IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of residents in Iowa’s three largest cities are without power two days after a rare wind storm hit the Midwest. The storm known as a derecho devastated the state’s power grid, flattened valuable corn fields and left two people dead in Iowa and Indiana. Major parts of Iowa suffered outages Monday as straight-line winds toppled trees, snapped poles and downed power lines. The storm had winds of up to 112 mph near Cedar Rapids, as powerful as an inland hurricane, as it tore from eastern Nebraska across Iowa and parts of Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, including Chicago and its suburbs. In Iowa, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport still had widespread outages Wednesday morning.

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Transportation has released its updated long-range plan for the state’s rest areas system.

Highlights of the final recommendations are as follows:

• 30 of the 38 exiting full-service rest areas will remain open. Of those, 12 older sites to be upgraded prior to 2033
• Closure of eight full-service rest areas at the end of their usable life
• Closure 10 smaller parking-only rest areas
• Upgrade and expansion of truck parking at six remaining strategically located parking-only rest areas
• Addition of 247 truck parking spaces throughout the system

With this plan, all 10 parking only rest area site closures and seven of the eight full-service closures will occur before 2028 when the facilities reach the end of their useful life. DOT officials say “The process of determining the final outcomes began in 2012. The time came to re-evaluate the needs of rest areas in enhancing a modern transportation system balanced with the need for investment in these facilities.  The criticality of each rest area was systematically evaluated, and those aging and least critical sites were recommended for closure.   This will allow available funding to be used for the upgrades at more critical and strategically located rest areas sites that are also in need of upgrades.”

According to the Iowa DOT, “A number of rest areas in the state had reached an age of 50 years or older and required considerable expense to replace. The process has moved through several phases that included a study and documentation of customer needs and satisfaction with existing rest areas, two public input periods, and an initial implementation strategy for the rest area system.”

Officials say “Following the release of the initial implementation strategy, we heard significant feedback, especially regarding the need for increased truck parking along the transportation system. This allowed us to re-evaluate the implementation strategy and coordinate our plans with a freight truck parking study which assessed the current system’s truck parking needs. This study documented the need to add additional truck parking which is reflected as part of the final rest area plan.”

The full final rest area plan and other supporting information regarding the plan’s process can be found at https://iowadot.gov/restareaplan.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources today (Wednesday), said that at around Noon on Tuesday (August 11), a collision involving two personal watercraft (PWC) occurred on Clear Lake, killing a 14-year old, who was operating one of the PWCs.  A 12-year old, who was operating a second PWC involved in the crash, suffered minor injuries to their face.  A passenger on the second PWC was not injured.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was assisted at the scene by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office and Clear Lake Fire and Rescue. The Iowa DNR continues to investigate the incident.

Four people have been arrested on separate charges, in Creston. According to Creston Police, 43-year old Tonya Brown, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday at the Creston Walmart, for Theft in the 5th Degree. She was cited and released from the scene on a Summons to Appear. 69-year old Patricia Croy, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for OWI/1st offense. She was later released on $1,000 bond.

57-year old Joel Weeks, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday on previously mentioned charges of OWI/3rd or subsequent offense, and Driving While Barred. He was later released on a $7,000 bond.

And, 29-year old Quinton Kimball, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday on a Union County warrant for Enticing a Minor under 16 for sexual purposes. Kimball was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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DES MOINES–Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation in response to a severe weather system that moved across Iowa and caused widespread damage August 10th. The proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather in Benton, Cedar, Clarke, Greene, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Linn, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, and Washington counties. The proclamation also activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for all these counties as well as Boone and Clinton counties, which were previously declared to be in a state of disaster emergency.

Governor Reynolds also previously declared a disaster and activated the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Management Program, for Dallas, Johnson, Marshall, and Story counties. Proclamations may be issued for additional 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 or a maximum annual income of $43,440 for a family of three. Disaster Case Management is a program to address serious needs to overcome a disaster-related hardship, injury or adverse condition.

The suspension of regulatory provisions pertaining to weight limits and hours of service for disaster repair crews and drivers delivering goods and services and the movement of loads related to responding to the severe storm system throughout the state of Iowa remains in effect.

Iowa residents of counties impacted by the recent severe weather are asked to report damage to help local and state officials better understand the damage sustained. Damage to property, roads, utilities and other storm-related information may be reported. This information will be collected by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and shared with local emergency management agencies.

Police in Creston says an accident Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Lincoln, Kirby and Russell Streets resulted in charges against 53-year old Joel Allen Weeks, from Creston. Weeks was driving a 1993 Ford Ranger pickup southbound on Lincoln at around 1:10-p.m., and was turning left onto Russell Street, when he failed to complete the turn and struck a telephone pole. Weeks got out of the vehicle and walked away from the scene.

After witnesses gave police a description of the pickup’s driver, Weeks was found about two blocks east of the scene. Weeks showed symptoms of intoxication but refused all sobriety tests. He was subsequently charged with OWI/3rd offense, Driving While Barred, a Registration Violation, and Failure to Maintain Control. Damage to the pickup was estimated at $3,000.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman was arrested for OWI/1st offense, following an investigation into an accident that took place at around 1:30 this (Wednesday) morning. The crash happened in the area of Highway 34 and 200th Street. Authorities say Ashley Gossett-Nye, of Villisca, also faces a charge of Interference with official acts. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond. Red Oak Fire and Rescue and Red Oak Police assisted at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are collecting unemployment will see federal benefits extended under President Trump’s executive order, which he signed as the U-S House and Senate still disagree over a new COVID-19 relief package. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the president’s plan is for Uncle Sam to pick up 75-percent of the cost of those updated jobless benefits, leaving states to pay the remaining 25-percent. “It would go $300 of enhanced federal money,” Grassley says, “and out of the $150-billion that went to states or their own money, they have to put up $100.”

The added federal jobless benefits ran out July 31st and while they lasted, were providing many unemployed people an additional 600-dollars a week. Grassley says the new 400-dollars-a-week plan is the result of compromise. Grassley says, “That $400, I think, was probably selected because it was halfway between the $200 figure that was in the Senate bill and the $600 that we have right now.”

The 400-dollar payments are on top of the regular state unemployment benefits, so some people are able to make more money by not returning to work. Grassley says 600-dollars was way too much and hurt businesses of all sizes as they couldn’t get people to come back to their jobs.”Maybe the $400 is still a disincentive for people to go back to work, but obviously it wouldn’t be as much of a disincentive as the $600,” Grassley says, “and I think it runs for two months.”

Negotiations over the new COVID relief package fell apart late last week. Democrats propose spending some three-trillion dollars through their plan, the HEROES Act, while Republicans favor a one-trillion dollar rescue effort called the HEALS Act.