– Gov. Kim Reynolds, Friday, announced her appointment of Ashley Beisch as a district associate judge in Judicial Election District 2B. Beisch, of Boone, Iowa, currently serves as assistant county attorney at the Webster County Attorney’s Office. She received both her undergraduate degree and law degree from Drake University Law School.

Beisch fills a vacancy created by the retirement of District Associate Judge James Malloy.

Judicial Election District 2B includes Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Marshall, Pocahontas, Sac, Story, Webster, and Wright counties