Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the Primary Election, but turnout isn’t expected to be all that great, because there typically isn’t as much interest as during the presidential election cycle. The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office doesn’t release projections of voter turnout. The polls will be open from 7-a.m. until 9-p.m.

Republicans will consider Iowa a possible pickup for the U.S. Senate seat in November. Senator Joni Ernst is the top contender in the GOP primary. The winner of the five-candidate race Tuesday will face in U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley in November. Braley is unopposed in the Democratic primary. That victor will replace longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. Besides the Senate race, the top primary contest in western Iowa is for the 3rd District Congressional seat, which represents southwest Iowa and includes Council Bluffs as well as much of the Des Moines area. Staci Appel will be the Democratic nominee, and the district has a crowded field of GOP hopefuls. If no candidate gets at least 35 percent of the vote, the Republican 3rd District nomination will be settled at a special convention.

Other races to watch include in State Senate District 11, where GOP candidates Art Hill and Tom Shipley are running to replace incumbent Hubert Houser, who is retiring. No Democrat is running in the district, which includes most of Pottawattamie County, all of Adams and Union Counties and part of Cass County.

Positions set to appear on the Cass County ballot for the 2014 Primary Election include: The Board of Supervisors positions in Districts 2 and 3; County Attorney; County Recorder and County Treasurer. Recorder Joyce Jensen is not running for re-election. Those vying for her position include: Republicans Mary Ward, Jess Ehrman, Shelly Glynn and Delbert Thurman, all from Atlantic. Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner faces a challenge in the Primary from Attorney Dave Wiederstein, an Audubon native who has lived in Atlantic since 2007. In Adair County, District 4 Supervisor Cliff Sheriff faces a challenge from fellow Republican Brian Rohrig.

In Adams County, there is a Republican race for Supervisor in District 4, with Kevin Olson and Leland Shipley the contenders. There are no contested Primary races in Audubon County. In Guthrie County, there is a race for the Board of Supervisors in District 2, where Republicans Clifford Carney and Todd Hambleton look to square off in November against Democrat Kerry Sheeder. There is also a Republican challenge between Bruce Lauritsen and Thomas Rutledge for the District 4 seat on the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors.

In Montgomery County: Incumbent Steven D. Ratchliff faces a challenge from fellow Republican Steven J. Berendes, in District 1. In District 2, incumbent Republican Karen Blue faces a challenge from Republican Joshua A. Wiig. And in District 4, Incumbent Republican Supervisor Randall Tye faces a challenge from two men: Republicans Brian Coughlin and Mark L. Peterson.

In Shelby County, the contested race will be for county recorder. Three republican candidates, Geralyn Greer, Renee Hansen and Colleen Oliver are running as well as two democrats Jessica Gessert and Larry Wendt. Current county supervisor Roger Schmitz, County Attorney Marcus Gross Jr. and County Treasurer Carolyn Blum all will be running unopposed.

Seven men, all Republicans, will seek three seats on the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors. The seven board candidates include three incumbents: Scott Belt, Lynn Leaders and Loren Knauss. The four other candidates are Justin Schultz, Tim Wichman, Steve Leaders and Brian Lund. There is also a Republican race for Pott. County Recorder, between Mark Brandenburg and Bill White.

A small group of young adults is hard at work in a few of Iowa’s state parks again this summer. The Americorps trails crew, comprised of 11 current undergraduates or recent college graduates, is working with Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff on several projects. Whitney Davis, Trails Program Coordinator for the DNR, says the Americorps employees are paid a “modest living stipend” for some very difficult and dirty – but ultimately rewarding – work.

“We pride ourselves on using a lot of hand tools and manual labor to accomplish things that might be done with a machine if we brought in a contractor,” Davis says. “We do have some machines of our own that we use…but we can finesse things a lot better by hand.” The crew has moved into Springbrook State Park near Guthrie Center as they work to stabilize a trail surrounding a lake and bring back a pathway from the trail, up a hill, to a park.

“There are railroad tie stairs that go up to it, but they haven’t been used for quite some time and they’re in disrepair,” Davis says. “The trail crew is refurbishing that staircase. It’s pretty long and takes you up to a nice picnic area.” Other projects on the trail crew’s agenda this summer include improvements to equestrian trails within Lake of Three Fires State Park in Bedford and work in Bellevue State Park along the Mississippi River.

Davis says the Bellevue project involves construction of hiking trails. The workers are also scheduled to attend the 5th annual Iowa Trail Summit in Cedar Falls that features more than 20 panelists speaking about the future of Iowa’s trails. Last year, according to Davis, the trail crew’s most significant projects took place at Brushy Creek State Park, Bellevue State Park, and Stone State Park.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials with the National Weather Service say they are forecasting severe weather and flash flooding to become major threats to much of Iowa this upcoming Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.

