SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A Corps of Engineers official says the mountain snowpack in the Missouri River’s upper basin is close to levels seen before 2011 flooding on the river. But she says flooding this year is still far less likely. Jody Farhat with the corps says drought in 2012 has resulted in a one-third increase in water storage capacity in the three Missouri River reservoirs in the Dakotas and Montana. And she says there is not as much snow accumulation on the plains as there was three years ago.

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard says he still wants government officials and residents to be diligent about monitoring flood potential this year. He says in 2011, information on river conditions came too late.

Authorities in Harrison County say a Missouri Valley man was arrested Thursday, following a high speed chase that began on Interstate 29 and ended on I-680. Missouri Valley Police Chief Ed Murray told the Daily NonPareil 43-year old Anthony Valenzuela was taken into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor eluding, reckless driving, speeding, driving without a license, driving without insurance and other traffic violations. The man was being held Thursday in the Harrison County Jail.

Murray said the incident began at around 4-p.m., when a Missouri Valley Police officer attempted to stop Valenzuela’s 1996 Chevy S10 pickup truck. The officer observed Valenzuela drive by in a residential area of Missouri Valley and recognized him from a traffic stop on Wednesday for driving without a license and without insurance.

Valenzuela refused to pull over and traveled south on I-29 before turning onto I-680. At times, his truck was traveling near 95-mph.  Valenzuela was finally apprehended at the 16-mile marker of I-680.

SALIX, Iowa (AP) — Authorities closed Interstate 29 in western Iowa after a truck veered off the freeway and caught fire. The Sioux City Journal reports the driver of the truck was found dead, but it’s possible he had a medical condition that led to the Thursday morning crash.

The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened when the truck, which was hauling a trailer filled with hamburger, veered off I-29 near Salix, south of Sioux City. The truck crossed a shallow ditch, came to rest in trees and caught fire. Both southbound lanes of the freeway were closed while crews fought the fire. Traffic was routed into Salix. One lane was reopened several hours later.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Legislative leaders say they agreed before the current session started to arrive at broad budget figures on which Republicans and Democrats could agree to prove that divided state government can work. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, a Democrat from Council Bluffs, said yesterday that record low public disapproval of Congress gave state leaders impetus to work together.

SALIX, Iowa (AP) — Authorities closed Interstate 29 in western Iowa after a truck veered off the freeway and caught fire. The Sioux City Journal reports the driver of the truck was found dead, but it’s possible he had a medical condition that led to the crash. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened Thursday when the truck, which was hauling a trailer filled with hamburger, veered off I-29 south of Sioux City.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque man has been accused of trying to conspire with his teenage daughter to get his wife to take harmful pills. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports 55-year-old Michael Schoonover was arrested Tuesday morning. He faces a charge of solicitation to commit a felony.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Egidijus Mockevicius tied a career-high with 19 points, had a career-best eight blocks and grabbed 10 rebounds as Number 9 seed Evansville defeated eighth-seeded Drake 69-61 in the opening round of the Missouri Valley tournament last night. Richard Carter scored 26 points and Jordan Daniels finished with 11 to lead the Bulldogs in St. Louis.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Legislative leaders are telling the greyhound racing industry and casinos that want to end dog racing to work out their differences soon. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, a Council Bluffs Democrat, says he’d like to see a deal that provides a “soft landing” for the greyhound industry that support the state’s two remaining dog tracks at casinos in Council Bluffs and Dubuque. Republican House Speaker Kraig Paulsen agrees.

The casinos, which provided $10 million last year to subsidize dog racing want the tracks to close. The greyhound industry says it employs 1,200 workers in Iowa and hopes to keep a track operating somewhere in Iowa.

A bill that has passed the committee level requires the casinos to pay the dog industry $70 million over six years to shut down racing.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests this week. Authorities said Thursday that 44-year old Tammy Darleen Flathers, of Cumberland, was arrested Tuesday on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear to Serve Jail Time. Flathers was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was being held until the completion of her jail time.

