712 Digital Group - top

Gov. Reynolds authorizes Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for 15 counties impacted by severe weather

News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Today, Governor Kim Reynolds authorized a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for 15 counties in response to severe weather that occurred on May 21. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of the severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and Disaster Case Advocacy Program for the following counties: Adair, Adams, Cass, Clay, Hardin, Harrison, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Montgomery, Page, Palo Alto, Pottawattamie, Tama, and Warren Counties.
The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website https://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/disasters/individual-disaster-assistance-programs. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.
The Disaster Case Advocacy Program addresses serious needs related to disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse conditions. Disaster case advocates work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referrals to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor’s proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Advocacy Program, contact your local community action agency or visit iowacommunityaction.org.
The proclamation also temporarily suspends regulatory provisions of the Iowa Code that pertain to procurement of goods and services, hours of service for disaster repair crews, and various requirements for the transportation of loads related to disaster repairs.
A
n official copy of the proclamation is forthcoming.

Atlantic Hawkeye 10 All Academic Award Winners for Spring Sports

Sports

May 21st, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Below is a list of Atlantic Trojan athletes who are Hawkeye 10 All Academic Award Winners for Spring Sports. There were 220 Senior Student Athletes in the Hawkeye 10 who have maintained a 3.50 Cumulative Grade Point Average. Atlantic had 23 students selected.

Isabelle Berg, Abby Muller, Chris Keegan, Tate Niklasen, Quincy Sorensen, Maylynn Ferrell, Genevieve McCalla, Dante Hedrington, Korbin Johnson, Alex Sonntag, Braden Spurr, Bennett Whetstone, Avery Knuth, Makayla Atkinson, Callee Pellett, Claire Pellett, Nicole Middents, Avery Nicholas, Trahyger Carey, Mason McFadden, Ryan Bower, Irelyn Gundy, Eva Steffensen.

Storm reports, 5/21/24 (will be updated)

News, Weather

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

0345 PM     Tornado          Greenfield              41.31N 94.46W
05/21/2024                   Adair              IA   Emergency Mngr

            Heavy Damage in Greenfield.

0340 PM Tornado 3 E Fontanelle 41.30N 94.51W 05/21/2024 Adair IA Public Reported by Trained Spotter.
0330 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     6 ESE Bridgewater       41.20N 94.57W
05/21/2024                   Adair              IA   Public

            Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 3
            N Williamson. Damage reported Vehicles
            flipped, windmills on ground. 1 windmill on
            fire.

0333 PM     Tornado          1 ENE Carbon            41.05N 94.81W
05/21/2024                   Adams              IA   Public

            Social media report of tornado damage,
            windmill knocked down and on fire.

0330 PM     Tornado          2 WSW Cromwell          41.03N 94.50W
05/21/2024                   Adams              IA   Trained Spotter

            Confirmed tornado on the ground just SW of
            Cromwell.
0325 PM Tornado 1 NW Prescott 41.03N 94.63W 05/21/2024 Adams IA Storm Chaser
0318 PM     Tornado          .5 SW Corning           40.99N 94.75W
05/21/2024                   Adams              IA   Public

            Tonado near highway 34 at the corner of 240
            St and Kentucky. Damage reported.

0317 PM     Tornado          3 ESE Corning           40.97N 94.69W
05/21/2024                   Adams              IA   Storm Chaser

            Confirmed tornado on the ground by storm
            chaser (former media).
0317 PM     Tornado          2 WNW Corning           41.01N 94.78W
05/21/2024                   Adams              IA   Storm Chaser

            Confirmed tornado on ground by storm chaser.

0317 PM Tornado 3 ESE Corning; confirmed tornado on the ground by storm
chaser (former media).

0316 PM     Tornado          5 S Corning             40.92N 94.74W
05/21/2024                   Adams              IA   Trained Spotter

            Damage from the Tornados spotted in Corning.
            Down trees.
0315 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 WSW Glidden           42.05N 94.79W
05/21/2024  M77 MPH          Carroll            IA   AWOS

0315 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 S Carroll             42.06N 94.87W
05/21/2024                   Carroll            IA   Law Enforcement

            Dispatch relayed wind and hail in Carroll
            with trees and powerlines down.