The latest forecast from the Storm Prediction Center shows the main threat for severe weather across the U.S. Tuesday will be across Iowa — mainly from Interstate 80 south. Heavy rainfall is expected with these storms. At this point, it shows a more than 45 percent probability of severe weather with the main threats of large hail, tornadoes and widespread damaging winds.

A combination of a much higher than usual amount of available moisture plus very strong wind shear will lead to a strong potential for severe thunderstorms. The storms are likely to move into western Iowa by around midnight, Tuesday. Tornadoes may occur during the overnight hours, so make sure you have a way to receive warning information near your bed before going to sleep.

Two white males who escaped from the Clarinda Academy early this (Monday) morning, have been apprehended. According to the Clarinda Police Department, the individuals, who left the facility on foot, were captured sometime around 2:30-a.m.  They were reported missing  about two-hours earlier.

The escape marked the second such incident at the residential foster care facility in less than two-weeks. The Clarinda Academy provides treatment and shelter care to at-risk and delinquent male and female youth from several states. 

On May 23rd, three students escaped from the Clarinda Academy. They were captured and returned to the facility less than two-hours later.

DES MOINES, Iowa – With the warmer weather that comes along with summer, so do the door-to-door solicitors. While many operate fairly and honestly, there are ways to spot those who are simply looking for a quick buck.

One red flag is the company that claims to have “extra” materials left over from another job nearby and can do the work right away at minimal cost. Don’t fall for it, said Dan Hendrickson, a communications coordinator for the Better Business Bureau, adding that professional contractors estimate the materials they’ll need for a project with great accuracy.

“If a company comes to your door and says, ‘Hey, we’ve got a bunch of leftover asphalt,’ chances are it’s a company that’s kind of flying by the seat of their pants, or maybe really doesn’t know what they’re doing,” Hendrickson said. “In many cases like this, we hear from customers who agree to work with them and then come back and say, ‘Well, the work is horrible. They charged me way more than they said they would – and now, I don’t know how to find them.’ ”

When dealing with a door-to-door solicitor, Hendrickson said, people always should ask for identification, verify the company and that the individual works for it, and inquire about his or her licensing.

He also cautioned people to be wary of high-pressure sales tactics, particularly in the wake of a storm that brings out bogus roofers and tree-removal companies, explaining that any paperwork that’s signed could be construed as a contract.

“Even if they just say, ‘Well, this will just kind of get us started to check out your roof,’ ” he said. “In some cases, we’ve had complaints where people say, ‘Well, now suddenly they’re (the contractor) saying it’s a contract’ – and in some cases, it actually is a contract. So, at that point, then people have a headache on their hands to try and straighten out.”

He also reminded people that it is, after all, their house – so if they don’t like where the sales pitch is going, they always can take a step back and close the door.

More information is online at bbb.org.

(Iowa News Service)

Police in Clarinda report there has been yet another escape from the Clarinda Academy. Officials said early this (Monday) morning, two white males left the facility on foot. One was wearing a white tee shirt. If located, do not approach the individuals. Instead, notify police immediately.

On May 23rd, three students escaped from the Clarinda Academy. They were captured and returned to the facility less than two-hours later.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WESLEY, Iowa (AP) — Heavy rain fell on parts of north-central Iowa Sunday and several tornadoes were reported as storms moved across the mostly rural part of the state. The National Weather Service says tornadoes were reported in Kossuth, Worth and Cerro Gordo counties yesterday afternoon, but there wasn’t any damage reported immediately from those tornadoes. Forecasters warn that western and central Iowa may see severe thunderstorms overnight into Monday.

EXIRA, Iowa (AP) — Officials in western Iowa have set a nearly century-old elementary school on fire as they look to save money and offer training. About 100 firefighters from a dozen departments turned up yesterday in Exira to participate in the controlled burn. Most of the large brick building’s interior was burned within two hours. The building is located near the center of Exira, a small town about 60 miles west of Des Moines.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Falls police are investigating a shooting that left a 21-year-old man dead. Police say gunshots were reported around 1:30 a.m. yesterday. When officers arrived, they found Norman Gant of Waterloo laying in the yard with a fatal gunshot wound.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Tom Pernice Junior birdied the second hole of a playoff with Doug Garwood on Sunday to win the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic. Pernice won for the third time on the 50-and-over tour, closing with a 3-under 69 to match Garwood at 12-under 204 at Wakonda Club.

WESLEY, Iowa (AP) – Heavy rain fell on parts of north-central Iowa Sunday and several tornadoes were reported as storms moved across the mostly rural part of the state. The National Weather Service says tornadoes were reported in Kossuth, Worth and Cerro Gordo counties Sunday afternoon, but there wasn’t any damage reported immediately from those tornadoes. The storms dumped more than 4 inches of rain on Kossuth County over a three-hour period Sunday.

That heavy rain prompted the weather service to issue flash flood warnings for Kossuth County and several other areas of northern Iowa. Forecasters warn that western and central Iowa may see severe thunderstorms Sunday evening and overnight into Monday.