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Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., April 17, 2012

News

April 17th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Revenue has granted extensions for affected taxpayers in Fremont and Union counties, where tornadoes struck in Thurman and Creston on Saturday. Officials say taxpayers whose principal business or home was affected by the storms will have until June 30th to file quarterly sales and use tax and withholding returns for the first quarter. Affected taxpayers also will have until June 30th to file their 2011 Iowa income taxes, which are normally due on April 30th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of an 82-year-old woman whose body was found in a burned bedroom of a Des Moines home. The Des Moines Register reported yesterday that she’s been identified as Pat Burton.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say nine children have been removed after abuse and neglect charges were filed against their parents. Police says the investigation began last October with a runaway case involving a 15-year-old girl, which included allegations of physical and sexual abuse by her father. Police arrested the children’s mother yesterday and have issued a warrant for the father’s arrest after he fled out of state.

ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — A Butler County jury has convicted an Iowa man of first-degree murder in the stabbing of his wife. Jurors in Allison returned the verdict yesterday against Thomas Petersen of Greene, after less than an hour of deliberations. Petersen was charged with killing his 36-year-old wife Judy in June 2011.

Extension for filing state tax in 2 Iowa counties

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has granted tax deadlines in two southern Iowa counties hit hard by storms over the weekend. The Iowa Department of Revenue has granted extensions for affected taxpayers in Fremont and Union counties, where tornadoes struck in Thurman and Creston on Saturday. Gov. Terry Branstad has issued disaster areas for both counties. Officials say taxpayers whose principal business or home was affected by the storms will have until June 30 to file quarterly sales and use tax and withholding returns for the first quarter. Affected taxpayers also will have until June 30 to file their 2011 Iowa income taxes, which are normally due on April 30. The department says penalties and interest will be waived.

ATV stolen from Page County

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the theft over the past week, of an ATV from a residence near Braddyville. Officials say a camouflage-style Polaris SPM-XP550 4-wheel ATV was stolen from a building on property located at 3193 Nutmeg Avenue, sometime between April 11th and April 14th. The owner lives in Maryville, MO. No value was placed on the machine. Anyone with information about the theft should contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office.

NINA MIKKELSEN, 98, of Orient (Svcs. 4-20-12

Obituaries

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

NINA MIKKELSEN, 98, of Orient, died Mon., April 16th, at the Corning Nursing and Rehab Center in Corning. Celebration of Life services for NINA MIKKELSEN will be held 11-a.m. Fri., April 20th, at the United Methodist Church in Orient. Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.

Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 2-8pm Thu., April 19th, with the family greeting friends from 6-8pm. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.

Memorials may be directed to the Orient United Methodist Church.

NINA MIKKELSEN is survived by:

He children – Carol (Eugene) Kralik, of Creston; Thomas (Jeanette) Mikkelsen, of Council Bluffs; Jerry (Eilene) Mikkelsen, of Creston; Ric (Carol) Mikkelsen, of Orient, & Joni (Jon) Zellweger, of Ogden.

12 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, 6 great-great grandchildren, her sister-in-law, other relatives and friends.

Harlan City Council to hold hearing on $2.5-million bond issue

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The City Council in Harlan will hold a public hearing Tuesday evening on the proposed issuance of Series 2012 bonds, not to exceed $2.5-million. Following the hearing during the Council’s 5:15-p.m. session, a vote will be held to begin the process of taking additional action for the issuance of bonds, and they’ll act on a resolution directing the advertisement for sale of $2.455-million in bonds, along with approving electronic bidding procedures.

Two arrested on drug charges in Audubon County

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Two Omaha men were arrested last Friday on drug charges, in Audubon County. Sheriff’s officials say 18-year old Alexander Ward Carter, and 21-year old Alex Thomas Myhre, both of Omaha, were taken into custody at around 8-p.m., following a traffic stop on Southside Drive, near 3rd Avenue, in Audubon. Carter faces a Possession of Marijuana charge, while Myhre was charged with Possession of Marijuana and Driving While Intoxicated (Drug related). The men were transported to the Audubon County Jail, appeared later before a magistrate, and were released.

Lieutenant governor, after tornado damage tour, says SWCC “lucked out”

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Some of the buildings hit by this weekend’s tornado in Creston are state-owned facilities and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says it appears the Area Education Agency office in Creston may wind up being a total loss. Dormitories for students at Southwestern Community College that opened just a couple of years ago were heavily damaged. The governor and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds toured the college campus Sunday.

“We actually got to talk to (SWCC) president Crittenden yesterday. She was on the ground with gloves in hand, a pair of jeans, picking up debris,” Reynolds says. “Right now they were working with hotels in the area so they would have a place for the students.” Southwestern Community College is closed today and tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday). A campus building where vocational agricultural classes are taught was damaged. The lieutenant governor says all structures on campus were being checked to ensure there wasn’t additional damage.

