DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A homecoming celebration is planned for 30 members of the Iowa Air National Guard returning home from a tour of duty in Southeast Asia.

F-16C Fighting Falcon, Iowa Air National Guard

The guard says the airmen from the 132nd Fighter Wing in De Moines are scheduled to return to Des Moines Wednesday morning.  The airmen have been in Southeast Asia for the past six months.

Most of Iowa got a good soaking last weekend, but it didn’t go far in terms of making up for the drought. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says far northwest Iowa didn’t receive any rain, while the heaviest downpours were scattered around the state. Areas of northeast Iowa, around New Hampton and Decorah, received three-and-a-half to four inches of rain. Similar rainfall totals were reported around Red Oak, Greenfield and Winterset in southwest Iowa, and near Centerville, Albia and Oskaloosa in southeast Iowa. In Atlantic, we received 1.93-inches of rain over the weekend.

Statewide, on average, the weekend system dumped one-and-a-half inches of rain. It marked the single biggest rainfall event in Iowa since early May. “This one event over the weekend was almost as big as what we had for the whole month of September,” Hillaker said. Despite the downpour, Hillaker notes we’re a long way from bringing an end to the 2012 drought.

“We’re still roughly eight-and-a-half inches below normal for the year to date, as far as statewide average,” Hillaker said. “We did trim about an inch off the deficit we had going before this last rain event. So, it’s not a huge impact as far as reducing our deficit, but it will have quite a positive impact on soil moisture levels.”

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say they’re looking for a 28-year-old Iowa inmate who’s been listed as escaped from a work release facility in Sioux City.  The Iowa Corrections Department says Justin Miller didn’t return to the facility as scheduled on Friday. Miller was transferred to work release last month. He originally was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years following assault convictions in Woodbury County.  Miller began his prison term in April 2009.

One person was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic Tuesday afternoon, following an vehicle-versus-pedestrian accident. According to the Atlantic Police Department, a vehicle driven by Marlene Strauss, of Atlantic, was backing out of a parking stall near the Dollar General Store on east 7th Street, when her vehicle hit an unidentified 70-year old woman, who was loading merchandise into her vehicle. No citations were issued. The accident happened at around 12:20-p.m., Tuesday.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Police in Red Oak report a Malvern woman was arrested Monday afternoon, after she allegedly assaulted a police officer. 24-year-old Tonisha Christina O’Meara was being held without bond, for Simple Assault, at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center. The same woman was also arrested October 8th, for allegedly assaulting a police and corrections officer, but those charges were dismissed by the court, the next day. She still faces a separate assault charge for an incident that occurred on October 1st. Her trial on that charge is set to take place November 6th.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources say the Nodaway River Valley Woodland Owners Association Forestry Field Day is Oct. 30th, at 12:30 p.m., beginning from the host landowner property at 1974 U Avenue, Villisca. The field day will include light hiking and demonstrations on woodland health and wildlife habitat management, pond management, and bow making.

It will also include a discussion on alternative products from Iowa forests like ginseng, maple syrup, wild plum, hazelnuts, aronia berries, using thinning residues for meat smoking and native tree species for wood working. The field day is scheduled to conclude at 4 p.m. Attendees should plan to dress for outdoor weather conditions and be prepared for light physical activity.

Directions to the host property: 2.8 miles north of Hwy. 34/71 interchange on Hwy. 71, then east on 198^th street to the bend in the road where hit becomes U Avenue. The property is at the corner of U Avenue and 198^th Street.

The public and local officials had an opportunity Monday, to take a look at a new helicopter in Clarinda, that will serve a 15-county area of southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.

A Bell 407 helicopter similar to one that will based in Clarinda.

The Omaha World-Herald reports the Bell 407 helicopter will be based either at the Clarinda Regional Health Center or at a maintenance hangar at Schenck Field in Clarinda. It’s service area is within about 50-miles of the base.

The fully-staffed chopper was made possible thanks to a partnership with Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, and Air Methods/LifeNet. Mercy will provide the 11 flight paramedics and nurses, while Air Methods will provide the pilots and a mechanic. The helicopter will transport patients to medical centers in Omaha and Lincoln, NE, Des Moines, and St. Joseph, MO. Communities served by the chopper include Clarinda, Atlantic, Corning, Creston, Mt. Ayr, Red Oak and Shenandoah, in Iowa, and Fairfax and Maryville, in Missouri.