(Radio Iowa) – After many weeks and — in some areas months — of dry weather and varying degrees of drought, Iowa’s seen several days of steady rain. Lawns that had turned brown are starting to green up again and state climatologist Justin Glisan says the rainfall is in the form that is most beneficial. “If we look at the last seven days, we’ve actually had a good majority of those days where we’ve had measurable rainfall across the state,” Glisan says. “It’s been this gentle rainfall over hours and over days, the kind of rainfall that soaks in.”

While western Iowa has been in the worst shape with drought, that’s the area that’s gotten the least rain, while eastern Iowa is being drenched. “Radar indicated six to eight inches in eastern Iowa between Waterloo, Dubuque and Cedar Rapids,” Glisan says. “You look at the central part of Iowa, estimates of two to three inches, and then moving towards the Iowa-Nebraska border, anywhere from one to three inches.”

Here in Atlantic, as of 7-a.m. today (Friday), rainfall for the week amounts to 2.89-inches. While plentiful in some areas, he says the rain isn’t enough to fully eradicate the drought in Iowa. “In the worst areas of the state, that west-central corridor where we’re seeing D-3 drought, those precipitation deficits go back six to eight months and they’re about eight to 12 inches,” Glisan says. “But, we have had improvement in eastern Iowa where we’ve seen those heavier amounts.”

The rain should continue for many areas of the state at least part-way into the weekend, with dry weather expected next week. Longer range, Glisan says the rest of the month is likely to be cooler and drier than normal, which would be a benefit for farmers and the harvest.

AMES, Iowa – Sept. 11, 2020 – The Iowa Department of Transportation has recently released an update to the Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan to reflect today’s operating environment and current needs of Iowa’s public transportation system. The Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan update has been under development over the last 18 months, including researching the historical trends in demographics and passenger transportation usage, forecasting future projected needs within the public transit system, and devising strategies to address any challenges.

Some of the key findings identified within the Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan include the following.

• A number of challenges exist which inhibit the public transit system from achieving its potential, including use of older transit vehicles, having a limited pool of qualified transit vehicle drivers, perceptions of overcrowding on transit vehicles, and rapidly changing technologies such as on-demand ride hailing apps and automated vehicles.
• Iowa’s rural transit regions continue to see a decrease in population and an increase in the age of riders while urban transit regions are experiencing population growth and an increase in population density. This presents unique challenges for ensuring all Iowans have adequate means of getting to work, to medical appointments, or any other destinations.
• Based on recent studies, there is a net positive return-on-investment for public transit, indicating that net economic benefits are realized for every dollar invested in providing public transit services.
• There is a current need to address accessibility of the public transit system for all riders while supporting workforce development by connecting employees with jobs. Recent pandemic responses also show a need to support essential segments of the economy by ensuring a reliable transportation system continues to operate regardless of disruptions.

With the completion of this Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan, the planning process transitions into implementation. During this phase, the Iowa DOT will expand on the partnerships it has formed with key stakeholders in order to help guide investments among all of Iowa’s 35 public transit systems and support Iowa’s vision of rightsizing the system.

As this Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan is implemented through various projects and activities outlined in the strategies section, the impact of these efforts will be measured and used to refine our approach to public transit and inform future Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan updates. If you are interested in learning more about Iowa’s Public Transit Long Range Plan and related information, please visit https://iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/Modal-Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan.

News reports say new information is expected to be released this (Friday) morning regarding a missing Page County man. According to a Missing Persons Case Network Facebook post, a silver alert has been canceled for 80-year-old Donald Eugene “Gene” Ripley, as he was found dead. Ripley had been missing since early last Thursday morning, when he left Uvalde, Texas, and had not been seen since.

Ripley was last seen driving a red Chrysler Town and Country Minivan. The license plate was last read in Denton County, Texas, approximately 28 hours after he left Uvalde. Texas authorities issued a silver alert following the initial report of his disappearance.

(Radio Iowa) – Shenandoah residents will pause at midday today (Friday) to mark a significant moment in our nation’s history. “A Day to Remember” is the theme of the city’s annual Patriot’s Day commemoration, honoring those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11th of 2001. As in previous years, the event will start with a familiar sound.

