IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — Police arrested a Storm Lake man with sexual abuse after being called to a residence Thursday afternoon Charges against 47-year-old John Ihry include 3rd degree sexual abuse and domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury Since a minor child was present and observed the occurance he was also charged with child endangerment.adButlerLazyLoad("971399129454421374",100,["731206","731206","731206"],"177045"); Okoboji Chamber Director Blain Andera says one of the tagged fish was caught just two hours after the tournament began at midnight Friday The city of Spencer will hold another flood meeting Wednesday night at Sacred Heart Parish Hall The Spirit Lake police department has released information about a collision between a passenger vehicle and a cement truck Even with diminished winds over the weekend things are so dry that a planned burn near Wallingford got out of control IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — Dickinson County Treasurer Kris Rowley says after several delays Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again Listen Live Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly has announced the signing of Evangelia Paulk ahead of the 2025-26 season Paulk comes to Ames from Wofford College and will have two years of eligibility remaining She is the second transfer to commit to the Cyclones View Full Story 2025 at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake Wet conditions kept some farmers out of the fields last week while others were able to get plenty of planting done Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s “OK” with a one-year delay in her proposed state grant program for state-funded preschools and licensed Precipitation last week continued to delay planting in many parts of Iowa According to the state’s USDA Crop Progress Report An apartment building in Storm Lake was heavily damaged by a fire over the weekend which led to multiple residents being displaced The Storm Lake Fire Department responded to a basement fire at 1008 East Milwaukee Avenue at approximately 3:30pm Sunday crews encountered heavy smoke and fire in the rear of the building Two firefighters were evaluated by EMS and released on scene The cause of the fire remains under investigation and Rembrandt fire departments assisted at the scene One month after the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs on imports to the U.S. the pork and soybean industries are closely The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is using a mix of conventional and modern methods as it tries to figure out Governor Kim Reynolds has signed legislation to launch a “Purple Star Initiative” in Iowa schools Storm Lake received 3.18 inches of rain last month according to measurements taken outside the radio stations Storm Lake’s average high temperature in April was 59 degrees The temperature got as high as 84 degrees on April 28th The average low temperature was under 36 degrees IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s department has charged the driver in a fatal traffic accident with vehicular homicide.adButlerLazyLoad("1202807787455673160",100,["731206","731206","731206"],"177045"); 28-year-old Jorge Oretega-Oretega was West bound on Highway 3 about three miles East of Cherokee around 6:30am on March 19th when he pulled into the Eastbound lane – apparently to turn onto County Road M-27 – and struck an oncoming vehicle driven by 65-year-old Rose Bumsted of Nemaha She later died of her injuries.adButlerLazyLoad("1690609889416729068",100,["731206","731206","731206"],"177045"); Authorities used access to Ortega-Ortega’s car camera as part of their investigation and say he had repeatedly veered out of his lane while driving on highway 3 that morning at approximately 3:15 pm the Storm Lake Police Department was called to 412 Ontario Street in Storm Lake for a report of a belated domestic disturbance On arrival police spoke with a female victim who alleged that just prior they had engaged in an argument at the residence at that location with a male subject identified as John Ihry The victim alleged that during the argument Ihry pushed the victim and engaged in sexual contact against the victim’s will causing the victim to sustain minor injuries Police allege a minor child was present in the immediate area during the incident and was unharmed Ihry was taken into custody without incident short time after the report in the 300 Block of Ontario Street and booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on charges including Domestic Abuse Assault Causing Bodily Injury 1st Offense a Serious Misdemeanor; Assault -Penetration of Genitalia or Anus The Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors tomorrow (Tues) morning will discuss moving forward with the second and third phases of the Platinum Crush road project Emergency Management Coordinator Aimee Barritt will request additional funds for a dry hydrant project The BV County Supervisors meeting tomorrow (Tues) begins at 8:30am in the supervisors’ boardroom