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8AM Newscast 05-20-2013

News, Podcasts

May 20th, 2013 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

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Hospital releases boy injured on carnival ride

News

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A 5-year-old Council Bluffs boy injured in a weekend carnival ride accident has been released from the hospital.  The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs reports Trace Harman was on a monster truck ride Friday night as part of the Celebrate Council Bluffs carnival when the truck flipped over and struck the truck in front of it. Police say the truck came loose from its hoist. The ride was shut down and inspected by the Iowa Department of Elevator and Amusement Park Rides on Saturday.

Harman was belted into the truck with his brother and a friend. He suffered a laceration to the forehead and was treated at Nebraska Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman says he was released Saturday. The other children had minor injuries and were released Friday night.

7AM Newscast 05-20-2013

News, Podcasts

May 20th, 2013 by admin

w/ Ric Hanson

Play

Glenwood care facility fined 8 times in 10 months

News

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state-run care facility in Glenwood has been fined by federal inspectors more than any other facility in the state in the past 10 months.  The Des Moines Register reports) the Glenwood Resource Center has been fined eight times and assessed penalties of more than $27,000 since last July.  Most of the fines are tied to shortcomings in staff training and a failure to notify inspectors of incidents at the home.

Superintendent Zvia McCormick says in a written statement that Glenwood staff is quick to make amends when issues needing attention surface. She says employees are well trained and residents safe.   McCormick says Glenwood is the largest facility of its type in Iowa and a greater number of violations isn’t a surprise.

The facility has 260 residents, mostly adults.

Despite all the rain, Missouri River levels are still very low

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers is operating the Missouri River reservoir system in drought conservation mode and doesn’t expect much to change for at least a few months. Despite plentiful rainfall this spring, Corps engineer Kevin Stom says runoff in the region continues to be very low. “Although precipitation in April was well above normal in much of the upper Missouri River basin, observed April runoff was 78% of normal,” Stom says. “This is due to the large soil moisture deficits in the upper basin from the 2012 drought.”

Jody Farhat, head of the water control division for the Omaha Corps office, says water-saving efforts are underway. “We’re implementing measures to conserve water in the main stem reservoir system this year, including reduced service to navigation,” Farhat says. “Flow support for the second half of the navigation season and the season length will be determined by the volume of water in the reservoir system on July first.”

Farhat says the Corps may have to take further steps if the dry conditions persist. She says, “Other potential conservation measures that may be implemented this summer include not supporting navigation targets in the regions without commercial navigation, use of the Kansas basin reservoirs for navigation support and cycling Gavins Point releases during endangered species nesting season.”

The Corps reports the runoff forecast in the region north of Sioux City is well below where it should be. It’s gauged at 20-million acre feet, which is 79-percent of normal.

(Radio Iowa)

Tractor ride across Iowa to benefit children’s hospital

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

An Iowa farmer and a country music artist have teamed up to raise money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. Dick Barkema and Tom Wurth’s fundraiser involves a tractor ride across the state. They’re calling next month’s event “Playing for Change” as Barkema says they’ll accept donations along the way with Wurth performing each night of the week-long trip. “We’re giving all of our proceeds back to Blank Children’s Hospital,” Barkema says.

The pair came up with the tractor ride idea after touring the hospital last summer. The ride will start on Saturday, June 17 in Onawa, and end June 22 in Dubuque. The nightly stops for Wurth’s concerts will be in Ida Grove, Fort Dodge, Iowa Falls, Waterloo, and Manchester. Wurth will also perform in Dubuque.

The tractor route will follow the old Highway 20. Barkema says the cost to ride is $50, with donations of any amount accepted. Dozens of people have already committed to ride the entire week, but Barkema says they won’t turn anyone away.”If a farmer was out in the field and he decided he wanted to unhook his piece of equipment and come join us for a day, that’s fine,” Barkema said. “We think it’s awesome if people come out and join us and show their support towards Blank.”

Barkema farms near Klemme in north-central Iowa. Wurth is a native of Marcus, Iowa, but moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1994. The video for his latest single, “To Love Somebody,” features images from Blank Children’s Hospital.

(Radio Iowa)

Groundbreaking set for Living Liberty Memorial in Kimballton

News

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Representatives with the New Century Art Guild (NCAG) say a groundbreaking for Kimballton’s new Living Liberty memorial will take place following the memorial service at the Kimballton Cemetery on Monday, Memorial Day.

Artist’s conceptual drawing of the Living Liberty Memorial

The actual groundbreaking is scheduled for Noon, rain or shine. The memorial site is located west of the cemetery. The public is invited to celebrate the coming of the one-of-a-kind monument which, when completed, will feature life-size bronze figures and several murals that will take visitors deep into battle scenes from America’s past conflicts and will honor all branches of U.S. Armed Services. 