3:11-p.m.    Tornado observed in the Corning area by a trained spotter moving northeast  toward the Cromwell & Orient areas.

3:13-p.m     Campground hit in Montgomery County, injuries reported.

0310 PM     Hail             4 S Cumberland          41.22N 94.86W
05/21/2024  M1.00 Inch       Cass               IA   Trained Spotter

3:00-p.m.   Tornado 3 miles N. of Villisca confirmed by video, crossing Hwy 34 just east of Hwy 71

2:48-p.m.   Funnel cloud 4 miles west of Hepburn in Page County

0237 PM Tornado 2 W Red Oak Tornado on the ground near the Red Oak airport. Reported by the Emergency Manager.

0233 PM Funnel Cloud 5 ESE Emerson; Emergency Manager reported another funnel developing to the southwest of Red Oak.

2:32-p.m.   1.25″ diameter hail 4 miles w. of Red Oak.

0225 PM Funnel Cloud 3 ENE Imogene Trained spotter reported a funnel cloud and rotation in the far northwest corner of Page County.

0216 PM Funnel Cloud 3 SSE Imogene Funnel cloud reported by broadcast media extending halfway to the ground. This was
just south of Imogene.

0212 PM Hail Imogene  1.00 Inch Fremont IA Public

7:19-a.m.    Thunderstorm wind damage in Lewis; numerous power poles and branches down throughout town.

Iowa plays Michigan Wednesday afternoon in B1G baseball tournament

Sports

May 21st, 2024 by admin

The Iowa Hawkeye baseball team opens the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha Wednesday afternoon against Michigan. The fifth seeded Hawkeyes will send junior standout Brody Brecht (brekt) to the mound against the fourth seeded Wolverines. Sophomore Cade Obermueller (oh-bir-myool-ir) will start game two.

That’s Iowa coach Rick Heller. The Wolverines won two of three games against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City during the regular season.

Iowa’s side of the bracket also including top seed and regular season champion Illinois and eighth seeded Penn State.

With two of their top three hitters out with injury the Hawkeyes have had to revamp their offense. They scored 31 runs in win their last two games over Florida International. Iowa second baseman Gable Mitchell.

Authorities say MO murder suspect died in Iowa of self-inflicted gunshot

News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A Missouri murder suspect was tracked to southern Iowa overnight, according to the Appanoose Sheriff’s Office. Appanoose County Sheriff Gary Anderson says his office was notified by the Kansas City Career Criminal Task Force that a Missouri man wanted in a recent homicide in Kansas City was tracked to Centerville. Authorities from Iowa and Missouri converged in a Walmart parking lot at 2:30 a.m.

Officials were unsuccessful in getting the suspect to surrender and while giving orders to him, a single gunshot was heard from the vehicle. The suspect was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The identity of the suspect has been withheld, pending family notification.

Work release escape of Dacota Stabler

News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

sioux City Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report 33-year-old Dacota Stabler, who was convicted of 2nd Degree Robbery in Woodbury County, failed to report back to the Sioux City Residential Treatment Facility as required, Sunday.

Stabler is a 5’8″-tall, and weighs 206 pounds. He’s an American Indian or Alaska Native. Stabler was admitted to the work release facility on 02/22/2024.

Dacota Stabler

Persons with information on Stabler’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Population recounts could land more DOT dollars for suburbs

News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Some of the fastest growing communities in Iowa are conducting a special census to capture population growth that wasn’t included in 2020 Census figures. Waukee city manager Brad Deets says the census four years ago found 24-thousand residents in the Des Moines suburb, but Waukee officials think the current population is closer to 30-thousand. “We say we grow by six new people a day and that’s been tracking fairly consistently over the last probably two to three years,” Deets says, “so roughly it’s about 2,000 people per year.”