at the courthouse in Storm Lake Representative Ryan Weldon of Ankeny said the program “strengthens the connections” between military families and the schools their children attend “It’s significance rests in prioritizing the success and stability of Iowa’s military families,” Weldon said “honoring their service through meaningful student […] View Full Story Walks to bring awareness to a rare degenerative disease were held in five Iowa cities over the weekend Huntington’s disease is a genetic brain disorder that causes progressive nerve cell breakdown which brings a decline in physical and mental abilities helped to organize Saturday’s walk in Le Mars View Full Story surrounded by his family at the Mitchell House of Sioux City Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Ida Grove Skate Palace in Ida Grove Committal Services will take place at a later date in the Montrose Cemetery in Montrose at the Christensen-Van Houten Funeral Home of Ida Grove please wear blue and gold or SDSU attire “Go Jack Rabbits” to funeral services on Friday The Christensen-Van Houten Funeral Home of Ida Grove Condolences may be sent online at www.christensenvanhouten.com As more measles outbreaks are reported in the U.S. a partnership in Iowa is starting a vaccination awareness campaign to connect refugee and immigrant communities with doctors is working with small businesses and local healthcare providers to prevent misinformation about measles RIVA’s Christina Fernandez-Morrow says they learned […] View Full Story at Pocahontas Community Hospital in Pocahontas Iowa.  A Memorial Service will be held Friday at the Farber & Otteman Funeral Home in Sac City Interment will follow in the Cory Grove Cemetery in Sac City at the Farber & Otteman Funeral Home in Sac City.  The Farber & Otteman Funeral Home of Sac City is handling the arrangements.  The City of Storm Lake is launching an infrastructure project to replace the aging lift station near College Avenue and West 3rd Street The closure is anticipated from June 2-July 11 A Marion County establishment is the winner of the Iowa’s Best Burger contest for this year The Iowa Beef Industry Council made the announcement Thursday of the honor for the Halftime Bar and Grill in Pleasantville Co-owner Tyler Deheer is excited to win the award “I would say it’s it’s a great feeling View Full Story The lone movie theater in Webster City reopened last night with a showing of “Thunderbolts” after being forced to close following a fire in November of 2023 of the HERO organization for the Webster Theater fundraising and effort to restore the movie house View Full Story A bill that’s cleared an Iowa House subcommittee would set up a “prison infrastructure fund” and launch a study of the nine state-run prisons cited the latest data showing Iowa prisons are holding 24% more inmates than they were designed to house — and he said the bill […] View Full Story The University of Northern Iowa is ready for another phase of renovation to the UNI-Dome  in Cedar Falls UNI vice president Michael Hager says the focus of this phase includes the first upgrade to the restrooms since the facility was built in 1976 “If you’ve been to either the high school football playoffs View Full Story The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease now tops seven-million for the first time and a new survey finds people’s impressions of the disease are changing spokeswoman for the Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter says nearly four in five people surveyed would want to know if they had […] View Full Story Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSTORM LAKE was hit hard by storms after a system moved in late Thursday night and into Friday morning The storms left many without power and damaged buildings throughout the community Storm Lake Police said the “entire city” was without power and people needed to shelter in place during the storm businesses and vehicles were damaged by the straight-line winds The damage ranged from siding being torn from buildings to entire sections collapsing Storm Lake’s Dollar General was one of the businesses hit and an employee told KTIV that the front of the store was blown into the building you could see the broken windows and the debris that had gotten inside the semi drivers who had their trucks parked in the area had debris lodged underneath their vehicles Just down the street from the Dollar General the Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh had part of its roof ripped off Storm Lake’s Hy-Vee grocery store was one of the few places that had power after the storms, with people from across the community going there to get food. Pictures from the site show the ceiling caved in and a large part of the back wall fell into the building Merrill Manufacturing’s Facebook page says they’ve been around since 1949 and provide water system products And in an example showing just how damaging these winds were the photo below depicts a tree branch going through a Storm Lake home’s wall The branch managed to penetrate through the building into a shelf shows