Iowa’s weather during May was on the cool, wet side. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says temperatures were widely varied during the month, with a low of 27 degrees in Cherokee on May 2nd and a high of 94 in two cities, Little Sioux on the 8th and Shenendoah on the 15th.

“Temperature wise, we ended up averaging just slightly below normal, not quite one-degree cooler than usual for May,” Hillaker says. “We had a cool first few days of the month and a cool last week-and-a-half and rather warm in between, but averaging out just a little bit on the cool side.” Many farmers had a difficult time getting into their fields to plant during May as the continued rains left many acres muddy or underwater.

“On rainfall, the statewide average was not quite 5 inches of rainfall, roughly a half-inch greater than usual for the month of May,” Hillaker says. “Much of the state was near-normal to above-normal for rainfall with the exception of parts of southeast and east-central Iowa, which only got about half the normal amount of rainfall during the month of May.”

The wettest part of the state during May was west-central Iowa where some areas had almost twice the usual amount of rain. May and June are typically the busiest months of the year for severe weather and this May was on target. While there were several scattered severe storms, there was a three-day run of them May 15th, 16th and 17th.

“We had three consecutive evenings where we had widespread severe weather, the biggest of those being the final one which came on the 17th,” Hillaker says. “We had severe weather reports of either high winds or large hail from over half of Iowa’s counties, 55 of the 99 counties reported severe storms on that one evening.”

As to the month ahead, June will start out hot with highs in the 90s expected in southwest Iowa, though a cool front should arrive next week which may persist and keep temperatures somewhat lower than normal well into mid-month. The first day of summer is June 21st.

(Radio Iowa)

A substance abuse treatment provider in central Iowa has withdrawn its federal lawsuit against Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield that had alleged the insurance provider owes them millions of dollars in unpaid claims. The St. Gregory Retreat Center says it is dismissing its lawsuit and admitted its original claims of fraud and misconduct, including statements made during a 2016 news conference, were ultimately without merit.

A federal court came to a similar conclusion when it dismissed St. Gregory’s claims against the insurer earlier this year. In a news release, St. Gregory officials apologized for statements and actions that the release says “exacerbated a two-year long contract dispute over the manner and accuracy of claims the substance abuse treatment center submitted to Wellmark.

Although that dispute is now resolved, St. Gregory’s is no longer a provider in Wellmark’s network.” Wellmark has dismissed additional fraud and RICO claims it filed against St. Gregory’s following the announcement of the dismissal of the lawsuit.

St. Gregory’s Retreat Center has facilities located near Adair, and Bayard.

(Radio Iowa)

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines teen has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for beating his grandmother to death in the home they shared. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that 19-year-old Noah LaPrei was sentenced Thursday afternoon to 50 years with no minimum. LaPrei entered an Alford plea in April to second-degree murder in the death of 79-year-old Rachel Pray.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An audit alleges the former executive director of an Iowa nonprofit that promotes healthy, affordable school meals embezzled at least $169,000 over a five-year period. The report says Norma LaMantia admitted to diverting checks meant for the School Nutrition Association of Iowa to personal bank accounts. LaMantia told auditors and a Davenport police detective last month that the money helped pay her personal expenses and support her addiction to casino gambling.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials say two people have been arrested after leading troopers in Iowa, then Nebraska, on a high speed chase and ramming two Iowa patrol cruisers in the process. The Nebraska State Patrol arrested the 27-year-old man with an Oklahoma driver’s license Thursday morning after he lost control of the stolen Jeep he was driving in Omaha. A 29-year-old woman with a Wisconsin driver’s license was also arrested.

IOWA FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating how a 6-year-old boy was hit and seriously injured by a semitrailer’s rear tires in Iowa Falls. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the accident happened just after school on Wednesday. The Iowa State Patrol says the boy, who has not been identified, was rushed to an Iowa Falls hospital and later flown to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials say two people have been arrested after leading troopers in Iowa, then Nebraska, on a high speed chase and ramming two Iowa patrol cruisers in the process. The Nebraska State Patrol arrested 27-year-old Michael Eugene Pierce, of Oklahoma, Thursday morning after he lost control of the stolen Jeep he was driving in Omaha. His passenger, 29-year-old Mary E. Kennison of Wisconsin, was also arrested.

