Governor Kim Reynolds said late this morning that hundreds of thousands of Iowans remain without power a day after the derecho storm with hurricane-force winds swept through the state and it may be "several days" before service is fully restored. At mid-day, the governor indicated an estimated … [Read more...]
43% of Iowa corn, soybean crop hit by Monday’s storm
Governor Kim Reynolds says an initial estimate indicates 10 million acres of Iowa cropland "was impacted" by yesterday's storm. "This morning I had a farmer reach out to me to say that this was the worst wind damage to crops and farm buildings that he has ever seen across the state in such a wide … [Read more...]
Thousands still without power as utility crews scramble to make repairs
Several thousand utility workers are fanned out across Iowa, trying to restore electricity to more than 400,000 people who still don’t have it after Monday's storm. MidAmerican Energy says 200,000 of its customers remain without power. Spokeswoman Tina Hoffman says it could take a couple of days … [Read more...]
Mahaska County coordinator says storm generated unneccesary 911 calls
Mahaska County Emergency Management says there were about 70 calls from people using the 911 emergency number during the severe weather today to ask why the storm sirens were sounded. Mahaska County E-911 Director, Jamie Robinson, says calling 9-1-1 for that information is the wrong thing to do. … [Read more...]
Derecho cuts a path of damage from west to east across state
A storm packing big winds left a lot of the state without power today. National Weather Service meteorlogist Jeff Zogg, says it was a derecho. "And that is a line of severe storms that produces widespread damaging winds as we saw across much of central Iowa. Also, derechos tend to move very fast … [Read more...]
Man on motorcycle hit and killed in Des Moines
A motorcyclist was killed in a weekend wreck in Des Moines. Police say the motorcycle collided with a car on the MLK Parkway about 8:30 Sunday night and the car sped off -- then ran into a building about a block away. The car's driver fled on foot but was captured by police, who say the car was … [Read more...]
Some counties move into extreme drought category
While scattered showers are in the forecast for much of Iowa over the next several days, dry conditions have worsened. The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows all or parts of 11 counties in west-central Iowa are now in the D-3 category, which means extreme drought. Last week, no … [Read more...]
Construction worker hit and killed by tire on I-29
A worker was killed on a construction site along Interstate 29 on Wednesday afternoon in western Iowa. Fifty-one-year old Homero T. Carrillo, of Des Moines died after being struck by a tire in Harrison County, while working in the east lane of the southbound I-29 bridge, near Mondamin. … [Read more...]
Smoldering fire at Spencer’s city landfill appears to be out
The public works director in Spencer says it appears the fire at the city-owned landfill near Graettinger has been extinguished. Fire departments were first dispatched to the scene a month ago. Spencer Public Works Director Mark White says fire crews were called out two other times when smoke was … [Read more...]
Man and woman from Nebraska Air Force Base killed in accident
A man and a woman from Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, died early Sunday in a single-vehicle crash in southwest Iowa's Mills County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 21-year-old Nicholas David Johnson and 21-year-old Olivia Hope Johnson, died at the scene of the crash. The accident … [Read more...]