OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The continued threat of rain and higher-than-normal reservoir releases into the Missouri River will hamper the draining of floodwaters in fields and plans to repair more than 100 levee breaks after devastating spring floods.

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service said Thursday during a news conference that while water levels on the river have dropped below flood stage in most places, rain over the next week could lead to some parts of the river rising as much as 2 feet (0.61 meters) from Rulo, Nebraska, to where it meets the Mississippi River in St. Louis.

Increased reservoir releases are also keeping swamped land from drying out. The Corps reiterated Thursday that releases from Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border will remain at 75,000 cubic feet (2,124 cubic meters) per second until next Thursday, when officials plan to drop that amount to 70,000 cubic feet per second. That’s still about twice the normal amount for this time of year.

Normal releases from Gavins Dam might not be seen again until November, officials have said. Officials with the Corps’ Omaha and Kansas City, Missouri, divisions acknowledged that the increased reservoir releases were hampering efforts to close scores of levees broken in March during historic flooding in the Missouri River Basin that caused significant damage in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas.

“It has made things more difficult, yes,” said Matthew Krajewski with the Omaha division. Of the 47 levee breaks seen in Nebraska and Iowa, only seven have been closed, Krajewski said. In Kansas and Missouri, none of the 64 levee breaks have been repaired, Mike Dulin with the Corps’ Kansas City division said.

“We have not been able to access those areas yet due to continued high water,” Dulin said. He said it will likely be “well into the summer” before crews can even access breached levees along the river in far northwestern Missouri. Other breaks further downstream in Kansas and Missouri north of Kansas City should be accessible sooner, he said. “But there’s no guarantees on that as long as the water is high,” Dulin said.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County report 35-year old Jameson Gordon Schlup, of Red Oak, was arrested Thursday in the 100 block of B Street, in Red Oak. Schlup was picked-up on a warrant for Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $25,000 bond.

The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests took place, Thursday. 18-year old Devlin Barrett, of Glenwood, was arrested for Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. His bond was set at $2,000. And, 18-year old Dylan Finn, also of Glenwood, was arrested for Assault. His cash or surety bond was set at $300.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, a man from Creston reported Wednesday afternoon, that someone had entered his storage unit in Creston, and took a tool box along with Craftsman tools. The incident, which happened sometime between June 16th and 19th, resulted in a loss of about $5,000.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri trooper who was convicted of a misdemeanor in the drowning death of a handcuffed Iowa man has lost another attempt to get his job back.

The Kansas City Star reports that the Missouri’s Department of Public Safety again revoked Anthony Piercy’s license to be an officer this week. Deputy director Kenny Jones wrote that “an individual in custody is entitled to safe treatment from his arresting officer.” Jones’ decision was in response to a judge reversing the initial revocation of Piercy’s license last month because the agency didn’t provide an adequate explanation.

Piercy was driving 20-year-old Brandon Ellingson, of Clive, Iowa, for a breath test at the Lake of the Ozarks in 2014 when Ellingson fell off the boat and slipped out of an improperly secured life vest.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports, early Sunday morning, June 23rd, construction crews will be working on a portion of eastbound Interstate 80 eastbound/southbound I-29 from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m., which will require traffic to exit the interstate.

Traffic on the eastbound I-80 Express will be required to exit at the South Expressway (exit 49) and follow the detour. Southbound I-29/eastbound I-80 Local will be required to exit at 24th Street (exit 50) and follow the detour. The southbound I-29/eastbound I-80 on-ramp at 24th Street will also be closed during the roadway repairs.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A civil trial alleging former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad discriminated against an ex-state official because he’s gay has been moved 35 miles east to Newton.
An order entered by Judge Brad McCall on Thursday says attorneys for both sides agreed to move the trial to the Jasper County Courthouse. The trial began June 5 and is expected to last a month. The order says the same Polk County jury will continue to hear the case.

Former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey is suing Branstad , the state and two of Branstad’s former staff members. Godfrey alleges discrimination and retaliation based on sexual preference and political affiliation.

The order to change locations doesn’t say why but Godfrey’s lawyer, Roxanne Conlin, has complained about the air quality in the historic courthouse, which is under renovation.
Her son, JB Conlin, was arrested on June 10 on charges that he resisted an officer’s request to leave the courtroom, where he was attempting to test the air quality.

(Radio Iowa) — Three dozen flood victims in southwest Iowa have said they want to live TEMPORARILY in mobile homes provided by FEMA, but state officials suspect many more need to move into a FEMA trailer. Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management director Joyce Flinn says FEMA has had difficulty negotiating leases with the owners of mobile home parks in southwest Iowa. “Two units were installed in a commercial park in Glenwood and six other pads have been leased at that location,” Flinn says. “The problem that FEMA is running into with a lot of these pads or these locations is the electric is not up to standard, so they’re going to have to redo the electric before they can put units in there and be sure that they’re going to provide the support to the citizens that they need.”

FEMA has identified OTHER parking spots for its trailers in mobile home parks in Red Oak and Shenandoah, according to Flinn, but the trailers aren’t yet installed. Flinn says 333 Iowans are eligible to live in a FEMA trailer, but they’ve told FEMA they’re living in a “safe” situation — like a relative or friend’s home — so they are automatically disqualified from getting on the list for a FEMA trailer. Flinn says flood victims need to tell FEMA their “situation has changed” if they want to live in the temporary housing FEMA can provide. Larry Winum, president and C-E-O of the Glenwood State Bank, says there’s uncertainty about what federal help may be available to rebuild or buy-out flooded properties that are condemned. “Nobody knows what the guidelines are,” Winum says.

Southwest Iowans who were flooded out of their homes in March are still waiting for officials to determine if their homes can be rehabilitated — or are so damaged they must be destroyed. This past Monday, inspectors from the state Fire Marshal’s Office began to assess 150 structures in Pacific Junction.