OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Eppley Airfield officials have made changes to ease the parking crunch during construction of another parking garage. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the existing rental car parking garage will be demolished next spring, making way for a six-story parking garage with 3,000 parking stalls. Of those, 900 will be for rental cars. The existing rental car garage has 519 public spaces and 555 spots for rental cars.

During construction, rental cars will be relocated to a new parking lot nearby. A shuttle will take customers to the temporary facilities.  The construction project doesn’t affect the airport’s main parking garage, but a parking guidance system has been installed to show drivers the available spots on each of the six floors in the garage.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say flash flooding is occurring across several counties in northeast Iowa, thanks to heavy rains. The National Weather Service said Thursday that 1 to 2 inches an hour have fallen in spots, and more thunderstorms are expected to produce another 1 to 2 inches. The same storms also may also be capable of producing hail and strong winds.

The service says water is covering some streets in Hawkeye and says there’s water over the pavement on U.S. Highway 18 west of Hawkeye. The service also says at least three tornadoes were reported Wednesday evening in parts of southern Floyd County and northern Butler County. Two machine sheds were destroyed southeast of Marble Rock, and trees were knocked down in several areas. It’s unclear whether the storms caused any injuries.

A survey conducted last year at the University of Iowa shows 1 in 5 female students said they were raped. UI Sexual Response Coordinator Monique DiCarlo says freshmen are most vulnerable as 11-percent reported they were raped in their first semester on campus. “It’s the first time they’re away from home in a significant way and they’re establishing intimate relationships for the first time,” DiCarlo said.

The results of the sexual assault survey were presented at a news conference Wednesday on the Iowa City campus. DiCarlo said the UI’s response plan involves adding staff, but also extensive education and student involvement. “The reason we’re doing that is our climate data suggests students are most likely to tell their peers about an incident and so we want to make sure that students are prepared to hear their peers’ disclosure and they know an effective way to respond,” DiCarlo said.

The plan also involves expanding resources for people accused of sexual misconduct. Nearly 2,700 students responded to the “Speak Out Iowa” survey conducted last year. DiCarlo noted the response rate to the survey was only 9.3 percent and three-fourths of the respondents were women.

(Radio Iowa)

Two-hundred-50 workers in Dubuque were notified Wednesday that the furniture plant where they work is closing. December of NEXT year is the target date for closing the Flexsteel plant in Dubuque. Flexsteel executives say the plant dates back to 1897 and is “inefficient for manufacturing and costly to maintain.” Flexsteel’s corporate headquarters is in Dubuque.

Flexsteel’s president says the company hopes to find a new facility in the Dubuque area, but must ensure its manufacturing operations are competitive. Flexsteel plans to invest 25-million dollars in manufacturing infrastructure over the next two years.

Flexsteel’s roots date back to the 1800s in Minnesota. In 1936, the company moved to Dubuque. Eight years ago Flexsteel closed plants in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Flexsteel operates facilities in seven other states as well as China, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Radio Iowa)