Iowa

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Sheriff's officials say flooding around Madison has caused some residents to evacuate.

Lake County Sheriff Tim Walburg urged people not to drive through Madison as crews were busy moving some people from the flooded area. It has received 3 to 5 inches of rain in the latest storm. 

The South Dakota Highway Patrol says flooding closed a section of Interstate 90 near Mitchell.

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A grand jury on Friday found that a South Sioux City police officer's actions during a fatal May shootout were not criminal, and no charges will be filed, according to the Sioux City Journal.

The decision cleared South Sioux City police Officer Brian Van Berkum for his actions in a fatal shootout in May. The grand jury ruled there was no criminal conduct in the May 11 incident in which Van Berkum fatally shot Luis Quinones Rosa outside of Los Amigos, a South Sioux City bar and liquor store.

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Iowa's unemployment rate climbed slightly in July to 2.5% but remains among the lowest in the nation.

Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose from 2.4% in June. The rate had been stuck at that level since July 2018.

Although the unemployment rate increased, the number of residents with jobs also rose by about 4,000 compared to June. The number of unemployed residents increased by about 1,400.

Iowa's unemployment rate was third-lowest in the nation, behind Vermont and North Dakota and tied with New Hampshire.

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After devastating flooding this year, Iowa funneled $15 million into a special fund to help local governments recover and guard against future floods. Missouri budgeted more money to fight rising waters, including $2 million to help buy a moveable floodwall for a historic Mississippi River town.

In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced $10 million to repair damaged levees while creating a task force to study a system that in places has fallen into disrepair through years of neglect.

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Iowa Highway 2 from Interstate-29 in southwest Iowa to the Missouri River is now reopened to traffic.

The area was closed since late May because of flooding from the river and had been closed for all but eight days between mid-March and late May.  

The Iowa Department of Transportation said in a news release traffic will move in both directions using the westbound lanes of the highway. This limit will be in place until officials figure out a long term solution for Highway-2 to deal with future flooding.

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State regulators vote tomorrow on rules that would allow sports betting in Iowa.  The legislature approved betting on college and professional sports earlier this year. If the guidelines are adopted by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the first wagers could be made as soon as mid-August. Most of the rules cover casinos and companies that contract sports betting technology. The rules also tell casinos and race tracks to create designated areas for sports betting where people can register before placing bets in person or on mobile apps. 

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It looks like there may be a new law enforcement facility in the near future in Sioux City.  The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors voted last night to advance discussions regarding the construction of a new center. The project would cost an estimated cost of $49.5 million.

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The Iowa Environmental Council says the state’s approach to reducing nutrient runoff into waterways has been slow to meet its goals, six years into having a strategy in place.

In an analysis it released this morning (Tuesday), the council says at the current pace of adoption, it would take 90 years to meet the goal of 60 percent of corn and soybean acres having a cover crop.

Ingrid Gronstal (GRON-stoll) Anderson is the council’s Water Program Director.