Interstate 29, is now open to traffic in southeastern South Dakota, state officials say. The interstate was closed at noon on Thursday so a levee could be constructed at Exit 4. The levee was a protective measure against rising waters of the Big Sioux River. The river crested early Friday morning below the level forecast earlier, and water didn’t reach the I-29 roadway.

Motorists are reminded there is still flooding on some state and local roads and should not drive through rushing or standing water as the roadway may be washed out underneath. Travelers are urged to visit www.safetravelusa.com/sd or call 511 to check the latest road conditions in their area

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republicans are gathering Saturday to pick a candidate to run in November for the seat of retiring Rep. Tom Latham in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. More than 500 delegates will meet at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale to choose from the six candidates who ran in the June 3 primary but failed to reach the required 35-percent threshold.

State Sen. Brad Zaun received the most votes, ahead of businessman Robert Cramer, GOP activist Joe Granadette, Secretary of State Matt Schultz, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Director Monte Shaw and former U.S. Senate aide David Young. It’s the first congressional nominating convention in Iowa since 2002. The winner faces Democrat Staci Appel of Ackworth in the general election.

The district includes 16 counties, stretching from Des Moines to Council Bluffs.

A Shelby County Parish Picnic will be held over the next two days. The St. Mary’s Parish Picnic in Panama begins this (Friday) evening with bingo in the Panama Hall at 6pm along with the kid’s games, food stands and the beer garden opening. The big event for tonight is the live auction starting at 7pm with over 200 items up for bidding.

On Saturday, a breakfast will be served from 8:30 to 11am at the Panama Fire Hall. The always exciting creeper races begin competing at noon Saturday. Mass will be held at 4pm followed by the opening of the midway games and the food stands. A chicken supper will be served as well from 4:30 to 7pm in the Panama hall with tickets costing $12. The main attraction for the evening is live entertainment provided by Taxi Driver in the beer garden from 9pm to 1am.

Mary Ann Wingert, member of the St. Mary’s Parish Picnic Committee, says the admission gives you a chance to win money all night long, “The ticket in the drawing all you have to do is get into the gate. Pay $5 and you are automatically in the drawing. If you are there the whole evening, you could win up to $1,000 because your name stays in the basket.”

Names will be drawn every hour with the prize of $200 awarded.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa and Nebraska cities along the Missouri River are preparing for flooding, but it is not expected to be extensive. At Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, the river is expected to crest Sunday morning at 31.6 feet. That’s above the 29-foot flood stage and should mean flooding of riverside parks in both cities. At Blair, Nebraska, the river should reach nearly 30 feet Saturday night, above the 26.5-foot flood stage.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reducing water releases at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, from 30,000 cubic feet per second to 12,000 to lower flood risk. The river at Sioux City will remain below flood stage. About 43 miles downstream at Decatur, Nebraska, it is expected to reach flood stage Saturday morning and then fall.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A National Weather Service hydrologist says the Big Sioux River peaked earlier and lower than expected at Sioux City because significant water was released when a levee failed upstream. National Weather Service Hydrologist Mike Gillispie says the Tuesday night levee failure 27 miles upstream at Akron, Iowa, allowed water to spill onto agricultural land, dropping the river level downstream.

The river had been expected to crest Friday at Sioux City about a foot above the 108.3-foot record set in 1969. Instead it peaked at about 105 feet overnight and began dropping.Gillispie says the river at Sioux City will stay elevated longer than previously predicted.

He expects the river to fall below the 99-foot flood stage, the level at which farmland around Sioux City is underwater, by Monday morning.

The 16th Annual Cass County Relay for Life is set to get underway this evening on the grounds of the Atlantic High School. The event is held each year as a celebration of life in support, and in memory of, those whose lives have been touched by cancer. It features entertainment, music, food and family fun. Joyce Wieser and Jenny Williams are the Co-Chairs of the Survivor’s portion of the Relay.

Wieser says HIPPA confidentiality and Privacy rules makes it hard to get the names of cancer survivors, which is why it’s important for family and friends of cancer survivors to let them know about the event, which all survivors are welcome and invited to attend. Wieser says survivors don’t need to worry about registering in advance in order to take part in the activities.

She says you can “Just show up.” Register at the high school beginning at 4:30 during the “Survivor’s Social” in the high school, featuring a free meal for all cancer survivors and one guest, courtesy the Atlantic Hy-Vee. You’ll also get a purple event t-shirt. Then at 6-p.m., cancer survivors and caregivers are invited to partake in a “Survivors Lap.” The Survivor’s Lap features several “Honorary” Survivors each year, and this year is no exception. There are four individuals from Cass County who were selected at random to take the banner and lead-off the lap.

During the Relay for Life itself, teams of eight to 15-people will walk, jog or run in a relay around the High School track. They have been working to raise money through donations to help in the fight against cancer. Funds raised enable the American Cancer Society to continue its program of research, education, advocacy and service to cancer patients.

Entertainment during the evening includes Salute Gymnastics, games for kids by the Atlantic National Honor Society, a “Smart Shop” from 5:30-to 8:30-p.m., along with free door prizes and food samples. There are also performances by Dance Atlantic, vocalist Betty Lillard, and vocalist Jeremy Faga and his acoustic guitar.

A highlight of the event is a Luminary Ceremony, which begins at 9-p.m., with music to walk by at 10-p.m.

DE SOTO, Iowa (AP) – A Florida man who is riding a mule across the country to keep a promise to his granddaughter is getting help from an Iowa rancher. Randy Tucker, of Ocala, Florida, bought the mule for his 9-year-old granddaughter, but a truck taking it to her home in Dubois, Wyoming, broke down in Paducah, Kentucky, leaving the mule in a shelter. Tucker decided to take a bus to Paducah, then begin a slow mule ride to Wyoming.

The Des Moines Register reports police in suburban Des Moines received calls about a man riding a mule.
Officers sought help from a De Soto rancher who happened to be driving soon to South Dakota’s Black Hills. He’ll give Tucker and the mule a lift, cutting their ride to a more manageable 400 miles.