“They were assessing the college as a whole,” Reynolds says. “I think they might have lucked out.” While it’s not state owned, the facility which sustained major damage in Creston was the hospital. “The damage that we viewed was really breathtaking,” Reynolds says. “It’s sad when you see the amount of devastation, especially as we toured the hospital — a newly-remodeled wing that was scheduled for a grand opening next week.”

As for other public facilities, the bus barn for Creston schools was hit by the tornado, as was Creston’s Y-M-C-A, which is closed today. “As horrific and as devastating as it was, it is just so inspirational to see the neighbors and the people that come together — it is so Iowa — to help in any way that they can. From the Salvation Army to the Red Cross, I had law enforcement there from Clarke County as well as surrounding areas,” Reynolds says, who is from Osceola, in Clarke County. “There were EMT volunteers from Lenox who said, ‘You know, they were helping us when (two tornadoes) hit us a year ago,’ so people just drop everything and were busy just doing everything that they could to volunteer and help out.” Reynolds was unable to join Governor Branstad in touring damage in the small town of Thurman, where a tornado touched down for 10 miles and left a path a damage that was half-a-mile wide.

(Radio Iowa)

Creston man clings to closet door as tornado lifts his feet off the ground

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Creston City Council member Loyal Winborn says he and his family had a very close encounter with Saturday’s tornado as it picked his feet up off the ground and he clung to a closet door for his very life. Winborn took a reporter on a tour of what’s left of his home after it was demolished by the twister — which arrived practically in the blink of an eye. “The kids were in there watching NASCAR and the weather radio went off saying there was 70 mile-an-hour winds about seven miles outside of town,” Winborn says. “We were getting our shoes to go over to the neighbors’ house because they have a basement but then my ears started popping, the barametric pressure changed so fast, I felt the house lower and I screamed for everybody to run to the closet.” He says they only had seconds to react.

“We got the kids in the closet,” he says. “Stacy literally picked up Evan and threw him in. I threw Alexander in. Stacy got in and as I tried to get in behind them, my feet left the ground. I grabbed onto the door and was trying push them down. Some random door flew in and hit me on the back of the head.” Loyal said he suffered a concussion from that blow. He realized quite quickly his house was gone and they needed to get out right away, as it was no longer going to be shelter from the storm.

“I looked up and the roof was peeled off,” Winborn says. “All’s I could see was pure white above, nothing, just horrendous noise and nothing but super-bright white light and then it was all over. The house slammed down. It felt like I was 5,000 pounds when I hit the ground on top of them. We didn’t have much time because then, with no roof, debris just started raining inside the house.” He got the two boys and Stacy to his neighbors’ basement. Among the debris they later found inside the wrecked home was a large birdfeeder mounted on a 4-by-4-inch post on the kitchen floor near the fridge.

(Radio Iowa)

Mayor of Thurman: “little less than 100%” of homes damaged by tornado

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The National Weather Service reports a tornado that passed through the far southwest Iowa town of Thurman packed peak winds of 125 miles per hour. The EF2 twister toppled hundreds of trees and power lines. Thurman Mayor Rod Umphreys says all of the nearly 230 residents of the town were impacted in some way. “Probably a little less than 100-percent of the homes have some damage – from a just a few shingles or siding damage to total loss,” Umphreys said.

At least 14 homes in Thurman were destroyed, while two dozen more were heavily damaged. There were no reports of serious injuries. “There were none, I mean, a few bumps and bruises,” Umphreys said. “It’s amazing, because it was a direct hit on a lot of houses and a direct hit on the town. To not have any fatalities or serious injuries, not even a broken bone, it is amazing.” Umphreys is equally amazed with the flood of volunteers who’ve turned out to help with the cleanup effort.

In addition to Iowans, volunteers have come from the states of Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and Montana. “We had over 900 volunteers (Sunday) and we’re well over a couple hundred today already, with more on the way,” Umphreys said. “We couldn’t do this without all the volunteer help and the donations of equipment and materials.” The National Weather Service in Omaha reports the tornado that struck Thurman first touched down around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and covered a path of 10.8 miles from northeast of Percival, through Thurman, before lifting one mile south of Tabor. Fremont County authorities said the only people who required hospitalization were four truckers who’s semis were blown over on Interstate 29. 

(Radio Iowa)

Backyard and Beyond 04-19-2012

Backyard and Beyond, Podcasts

April 16th, 2012 by admin

Lavon Eblen speaks with student leaders from the state universities about the Universities for a Better Iowa campaign and road show.  Guests are Joy Carroll of Carroll, Graduate Student at the University of Iowa; Dakota Hoben, President of the Government of the Student Body at Iowa State University; and Theresa Luensmann of Manning, a biology major at the University of Northern Iowa.

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