Even though the drought has dropped levels in Missouri River reservoirs drastically, last year’s flood damage is still being repaired at key points along the waterway. Just upriver, restoration is underway at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota. Dave Becker, the dam’s operations manager, says bank restoration work is being done just downstream from the dam on the north shore. “We lost about 12 foot of river bed there so we lost the foundation for that riprap,” Becker says. “That riprap work is going on and that’ll probably be going on for three or four more months.”

The water releases last summer topped 160-thousand cubic feet per second and caused damage along and under the concrete slab just in front of the spillway gates. Becker says repairs are planned for that area, too. “We are going to have to do some work on the spillway slab,” Becker says. “They have to do more testing on that. It’ll need to wait until our spillway flows stop, about Thanksgiving or so.”

Becker says contractors will drill through the massive slab, working to fill some voids that developed in the gravel bed under the concrete as the floodwaters churned. “They are going to drill through the slab, try and fill the two largest voids and they’ll drill more test holes through the slab to check what the conditions are below,” he says.

Much of the work will extend into next spring.

(Radio Iowa)

Citing the need to explore expanding and rewriting a 2010 ordinance concerning dog permits in Atlantic, the City’s Community Protection Commission, Tuesday, tabled action on forwarding a recommendation pertaining to Vicious Dog permits, to the City Council. Police Chief Steve Green said there are only two reasons a person would need to have a Vicious Dog permit. That includes a dog who has bitten someone, but is still “worthy of redeeming,” but needs to be insured to protect against loss. The other reason is if a person owns a guard dog, which by nature, is trained to be vicious. The owner he says, should have to insure against that animal getting loose and biting someone.

Green has his own definition of what constitutes a “Vicious Dog.” It is one who jumps up and attacks the torso or face or a person. He says no amount of insurance will replace the face of a child who is attacked by such an animal. Green says there is no reason to issue a permit for that type of animal within the City limits. Green and City Administrator Doug Harris agreed, the current definition in the ordinance is wrong, and giving the City Administrator control over how those permits should be issued, not having even seen the animal, is wrong.

Green is in the process of rewriting the guidelines and definitions for the ordinance. In other business, the CPC tabled action on truck parking within the City limits, because arrangements are in the works to possibly relocate the current parking lots for semis and other similar, large vehicles that are not allowed to park on City Streets.

Sheriff’s Officials in Montgomery County report the arrest Tuesday night, of a Villisca man wanted on a warrant out of Adams County. 21-year old Jesse A. Luft was observed walking on 3rd Avenue at around 9:45-p.m., Tuesday.  A check of records indicated Luft was wanted on a warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree. He was arrested without incident and transferred to authorities in Adams County.