About one-third of Iowa is now in a severe drought and the increasingly dry conditions raise the risk for grass fires. State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds says rural residents who burn ditches or large piles of debris need to be especially careful. “I think people underestimate just how dry the conditions are,” Reynolds says. “The other thing we see, as we start to get into the fields in the next month or so, equipment and machinery are another common cause of fires.”

Prairie or grass fires are also often ignited by discarded cigarettes.”We see an awful lot of people who are throwing cigarettes out of their cars and I’ve not seen a car yet that doesn’t come with an ashtray. We would just encourage people who are traveling through our state to put their cigarettes out in their vehicle in the ashtray,” Reynolds says. A simple spark, combined with the recent low humidity and a little wind, can quickly turn into a large fire.

Reynolds says every year, at least a few Iowans are burned or even killed in “controlled burns” that get out of control. “If we could just remind Iowans…if you absolutely have to burn, make sure you have a water source close by and just be cognizant of the conditions when you burn,” Reynolds says.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

WYOMING, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two people have been injured after a truck exploded in rural eastern Iowa. The Jones County Sheriff’s Department says the explosion happened yesterday morning several miles east of the small Iowa town of Wyoming. Police say 45-year-old John Ralston and 33-year-old Jamaica Ralston were scrapping metal from an old pickup truck and ignited fumes from the gas tank.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Davenport woman has been accused of setting her ex-girlfriend’s car on fire. The Quad-City Times reports 29-year-old Jennifer Bailey faces felony charges of first-degree harassment and second-degree arson. Police say Bailey sent a harassing text message to her ex-girlfriend on August 9th about two hours before the car was set on fire. Bailey was arrested Saturday and remains at the Scott County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

NORTH ENGLISH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a motorcyclist has died after a crash during a chase by a sheriff’s deputy in eastern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says the crash occurred just before 2 a.m. yesterday on Iowa Highway 149 near the county line of Iowa and Keokuk counties. Twenty-five-year-old Tucker Morrison of North English was pronounced dead at the scene.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City camp for people with mental and physical disabilities is celebrating its first year and looking to expand. Camp High Hopes marked its birthday yesterday. The $5.8 million facility has served more than 300 participants from 16 Iowa counties and four states.

Residents of at least 8 homes in the vicinity of 5^th and Maple Streets in Atlantic were allowed to return to their homes this (Thursday) afternoon, about 4-hours after construction crews working on a sewer line accidentally hit a 4-inch diameter, high pressure gas line.  The line was struck at around 10:10-a.m., forcing authorities to evacuate residents in the area until utility crews could repair the damage. The official all-clear notice was received from the Cass County Emergency Management Agency at around 1:45-p.m.

The smell of gas was noticed by residents around the northeast and north central parts of town for hours Thursday, and the high-pitched sound of gas whistling from the cut in the line could be heard for well over a block away. No injuries were reported.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Drought conditions have worsened in a portion of the Midwest including Iowa, the nation’s leading corn producer, as the region experienced its hottest week of the year. The extreme heat and near record low August rainfall combined to expand drought conditions from the eastern Dakotas southeastward into western Illinois.  Iowa saw its warmest week since July 2012, with highs topping 104 at Des Moines on Aug. 30.

About 98 percent of the state is in drought. Severe drought expanded to 32 percent of the state from 22 percent the week before. Conditions are mostly unchanged in Nebraska and Kansas. The weekly drought monitor, which tracks conditions from Aug. 27 through Tuesday morning, shows 61.7 percent of the contiguous United States in drought, nearly the same as the week before.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Teddi Grindberg has announced the County has been awarded $11,554 in a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG), to assist with Farmers Markets development throughout the County. The award will extend through the end of the current market season, the coming year, and the end of the next season.

The focus of the grant is to help communities within Cass County to create and/or expand area farmers markets. The Cass County Local Food Policy Council will work in conjunction with interested communities to identify current and potential vendors, establish community-based market committees, and to promote the purchase and consumption of the local food provided in the markets.

A square block area of Atlantic was evacuated this (Thursday) morning, following a gas line rupture at 5th and Elm Streets.  Atlantic Assistant Fire Chief Tim Cappel told KJAN News a crew working on a sewer line punctured a gas line just after 10-a.m.

Gas line punctured at 5th & maple. View looking east from 5th & Elm Streets (Ric Hanson/photo)

Gas could be heard whistling from the site, as fire and police personnel worked to cordon-off the area and evacuate local residences and businesses. Cappel said they anticipated the evacuation would remain in-place for about four hours.

The public is asked to stay away from the area until the leak is fixed.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green says Wednesday evening’s action by the City Council pertaining to an amendment of an ordinance allowing bow hunting of deer within the City limits, means anyone interested in hunting this season, and did qualify to do so last season, should contact the Police Department to acquire a permit. Hunters who did not shoot qualifying scores last season may contact Lt. Dave Erickson at the P-D, to set-up a time to qualify.

Green says the department has the permit applications and hunting instruction packets available. Both may be picked up during normal business hours (8-a.m. to 4-p.m., Monday through Friday). In addition, land owners who would like to allow bow hunters to hunt on their land, should contact the Police Department at 712-243-3512 during business hours, to sign-up.

The Council’s action Wednesday, was an effort to entice hunters to actively assist in the reducing of an excessive number of deer that have plagued the City in recent years. Last year, over 30 hunters qualified for the right to hunt within the City limits of Atlantic, but only two deer were taken. The greatest change to the Ordinance, according to Green, is that hunters will be reimbursed for the cost of the State Deer Tag for taking their first doe within the City limits. Subsequent to taking an antlerless deer and having it verified that it was taken within the City limits, hunters will be given a permission slip allowing them to use their next “any sex” tag, to take one of the many large bucks that frequent the community.

Big changes are coming to health insurance starting October 1st, when millions of uninsured Americans have to start buying policies under the Affordable Care Act. Jon Bailey, at the Center for Rural Affairs, says rural residents in Iowa tend NOT to get preventative screenings, like cancer tests or mammograms. “The screenings and the tests are relatively inexpensive and do pay off and rural people, the data shows, get those in significantly fewer amounts than non-rural people,” Bailey says. “I think that’s because of the type of insurance they have.” Compared to urban residents, Bailey says rural Americans are responsible for nearly 22-percent more of their total health care costs, including premiums, co-pays and out-of-pocket costs.

The center’s research finds rural Iowans will see many pluses from the new federal health care law. Bailey says they focused on the provisions of the law, including tax credits and whether the costs can be subsidized. Bailey says, “Because of the insurance market in rural areas, because of lower incomes generally in rural areas, we think a good chuck of premium tax credits will go to rural people and a lot of rural people will benefit from them.” Bailey, the center’s director of rural research and analysis, authored the report which looks at the benefits of health insurance marketplaces, cost sharing and other incentives for rural residents.

“We hope it shows the process people will have to go through and if they purchase insurance on the new health insurance marketplaces, what they’ll potentially get in terms of premium assistance to help pay the health insurance costs,” Bailey says. “It shows how those premium assistance provisions work, who qualifies for those.” Bailey says many provisions of the new law apply to rural residents because of demographics, unique health care challenges and economic circumstances. The Center for Rural Affairs is based in Lyons, Nebraska.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department reports two arrests on Wednesday. 52-year old Laurie Moore, of Anita, was arrested for Public Intoxication. And, 36-year old Erik Appley, of Walnut, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Theft in the 5th degree, and Driving While Barred. Moore and Appley were booked into the Cass County Jail and held, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

w/ Ric Hanson

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