State Climatologist Predicting Another Wet Spring
(Le Mars) — 2018 and 2019 were extremely wet years, and indications are that 2020 may produce similar results. That’s the prediction from a weather climatologist. Justin Glisten is the State of Iowa Climatologist. He recently was in Le Mars speaking to a group of farmers about the upcoming weather for 2020. Glisten says we may have colder than normal conditions for
February, but it is unclear about precipitation.
Glisten says we have had a mild winter so far, and he is expecting generally warmer temperatures for spring.
Glisten says it is a bit more difficult to accurately predict the weather patterns for this spring since neither the El Nino or La Nina are showing any strong signs of prominence.
Although the upper Midwest already has a large snow pack and our soils are saturated, Glisten doesn’t believe we will see the major flooding event that happened last year in March.
Glisten appeared at the Crop Advantage seminar hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
Associated Press Has Not Been Able To Declare A Winner In Iowa Caucus
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Associated Press is unable to declare a winner of Iowa’s Democratic caucuses. Following the Iowa Democratic Party’s release of new results late Thursday night, Pete Buttigieg leads Bernie Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 counted. That is a margin of 0.09 percentage points. However, there is evidence the party has not
accurately tabulated some of its results, including those released late Thursday that the party reported as complete. The AP’s tabulation of the party’s results are at 99% of precincts reporting, with data missing from one of 1,765 precincts, among other issues.
One Person Dead And Two Others Severely Injured From Sioux City House Fire
(Sioux City) –– One man has died and two others were injured in a house fire Thursday morning on Sioux City’s westside.
Sioux City Fire Rescue units found heavy smoke coming from the residence at 1819 West 1st Street when they arrived around 7:45 a.m.
The occupants of the main floor safely escaped and told responders that the fire was in the basement.
That’s where firefighters found the three adult victims, two men and one woman.
All three victims were taken to MercyOne Hospital in critical condition and one man succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
Iowa Senate Passes Flood Aid Bill
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that provides $20 million for flood relief requested by Gov. Kim Reynolds to help shore up levees in southwest Iowa in anticipation of more flooding this spring. All 48 senators present on Thursday voted to pass the bill but some Democrats
argued for more money. They say Republican leaders weren’t allocating enough for suffering Missouri and Mississippi river communities. Reynolds says many projects are paid for with federal grants and the money in the bill is the state match for those funds. The bill goes to the House for consideration.
No Charges Filed After Iowa vs. Iowa State Football Game
AMES, Iowa (AP) – University leaders have determined there’s not enough evidence to pursue any charges stemming from allegations that University of Iowa marching band members were targets of abuse during last season’s football game at Iowa State University. Members of the Hawkeye Marching Band
allege that they were subjected to racial slurs and other verbal abuse, and sexual harassment during the Sept. 14 contest. Iowa Board of Regents President Mike Richards said in a news release Wednesday that the two universities’ presidents, lawyers and police chiefs had discussed the investigation and decided not to seek charges.
Construction Worker Dies After Falling From Bridge
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a construction worker died Thursday after falling from scaffolding while working on an interstate bridge just north of Des Moines. First responders found the 56-year-old man was unresponsive with a head injury. He’d fallen about 30 feet while working on an Interstate 35/80 bridge over the Des Moines River. Authorities say he died later at a hospital. His name hasn’t been released. Authorities say he
worked for Cramer and Associates in Grimes.
Amazon To Build Facility In Bondurant
BONDURANT, Iowa (AP) – The online retailer Amazon says it will be moving into a new warehouse in the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant. The Seattle-based company said Thursday it plans to hire 1,000 people for its fulfillment center. A smaller operation is being opened in Grimes, about 15 miles southwest of Bondurant. Local, state and company officials had tried to keep Amazon’s involvement in what was called Project Bluejay a secret. In
November the Bondurant City Council approved six years of tax incentives for the project. Bondurant also agreed to improve the area infrastructure.
