May 21, 2012

You are here: Home / 2009 / August / Archives for 27th

One dead in Cedar Rapids accident

August 27, 2009 By

One person died in a fiery semi crash early this morning in Cedar Rapids. The Cedar Rapids police department received several calls about an accident in the northbound lanes of Interstate 380 at 1:25 this morning.

They arrived to find the cab of the semi had broken through the guardrail of the interstate and the cab and trailer were on fire. The trailer was full of appliances and some fell to the ground below the highway. Fire crews on and below the interstate battled the fire.

One person was found in the burning cab of the truck, but police are not yet releasing the name of the victim. Police are still unsure what caused the accident.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Congressman King says he’s not running for governor

August 27, 2009 By

Iowa Congressman Steve King announced today he will not jump into the Republican race for governor. King told Radio Iowa today that he looked at the issues facing the state and those facing the nation, and things like the nationalization of banks and auto companies have him worried.

King says in the process of that 700-billion has been put into the TARP funding and 787-billion has gone into the stimulus package and no one can point to it and say “this is what worked.” He says there’s also the cap and trade issue, health care reform and “comprehensive amnesty” for illegal aliens.

King says he came to the conclusion that “we have to get America right” as he says the cap and trade, health care and immigration issues are irrevocable once they get passed. King says he can be of better service as a member of congress than as a candidate for governor.

“If we get America right, we can get Iowa right. Even if we get Iowa right and don’t get America right, in the long run, it won’t make that much difference. So, the bottom line is, I’m compelled to move forward and to do my best to ask Iowans to be able to serve them in congress again,” King says. King says he will work with the Republican candidates to help win the governor’s seat.

King says he believes the Republican primary will lead to “a very legitimate conservative who will advocate for a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage, and bring this state’s budget back in balance, and turn us into a state that is business friendly again, so that we have jobs for our people.” King’s statement announcing his decision did not close the door completely as it says “barring unforeseeable and dramatic events,” he will not run for governor in 2010.

King says he put that in the statement because “sometimes things happen that you just can’t anticipate” so he put that in there just in case. But King says he can’t see anything now that would change his mind. King is from Kiron, and won a fourth term representing the 5th district last fall.

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Utility offers rebates for old appliances

August 27, 2009 By

As the federal government considers a Cash for Clunkers-type of program for old appliances, Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy already has a similar statewide program in place.

Utility spokesman Mark Reinders says the program was launched a few weeks ago and works with contractors to pick up and dispose of old, yet still-working appliances.

The rebate offers $50 for refrigerators and freezers and $25 for window air conditioners. Reinders says the idea is to get rid of an older piece of equipment and purchase a more energy-efficient item. He says the program benefits customers with the cash as well as getting rid of the old appliance while helping them cut back on future energy use.

Rebates are also available for customers buying new appliances. For information, call 800-621-2757 or visit MidAmerican’s website.

Story contributed by Tom Beightol, KSCJ, Sioux City

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Congressman King says he’s not running for governor

August 27, 2009 By

Iowa Congressman Steve King announced today he will not jump into the Republican race for governor. King told Radio Iowa today that he looked at the issues facing the state and those facing the nation, and things like the nationalization of banks and auto companies have him worried.

King says in the process of that 700-billion has been put into the TARP funding and 787-billion has gone into the stimulus package and no one can point to it and say “this is what worked.” He says there’s also the cap and trade issue, health care reform and “comprehensive amnesty” for illegal aliens. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Congressman King says he’s not running for governor

August 27, 2009 By

Iowa Congressman Steve King announced today he will not jump into the Republican race for governor. King told Radio Iowa today that he looked at the issues facing the state and those facing the nation, and things like the nationalization of banks and auto companies have him worried.

King says in the process of that 700-billion has been put into the TARP funding and 787-billion has gone into the stimulus package and no one can point to it and say "this is what worked." He says there’s also the cap and trade issue, health care reform and "comprehensive amnesty" for illegal aliens.

King says he came to the conclusion that "we have to get America right" as he says the cap and trade, health care and immigration issues are irrevocable once they get passed. King says he can be of better service as a member of congress than as a candidate for governor.

"If we get America right, we can get Iowa right. Even if we get Iowa right and don’t get America right, in the long run, it won’t make that much difference. So, the bottom line is, I’m compelled to move forward and to do my best to ask Iowans to be able to serve them in congress again," King says. King says he will work with the Republican candidates to help win the governor’s seat.

King says he believes the Republican primary will lead to "a very legitimate conservative who will advocate for a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage, and bring this state’s budget back in balance, and turn us into a state that is business friendly again, so that we have jobs for our people." King’s statement announcing his decision did not close the door completely as it says "barring unforeseeable and dramatic events," he will not run for governor in 2010.

King says he put that in the statement because "sometimes things happen that you just can’t anticipate" so he put that in there just in case. But King says he can’t see anything now that would change his mind. King is from Kiron, and won a fourth term representing the 5th district last fall.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

One dead in Cedar Rapids accident

August 27, 2009 By

One person died in a fiery semi crash early this morning in Cedar Rapids. The Cedar Rapids police department received several calls about an accident in the northbound lanes of Interstate 380 at 1:25 this morning.

They arrived to find the cab of the semi had broken through the guardrail of the interstate and the cab and trailer were on fire. The trailer was full of appliances and some fell to the ground below the highway. Fire crews on and below the interstate battled the fire.

One person was found in the burning cab of the truck, but police are not yet releasing the name of the victim. Police are still unsure what caused the accident. 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Rain causes flooding in some areas

August 27, 2009 By

Parts of Iowa have gotten more than a half-foot of rain since Tuesday, bringing high water, road closures and wet basements — and it’s still raining. Andy Ervin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities, says the rain has hardly let up in some areas for the better part of two days and there’s more rain in the forecast.

"Across all of eastern Iowa, we do have a threat for flash flooding that continues today and for extreme eastern Iowa, through this evening," Ervin says. "We’ve got a very slow-moving disturbance that’s riding along a stationary front and if you’re in Iowa very long and you’ve heard that weather forecast, you know it means heavy rain." He says there are no evacuations reported, but many parts of the region have been forced to put up barricades to seal off flooded streets.

"We’ve had parts of the area that’ve had anywhere from three to upwards of seven inches of rain over the past two days and there’s a pretty good threat that much of eastern Iowa today, especially north of Highway 34, could see an additional one-to-two inches of rain," Ervin says. "That’s going to cause some flash flooding concerns and some river flooding concerns."

He says there’s already flooding in parts of eastern Iowa. A Flash Flood Warning is in effect at 9 AM for Linn, Iowa, Benton and Johnson counties, with reports of basement flooding and road closures in the Cedar Rapids metro area.

For the latest on the forecast visit the National Weather Service’s website here.  

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »