DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A meteorologist says there’s not much risk of rainfall heavy enough to further raise the Mississippi River flood threat in eastern Iowa. A temporary flood barrier failed in Davenport on Tuesday, submerging downtown blocks and forcing some people to seek shelter on rooftops. They later were evacuated by boats. Davenport City Administrator Corri Spiegel declined to comment early today (Wednesday) about any overnight developments.

Scattered showers are in the forecast for Wednesday, but National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Gibbs said chances of a thunderstorm system that could bring heavy rain are “pretty low.” The service isn’t warning of severe weather upstream either.

The river is expected to crest Wednesday evening or overnight at 22.4 feet in Davenport, short of the record crest of 22.6 feet set in July 1993.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new report says an April survey of business supply managers suggests there will be solid economic growth over the next three to six months in nine Midwest and Plains states. The report issued today (Wednesday) says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped to 55.9 last month from 58.2 in March. The February figure was 57.9.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says finding and hiring qualified workers remained the chief threat to the manufacturing economy for the region.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Iowa state parks invite campers to visit this weekend and help celebrate Camping Kick-Off, May 3 – 5. “Year of the Volunteer” is the focus of this year’s Camping Kickoff celebration as the Iowa DNR anticipates the 100th anniversary in 2020 by hosting more than 30 volunteer and family events across the state. A full schedule of programs is available at www.iowadnr.gov/campingkickoff. Campers will also receive a free issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine. T

Todd Coffelt, chief of state parks for the DNR, says “We are looking forward to this season opener and to welcome visitors and campers to our parks.” Those wanting to join the Camping Kickoff celebration can make advanced reservations through today (Wednesday, May 1st). Reservations can be made at https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com or by calling 1-877-427-2757. Phone center hours are 7 AM to 7 PM CST (Mon. – Fri.).

After today (Wednesday), campers can use walk-in camping on a first-come, first-serve basis for any sites not already reserved.

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds isn’t giving any indication on what she will do with several high-profile bills that passed the recent legislative session. She does say that there has been a lot of input on whether she should sign or veto the sports gambling bill. “I’m hearing on both sides, I’ve had a lot of people reach out,” Reynolds says. The bill approved by lawmakers would let the state’s casinos take bets on professional and college sports — either at the casinos or elsewhere via a smart-phone app. Reynolds says many people don’t want to see her sign the bill into law. “They’re concerned about addiction to gambling and the impact that this may have,”according to Reynolds.

Others say the state needs to take control. “I had a lot of other people who have indicated it is happening, it is going to continue to happen — and they think it is very important that we have some kind of oversight,” Reynolds says. Reynolds says both sides have made their feelings known. “You know it’s pretty equal right now, but I am hearing a lot from both,” she says.

The governor says she is treating the gambling bill like all the others and will go over it with her team and make a decision on whether to sign it into law.

(Radio Iowa) — May is starting out much like April ended, with continued cold weather and rain across much of the region. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub, based in Ames, says the long-range forecast models well into the middle of May don’t show much change for precipitation or temperatures. “The Northern Plains are not looking really good on either one of those,” Todey says. “In the Week Two time period, we’re likely to have below-average temperatures again, so we’re not making a whole lot of progress on warming up soils and drying things out.”

Some parts of the state have had standing water due to flooding for more than a month and some farmers are far behind in their planting due to soggy soil. Todey says the weather pattern simply isn’t shifting much. “Typically by this point in the spring, we do start getting more storm events, we start getting more warm air moving northward and we are getting some of that,” Todey says. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t moved far enough yet on a more regular basis. We’re still getting these fairly significant cold outbreaks and that has allowed the storm track to be such that we’re going to keep getting continued rainfall.”

For areas of the state that still haven’t had the chance to dry out from the spring soakings, Todey says there’s little relief in the immediate forecast.  “It looks like throughout a good part of the Corn Belt area and a chunk of the Northern Plains,” Todey says, “we have above-average chances for precipitation going on well into the middle part of May right now.” Todey expects the effects of the ongoing El Nino pattern to hang around into mid-summer, which could translate into below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation.

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

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Davenport, Iowa, say they’re not expecting flooding that swept into a section of downtown Tuesday to spread much beyond the couple of blocks already under water. Davenport Public Works Director Nicole Gleason says one flood barrier failed along the river, swamping vehicles and buildings along part of the Mississippi River’s edge. Gleason says as long as the other barriers hold and rain overnight is not heavier than expected, much of the flooding should be contained to a few blocks.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police say there’s no indication a woman who was fatally shot while driving over a highway bridge in northeast Iowa was targeted. Investigators are seeking the public’s help in determining whether the gunfire came from nearby woods. Micalla Alexis Rettinger was shot about 2:30 a.m. Sunday as she drove on a bridge along the Cedar River in Waterloo. Rettinger pulled over and died after being hit in the neck.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has some big decisions to make about several controversial measures approved by the Legislature. Topics include limiting duties of the attorney general, changing how judges are picked, sports betting, prohibiting the use of Medicaid funding to pay for sex-reassignment surgery and prohibiting the government spending on sex education courses offered by Planned Parenthood. Reynolds has signed nearly 50 measures passed by the Legislature so far.

