(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two women from Villisca were arrested last Saturday night, on Theft charges. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 23-year-old Hannah Marie Leigh and 19-year-old Hallie Nevaeh Straw, were each charged with Theft in the 5th Degree. The women were transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond, each.
(Radio Iowa) – The National Weather Service says a minimum of four tornadoes touched down in Iowa on Tuesday, including one each in Calhoun, Dallas, Lee and Pocahontas counties. Among the damage, a barn was leveled near Dallas Center and there’s major damage to a house near Salem. National Weather Service meteorologist Kristy Carter says survey teams are fanning out this (Wednesday) morning to look over the damage at the various sites.
Photo taken around 10-a.m. Tuesday, North of Carbon, in Adams County. (Photo courtesy McCade Morrison)
“Those numbers can change as we continue to get more data throughout the day today,” Carter says. “We don’t have any ratings on any of those tornadoes yet. We’ll continue to be collecting data and trying to look at satellite imagery to figure out paths and surveys.” It was initially thought that just one twister set down in north-central Iowa around 2:30 P-M, but she says there were at least two, perhaps more, that emerged from that single storm cell.
“There were a couple of tornadoes that happened in Calhoun and Pocahontas. They weren’t necessarily all continuous, so at least at the moment, we’re thinking there are multiple tornadoes,” Carter says. “That’ll just be part of the data that we continue to collect here today and as we get some information about damage in the path and the survey.” There are multiple reports of large hail all over central and eastern Iowa, while winds were clocked up to 72 miles an hour in Cedar County near Stanwood. All across the state, there were reports of fallen trees and tree limbs which caused dozens of power outages.
“There were some reports of hail. We had one-to-two inches in diameter. We had plenty of wind gusts, 50-to-60 miles an hour,” Carter says. “It was really the winds that most people probably experienced, with all of our environmental wind, so outside of thunderstorms.” Funnel clouds were reported over Le Claire and near Cedar Rapids, but neither reached the ground to become tornadoes. No injuries are reported.
(Iowa Capital Dispatch– Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa House voted Tuesday to diminish the role and authority of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and combine individual commissions on the status of underrepresented populations into a single board.
The legislation would turn the commission, created in 1965, into an advisory panel. Commission powers, such as the ability to investigate and address complaints on issues such as workplace violations of the Civil Rights Act, would instead go to the Iowa Office of Civil Rights and the Civil Rights Commission director.
The bill would do away with panels such as the commissions on Latino affairs, Native American Affairs, the commissions on the status of women, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities and women. One person representing each group would be appointed to a consolidated Human Rights Board.
The measures were part of a sprawling bill that would eliminate 74 of Iowa’s 256 boards and commissions and merge nine current boards into three new bodies. Two new boards would also be created. Ten boards would have their membership reduced. Tthe board includes a panel that will review the performance of 25% of the boards and commissions every year and can recommend that panels be restored if needed.
The Iowa House voted 54-42 on Senate File 2385 and will return it to the Senate for consideration of one amendment.
The bill as originally approved by the House makes relatively modest changes to the legislation originally proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, based on the recommendations of a task force created by last year’s massive government reorganization legislation. Reynolds originally proposed to eliminate 111 boards or commissions. The House initially approved a bill that would have cut or merged only 49 panels – fewer than half of those proposed for change.
Seven Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill: Reps. Zach Dieen of Granville, Charley Thomson of Charles City, Steven Bradley of Cascade, Mark Cisneros of Muscatine, Brad Sherman of Williamsburg, Eddie Andrews of Johnston and Thomas Jeneary of LeMars.
Thomson was the only Republican to speak against the bill.
Today: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 67. Windy, with W/NW winds 15-30 mph.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Low around 45. NW-E/NE @ 15-20 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 56. N @ 15-25 mph. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday: Partly sunny & breezy, with a high near 55.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 75. Our Low was 50. We received .46″ rain at KJAN. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 64, and the Low was 33. The All-Time Record High on April 17th in Atlantic, was 85, in 2004. The Record Low was 11, in 1907. Sunrise: 6:37. Sunset: 8:02.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has voted to create a program that would offer state tax credits and sales tax rebates for businesses that are making a more than one BILLION dollar capital investment in Iowa. Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says it’s called the “Major Economic Growth Attractions” or “MEGA” program. “These projects are rare,” Dawson said. “They don’t come around very often,” Dawson says.
Dawson says the local community has to approve the development. “It must be on over 250 acres,” Dawson says. “It must be primarily engaged in the advanced manufacturing, biosciences and research businesses only.” Senator William Dotzler of Waterloo says these kind of incentives are necessary. “We’re in competition with other states,” Dotzler said. “…Other states are putting in to these project even greater than what we are.”
