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Iowa among States w/surge in traffic fatalities in 1st 1/2 of 2016

News

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

WASHINGTON (AP) – Preliminary data show traffic deaths were up 9 percent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year, continuing a surge in deaths that began two years ago as the economy improved and travel picked up. The National Safety Council, which gets its information from state authorities, estimates that 19,100 people have been killed on U.S. roads from January through June. That’s 18 percent more than two years ago at the six-month mark. About 2.2 million people were seriously injured.

U.S. drivers have also put in a record number of miles on the road in the first half of this year.  States with the biggest increases since the upward trend began in 2014 include Vermont, Oregon, New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, and Indiana.

Posted in News |

Drop in Iowa State Fair attendance blamed on bad weather

News

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Weather is being blamed for a drop in attendance at this year’s Iowa State Fair. Some days were rainy, some extra hot and humid and some apparently were just right for going to the fair, which ended Sunday. The attendance for the 11-day fair was 1,031,278. Attendance dropped about 86,000 this year from last year’s record-breaking 1,117,398.

Fair CEO Gary Slater told The Des Moines Register that “the numbers weren’t down because of any other reason other than weather.”

Posted in News |

Hazardous Weather Outlook for far west/s.w. IA & parts of eastern NE (8/23)

Weather

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

IOWA COUNTIES: MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE; 555 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016

TODAY AND TONIGHT: STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT.  LIGHTNING…LARGE HAIL…DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE THE MAIN HAZARDS, HOWEVER AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE WITH LIFT ACROSS THE AREA
TODAY WITH DEEP MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. INITIALLY STORMS SHOULD BE ELEVATED AND A STRONGER WIND SIGNAL LATER THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA COULD LEAD TO STORMS WITH STRONGER WINDS.

HEATING WILL ALSO OCCUR AND WIND SHEAR IS SUFFICIENT FOR AN ISOLATED TORNADO. A LOT WILL DEPEND ON HOW EXTENSIVE THE CLOUD COVER IS AND IF THERE ARE ANY LOW LEVEL BOUNDARIES TO HELP FOCUS ON. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS A MOISTURE RICH ATMOSPHERE FEEDS INTO THE STORMS AND MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF STORMS ARE POSSIBLE.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY: THE SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN.  THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN FRIDAY INTO MONDAY WITH A GOOD CHANCE FOR STORMS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY AGAIN MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

Posted in Weather |

Hazardous Weather Outlook for Cass & some area Counties (8/23)

Weather

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

COUNTIES: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-CASS-ADAIR-ADAMS-UNION- TAYLOR-RINGGOLD- 452 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016

TODAY AND TONIGHT: THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME WIDESPREAD TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS WITH HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND THE MAIN THREATS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE WITH STORMS TONIGHT.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY: THUNDERSTORM CHANCES REMAIN IN THE FORECAST ACROSS AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 WEDNESDAY AND ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A FEW SEVERE STORMS AND THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE FAR SOUTH ON WEDNESDAY.

THE SEVERE AND HEAVY RAIN THREATS FOR STORMS LATER IN THE WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL BE BETTER DETERMINED IN LATER FORECASTS.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT:  SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

Posted in Weather |

NW Iowa city clerk get probation after theft conviction

News

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) – The former city clerk of Boyden in northwest Iowa has been placed on probation after pleading guilty to stealing money from the city. The Sioux City Journal reports former city clerk Beth Sipma, of Sheldon, was placed on probation Monday after pleading guilty in Sioux County District Court to one count of first-degree theft.

She was ordered to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and nearly $55,000 in restitution to Boyden to cover the lost money and the city’s costs of reviewing and correcting its finances. Police arrested Sipma in June after a state audit showed she made more than $36,000 in improper spending between 2013 and 2015.

Boyden is a city of about 700 people, about 10 miles north of Orange City.

Posted in News |

Sioux City police identify man pulled from Missouri River

News

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Sioux City police have identified a man who was pulled from the Missouri River and died later at a hospital. The Sioux City Journal reports  police Monday identified the man as 42-year-old Conrad Parker, of Sioux City.

Witnesses told police the man walked into the river Friday afternoon and began floating downstream. They called 911 after losing sight of him, and he was unconscious when rescuers pulled him from the river. They rushed him to a hospital, where he died. Based on testimony from the witnesses and a medical examination, his death was determined to be accidental drowning.

Posted in News |

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties, in IA 8/23/16

Weather

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

347 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016

EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

TONIGHT…THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. LOW IN THE UPPER 60S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 70 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTH IN THE AFTERNOON.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. NORTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

Posted in Weather |

NBA D-League to begin regular season on Nov. 11

Sports

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA Development League will begin its 16th season on Nov. 11. The league announced its schedule on Monday. This season features 22 teams, including three NBA-owned expansion teams. The Long Island Nets and Windy City Bulls will make their league debuts on opening night against each other in Chicago. The Greensboro Swarm, owned by the Charlotte Hornets, is the other new franchise.

The Northern Arizona Suns and Salt Lake City Stars have both relocated to the homes of their parent clubs. The league champion Sioux Falls Skyforce will open the season on Nov. 12 at home against the Stars. Canton plays Grand Rapids, Maine will play Oklahoma City and Iowa will visit Los Angeles in the other games on opening day.

Each team will play 50 games.

Posted in Sports |

Rademacher, Federowicz lift Iowa over Memphis 7-2

Sports

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bijan Rademacher homered and doubled, scoring two runs as the Iowa Cubs beat the Memphis Redbirds 7-2 on Monday. Tim Federowicz homered and singled with two RBIs for Iowa. Iowa went up 2-0 in the fifth after Munenori Kawasaki hit an RBI triple, driving in John Andreoli.

The Cubs later added four runs in the sixth and one in the eighth. In the sixth, Federowicz hit a two-run home run, while Rademacher hit a solo home run in the eighth. Armando Rivero (4-3) got the win with two innings of scoreless relief while Memphis starter Kurt Heyer (2-3) took the loss in the Pacific Coast League game.

Posted in Sports |

Kentucky scores 11 runs in the 7th, beats Iowa 14-4 in LLWS

Sports

August 23rd, 2016 by Ric Hanson

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Spencer Newman was 4 for 5 with four RBIs and Bowling Green, Kentucky scored 11 runs in the seventh inning for a 14-4 victory over Johnston, Iowa on Monday night in the Little League World Series. Kentucky had the bases loaded in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

With the bases full in the seventh, Patrick Forbes and Devin Obee were both walked and Tate Hanks crossed home plate on a wild pitch for a 6-3 lead. Newman drilled a two-run double and Turner Nottmeier hit a RBI double to right to make it 9-3.

Iowa loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but was held to one run on Josh Larson’s RBI single. Iowa starter Kaiden Dinh left with an apparent injury to his throwing arm in the top of the third. Kentucky will play New York on Wednesday night. Iowa faces Rhode Island in an elimination game today (Tuesday).

Posted in Sports |