Waukee is spending around 600-thousand dollars to hold the special census, but Deets expects it to more than pay for itself just in state funding for road maintenance. “When you’re talking perhaps looking at anywhere from 6000 to 7000 additional people that turns out to be about $1 million a year,” Deets says.

Waukee residents started getting cards in the mail last month about the count and the deadline for completing a Census form online is this Thursday, May 23rd. Census workers are also going door to door to to reach — and count — Waukee residents. Ankeny, Norwalk and Pleasant Hill are also conducting population counts. Bondurant intends to conduct a special census this fall. Johnston, Altoona and Grimes plan to do one next year.
(Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

Farmers enjoyed more dry days to plant last week

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) -Farmers saw a lot more dry days to be in the fields last week. The U-S-D-A report says there were four days suitable for planting, more than double the previous week. Corn planting moved to 78 percent complete, an increase of 21 percent. Corn planting remains eight days behind last year and four days behind average.

Sixty-one percent of the bean crop is now in the ground, compared to 39 percent the week before. Soybean planting is one week behind last year and two days behind normal.

Topsoil moisture is now 93 percent adequate or surplus compared to 79 percent the prior week.

Iowa lawmakers toughen human trafficking sentence

News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa judges soon will be able to appoint attorneys to represent victims of human trafficking diagnosed with a mental disability if they’re called to testify against their alleged abuser. The move is part of a law that will go into effect July 1st. It also sets a mandatory minimum sentence for human traffickers convicted of a class B felony, so they’d have to serve as least half of their prison sentence before being eligible for parole or a work release program. During House debate of the bill, Representative Mark Thompson of Belmond said if the human trafficking victim is a child, the sentence is far higher.

“If the victim is a minor, then it’s upwards to life,” Thompson said, “which conceivably should be the penalty any time a person is treated like a piece of livestock.”

Last year, lawmakers increased state penalties for human trafficking. Most cases of human trafficking are handed in federal courts, but an Iowa Department of Public Safety report shows there were six cases in Iowa courts last year involving human trafficking of minors and one case involving an adult who was subjected to forced labor.

Public Hearing on declaring EMS as an essential service in Cass County (IA); Resolution 1st reading passes

News

May 21st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Several community leaders and health personnel attending a meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors this (Tuesday) morning, for a public hearing on declaring Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as an Essential Service, as described in the Code of Iowa. Brett Altmann, CEO of Cass Health, in Atlantic, said he was in favor of declaring EMS as essential.

Altman said Cass Health has been very blessed, and has had the best year in its history. Because of that, they intend to drop their levy commensurate for more than what is being subsidized for EMS.

Cass Health CEO Brett Altman addresses the Cass County Supervisors.

Cass Health Chief Medical Officer/Medical Director of all volunteer ambulances in the County, Dr. Elaine Berry, also voiced her support of EMS.

Supervisor Steve Green was emotional in describing how his family has had to use the local ambulance services over the years.

Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett also shared her personal experiences in needing a local ambulance service, and because of that, the need for EMS to be an essential service.

Brad Madsen, who ran an ambulance service in Cass County in the 1990’s, was also in support of making EMS and essential service.

Ethan, who works for Cass EMS explained the difference between BLS (Basic Life Support) and ALS (Advanced Life Support) paramedic level services. Following the public hearing, the Cass County Supervisors held the first reading of Resolution Declaring EMS to be an essential service. Board Chair Steve Baier read the resolution as presented. Here’s a portion of the Resolution calling for the matter to be placed on the November ballot for action by the voters.

The Board voted unanimously to pass the first reading. Supervisor Mark O’Brien was absent from the proceedings. Afterward Supervisor Steve Green reminded those in attendance at the meeting and online, that this is EMS appreciation week.