The bill also provides some state funding to help 88 Iowa counties that are outside of urban areas improve tracts of land so it’s immediately ready for business development. Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant says the upgrades required for certified sites can be out of reach for smaller communities. “It is a very extensive and very expensive thing to do,” Lohse says, “and it’s incredibly productive.”
The far larger MEGA program won approval in the Iowa Senate a year ago, but stalled in the House over concerns about a foreign company owning farmland. The bill’s final version says a foreign business that gets incentives from this MEGA program cannot be located in the six countries considered to be adversaries of the United States.
CAM Cougar boys golf season got off to a slow start but has picked up as the season progressed.
Coach Joe Wollum had this to say on how the season has been going so far.
Coach Wollum elaborated on how well the individuals have been competing this year.
Coach Wollum says there is going to be some tough competition in the Rolling Valley Conference’s coming up later in the season.
Coach Wollum says he thinks the team is getting closer to their goals and expectations and hopes they achieve them at their conference meet next Monday.
The Cougars next golf meet will be Monday April 22nd in Rolling Valley Conference Meet at the Coon Rapids Golf Course, they will take on Boyer Valley, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Exira-EHK, Glidden-Ralston and Woodbine. That conference meet will get underway at 4:00 p.m.
The CAM Cougars girl’s golf team is coming off a tough loss to Boyer Valley and West Central Valley but CAM Senior Jenna Platt shot 55, ended up with being the medalist on the day. This is Platts first ever time being a medalist in her high school career. The Cougars only have three out for golf this season. These three golfers are new beginners to the game of golf this year. They have been working on their game throughout the season and are looking to learn as much as they can under coach Joe Wollum.
Coach Wollum thinks the new golfers have been doing a tremendous job this season and hopes things continue improve.
Coach Wollum talked about his experiences on coaching the three new golfers.
Coach Wollum elaborated what it felt like when Senior Jenna Platt won her first medal as a golfer.
Coach Wollum commented on what his main focus as a coach is for the rest of the season.
The next CAM Girls golf meet will be Monday April 22nd in a Rolling Valley Conference meet at the Carroll Country Club, where they will take on Boyer Valley, Woodbine, Coon Rapids-Bayard and Glidden-Ralston. That conference meet will start at 4:00 p.m.
(Thayer, Iowa) – One person was injured during a rollover accident Monday afternoon, in Union County. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 43-year-old Daniel Gary Goodemote, of Thayer, was driving a 2006 Ford Explorer SUV eastbound on 197th Street, when he lost control of the vehicle, which rolled into the ditch and came to rest on the driver’s side. The accident happened at around4:30-p.m.
Authorities say an investigation revealed several open and unopened alcoholic beverage containers were in the vehicle, along with a black package labeled “marijuana gummies.” Goodmote – who was wearing his seat belt – suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, and was transported by EMS ambulance to the hospital in Creston, where an OWI investigation took place with law enforcement.
Goodemote consented to Standard Field Sobriety Tests and a Preliminary Breath Test, that registered over .08%. A urine sample was also obtained, which will be analyzed at the DCI Crime Lab. As of the latest report, no charges had been filed.
The SUV was a total loss, with damage estimated at $7,000.
(Left to right): Veronica Butler; and Jilian Kelley,
(Radio Iowa) – Since Iowa leaders decided to turn down federal aid for summer food assistance programs for low-income households, communities like Le Mars are working to fill the gaps. Le Mars Community School District Superintendent Steven Webner says the northwest Iowa city is creating its own program that will be available to any students.
“The Summer Food Program is one in which all students are able to get food from distribution sites that the district has yet to finalize, during the month of June,” Webner says. “The school district is reimbursed the cost of the meals and the labor to make the meals.”
Late last year, Governor Kim Reynolds announced Iowa would not participate in the federal program because of administrative costs to the state, and because she said it “did nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic.” Other Republican governors in about a dozen states made similar announcements.
Webner describes how the community program will work in Le Mars. “What we’re looking at doing is providing, a couple of times a week potentially, a bag of meals that the students can take home that will last a few days,” Webner says. “We’re looking at breakfast and lunch-type meals and any student can take part in this, if they like.”
The district will initially offer the program just during June, and if there’s a good response, it may be extended into July and August. While it’s aimed at latch-key kids, Webner says all Le Mars district students are eligible for the program.
“The intent is just for students whose parents may be working all day, or parents who qualify for free and reduced lunches, those types of things,” he says. “We’re just trying to help the community out.”
Webner says the director of food services and other employees will prepare and package the meals, and bring them to delivery sites in the district. They are also recruiting students to help distribute the meals.
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