ONAWA, Iowa (AP) — Stormy weather caused significant problems in the western Iowa city of Onawa, blowing down trees and damaging buildings. Onawa Mayor Bob Skelton told the Sioux City Journal that strong winds damaged many trees. Awnings also were ripped off, windows broken, a stoplight was knocked down and three street lights were damaged.

A wind gust also caused the front of a car dealership to collapse, sending concrete blocks onto two late-model vehicles. Knoepfler Chevrolet sales associate Garry Ellison says the gust lasted about 15 seconds. No one was injured in the dealership.

Police say most damage was confined to a nine-block area in the northwest part of town. National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Fobert says damage apparently was caused by a thunderstorm and not a tornado.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The recent wet weather has converted last year’s drought in Iowa to flooding across much of the state. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday says only about 2 percent of Iowa was experiencing moderate drought this week and 17 percent of the state was abnormally dry. But the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses data from Tuesday morning for its weekly updates.

Several rounds of storms have dumped rain on Iowa since then, so the remaining dryness in northwest Iowa may have already been eliminated. The restored soil moisture should help Iowa farmers if their crops haven’t been affected by this week’s flooding.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa crime victims can keep tabs on jail and prison inmates using a new mobile app.  The state Attorney General’s office says Thursday the free VINEMobile app will allow crime victims and the public to anonymously monitor inmates in Iowa correctional facilities and most county jails. They can also sign up for notifications when inmates’ custody status changes due to transfer or release.
 
Attorney General Tom Miller says in a statement that this tool will help crime victims because they can more easily get information about criminals.  The app was developed by Appriss Inc. and is available for Android and Apple devices. It is a mobile version of IowaVINE, a victim notification service.

Iowa’s secretary of agriculture says some Iowa farmers face tough decisions because of the wet weather. Secretary Bill Northey says some farmers may have to shift to seeding soybeans in fields they had planned to plant with corn this year. “We still have 15 percent of the corn to be planted out there for the first time and, really, almost none of that’s going to get planted ’til June. I’m sure some of it may not even get planted just because some rivers are out of their banks. In other places it’s going to be hard to get planted,” We have 60 percent of the soybeans yet to be planted and normally that should be close to being done or at least within sight of being done and now we’re hardly within sight of getting that in the ground.” 

In addition, farmers may have to replant fields that have been underwater for a while. “Way back in 1993 we had issues where the crop actually, essentially drowned out just in really soggy soil. Normally that doesn’t happen inIowa. We get some dry weather between our rains and the crop may struggle through some saturated soils, but it grows,” Northey says. “We’re at a point where we have to worry a little bit about making sure that soil dries out between these rains so that bean plant and that corn plant can stay healthy and keep growing.” 

Farmers are looking for warm, windy days in the forecast. Northeys says “We don’t need 40 mile an hour winds, but we certainly could use 15-20 mile an hour breezes on those warm days to be able to get some of that drying done.” Seed treatments can help young plants survive wet conditions. Northey says June 10th is a sort of cut-off date for planting corn in Iowa and farmers can plant soybeans as late as the first week of July, but the shortened growing season means a shorter crop. Northey farms near Spirit Lake and he still has some planting to do in his fields.

According to the Iowa Farm Bureau, planting progress is slower than it was in the dramatic flood year of 1993.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors is set to meet Friday morning, here in Atlantic. During their 9-a.m. session at the courthouse, the Board will act on: Approving a bargaining unit agreement for Fiscal Year 2014 with the Secondary Roads Department; The abatement of property taxes for a property owned by the City of Anita; The assignment of a County held tax certificate of purchase to the City of Cumberland for property in the second addition, block 14 at 216 Adams Street; and on a Software Code Support agreement and FY 2014 Information Technology Services agreement, with Solutions, Inc.

Nominations are currently being sought from the Navy’s Chief Petty Officer community for the Inaugural Bob Feller Act of Valor award. Established by the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation, the prestigious award is named in honor of Major League Baseball pitcher, National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, and Navy veteran Bob Feller, a native of Van Meter, IA.

Chief Petty Officer Bob Feller

The unique award is intended to recognize a representative from three critical areas of Mr. Feller’s life: his baseball career, his service as a Navy Chief Petty Officer, and his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. As such, the award will be presented to one Major League Baseball player, one Navy Chief Petty Officer, and one member of the Hall of Fame on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2013, at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. In recognition of Feller’s significant accomplishment in attaining the rank of Chief Petty Officer, nominees must be a Chief Petty Officer (E-7 only), active or reserve, must be outstanding military professionals, and must embody the Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment.

Feller enlisted in the Navy shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor while he was with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first American professional athlete to enlist. He served on the battleship USS ALABAMA (BB-60), and while doing so, the ship fought in both World War II theaters and earned eight battle stars. Mr. Feller was released from active duty achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer, and is the only Chief Petty Officer in the Hall of Fame.

Nominations must be submitted to the Navy Office of Community Outreach by June 17. For more information on eligibility requirements and the selection process, see NAVADMIN 138/13.

Officials with the West Central Iowa Solid Waste Management Association are asking citizens in its service area to fill out a survey to help keep garbage costs lower. The surveys, they say, are a critical component of the Association’s effort to “Reinvigorate Recycling” in the area. The West Central Iowa Solid Waste Management Association works as a partnership with Carroll, Crawford, Guthrie,ShelbyandCalhoonCounties.

Shelby County Engineer Dan Ahart says the Association has seen a drop in recycling and looking to see why. Ahart says the drop in recycling has been so dramatic that garbage rates could see an increase if they fall even farther because the DNR requires 25 percent recycling. If it drops below 25 percent, consumers will pay an extra $1.20 per ton buried. Ahart said that’s around $70,000 for all customers.

He says one of the reasons for the drop in recycling from consumers is the amount of garbage generated since 1988. The Association has taken quite a bit out of the landfills, including tires and appliances because the cost to consumers.

The survey takes about three minutes to complete on-line. Residents can take the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FR5F6S9.  Businesses can fill out the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B89H7B6.

With Memorial Day behind us, many Iowans are now thinking ahead to summer vacation with plans to visit the beach, the mountains or other far-away destinations. Travel advisor Chris McGinnis says gas, lodging and food costs have risen four-to-six percent from last summer, while airfares and fees are bounding, too. “Just in the last two weeks, the major carriers have increased the fee that they’re charging for changes to non-refundable tickets to $200, that’s up from $150 prior to that,” McGinnis says. “So, if you’re a family of four and you decide to make a change to your airline ticket, that could cost you up to $800.” 

McGinnis says airfares have risen four-to-five percent in the past year but he says it’s the add-ons that really add up. “Airlines are now getting about 30% of their revenue from fees,” McGinnis says. “They range from the $200 fee to make a change to a non-refundable ticket to the $25 and $35 bag fees, fees for talking to a human agent on the phone, fees for a little bit of extra legroom.” 

The days of the week you fly may make a big difference in the price you pay for a ticket. “If you can travel midweek, on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, those tend to be the least crowded and least expensive days,” he says. “The airlines are saying Thursdays and Fridays this year are going to be the most crowded and the most expensive so you may want to avoid those days.” McGinnis says expect to pay premium travel prices from late June through early August — so the entire month of July will be very expensive.

(Radio Iowa)

With KJAN News Director, Ric Hanson….

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