And on Wednesday, 29-year old Ehren Michael Mardesen, of Anita, was arrested on a charge of Aggravated Domestic Abuse Assault. Mardesen was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on his own recognizance.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – A Cedar Falls lawmaker is pushing for legislation that would help low-income families pay for child burials.  The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Democratic Rep. Bob Kressig’s bill would give qualifying individuals up to $2,000 for funeral expenses after the death of a child. The measure has been assigned to an appropriations subcommittee.

Kressig says the legislation was inspired by Sing Me to Heaven, a nonprofit group in northeast Iowa that raises money to help pay for such funerals. Group organizers say the cost of a funeral can range from $2,000 to $10,000 or more.

The bill would provide $100,000 to be administered through the state Department of Public Health. The amount is not expected to be used up within a year, and the funds would not necessarily be recurring.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has announced that he will be visiting Pottawattamie, Mills, Fremont, Page, Sac, Carroll, Audubon and Cass Counties from Monday, March 10th through Wednesday, March 12th.

On Monday Northey will present the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award in Oakland, visit Mulholland Grocery in Malvern, tour Green Plains Renewable Energy in Shenandoah and then speak to an Iowa Corn Growers Association meeting in Shenandoah.  On Tuesday Northey will speak at a cover crop meeting in Sac City, tour a feedlot in Carroll and then visit the John James Audubon Cultural Center in Audubon.  On Wednesday he will attend of the Triumph of Ag Expo in Omaha, Nebraska and then speak at a cover crop event in Atlantic.

Northey, a corn and soybean farmer from Spirit Lake, is serving his second term as Secretary of Agriculture. His priorities as Secretary of Agriculture are promoting the use of science and new technologies to better care for our air, soil and water, and reaching out to tell the story of Iowa agriculture.

Details of his trip are as follows…..

Monday, March 10, 2014

Pottawattamie County – 11:30 a.m., present the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, Oakland Community Center, 614 Dr. Van Zee Rd., Oakland

Mills County – 2:45 p.m., visit Mulholland Grocery, 409 Main St., Malvern

Fremont County – 4:30 p.m., tour Green Plains Renewable Energy, 4124 Airport Rd., Shenandoah

Page County – 7:00 p.m., speak to Iowa Corn Growers Association meeting, the Elks Lodge, 701 S. Fremont St., Shenandoah

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Sac County – 11:00 a.m., speak to cover crop meeting, First Presbyterian Church, 812 Audubon St., Sac City

Carroll County – 1:00 p.m., tour a cattle feedlot.  (This is a private tour, but would be available for interviews beforehand or afterwards)

Audubon County – 2:30 p.m., visit John James Audubon Cultural Center, 401 N. Park Place, Audubon

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Omaha, Nebraska – Noon, attend Triumph of Ag Expo opening lunch, CenturyLink Center, 455 North 10th St., Omaha, NE

Cass County – 2:30 p.m., speak to cover crop meeting, Cass County Community Center, 805 W. 10^th St., Atlantic.

The Board of Supervisors in Adair County have approved a name change for a road that stretches from the Cass-Adair County-line northeast, to Adair. Auditor Mindy Schaefer told KJAN News the change is effective immediately, and will become official as soon as the new signs are put in place. The road, currently referred to as the Anita-Adair Road (or Highway G-30) will be called White Pole Road, just as it is in Cass County.

Schaefer said also, the Board approved the Fiscal Year 2015 County Budget, which will she will certify and be sent on to the State prior to March 17^th. The budget amounted to $14.7-million, which was primarily due bridge repairs and road projects. Schaefer said the Supervisors approved the sale of $5.83-million in bonds to help pay for those projects.

The interest rate on the winning bid was 1.51-percent, which was “amazing for a nearly 6-million dollar bond.” The bonds were sold to D-A Davidson & Company brokers, out of Denver, CO. She said all the bidding was done on-line and the bids came in from all over the Country.

The majority of the nearly 6-millions dollars (about $5-million) will be used for the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) bond, with the rest for a GIS (Geographic Information System) and a new Secondary Roads Department Administrative building.

w/ Ric Hanson

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