Iowa

March 27, 2020

Oduu guyya har’a kutaa Iowa waa’ee dhukuba Korona virus irraa

Kutaa Iowa kesatti dutii 2 galmoyte jirti, sababa dhukuba karona virus tin. Kun walii galati kutaa Iowa keessa namni 3 du’uun isaa himameera.

Guyyaa jimaata manni haakima Iowa namni 56 dabalataan qabamuu himamee. Walii galatti namni dhukuba Kanaan qabame 235 gahaniiru. Namoota qorataman. keessa namooni 3,700 olta’an dhukuba kanarra bilisaa ta’uun himame.

27 de Marzo del 2020.  Soy Babi Valadez de Mary J Treglia Community House con Siouxland Public Media News en Espanol.

Hoy la Gov. Kim Reynolds extendió la proclamación de salud ante desastre, interrumpiendo procedimientos quirúrgicos y dentales no esenciales y expandiendo la amplitud de cierres en tiendas en el estado.

Todos los cierres existentes, incluyendo restaurantes y bares, se extendieron una semana adicional hasta el 7 de Abril.  Efectivo desde las 10 p.m el Jueves.

27 de Marzo del 2020.  Soy Babi Valadez de Mary J Treglia Community House con Siouxland Public Media News en Espanol.

Hoy la Gov. Kim Reynolds extendió la proclamación de salud ante desastre, interrumpiendo procedimientos quirúrgicos y dentales no esenciales y expandiendo la amplitud de cierres en tiendas en el estado.

Todos los cierres existentes, incluyendo restaurantes y bares, se extendieron una semana adicional hasta el 7 de Abril.  Efectivo desde las 10 p.m el Jueves.

27 de Marzo del 2020.  Soy Babi Valadez de Mary J Treglia Community House con Siouxland Public Media News en Espanol.

Hoy la Gov. Kim Reynolds extendió la proclamación de salud ante desastre, interrumpiendo procedimientos quirúrgicos y dentales no esenciales y expandiendo la amplitud de cierres en tiendas en el estado.

Todos los cierres existentes, incluyendo restaurantes y bares, se extendieron una semana adicional hasta el 7 de Abril.  Efectivo desde las 10 p.m el Jueves.

27 de Marzo del 2020.  Soy Babi Valadez de Mary J Treglia Community House con Siouxland Public Media News en Espanol.

Hoy la Gov. Kim Reynolds extendió la proclamación de salud ante desastre, interrumpiendo procedimientos quirúrgicos y dentales no esenciales y expandiendo la amplitud de cierres en tiendas en el estado.

Todos los cierres existentes, incluyendo restaurantes y bares, se extendieron una semana adicional hasta el 7 de Abril.  Efectivo desde las 10 p.m el Jueves.

Dukubni karona vayrasii kuta Iowa keessatti namaa haga 179 gahe jiraa.

Mana yalla kaa kutaa Iowa kessaa jiruu akaa jedhanitti, garaa namotaa 34 dabalataan dhukubaa karonaa kaan qormatamee qabamuu isanii ibsanii jiruu.

Bulchaan kuta Iowa Kim Reynolds, Kamisaa akkaa ibsanii bakkaa wajiraa isanii iraa, dhukubnii karonaa kunii kaan muldhatee lamafaa magalaa Sioux County tittii.

Kaan jalqabaa magallaa Monona County, hasawaa kamisaa kesatii akaa harbaa himametii.

26 de Marzo del 2020.  Soy Balbina Valadez de Mary J Treglia Community House con Siouxland Public Media News en Espanol.

El Miércoles, 25 de Marzo el estado de Iowa reportó 21 casos nuevos confirmados de COVID-19 para un total de 145.  Esto llego el dia despues que la gobernadora Kim Reynolds anunció la primera muerte en el estado relacionada con el brote de coronavirus.  La víctima es un residente del condado de Dubuque que tenía entre 61 y 80 años de edad. 

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Iowa Democratic Party officials say they are hiring two high-profile lawyers to investigate the factors leading to a meltdown in the state's lead-off presidential caucuses and how the party responded. 

The party's State Central Committee voted last night to spend up to $50,000 to retain Nick Klinefeldt, a former U.S. attorney, and Bonnie Campbell, a former Iowa attorney general. 

