ALERT :
- The Waldorf College Theatre Company's performance of The Tempest at Lund Pond on the Waldorf campus has been postponed to Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. due to pending weather conditions. In case of rain on Tuesday, the performance will take place in the Atrium.:
- 5/20/13, The Forest City Parks and Rec has cancelled all ball practices at Pammel Park for today. :
- 5/20/13-No Forest City Park and Rec Baseball practice today at the Waldorf Field.:
Iowa News
SNOWY WEATHER Snow, high winds expected Wed. in Nebraska, Iowa OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Residents across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa should prepare for the season’s first significant snow later this week, with weather forecasters calling for up to half a foot of snow and gusty winds. The National Weather Service says a large winter storm is expected to hit Nebraska midday Wednesday and move into Iowa by Wednesday afternoon. Service meteorologist Van DeWald, based in Valley just east of Omaha, says heavy snow coupled with 15 to 30 mile per hour winds could make travel in those areas dangerous. DeWald says eastern Nebraska can expect several inches of snow, while western Iowa could see up to six inches of snow.
SHOOTING THREAT Iowa police arrest man after shooting threat (Information in the following story is from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com) HOSPERS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in northwest Iowa say they have arrested a man after he made a threat on Facebook about shooting people. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office arrested the man Monday afternoon after receiving a report that he had threatened to shoot people in Hospers, which is located about 50 miles north of Sioux City. The threat caused a precautionary lockdown of schools in the MOC-Floyd Valley school district. It was lifted less than an hour later. Authorities did not release the man’s name Monday afternoon.
MISSING COUSINS-IOWA Funeral for Lyric Cook planned for Dec. 29 (Information in the following story is from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com) CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – The funeral for Lyric Cook will be held December 29th in Cedar Falls, more than three weeks after her body and the body of her cousin, Elizabeth Collins, were found in a wooded area. The Des Moines Register reports the service will begin at 2 p.m. at Heartland Vineyard Church. Elizabeth was 8 and Lyric was 10 when they vanished while bike riding in Evansdale on July 13th. Their bodies were found December 5th about 25 miles from where they were last seen. A memorial service for Elizabeth was held December 13th. No arrests have been made in the kidnappings and slayings of the girls. Captain Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office says local, state and federal investigators are following leads in the case.
DEATH PENALTY Iowa families push lawmakers on death penalty (Information in the following story is from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com) DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The parents of four missing or killed Iowa children say they want lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty. The Des Moines Register reports the parents met with Governor Terry Branstad on Monday. Those in attendance included Heather and Drew Collins. The body of their daughter, Elizabeth Collins, was recently discovered in a wooded area along with her cousin, Lyric Cook. The newspaper reports Branstad told reporters he won’t make the death penalty a priority for the upcoming legislative session because he believes the Democrat-majority Senate would block it. The Republican governor is known as a supporter of capital punishment in limited circumstances. Iowa hasn’t had a death penalty since the 1960s.
CHILD ENTICEMENT Records: Iowa man sent teen thousands of texts (Information in the following story is from: Quad-City Times, http://qctimes.com) MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) – A Muscatine man faces several charges in connection with sending a 15-year-old girl more than 11,000 text messages. Forty-year-old Mark Sievert was charged last week on four counts of attempted enticement of a minor. He also was charged with attempted production of child pornography. Court records unsealed this week show Sievert sent the teenager text messages between July and September. The records show Sievert and the girl sent each other explicit messages that allege sexual activity. They include video and photos. Records show Sievert received more than 9,000 text messages from the girl. Court records do not list an attorney for Sievert.
CAMPUS WHITE-WATER Iowa City pursues white-water rafting course (Information in the following story is from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/) IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa City is pursuing the creation of a white-water rafting course through the University of Iowa campus. The Gazette reports officials will vote Tuesday whether to pay for engineering and design work needed to modify the Burlington Street dam on the Iowa River. Officials say the project’s main purpose is to improve river access and public safety. The city plans to hire a firm to complete the project in a year and six months. They expect to have two design alternatives by next fall. The firm hired for the project would be paid about $360,000. The city would pay nearly $50,000 of that, and federal and state grants would cover the rest.