OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The contract between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and Catholic Health Initiatives’ UniNet has expired without a new agreement. UniNet represents CHI Health facilities across Nebraska. Starting today (Monday) people who visit doctors or hospitals in Nebraska associated with the CHI Health network will have to pay more if they have insurance from Blue Cross. CHI Health’s Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa, should not be directly affected, but Iowa residents with Blue Cross policies who seek treatment in Nebraska would be.

Blue Cross says CHI Health, which used to be called Alegent Creighton Health, routinely charges 10 to 30 percent more than other Omaha hospitals. CHI Health says those figures are misleading and it believes its total cost of treatment is lower, even if certain services cost more.

One person was arrested while another was cited on alcohol-related charges late Sunday night, in Montgomery County.  According to Red Oak Police, 51-year old James Franklin Durbin III, of Red Oak, faces a charge of OWI/1st offense, after he was pulled over at around 11:35-p.m. in the 2000 block of Avenue G, in Red Oak.  Durbin was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $1,000 bond.

And, 51-year old Dean Karl Zucco, of Red Oak, was cited for open container of alcohol, after the vehicle he was a passenger in was stopped at around 11:53-p.m., near the intersection of west Coolbaugh Street and Avenue G. Zucco was cited for the offense and released.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Severe storms have been sweeping across Iowa, with heavy rains causing some flooding and strong wind gusts snapping tree limbs and affecting power lines. The Des Moines Register said the National Weather Service received a report of one person injured by lightning during the storms Sunday, but details about the severity were not available late last night.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa legislative leaders don’t plan to change ethics rules for political work after a former state senator admitted to lying about receiving payments to switch his support from one Republican presidential candidate to another. The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that former Senator Kent Sorenson pleaded guilty to receiving thousands of dollars in “under the table payments” from a 2012 presidential campaign and lying about the money.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — At least 10 driving instructors licensed in Iowa have criminal records or driving infractions in their past, but they’ve been allowed to keep working with teens because of a forgiving state law. The Des Moines Register reports at least three driving instructors have drunken driving convictions, two have assault convictions and four have more than a dozen driving citations and other infractions.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa company hopes its corn-based vodka will succeed because of a new process that eliminates impurities in the finished liquor. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports IngeniOz vodka started selling for about $24 a bottle in Iowa stores a month ago.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Severe storms swept across Iowa, Sunday, with heavy rains causing some flooding and strong wind gusts snapping tree limbs and affecting power lines. The Des Moines Register said the National Weather Service received a report of one person injured by lightning during the storms Sunday. The Iowa Storm Chasing Network said on its social media page that eastern Iowa storm chaser Danny Murphy was hit by lightening late Sunday afternoon near Denison, but was last reported to have been resting comfortably in the hospital.

Crawford County emergency management coordinator Gregory Miller said several highways were covered at various points during the storm. Heavy rains broke through a farm retention dam in Denison, causing flooding on Iowa Highway 39.

The Omaha World-Herald reported that I-29 was closed when the roof and sidewall blew off a building and into a pickup pulling a trailer. Sioux City Police Sgt. Dane Wagner said the truck toppled, but no one was injured.

Other storm reports from western Iowa, as relayed by law enforcement, the public & media to the National Weather Service:

8:19-p.m. Heavy rain 5 miles e/se of Charter Oak in Crawford Co.; 3.6″ of rain from 6:30-8:15-p.m.

8:15-p.m. Est. 80mph winds in Bayard and Yale in Guthrie Co.; Power poles & lines down.

8:12-p.m. 58mph gust of wind in Audubon.

7:45-p.m. estimated 65mph wind gust 2 miles e. of Earling in Shelby Co.

7:45-p.m. Tstorm wind damage E/SE of Manning in Carroll Co.: Tree limbs down.

7:42-p.m. Flash Flood 5 miles N of Denison. Dam Failure. Huwy 39 closed due to flash flooding.

7:42-p.m. Tstorm wind gust estimated at 60mph in Irwin.

7:40-p.m. 2″ diameter tree limbs down in Templeton (Carroll Co.)

7:32-p.m. Tstorm wind damage 1 mile w. of Denison. Campers tipped over.

7:30-p.m. Funnel cloud reports 1 mile w. of Vail in Crawford Co.

7:30-p.m.  Numerous large trees down in Manning.

7:15-p.m. Tstorm wind gust est. at 63mph in Denison. Multiple trees down, person hit by lightening. Numerous power outages.

7:13-p.m. Tstorm wind damage in Missouri Valley. 5″ dia. tree limbs blown down.

7:09-p.m. 60mph winds in Missouri Valley.

6:56-p.m. est. 50mph wind gust in Dow City (Crawford Co.); 1″ dia. hail also.

Officials with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management report due to the earlier electrical storms, a system malfunction has dropped pressure in the City of Hancock’s water system. As a precaution, all citizens in Hancock are urged to boil water or use bottled water for all food preparation and consumption.

The City will be distributing a flyer to each residence and will provide you with further information and a contact number for questions you may have.

Storms that pounded eastern Nebraska and western Iowa Sunday evening brought the threat of tornadoes and winds gusting up to 65 miles per hour and greater. The National Weather Service says an estimated 63-mph wind was recorded at the Denison Airport at around 7:15-p.m. Emergency Management officials reports multiple trees down and a person was struck by lightening. There were also multiple power outages reported across the area.

(This will be updated)

Gusty winds caused a tree branch to fall onto a power line in Atlantic Sunday evening. The power line in turn fell on the roof of the 1st Baptist Church at 710 Walnut, setting some shingles on fire. Atlantic Fire responded to the scene just after 6:40-p.m., Sunday.

The damage is believed to have been minimal. Crews from Atlantic Municipal Utilities were called to cut the power to the still charged line.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report an Adams County man was arrested Saturday on a valid Montgomery County warrant. 32-year old George Allen Alfred Wesbrook III, of Nodaway, was arrested for a probation violation.

Wesbrook was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $10,000 cash bond.

343 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014

…THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN LIKELY TONIGHT…

Flash Flood Watch (Counties in green); Tornado Watch (Counties in yellow)

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME WIDESPREAD THIS EVENING. THE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. IN ADDITION…SEVERAL STORMS MAY TRACK ACROSS SIMILAR AREAS AND FURTHER ENHANCE THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT.

IOWA COUNTIES: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-STORY-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-ADAMS-UNION-CLARKE-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-

FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING…

WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE PAST WEEK HAS RESULTED IN SATURATED SOILS AND FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR SIGNIFICANT RUNOFF. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN. HEAVIER RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 3 INCHES MAY OCCUR.

FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION. SIGNIFICANT PONDING IN URBAN AREAS IS POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION…SMALL STREAMS MAY RISE ABOVE THEIR BANKS AND CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS INCLUDING ROADWAYS. FLASH FLOODING AT NIGHT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IN ADDITION…THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL CAUSE A FEW LARGER STREAMS TO NEAR FLOOD STAGE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

335 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014

TORNADO WATCH 479 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE: BUENA VISTA CHEROKEE CLAY CRAWFORD DICKINSON EMMET HARRISON IDA MILLS MONONA O’BRIEN OSCEOLA PALO ALTO PLYMOUTH POCAHONTAS POTTAWATTAMIE SAC SHELBY SIOUX WOODBURY.

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 335 PM UNTIL 900 PM CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE; SCATTERED LARGE HAIL LIKELY WITH ISOLATED VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE; SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH LIKELY

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG. AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF SPENCER IOWA TO 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CONCORDIA KANSAS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

REMEMBER…A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.