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The Democratic Candidates for president are making a last-minute push across the state of Iowa less than a week before the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

A few more challengers have announced plans to visit Sioux City.  Tomorrow, former Vice President Joe Biden will hold an event at Western Iowa Tech Community College.  He will appear at the Rocklin Center at 1:15 p.m.  A previous appearance by Biden earlier this month was canceled because of bad weather.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will be in town Thursday.  

Had I gone to school in Iowa, perhaps, I’d have known a headman, a chief, named No Heart; after all, his people left their name behind when they travelled west and south. We're Iowans because of him--and them. They left their name behind, but little more we design to remember.

Nonetheless, you should know that No Heart’s descendants are a proud people who live in Oklahoma and have for years, despite their name. They call home just outside the town where my son's family lives, just across the Cimarron. 

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The statewide winter storm today has been upgraded to a blizzard warning in northwest Iowa, while more snow accumulation has been forecast across the state.

Blizzard warning criteria from the NWS are wind gusts of 35 mph or greater and one-quarter of mile visibility or less that lasts up to three hours.  

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A winter weather system moving across the country is dropping snow, sleet and freezing rain on eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa. Most schools in the region canceled classes and activities for today ahead of the storm system. Residents in Nebraska awoke to a blanket of snow and wind chills well below zero. The snow hit Iowa later in the morning. 

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of eastern Nebraska into central parts of the state that will remain in effect until early Saturday morning. 

It's 1944. Otto Steinke is too old to be drafted, his son just a few months too young. Besides, both are needed because the Allied cause requires mountains of food, food the Steinkes can produce on their Iowa farm. Not everyone can be a soldier, even some who really, really want to be. 

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The Democratic presidential candidates continue to visit Siouxland in advance of the Feb 3rd,  2020 Caucuses. 

Today, one of the leading candidate’s wives came to Sioux City.  This morning at the Sioux City Public Library about 50 potential caucus-goers gathered to meet Dr. Jill Biden, who was talking about her husband former Vice President Joe Biden’s qualifications. Biden says Iowans want to talk to her about important issues. 

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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.

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Shelters and temporary housing are being provided to those affected by flash flooding in south-central Nebraska, according to the SC Journal.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced Tuesday it is offering dorm space as temporary housing for people affected in Kearney and surrounding communities. The university is also working with nearby hotels to relocate and house hundreds of travelers who were evacuated.

Iowans are at an increased risk of health effects from nitrate exposure. Researchers from the Environmental Working Group and Duke University say as many as 12,000 cancer cases each year nationwide may be linked to nitrates in drinking water. In Iowa, fertilizer and manure runoff are primary contributors to nitrate pollution.

The current federal limit on nitrates in drinking water is 10 parts per million. But recent studies suggest the risk of certain cancers and birth defects increases even at lower levels.

President Donald Trump plans to visit western this afternoon.  He starts his trip in Council Bluffs to tour and speak at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy.  The company produces and sells ethanol.  The president will attend a GOP dinner in Des Moines.

Meanwhile, Democrat Joe Biden is visiting the Hawkeye state today as well.  He will speak at events in Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant and Davenport.

On the weekend, more than a dozen of Biden's Democratic rivals were in Iowa for a party dinner.

The Sioux City Boy Scouts were there to lead the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. And the school band from Central High offered some fitting selections. The Sioux City Journal claims there were 300 folks in attendance at the dedication that Sunday afternoon, a goodly crowd of citizenry in 1929. 

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Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources are encouraging Iowans to stay out of Iowa streams until after the waters recede following heavy rainfall and flash flooding that has caused multiple wastewater and manure releases. 

While fast stream currents are the biggest risk for people, DNR officials said, high waters also can carry dangerous debris and bacteria.

Officials in the eastern Iowa city of Davenport say the city is building a bigger flood barrier in the wake of a breach in April that sent floodwaters rushing into downtown streets.

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Iowa's unemployment rate remained at 2.4% in April for the 10th month in a row.

Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday the jobless rate held steady, where it has been since July 2018.

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

Nebraska's unemployment rate inched up to 2.9% in April, even though more people entered or re-entered the job market, the state labor commissioner said Friday.

The Nebraska figure had been 2.8% for eight months in a row.