Severe thunderstorms that rolled through Siouxland last night caused downed power lines and trees, according to early reports from weather spotters and the Sioux City Journal.
After the first storm system moved through Sioux City about 5 p.m. Sirens again sounded just after 6:30 p.m. and again shortly before 7. At that time, a tornado warning was issued for south central Monona County.
Sioux City was on the southern end of the first storm system as it moved through.
Strong winds and possible tornadoes caused widespread damage in parts of the Midwest, where officials said another round of severe weather during a stormy week left two more people dead. Authorities say a grain bin fell onto a car Thursday in Minnesota and killed a passenger, while a person died in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as a result of severe weather. Winds gusted Thursday above 100 mph in parts of South Dakota, where a nursing home and school were damaged. Earlier in the week, severe weather hit Minnesota, where a storm-chasing meteorologist from Mexico City died Wednesday in a car crash.
Gov. Pete Ricketts said yesterday that he expects to name a replacement for Omaha State Sen. Rich Pahls before possibly calling a special session on abortion, according to the Omaha World Herald.
Pahls died April 27, not quite halfway through his term in office, leaving a vacancy in the Nebraska Legislature. By state law, the governor must appoint a replacement within 45 days.
Ricketts said he will follow his usual process of taking applications, reviewing them and doing interviews. In the past, the governor has not confined his searches to the pool of applicants. He said he does not have a timeline for starting the process.
However, he said he will have the vacancy filled before any special session might be called in response to a potential U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision is expected late in June.
Nebraska collected more tax revenue than projected in April and is still well ahead of expectations for the current fiscal year. The state Department of Revenue reported net April tax receipts of $939 million, which is 66.7% above the official state forecast of $563 million. The numbers are often higher in April as taxpayers file their returns.
A new nonprofit, Iowans for Ukrainians, will be hosting a bake sale this weekend to help fund medical needs and refugee services for the country’s fight against Russia. The organizers initially planned just two events: one in Ames and one in Des Moines. But due to popular demand and increasing fundraising, they decided to host one more in the capital city. Kayla Pippitt is the vice president of Iowans for Ukrainians.
Both bake sales, we sold out so quickly. Some of the like, Ukrainian American folks were there for the second bake sale, and they saw how quickly they went. And they were like, we can make more next time. And all of us are kind of like, is there going to be a next? And now there is.
The bake sale will be at the Easterseals' recreation center on Sunday. Organizers say the crowd favorite is the popular Kyiv cake.
This August, Western Iowa Tech Community College will be launching a new Interpreter and Translator program . This one-year diploma is designed to develop skills of multilingual students and prepare them for a career as a professional interpreter and translator. WIT officials say there has long been a need for this program in Siouxland, as the community continues to become more diverse.
Students will learn the skills to provide interpreter and translation services in manufacturing, production, health care, social services, education, and legal settings.
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