Heavy Rains Again Possible For Plymouth County
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County could be in the middle of some heavy rainfall again today. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for all of Plymouth County and a flash flood warning has been isssued for areas along the Big Sioux River near Akron and Westfield until 5:00 p.m. this afternoon. Plymouth County Emergency Management Services Director, Gary Junge says don’t take a chance if you see water flowing over the roadway. Junge says “turn around and don’t drown”.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Junge1.mp3{/audio}
Junge says today’s storms does lend to the possibility of isolated flooding. He says conditions can change rather quickly.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Junge2.mp3{/audio}
Junge says to know the conditions at your current location as he says the conditions can vary within a short driving distance.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Junge3.mp3{/audio}
The Emergency Management Director says he has been watching the rains locally, as well as, the rains falling upstream, and the effects upon local streams and rivers.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Junge4.mp3{/audio}
Reports of quarter-sized hail was witnessed in Sioux County near Alton at about 1:45 p.m. Several tree limbs have broken off.
Sales of Finely Textured Ground Beef Begin To Pick Up
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Two makers say sales have been rebounding for a ground beef product that critics have dubbed “pink slime.”
Spokespeople for Cargill and Beef Products Inc. say sales have risen, but Cargill says they fall short of the volume before the controversy erupted in 2012.
BPI has sued ABC News network, saying the network’s March 2012 coverage damaged BPI by misleading consumers into believing the lean finely textured beef product is unhealthy and unsafe. BPI says the sales drop forced it to close plants in Iowa, Kansas and Texas, leaving open only a Nebraska plant.
Cargill spokesman Mike Martin says his company sells the product to about 400 customers, which is more than before March 2012, but the sales volume remains down about 40 percent.
—
Iowa Has More Doctors This Year Compared To Years Past
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new report says the number of doctors practicing in Iowa has risen again.
The Iowa Board of Medicine reports more than 6,800 physicians worked in the state last year. That’s up 2 percent from 2012 and 12 percent from 2006.
Despite the increase, the state still has fewer doctors per capita than the U.S. average and faces a marked shortage in some medical specialties and rural regions. But the number of doctors has risen much faster than the state’s population over the past three decades.
The state and federal governments have programs that encourage doctors to move to rural Iowa. Rewards include assistance in repaying student loans, and, for foreign doctors, visas they can use to stay in the United States.
—
University of Iowa Hopes New Marketing Strategy Will Attract More Iowa Students
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa is preparing a marketing blitz in hopes of enticing more Iowans to enroll at the Iowa City campus.
The effort is driven by a new state funding plan that will reward Iowa’s universities for increasing in-state enrollment and meeting performance goals.
The university’s vice president for strategic communication, Joe Brennan, says UI plans “to strongly expand our efforts to communicate with more people and to do it more effectively.”
The university says it won’t lower admission standards to increase enrollment, however.
—
Boy Found Unresponsive On Inflatable Toy
(Waterloo) — A 4-year-old boy remains in a hospital after being found unresponsive at a Waterloo business where children can play on inflatable toys.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports (https://bit.ly/1i4PVy8 ) Isaiah Neelans was found unresponsive Saturday at Thorpe’s Family Fun Center. A rope used to secure an inflatable structure to the ground was around his neck.
People at the business performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to revive the boy. Waterloo police Lt. Michael McNamee says he may have been unconscious up to 10 minutes.
The boy was taken to a Waterloo hospital and then flown to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
Officials declined Monday to release details about his condition.
—
Branstad Says He Will Help Republicans Win In November
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad says he’s focused on helping Republicans win in November and will let party leaders sort out a struggle for control of the state party.
Republican Central Committee board members newly elected Saturday say they plan to replace former state Sen. Danny Carroll as the party’s chairman and Gopal Krishna as co-chairman on June 28.
The shift in board members and naming of the fourth new party chairman in 2 1/2 years signifies a return of control to establishment and evangelical conservatives supported by Branstad. Supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul and his Liberty Caucus took over leadership positions in 2012 and clashed with Branstad and others who began in January to work to regain control.
Branstad on Monday insisted he’s letting party leaders make the decisions.