Officials say the Jeep was stolen from Greeley, Colorado. Troopers in Iowa say when they had earlier tried to stop the Jeep, Pierce fled and later swerved at a trooper to avoid a spike strip, causing him to ram two Iowa Patrol cars. He was caught after crossing the Missouri River into Nebraska. Authorities say the pair face multiple charges. Pierce and Kennison were being held in the Douglas County, NE., Jail.

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a woman from Adair County was arrested Tuesday morning on an OWI charge. 48-year old Annette M. Feick, of Greenfield, was arrested at around 7:20-a.m. for OWI/1st offense. She was later released on $1,000 bond.

And, a resident of Lorimor reported to the Sheriff’s Office on May 28th, that sometime during the night someone drove through his fence on 130th Street.  The damage was estimated at $100.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Officials from six western Iowa counties are working together to mark a 209-mile bicycle route that would run from Woodbury County to Fremont County. The Daily Nonpareil reports the Frontier Iowa Trails Network is working on the designation of the Lewis and Clark Today Route. It’ll run along the Missouri River, following the path of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

The project’s first phase will create a “shared route” that runs on highways, county roads and other types of streets. The majority of the trail would be paved. The project’s second phase will be the implementation of another bicycle trail off the roadway.

Brian Leaders of the National Park Service and others are raising money for installation of the route’s signs, which is expected to cost $200,000.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two OWI-related arrests took place, Tuesday. 47-year old Daniel Duane Becker, of Atlantic, and 26-year old Jesse Lee Rex Jones, of Griswold, were both taken into custody for OWI/2nd offense. Both men were released on the own recognizance, on Wednesday.

And, on Wednesday, Cass County Sheriff’s Office Deputies arrested 42-year old Michael Abraham Harris, of Lewis, on a charge of Theft in the 3rd Degree. Harris was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.

A wrong-way driver was cited by Police in Red Oak this (Thursday) morning, following an accident at N. 4th and E. Corning Streets. Authorities say Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator, 31-year old Brian Hamman, of Red Oak, was traveling west on E. Corning Street at around 10-a.m., when the 2016 Chevy Tahoe he was driving (registered to Montgomery County), was struck by a 2005 Chevy Impala, driven by 76-year old Gary Eugene Lebeck, of Atlantic.

Officials say Lebeck was traveling south on N. 4th Street in the wrong direction when his car struck the right front bumper of the Tahoe. No injuries were reported. Damage from the collision amounted to $2,500. Lebeck was cited for Violating a One-Way Traffic Designation.

Shelby County Sheriff Neil Gross reports the arrest on Wednesday, of 34-year old Zachary Isaac Goodside. Goodside, who is from Earling, was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, Possession of Controlled Substance 2nd Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

He was transported to the Shelby County Jail and held without bond prior to appearing in front of the magistrate this (Thursday) morning. Goodside is currently being held under a $2,000 bond.

Today (Thursday) is the first day fireworks may legally be sold in Iowa, but many retailers are waiting until later in the month to start selling bottle rockets, Roman candles, and other “consumer-grade” fireworks. A fireworks business based in Nebraska plans to open 55 temporary locations in Iowa to sell fireworks three weeks from now. Vince Bellino, of Bellino Enterprises, says his company already operates 130 fireworks stands in South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri as well as Nebraska.

“We are based out of Omaha, so we will have a good mixture in the western part of Iowa, but we will have locations in the Des Moines area, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Keokuk, Mason City,” Bellino says, “so we’ll be all over the state.”

Bellino’s business has “partnered” with HyVee and Fareway and some of their temporary fireworks sales locations will be near grocery stores. “It’s easily a good fit for us to move into because they’re drawing plenty of traffic,” Bellino says, “and we, typically, draw plenty of traffic in for them as well.”

The new Iowa law allows fireworks sales from now through July 8th at PERMANENT structures. Sales from TEMPORARY structures, like tents, may begin June 13th. Bellino says his company’s stands may open as late as June 25th. In his home state of Nebraska, fireworks may be sold from tents over just a 10-day period compared to Iowa’s new 38-day period for summertime fireworks sales. There’s another sales period in Iowa later in the year from December 10th through January 3rd, but fireworks sales may only be made from permanent structures then.

(Radio Iowa)