(Radio Iowa) – Vice President Mike Pence is on a campaign swing in Iowa today (Thursday), starting at a rally on the state fairgrounds to launch the “Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Coalition. Pence addressed the widespread devastation from Monday’s derecho during his speech. “I must tell you when I heard about this storm, as a lifelong Hoosier, I was taken aback to hear of the magnitude of this storm and its impact,” Pence said.

Farmer Rod Pierce speaks to VP Pence and Governor.

Pence, the former governor of Indiana, did not talk about what specific federal relief may be headed Iowa’s way, but made a general pledge. “On behalf of the President of the United States and our administration I want Iowans to know we are with you. We are going to stay with you and we will work with your governor and your senators to make sure that we bring Iowa all the way back, bigger and stronger than ever before,” Pence said, to cheers. “I promise.”

Pence met privately on the fairgrounds with half a dozen Iowans whose farms were hit by Monday’s derecho. Rod Pierce of Woodward was among the group. “We had 131 mile an hour winds. We probably lost 12-15 of our bigger grain bins. We’ve got probably 2500 acres of corn flat.” Pierce says enhanced crop insurance benefits for farmers would be helpful, along with expanded trade and ethanol production.

“We need a price down in the future here, too, not just this year,” Pearce says. Iowa Democratic Party officials, including former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, criticized Pence for not altering his campaign schedule to personally survey the damage from Monday’s storm. Pence is attending a pro-police rally in Urbandale and will be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa this (Thursday) evening.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — U-Haul® facilities across Iowa are offering one month of free self-storage and U-Box® portable storage container usage to residents affected by the devastating storms earlier this week. Winds exceeding 100 mph damaged countless homes and left hundreds of thousands without power in the Midwest.

U-Haul® is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage to storm victims in and around Iowa at 16 store locations.

As those impacted begin the recovery process, U-Haul Companies of Eastern Iowa and Western Iowa are making 16 stores available to help with storage services at no cost for 30 days. Two of the participating stores are located in western Illinois.

“On Monday, Iowa and much of the Midwest saw a very strong storm push through that has left an immediate need for disaster relief,” said Randy Dickson, U-Haul Company of Western Iowa president. “With very few exceptions, all of our storage facilities have power and can offer assistance. This is a chance for our teams to give back and provide our neighbors with a secure place for storing their belongings during clean-up efforts.”

People seeking more information about the U-Haul disaster relief program or needing to arrange 30 days of free self-storage or U-Box should contact the nearest participating location. With U-Box containers, you can conveniently pick up our custom-designed trailer and take your U-Box with you. U-Haul also can store your U-Box container in a secure warehouses or pick up and deliver it to a location of your choice.

As an essential service provider, U-Haul is open to meet the needs of its communities. For details on what U-Haul has done to enhance cleaning protocols, protect Team Members and customers, and encourage the use of programs that inherently promote social distancing and contactless business, please reference our multi-media press release: Moving Safely and Smartly during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two more deaths in Iowa have been attributed to the powerful storm that struck Iowa this week. Poweshiek County Sheriff Thomas Kriegel says a 42-year-old woman sitting on her porch in Malcom on Monday was struck by a large tree blown over as the storm moved through, and a 41-year-old electrician who worked for the city of Brooklyn died when he was electrocuted by a power line he was reconnecting.

Earlier in the week officials in Cedar Rapids confirmed a bicyclist had been hit by one of several large trees that fell on a bike path. An estimated 250,000 Iowans still have no power.

The Council Bluffs Police Department reports that at around 11:45-a.m. today (Thursday), Police, Iowa  Department of Transportation Officers and DOT roads, responded to Exit 49 of I-29 So Bound for a traffic problem closing the off ramp. A semi pulling a large section of a wind mill had gotten off its route and had to exit at So Expressway. The load was approximately 16 feet tall and 187 feet long. It was too large to go through the intersection and needed assistance to get turned around and back on its route.

The off ramp had to be shut down for approximately 1 ½ hours. The entire intersection of So Expressway and 30th Ave had to be shut down for approximately 30 minutes while the semi was turned around and sent back up onto the interstate.

Council Bluffs Police would like to remind motorists to pay extra attention to large / oversized loads and their escort vehicles. When around them be conscious of their lane positioning and give them a wide berth as they have limited mobility and can only be on designated routes. In this particular case the semi driver was forced into the wrong lane due to crowding by other motorists.

The Silver Cord Program is a graduation incentive program to promote volunteerism in the Atlantic Area. Atlantic High School seniors who volunteered a minimum of 200 hours throughout their high school career graduated this year with a silver cord and were eligible for a $500 scholarship provided by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. The program encourages volunteer opportunities with all Civic Organizations and benefits the entire community.