The Council Bluffs Police Department needs your help in identifying a female that may have valuable information regarding the murder of Adam Angeroth, in January 2019. Authorities are looking for a person of interest described as a white female, who uses the nickname “Zee‐Zee” (or ZeZe or ZZ). She’s between 18‐23 years old, about 5’5” tall, 120 pounds, with shoulder length dark hair. The woman is a known associate of Liam Stec, who is currently being held and charged with Murder 1st degree.

A reward, of up to $5,000, has been authorized for information regarding the identity and whereabouts of “Zee‐Zee”. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 712‐328‐STOP (7867); all incoming calls and any subsequent reward payment will remain 100% anonymous.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 32-year old Trisha Breanne Moffitt, of Creston, was arrested late Tuesday morning at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Moffitt was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for failure to appear and serve jail time.

Moffitt was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail, for Union County.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Crews evacuated people from some buildings and cars Tuesday afternoon after a flood barrier failed along the Mississippi River, sending floodwaters rushing into downtown Davenport, Iowa. The National Weather Service sent an alert around 4 p.m. of a flash flood emergency in Davenport, urging people downtown to immediately seek higher ground. Public works officials reported that a temporary flood barrier had failed and that many people sought shelter on the rooftops of downtown buildings.

“It was just the one barrier, so we’re not expecting the flooding to spread beyond what we’re seeing now,” Davenport Public Works Director Nicole Gleason said. “That could change with heavy rain.” Gleason said crews and volunteers scrambled Tuesday afternoon to fill sandbags for other downtown businesses looking to keep the floodwaters out of their buildings.

The breach hit as communities in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri prepare for record or near-record crests along the river. The National Weather Service already issued flood warnings for areas directly on either side of the river in 10 states, “all the way to the Gulf of Mexico,” said meteorologist Mike McClure in Davenport.

The floodwaters had overtaken vehicles and the first floors of some buildings on the river’s edge, and rescue crews could be seen launching boats into the floodwaters to retrieve people stranded by the sudden surge. Mayor Frank Klipsch said there were no reports of injuries. He asked that people stay away from downtown while officials work to evacuate the area.

In Iowa, some cities on the river’s banks — including Davenport and Muscatine — had already closed some low-lying streets and erected flood walls and sandbag barriers. Flood watches have been issued for larger tracts around in the river in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, as well as sections of Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, as heavy rain that began in some places Monday was set to continue into Wednesday.

The rain comes as the Mississippi River is set to reach record or near-record crests in Iowa, Illinois and northern Missouri. At 5 p.m., the Mississippi River at Davenport was recorded at 21.88 feet — the fifth highest for the spot ever recorded, according the National Weather Service. That’s approaching the record crest of 22.6 feet set in July 1993.

The river’s expected to crest Wednesday evening a few inches short of the record.
The gauge in nearby Muscatine showed the river just under 3 feet below the July 1993 record of 25.6 feet. It’s expected to crest a little more than a foot under the record at Muscatine, where officials have placed new berms and are diverting downtown traffic.

(Radio Iowa) — Even though evacuation orders are being lifted, many southwest Iowans still can’t return as standing water is making their homes unreachable. Sheri Bowen, a spokeswoman for Mills County, says people are mostly trying to get back to their houses to assess the damage caused by the record Missouri River flooding that started more than a month ago.

“They may decide to wear their hip waders and go in and get their prized possessions that they weren’t able to take with them,” Bowen says, “but no one is expecting anyone to move back in at this point.” The county did an unofficial survey asking people whether they would return home. About half of the families that answered said they were unsure about their next steps, while ten-percent said they would definitely leave.

South of Mills County, Hamburg residents are allowed to return to their homes in Fremont County, but in unincorporated areas of the county, about 250 families cannot go back yet. Fremont County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Crecelius says there’s still standing water in the south end of Hamburg.

“That is where the water hit the worst and was the deepest,” Crecelius says, “so I think that those folks are probably going to be looking for some place else to be living instead of moving back in there.” The mayor of Hamburg lifted the city’s partial evacuation order last week. The communities of Percival, Bartlett and McPaul are still evacuated.

(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)