That’s the Shenandoah Fire Department’s sounding of the “Four-Fives,” honoring firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives responding to emergencies that day.  Distinguished local residents have provided keynote addresses in past ceremonies — including one directly touched by the 9/11 attacks. In 2018, Kim Leininger of Essex was the speaker. Leininger was the aunt of Douglas Ketcham, a New York stockbroker with Cantor Fitzgerald, who was working on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when a hijacked plane crashed into it. Leininger relayed the story of Douglas’ final moments. “When he called that morning, he said he didn’t know what had happened, but his room was filled with smoke and he was under his desk, calling on his cell phone. He said the door to the fire escape was locked, and no one could get out,” Leininger says. “He said he loved us, but he didn’t know what might happen. That was the last we ever heard from him.”

In 2019, Page County Veterans Affairs executive director Janet Olsen recalled how victims awoke on that warm, sunny day in 2001, not knowing of their fates. “Most of us got up this morning and didn’t have a whole lot of things to worry about,” said Olsen. “Me, personally, it was what flavor of Pop Tart am I going to eat? So, a gorgeous beautiful day. But, let me tell you something, the day that this happened on 9/11, there were 2,752 people just like us, American citizens, who had the same dilemma, whether they wanted blueberry or strawberry. They woke up, they took care of their families, and they went to work — and we lost them.”

Shenandoah Mayor Dick Hunt is this year’s keynote speaker. Shenandoah High School’s Marching Mustangs will play the National Anthem. The Shenandoah American Legion’s Color Guard will also participate in the 12:10 p.m. ceremony at Bogart Park.

(Radio Iowa) – With 53 days left until Election Day, a handful of prominent Republicans are traveling the state in a red bus, rallying with Iowans who support President Trump. Matt Schlapp is chairman of the American Conservative Union. “They tell us in the swamp that we support a liar. Have you ever met a politician that has told more truth?” Schlapp said and the crowd responded: “No.”

Schlapp spoke to about 100 people gathered in a Trump campaign office in Des Moines late Thursday afternoon. Eric Branstad, senior advisor to Trump’s campaign in Iowa, urged the crowd to volunteer to make phone calls — and vote early so they can drive voters to the polls on Election Day. “I need everyone to do everything they can for the next several weeks to get there,” Branstad said.

Matt Whitaker, an Ankeny native, served three months as Trump’s Attorney General. He touted Trump’s law and order message and criticized N-F-L players who kneel during the National Anthem. “I’m not watching this. Are you watching this?” Whitaker asked and the crowd yelled: “No!” Whitaker continued: “I will not give a dollar to my money to any organization that supports a radical, socialist agenda.”

By the end of today (Friday), Whitaker and others on the Trump bus will have made stops in a dozen Iowa cities this week. Those stops include: Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Newton, Des Moines, Ottumwa, Washington, Coralville and Davenport.

(Radio Iowa) – Students in Des Moines Public Schools will continue with virtual classes as the school board wrestles with its response to a judge’s ruling AND the state’s refusal to waive a requirement that students spend at least half their time in a classroom. Des Moines School Board members held a two-and-a-half-hour work meeting last (Thursday) night.

Board member Kalyn Cody says Covid case counts in Polk County haven’t declined enough and he wants the district to continue classes online for at least nine weeks — until the first quarter ends. “Our conditions are not favorable for opening our doors,” he said. “Everywhere else in the world has figured this out.” Board member Kimberly Martorano says the board simply cannot hope the governor is bluffing about forcing students to make up time spent online rather in the classroom — and extending the school year would cost the district at least a million dollars per day.  “I think we owe it to our students and our families to get into compliance and to do it safely,” she said. “…It’s very scary to know that the lives of our students and our staff are in our hands right now.”

Terre  Caldwell-Johnson is among the board members who met with officials from the Iowa Departments of Education and Public Health earlier in the day. “I think we have a state and governor that has extended an olive branch…We need to maximize that opportunity to our benefit,” Caldwell Johnson said. “…So instead of putting up road blocks, I’m willing to build bridges and I’m willing to move mountains to bring our kids back.”