Pictured: Kelsey Beschorner, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Program Director; Cole Sampson (Photo submitted)

“The Silver Cord program was started as a way to educate students about the importance of community service. It gives students the opportunity to see firsthand how investing their time can enhance and grow their community,” Bailey Smith, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said.

The 2020 Silver Cord Scholarship recipient was Cole Sampson. Cole volunteered at the Red Cross community blood drives, RAGBRAI, AtlanticFest, Coca-Cola Days, Christmas in Atlantic Ice-Skating Rink and numerous other community activities.

“A big lesson I learned from these experiences was the importance of coordination and communication. I saw the many details and all the preparation that goes into events like these and how it can go smoothly if things are well planned and executed. I come from a family who believes in volunteering. My grandmother (Eleanor Hoover) was always ready to help in the community in any way she was able, whether it was with sporting competitions, YMCA events, or with anyone else who needed a hand,” Cole Sampson, Silver Cord Scholarship recipient stated.

Cole will be attending Iowa State University this fall to study Industrial Design.

If you are interested in learning more about the Silver Cord Program, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com. If you would like to volunteer, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com or call the Atlantic Area Chamber at 712.243.3017.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department is looking for help to create an animal mascot to be the face of the parks. Draw a picture of your favorite animal and give it a clever name. Submit your picture via the Atlantic Parks and Recreation Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/atlanticparksandrecreation) or drop your picture off at City Hall at 23 E 4^th Street by September 15, 2020.

All the submissions will be compiled and then the community can vote on their favorite. The winning submission will be used to promote rules, activities, etc. for the Parks and Recreation Department. All ages and all artistic levels are welcomed and encouraged to participate as the community will vote on the winner and not by how well the picture is drawn.

All submissions will be property of the City of Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has sued two Democratic-leaning Iowa counties that are making it easy to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to invalidate tens of thousands of voters’ absentee ballot applications. The Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and other GOP groups filed the lawsuits against elections officials in Linn and Johnson counties.

At issue are absentee ballot request forms that the counties are sending to registered voters with personal information already filled in. The GOP lawsuits argue that the auditors are violating a state directive by prepopulating the forms and that any ballots cast in response to the mailings may be subject to legal challenge.

Police in Shenandoah say a man who allegedly attempted to tamper with a SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) at the Shenandoah Fire Station, was arrested Wednesday night on a burglary charge.

Joshua Jorge Colwell

Authorities say Police responding to the Fire Department at around 8:45-p.m. found 42-year old Joshua Jorge Colwell, of Sioux City, in the garage area.

Colwell was arrested on a Class-D Felony charge of Burglary in Third-degree Burglary, Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, and Public Intoxication. He was being held in the Page County Jail on $5,600 bond.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids man has been charged in the fatal beating of his mother earlier this summer over what police say was an effort to steal $50 from her. Police say 49-year-old George Alan Deason is charged with first-degree murder and other counts in the death of 71-year-old Elsie Mae Deason. Police believe George Deason attacked his mother in her home on June 30. She was found the next day with critical injuries.

Police said it appeared she had been severely beaten. She was taken to a hospital, where she died of her injuries on July 23. Police say George Deason was arrested shortly after his injured mother was found, and police confiscated a battering weapon called a slapjack from him.

(Radio Iowa) – Four of Iowa’s state parks remain closed to all visitors due to extensive damage from Monday’s strong wind storm, while several other state parks are only partly open as cleanup operations continue. Alex Murphy, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the majority of the trouble is with downed trees, as there was little structural damage in the parks.  “We have one cabin that was hit by a tree at Union Grove State Park but otherwise, our parks are open,” Murphy says. “We’re just encouraging people to avoid those areas. Staff are working very hard to clear the roadways, the trails, all of those areas, so people can still get out and enjoy that, although most people in these areas are busy cleaning up their own back yards.”

The state parks that are closed are: Palisades-Kepler, Pleasant Creek, Lake MacBride and Wapsipinicon. Parks that are partly open as cleanup is underway include: Big Creek, Ledges, Pine Lake, Walnut Woods and Rock Creek. Iowans are consistently generous with their time and eager volunteers want to help clear out the mess, yet Murphy says now is -not- the time. “We realize people really want to help, people really want to see what’s happened to their parks that they love and that they visit all the time, but just let staff have their space and get the areas cleaned up,” Murphy says. “The quicker they can do that, the more open these parks will be and we can open up the closed ones as well.”

The winds exceeded 100 miles an hour in some areas during the derecho, and the destruction is extensive. “We’re fortunate a lot of it is tree damage and we didn’t have any of our visitors that were injured or anything like that, so we’re very thankful in those areas,” Murphy says, “but I would have a hard time believing this wasn’t one of the worst straight-line wind damage storms that we’ve seen in our state parks.”

Assessment is still underway, so no dollar figures are available yet on repairs, or on the length of time it may take to reopen all facilities.

iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Alerts-and-Closures