United Group Insurance

Severe tstorm warning N. Central Pott./SE Harrison Counties until 7:30-p.m.

Weather

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Severe Thunderstorm Warning
IAC085-155-250030-
/O.NEW.KOAX.SV.W.0174.190924T2355Z-190925T0030Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
655 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2019

The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  North central Pottawattamie County in southwestern Iowa...
  Southeastern Harrison County in southwestern Iowa...

* Until 730 PM CDT.

* At 654 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles north of
  Underwood, or 21 miles northeast of Omaha, moving east at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include...
  Minden, Persia, Neola and Arrowhead Park.

This includes Interstate 80 in Iowa between mile markers 23 and 29.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for southwestern
Iowa.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

Severe Tstorm warning until 7:30-p.m.: Harrison/Shelby Counties

Weather

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
701 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2019

The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
East central Harrison County in southwestern Iowa…
West central Shelby County in southwestern Iowa…

* Until 730 PM CDT.

* At 701 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Persia, or 28
miles south of Denison, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD…Quarter size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include…
Harlan, Persia, Panama and Portsmouth.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for southwestern
Iowa.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

IATC Cross Country Team Rankings 09/24/2019

Sports

September 24th, 2019 by Jim Field

Class 1A

Girls
1. Logan-Magnolia
9. AHSTW
10. Tri-Center

Boys
2. Nodaway Valley
10. Tri-Center
14. IKM-Manning
15. St. Albert

Class 2A

Girls
4. Panorama
8. ACGC

Class 3A

Girls
4. Harlan
10. Atlantic
14. Glenwood

Boys
12. Atlantic

Full rankings found HERE

IATC Individual Cross Country Rankings 09/24/2019

Sports

September 24th, 2019 by Jim Field

Class 1A

Girls
1. Peyton Pogge, Tri-Center
2. Taylor Sporrer, Logan-Magnolia
4. Courtney Sporrer, Logan-Magnolia
13. Grace Slater, Audubon
16. Kylee Morrison, Logan-Magnolia
24. Sophia Broers, Nodaway Valley

Boys
1. Joshua Baudler, Nodaway Valley
5. Noah Jorgenson, Sidney
6. Bennett Heisterkamp, St. Albert
25. Ben Breheny, Nodaway Valley
29. Toby Bower, Nodaway Valley

Class 2A

Girls
3. Kate Crawford, ACGC
5. Tori Castle, Treynor
6. Ella Waddle, Panorama
23. Mayson Hartley, Clarinda
26. Rylee Sloss, ACGC

Boys
4. Louden Foster, West Central Valley

Class 3A

Girls
5. Taylor McCreedy, Atlantic
29. Lucy Borkowski, Harlan

Boys
6. Craig Alan Becker, Atlantic

Class 4A

Boys
12. Wimach Gilo, Thomas Jefferson

Full rankings found HERE

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING: NW Pottawattamie; S. Central Harrison Counties until 7-p.m.

Weather

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
626 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2019

The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
Northwestern Pottawattamie County in southwestern Iowa…
South central Harrison County in southwestern Iowa…
Southeastern Washington County in east central Nebraska…

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 626 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Fort Calhoun,
or 13 miles north of Omaha, moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD…Quarter size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include…
Fort Calhoun, Wilson Island State Park and Hitchcock Nature Center.

This includes Interstate 29 between mile markers 66 and 74.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for southwestern
Iowa…and east central Nebraska.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

TORNADO WARNING until 7-p.m.: NE Harrison/NW Shelby Counties

Weather

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
614 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2019

The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued a

* Tornado Warning for…
Northeastern Harrison County in southwestern Iowa…
Northwestern Shelby County in southwestern Iowa…

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 614 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Dunlap, or 20 miles southwest of Denison, moving
east at 20 mph.

HAZARD…Tornado and golf ball size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT…Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.
Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree
damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near…
Dunlap around 625 PM CDT.
Earling around 655 PM CDT.
Defiance around 700 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Schaben Park, Manteno Recreation Area and Dunlap.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING until 5:30-p.m.: parts of Harrison & Monona Counties

Weather

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
448 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2019

The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
Southeastern Monona County in west central Iowa…
Northwestern Harrison County in southwestern Iowa…
Southeastern Burt County in east central Nebraska…

* Until 530 PM CDT.

* At 448 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Craig, or 38
miles northwest of Omaha, moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts and ping pong ball size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail
damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect
considerable tree damage. Wind damage is also likely to
mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include…
Tekamah, Mondamin, Pisgah, Moorhead, Craig, Blencoe, Magnolia,
Little Sioux, Pelican Point State Recreation Area, Preparation
Canyon State Park, Willow Lake Recreation Area, Little Sioux Scout
Ranch and Summit Lake State Recreation Area.