Other board members say the state’s largest school district may not have enough teachers if students return to classrooms, since some teachers may decline to be inside school buildings for health reasons. Superintendent Thomas Ahart says in addition to finding teachers, transporting kids to schools is a challenge in the district. “What we’re finding is we have bus drivers who are literally afraid for the health and their life,” Ahart said, “and we’re losing bus drivers faster than we can hire and train new drivers.”

Twenty percent of ALL the school bus drivers in Iowa are over the age of 70 and well over half of all Iowa school bus drivers are over 60.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has urged Des Moines school officials to give up their effort to educate all students remotely because of the coronavirus after two judges decided the state can impose its rules on school districts. Reynolds on Thursday said the state’s largest district is alone in refusing to develop a plan for in-person instruction. She says judges in Polk and Johnson counties ruled that the state can require local districts to hold in-person classes, even if there are increased health risks from the coronavirus. Iowa on Thursday reported 819 confirmed new coronavirus cases and 20 additional deaths.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A sprawling former industrial site on the edge of downtown Des Moines would be transferred to city ownership and prepared for future development under a plan set for a vote next week. The City Council will vote Monday on whether to join a consent decree that if approved by the U.S. District Court would eventually lead to the transfer of the 43-acre Dico property to the city. For 25 years, the site has been vacant, frustrating city boosters who have been embarrassed about the deteriorating, rusting buildings so close to an area being transformed with new housing and offices. Development proposals have been complicated by soil contamination left after manufacturing and other uses at the site.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — Bettendorf police have identified an officer who shot a man to death as a seven-year veteran of the eastern Iowa department. Police on Thursday identified the officer who fired the shots on Sept. 3 as Patrick Mesick. Police say 53-year-old Timothy Alan Clevenger, of Silvis, died after being shot by Mesick. The shooting happened after officers were called to a Bettendorf home and saw that Clevenger was holding a sharp-edged weapon near children. Mesick has been interviewed by state investigators and remains on paid administrative leave.

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) — The city of Maquoketa and Jackson County in eastern Iowa will pay $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a man killed during his arrest last year. An attorney for the family of 22-year-old Drew Edwards said in a news release Wednesday that the payment will settle a lawsuit alleging civil rights violations and excessive police force against Edwards. Edwards died on June 15, 2019, after being repeatedly shocked with a stun gun and suffocated as a Maquoketa police officer and a Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy sat on his head, neck and body for over 10 minutes. The officers had been trying to arrest Edwards for simple assault following a domestic dispute.

Officials with the Carstens 1880’s Farmstead (located between Minden and Shelby) have announced the annual potato harvest, or digging, has been postponed due to the recent heavy rainfall. Officials had announced last June that the Annual Carstens Farm Days would be postponed until 2021, but the potato harvest would go on this Saturday, Sept. 12th. However,the weather has forced the event to be delayed until Saturday, Sept. 19th.

Those who attend Carstens Farm Days know that the soil on the farm grows a large crop of flavorful potatoes each year.  The public is invited to come to the farm on Sept. 19th, and gather the freshly dug potatoes.

Carstens Board of Directors President Mel Hursey says that the farm’s gate will be open to the public from 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday, September 19.  Potatoes will be on the ground and on a trailer as in past years.  Hursey said “The rain has been good to get but it is too muddy in the potato patch now.  We’re postponing the potato digging until we’re able to take a tractor and potato digger through without getting stuck.”

The Carstens Board of Directors is asking that a donation be made to the farm by anyone who gathers potatoes.  The donation will be used to help with the maintenance of the farm.  Hursey added, “We’ve got a bumper crop of potatoes.  We’ll welcome folks to come out, keep a safe social distance and gather a supply of good spuds.”

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — Bettendorf police have identified an officer who shot a man to death as a seven-year veteran of the eastern Iowa department. Police on Thursday identified the officer who fired the shots on Sept. 3 as Patrick Mesick. Police say 53-year-old Timothy Alan Clevenger, of Silvis, died after being shot by Mesick.

The shooting happened after officers were called to a Bettendorf home and saw that Clevenger was holding a sharp-edged weapon near children. Mesick has been interviewed by state investigators and remains on paid administrative leave.