NCAG will be serving grilled hamburgers and hotdogs at the site. James O’Keefe, Commander U.S. Navy (Ret.) will preside over the event. Sketches of this unique work of art will be available to view.  You can also meet the lead sculptor, Troy Muller, art director of NCAG.  A video of other NCAG projects will be shown at their gallery on Kimballton’s Main Street after the event. 

The event will also be an opportunity for you to become a member of NCAG, in order to keep up with the progress of the projects throughout the coming years.  

Sunday storms bring large hail to southwest Iowa, twisters elsewhere

News, Weather

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Storms that swept through western and southwest Iowa dumped large hail and heavy rain to some locations, while central and eastern Iowa experienced tornadoes. Iowa had gone 358 consecutive days without a tornado, prior to Sunday. The National Weather Service confirmed tornados touched down in the Story County city of Huxley, and near Earlham, in Madison County. Another was witnessed in a farm field, by firefighters near Grundy Center. There were no reports of injuries. A storm survey team will fan out across Dallas, Madison and Polk Counties today (Monday), to assess the damage and provide an estimate of what type of weather event (Tornado or straight line winds), occurred, along with the scope of the event.

Downed power lines left about 11-thousand homes and businesses without power across the state. Semi-trailers blew over west of Earlham, and on Interstate 35, near Ankeny. And, a farmer in Mitchell County lost cattle when wind blew over a barn, killing some of the animals inside. 

In western Iowa Sunday evening…A trained spotter reported 2.5″ diameter (Baseball-sized) hail fell 3-miles west/southwest of Carbon, in Adams County. Hail completely covered the ground. Two-minutes later, the public reported slightly larger than baseball-sized hail fell in northwest of Carbon….Thunderstorm wind damage was reported 4-miles SE of Shenandoah, where extensive roof damage occurred to a barn, and Nickel to quarter-sized hail reported by law enforcement.

At around 5:24-p.m., a trained weather-service spotter noted more than two-inches of rain had fallen over the past hour 5-miles east/southeast of Charter Oak, in Crawford County. Water was pouring out of fields and into the ditches. At about that same time, law enforcement in Sac County observed a funnel cloud 4-miles southeast of Lake View, between there and the town of Ulmer.

At 6:30-p.m., a National Weather Service employee reported straight-line winds southwest of Earlham, in Madison County, caused damage to as many as 8 mobile homes in a trailer park, including one unit with its roof missing. At about that same time, Madison County Emergency Management reported a tornado on the ground 2-miles west of Earlham.  Power poles were snapped west of town, a shed was blown over in the same location.

A couple of minutes later and further east, in Dallas County, amateur radio reports said several 6-to 8-inch diameter tree limbs had snapped near the high school in Adel. Emergency management officials reported winds gusting up to 60-miles per hour were occurring at around 6:40-p.m., along with pea to marble-sized hail. At 6:41-p.m., a tornado was reported to have occurred 2-miles south of Adel. A couple of minutes later, hail the size of half-dollars fell in Adel, according to emergency management officials.

(Updated)

Iowa early News Headlines: Mon. May 20th 2013

News

May 20th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Storms swept through central and eastern Iowa, with tornadoes reported in Huxley and Grundy County. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in the Story County city of Huxley about 7 p.m. yesterday. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will visit Iowa this week to deliver a speech that may bolster speculation that he will run for president in 2016. The Wisconsin State Journal reports Walker will speak to a Republican fundraiser in the Des Moines area on Thursday. The event will be hosted by the Republican Party of Polk County.

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — An 8-year-old girl is recovering after nearly drowning in an apartment pool in Urbandale. Police say a maintenance worker spotted the girl at the bottom of the Westpoint Apartments and Townhomes around 9 p.m. Friday. The maintenance worker jumped into the pool and pulled the child out. Officer Randy Peterson says the girl started spitting up water immediately. She was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police haven’t identified the girl.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Lottery says Powerball sales in the state totaled $5.1 million for Saturday’s drawing that produced a winner in Florida. The lottery says that nearly $2.8 million in tickets were sold on Saturday alone. The single winner was sold at a supermarket in Zephyrhills, Florida.

Red Oak man arrested on sex abuse & burglary charges

News

May 19th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak report the arrest Sunday evening of 41-year old Robert Paul Denny, of Red Oak. Denny was charged with Sexual Abuse in the 3rd degree, and burglary in the 2nd degree. He was arrested in the 300 block of west Washington Avenue in Red Oak, and being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.