This includes Interstate 29 between mile markers 89 and 105.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for southwestern
and west central Iowa…and east central Nebraska.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect for the warned area. Tornadoes can
develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. Although a tornado is not
immediately likely, if one is spotted, act quickly and move to a
place of safety inside a sturdy structure such as a basement or small
interior room.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside
should move immediately to shelter inside a strong building. Stay
away from windows.

TORNADO WATCH issued for Cass & area Counties until 12-a.m. (9/25)

Weather

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The Severe Storms Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, has issued a TORNADO WATCH for Cass and areas counties until Midnight (12-a.m. Wednesday). Area counties included in the WATCH are:

Adair, Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Taylor and Union.

Primary Threats include:

A few tornadoes with a couple of intense tornadoes possible; scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events up to 3-inches in diameter likely; scattered damaging winds with gusts up to 80-mph possible.

Probability of:

2 or more tornadoes, 60%.

1 or more strong tornadoes (EF-2 to EF-5), 40%.

1 or more wind events greater than 75 mph, 40%

10 or more severe hail events, 70%.

1 or more hail events 2″ diameter or greater, 60%.

6 or more combined severe hail/wind events, 95%.

Mean storm motion: East at 45 mph.

Racetrack sports betting kiosk glitch idles some machines

News, Sports

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — Sports betting kiosks at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona have been shut down while a vendor figures out why they came on in the middle of the night when they were supposed to have been turned off.

Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission Administrator Brian Ohorilko says surveillance video shows no one at the machines when they powered up overnight recently but William Hill, the company providing sports betting at the casino, has chosen to keep them off until the glitch can be resolved.

Sports bets can still be placed through casino personnel at betting windows and on a mobile app, but the self-service kiosks at the casino sports book area are off for now. The casino’s sports betting area closes at midnight except on Friday and Saturday when it closes at 1 a.m.

Ohorilko says sports betting in Iowa, which began Aug. 15, has gone smoothly otherwise. Prairie Meadows reports total amount wagered in August was $3.4 million, the highest of the 13 casinos now taking bets. Sports wagers for all the casinos last month totaled $8.5 million.

Lawyer sues Gov. Reynolds over new judicial nominating law

News

September 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines lawyer who interviewed to be an Iowa Court of Appeals judge but wasn’t a finalist is suing Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials, arguing a new law that gives the governor more power over the commission that selects Supreme Court and appeals judges is unconstitutional.

It’s the second such lawsuit filed in state court challenging the measure passed by lawmakers in April during the final days of the legislative session and signed a few days later by Reynolds. The law shortened the term of Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady, removed Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins from the commission and allowed Reynolds to replace him with her own appointee. Critics say the changes shifted the balance of the commission, allowing the GOP governor to get more conservative nominees onto the courts.

Supporters of the law say lawyers had too much clout in deciding which judicial nominees were sent to the governor and the change places more control with the governor, an elected official instead of non-elected members of the state bar association. The first lawsuit, filed by a group of Democratic legislators and a member of the State Judicial Nominating Commission, was dismissed in June by a judge who said the legislators and commission member lacked standing to sue. An appeal of that decision is before the Iowa Supreme Court and will take months to resolve.

The new case was filed on Sept. 11 by Thomas Duff, a trial lawyer for 30 years who focuses on personal injury, employment law and medical malpractice. His legal challenges to the new law are similar to the first lawsuit, but he believes since he was personally affected by the new makeup of the commission he has a better chance of proving standing to sue.
He’s asking the court for an expedited hearing on his request for a temporary injunction to immediately stop the judicial selection procedure outlined in the law and halt the section of the law that alters the term of office for the chief justice. A judge set a hearing for Oct. 11.

Duff also seeks a permanent finding that the law is unconstitutional, in part because he says it violates the separation of powers article of the state constitution, claiming the lawmakers cannot change the term of chief justice because it is an improper encroachment on the judicial branch by the legislative branch.
He said Republican efforts to control the courts undermine the credibility of the courts and people’s confidence in the judicial system.

“I do feel that the way that the bill was passed that this strikes me as politicization of the court which I have always thought was a bad idea whether it’s Democrats or Republicans,” he said Monday in an interview.
Sixteen people applied for the job that became available with the July 1 retirement of Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Gayle Vogel. The names of three finalists were sent to the governor on Aug. 5 including two judges and a lawyer from Ames. Reynolds has 30 days from the date she received the nominees to name a judge.

A spokesman for the Iowa attorney general declined to comment and the governor’s office did not respond to a message.