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Water runoff from weekend rains has many eyes on flood gauges

June 28, 2010 By
Water in fields in Western Iowa.

Water in fields in western Iowa.

Much of Iowa is in a watching and waiting game to see how much water is going to flow off the land and into rivers and streams.

Karl Jungbluth of the National Weather Service says while the skies have cleared, we still have to worry about what the clouds left behind.

“Late last week through the weekend, everybody was dealing with the flash-flooding and the rapid rises, and the ponding the fields, and now it’s working its way through the rivers, and that’s going to take some time. Iowa’s rivers have a fairly shallow slope, so it takes a long time to move all that water downstream,” Junbluth explains.

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Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

Heavy rains cause flooding in Webster City

June 28, 2010 By

Heavy rains in the Webster City and surrounding area sent the Boone River over its banks. Residents who live along the river had to move for higher ground as the river reached 17.9 feet last night. The river is beginning to recede with a measurement of 17.8 feet this morning.

The flood stage on the Boone is at 12 feet with the water to recede by mid-week. Sandbagging efforts were also underway in Webster City to prevent the water from spreading. Webster City’s Fuller Hall recreation center served as a shelter for those affected by the flooding with a few families spending last night.

A city campground, a recreational trail and the Hamilton County Speedway remain underwater due to the heavy rains. There are some streets in the community facing high water problems. Webster City measured four point 49 inches of rain this past weekend.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

Grinnell College will host Division 3 track and field championships

June 28, 2010 By

Grinnell College will host the division-three indoor track and field championships in 2012. The school won out over North Central College of Illinois. Grinnell track and cross country coach Will Freeman says it is great news for the college as well as the community.

Freeman says it gives them great exposure nationwide for the track program and the Grinnell community. Freeman says it was about a year-long effort to land the event. He says the chamber of commerce was involved along with the college as he says there’s an enormous amount of preparation.

The meet will be held in Grinnell’s new indoor facility, a facility he says is as good as any he has seen nationwide.

By John Martenson, KGRN, Grinnell

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Grassley never mentions Conlin in convention speech

June 28, 2010 By

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley never mentioned his Democratic opponent during his speech at the Iowa Republican Party’s state convention.  Grassley reserved his rhetorical barbs for President Obama and the Democrats already serving in congress.

“President Obama’s hope and change is nothing more than camouflage for the failed and discredited European big-government policies that have been the enemy of freedom for centuries all over the world,” Grassley said.

Grassley saluted the “patriots” or Tea Party activists who he said have been “awakened to the dangers” of having Democrats running congress with a Democrat in the White House. “The sleeping giant is roaring because millions of concerned Americans have become passionate,” Grassley said.  “They’ve become very passionate about freedom and advocacy for that freedom.” 

Grassley drew one of his largest burst of applause when he mentioned the need for better security along the U.S./Mexico border. Grassley accused President Obama and his fellow Democrats of putting the U.S. on a “slippery slope” toward default on the national debt. According to Grassley, public opinion has reached a “tipping point” and Republicans are beginning to “re-earn the trust” of voters.

“A liberal president with a teleprompter can’t sell European big government to freedom-loving Americans,” Grassley said.

Grassley is seeking a sixth term in the U.S. Senate.  Roxanne Conlin, the Democrat who is challenging Grassley this election, frequently mentioned Grassley by name during her speech at the Iowa Democratic Party’s convention two weeks ago, accusing him of bearing some responsibility for the oil spill in the Gulf.  Grassley didn’t mention the oil spill during his speech at the Iowa Republican Party’s convention this past weekend.

Listen to Grassley’s 17-minute speech:  ChuckGrassley

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Indianola teen accused of shooting friend to death

June 28, 2010 By

A south-central Iowa boy is accused in the shooting death of a friend. Authorities say the Indianola boy was left alone for the weekend as his father reportedly left on Friday for a camping trip.

Indianola police say 14-year-old Allen Nadler fatally shot a friend with a shotgun early on Sunday at the Nadler home. Police say the shooting of 16-year-old James Doyle was intentional and not an accident.

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Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Elk Horn’s landmark statue of Hans Chrisian Andersen stolen

June 28, 2010 By

Authorities in western Iowa’s Shelby County are investigating the theft of a statue a local landmark in Elk Horn. A solid-bronze statue of famed Danish story-teller Hans Christian Andersen was reported missing Thursday afternoon from the south side of the Danish Windmill, in Elk Horn.

The statue is valued at more than $10,000. It was removed from its foundation during the nighttime hours of June 23rd or early morning hours of June 24th. The statue was commissioned and created by Becky Eckstrom and her artist husband Tom Rosborough, of Des Moines a little more than 30-years ago.

It was purchased with $4,000 in donations was raised through bake sales, flea markets, and even a children’s lemonade sales. The project also received financial support from the Iowa Community Betterment (ICB) program. The bust was surrounded with park benches and landscaping, and offered a place for visitors to relax. The 1848 Danish Windmill was brought over piece-by-piece from Denmark to Elk Horn, in 1975.

Anyone with information concerning the theft is asked to contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 712-755-5026.

By Ric Hansen, KJAN, Atlantic

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

DNR plans to address party trouble at Great Lakes on July 4th

June 28, 2010 By

The Iowa Departments of Public Safety and Natural Resources are teaming up to address concerns with excessive partying at an Iowa Great Lakes beach. Iowa D.N.R. State Parks Bureau Chief Kevin Szcodronski says up to 5,000 young adults are expected at the Gull Point State Park beach over the July 4th weekend.

This year, the D.N.R. will have more park rangers combing the beach for underage drinkers and those that are drinking too much. “Last year, we had a couple instances where we really had a hard time getting an ambulance down there and there was some alcohol poisoning and some people passed out,” Szcodronski said. “That’s not any good if we can’t provide them that assistance.”

In recent years, the Gull Point State Park beach has become a popular party spot on the holiday weekend because towns around the Iowa Great Lakes have banned alcohol from the city park beaches. The Gull Point beach is only about the size of half a football field, but college age students by the thousands pack the area.

“Tradition has shown us the last few years, there will be overdrinking, there will rowdiness and there will be some people, unfortunately, who will need some help from a medical standpoint,” Szcodronski said. In addition to the increased beach patrol, the D.N.R. will add officers on the lakes looking for drunk boaters and state troopers will be conducting stops on the roads leading out of the Iowa Great Lakes. Szcodronski insists the additional enforcement is all about safety.

“So far we haven’t had any fatalities, drownings or whatnot…we had a few people passing out…but we need to prevent that,” Szcodronski said. “Unfortunately, some people need help to make the right decisions and that’s what we’re going to do.” The two agencies will hold a press conference at Gull Point at 10:30 this morning to provide more details on the holiday project.

The D.N.R. initially asked for an emergency ban on alcohol at the northwest Iowa beach, but the Natural Resources Commission rejected the idea. D.N.R. officials have proposed an alcohol ban for the beach starting next year on the Fourth of July weekend.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Environment & Conservation
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