DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources closed all state run boat ramps on the Missouri River Thursday morning and is requesting that the U.S. Coast Guard suspend recreational boating on the river due to dangerous river flows and flooding conditions.

In addition, the DNR has suspended the 14-day maximum length of stay rule for people who had to evacuate their homes from the Missouri River flood and choose to camp at Waubonsie State Park in Fremont County.
“We will look at waiving the maximum length of stay at other state parks in western Iowa if the need arises,” said DNR Director Roger Lande.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing the water release to record levels from the series of federal dams on the Missouri River beginning at Fort Peck in Montana.  Closer to Iowa, the Gavins Point Dam, at Yankton, S.D., will more than double its record flow of 70,000 cubic feet per second to a projected 150,000 CFS by mid June.

“We are expecting to see record flooding along the Missouri River and as a safety measure, we are closing all of our boat ramps and are encouraging our city and county partners to close theirs as well,” said Lande.

The projections from the Corps indicate that ramps could be closed as long as six weeks, or more, depending upon additional precipitation in the watershed.  Once flows return below 70,000 CFS, boat ramps can be reopened after passing inspection.

In addition to boat ramps, the DNR has closed and removed the staff at Wilson Island State Recreation Area, north of Council Bluffs, and is watching the levee separating Lake Manawa State Park from the Missouri River.

“The levee at Lake Manawa has never been tested for this length of time like it will during this flood,” Lande said.  “The levee will be carefully monitored for signs of stress.”

(DES MOINES) – Governor Terry E. Branstad has issued a disaster emergency proclamation for six counties bordering the Missouri River: Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury.

The Governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to prepare for, respond to and recover from the effects of predicted flooding due to increased releases from reservoirs on the upper Missouri River.

The Iowa Department of Transportation will provide dump trucks to Woodbury County to assist in building an earthen berm along the river to hold back flood waters.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources closed all state run boat ramps on the Missouri River Thursday morning and is requesting that the U.S. Coast Guard suspend recreational boating on the river due to dangerous river flows and flooding conditions.

A Republican who’s leading the effort to ban “same-sex” marriage in Iowa dismisses a new pro-gay marriage group called “Iowa Republicans for Freedom” as out-of-step with Iowans. Jeff Angelo of Ames, and formerly of Creston, supported a ban on gay marriage in Iowa when he was a state senator representing southwest Iowa, but Angelo says he’s changed his thinking on the issue and wants to get his party to change, too. Bob Vander Plaats is the president and C-E-O of The Family Leader, a group that promotes “traditional” marriage between a man and a woman.

“I don’t see Republicans embracing this from Jeff. I don’t see conservatives embracing this from Jeff,” Vander Plaats says. “As a matter of fact, I think most Republicans and most conservatives are going to look at this as, ‘Oh, this is politics as usual. They’ll say one thing to get our vote. They’ll say another thing when they’re in office and then once they leave office, they’re going to say another thing.'”

A Gallup poll released this week found 66 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 think gay and lesbian relationships are morally acceptable. Angelo says he’s formed “Iowa Republicans for Freedom” so his party doesn’t continue to lose ground with younger voters. Vander Plaats isn’t interested in Angelo’s math.

“If Jeff wants to be the politician who runs to where the numbers are going to be, that shows us, you know, there are just no core values,” Vander Plaats says. “And we’re looking for people with core values.”

Vander Plaats led the effort last year to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices who had signed onto the court’s unanimous, 2009 ruling on same-sex marriage. That group’s name was “Iowa for Freedom.” Angelo has named his new, pro-gay marriage group “Iowa Republicans for Freedom.”

(Radio Iowa)

Residents in the far southwest Iowa town of Hamburg are being forced from their homes by the flooding Missouri River. Hamburg Fire Chief Dan Sturm says about half of the town is threatened by the rising, dirty water, which is inching closer by the minute.

“Right now, we’re evacuating the lower, south end of Hamburg,” Chief Sturm says. “It’s a work in progress, really, here in town. They’re still moving out. They’re doing a very good job of finding other places to live right now.”

Sturm says a difficult situation is being made even worse as the forecasters say this won’t be a short-term issue. He says most people who are packing up are likely leaving for good.

“They’re talking months of this water staying here and it’s highly unlikely that any houses are going to survive this,” he says. “I just can’t see how anything will be salvageable.”

Sturm says it’s likely there will be little left of the community after this flood. While residents on the south side of the town of 12-hundred are evacuating now, others are doing the same. Hamburg residents are being told the downtown area will likely be completely covered with water, which may remain for several months.

(Radio Iowa)

Turbines near Adair, IA (Photo courtesy Mid-American Energy)

A spokesman for the Iowa Wind Power Association says a proposal by a Texas company to build a two-BILLION dollar transmission line will help the state continue to expand its wind power capacity. Association executive director, Harold Prior, says they want to triple Iowa’s wind power output by 2020, but need a way to get all the new power to the people who need it.

He ways they need extra transmission lines or they will have no way to ship out the electricity. Prior says industry has been moving wind farms to “less quality wind regimes” and using higher efficiency turbines that can produce electricity with less wind.

Prior says the transmission line proposed by the Houston company will allow the electricity to move from Iowa’s highly productive wind farms. Prior says the line will take 35-hundred megawatts, almost double the current installed capacity of Iowa, and export it to the east coast through an interconnect in Chicago. He says the two-BILLION dollar cost of the project is privately financed and will be paid for by the end user.

Iowa has 25-hundred wind-powered generators that produce some 36-hundred megawatts of electricity. Mid-American Energy has three wind-farm projects in our listening area, all of which were built in 2008.

There are 100 turbines located northwest of Carroll, 230 near Adair, and 102 near Walnut. That’s not counting the various single turbines erected by various municipalities and private businesses or property owners. A new Mid-American Energy Wind farm planned for southeastern Cass, southwestern Adair and northeastern Adams Counties, will add another 193 turbines to the local landscape, 155 of which will be in Cass County.

The turbines near Carroll,  Adair and Walnut, generate 477,800-kilowatts of power, or enough to power nearly 50-homes per year. The average home uses 10,000-kilowatts of power, each year.

(Sources: Radio Iowa, Cass County Engineer’s Office & thewindpower.net)

A bicyclist suffered minor injuries when the bike he was riding collided with a van Wednesday evening, in Atlantic. According to Atlantic Police, Brandon Harry, of Cumberland, was traveling west down a hill on a sidewalk in the 200 block of 7^th Street at around 5:50-p.m., when he failed to stop at the intersection with Elm Street, and hit the right rear of a van driven by Margaret Trotter, of Atlantic.

Trotter had stopped at the intersection headed north, and proceeded to turn right onto 7^th Street, when the accident occurred. Damage to her van was estimated at $800.

Officials say Harry was given a verbal warning for failure to stop.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa be flown at half-staff beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 3, 2011 until 8 a.m. on Monday, June 6, 2011 in honor of 28-year old Air Force Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Hamski, who is formerly of Ottumwa.

Staff Sgt. Hamski was killed by an improvised explosive device last week in Afghanistan.

The Governor’s directive applies to all U.S. and state flags under the control of the state.

Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

Staff Sgt. Hamski is survived by his wife, Air Force Staff Sgt. Maria Christina Hamski; mother Marry Ellen Winston; sisters Jennifer Hensley, Nickole Friedman; and his brother Thomas Hamski. He will be laid to rest Saturday, June 4th.

The U.S. flag flown over the state capitol on the day of the funeral will be presented to Staff Sgt. Hamski’s family at a later date, along with a proclamation honoring him.