how one of her son’s buildings near Alta collapsed during the storm spent Friday morning rescuing the animals stuck inside Below you’ll find our full gallery showing the damage seen in Storm Lake. If you have storm damage photos or videos you’d like to share with us, submit them here Over 6,500 customers with MidAmerican Energy were without power Friday morning after strong winds damaged vast parts of Storm Lake’s energy infrastructure A spokesperson with MidAmerican says at around 1:15 a.m the storm damaged three transmission lines that provide power to the Storm Lake area This broke some two dozen transmission poles and downed overhead lines Crews restored those transmission lines by late Friday morning “Our transmission system feeds power to our distribution system we’ve identified at least ten broken poles in Storm Lake and there are downed overhead lines at several locations Our crews will focus on restoring the largest number of customers first and we will continue until we restore every customer who can safely receive service,” stated MidAmerican Energy in a press release leaving just under 200 customers without power in Storm Lake and the rest of Buena Vista County Other towns that experienced power outages Friday included: Buena Vista County residents who rely on powered medical devices were able to go to the main entrance at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center for assistance a Storm Lake official who sends information to the media Storm Lake High School’s gymnasium was turned into a shelter but wasn’t needed Officials have announced where they can drop off storm damage debris There are three sites residents can go to: There’ll be dumpsters at those sites for the next few days Anyone who would like to volunteer in the cleanup on Saturday can go to the Storm Lake Fire Station between 7:30 a.m The Red Cross is also bringing its Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle to Storm Lake They’ll provide residents with supplies such as tarps Residents can contact Mike Franz at (712) 291-0555 for more information “The City would like to take this opportunity to offer heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers from fire departments around the area who responded to assist in the wake of the storm All of the Buena Vista County departments were involved in damage response and assessment Spencer Fire Department relieved the Storm Lake firefighters in the afternoon Others from several communities have volunteered their time and equipment to aid in cleanup.” Already, scammers have been reported in the Storm Lake area, trying to take advantage of the situation. Police have shared several tips on how to protect yourself and your home. Follow this link to see them Storm Lake has also set up an email for questions and those who need help Residents can email stormdmage@stormlake.com Residents please be advised that there is several power lines and debris on roadways - due to dangers on the roadway and.. KTIV has seen several posts on social media of people asking if it was a tornado that hit Storm Lake the National Weather Service says the damage was caused by straight-line wind gusts “While high winds associated with thunderstorm cells caused significant damages to a number of Storm Lake homes and businesses in the early morning hours of Friday the storm is not being considered a tornado,” stated Storm Lake officials in a press release Officials say Storm Lake’s sirens didn’t go off during Friday morning’s storm because a tornado warning wasn’t issued “The storms developed well behind the cold front so the odds of any tornado developing with the storms would be very small,” said Todd Heitkamp Meteorologist in Charge with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls To learn more about how the winds became so strong in Storm Lake, follow this link, where KTIV’s Owen Basselman breaks down the science of this weather event We’ll update this article as more information about Storm Lake’s storm damage and cleanup becomes available Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app the pork and soybean industries are closely watching how countries respond in part because China cancelled a contract for 12,000 metric tons Iowa State University Extension economist Chad Hart […] View Full Story The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is using a mix of conventional and modern methods as it tries to figure out why the population of the gray fox has rapidly declined in the state Wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer says they started the study by putting tracking devices on a couple of the animals View Full Story High-speed winds caused damage and widespread power outages in Storm Lake and the surrounding areas during severe weather April 17 Wind speeds of up to 60 and 80 mph were recorded along with tennis ball-sized hail the meteorologist-in-charge at the Sioux Falls The Sioux Falls station covers most of northwest Iowa flipped semi-trailers and a fallen wall at Merrill Manufacturing Co. according to photos shared on social media More than 6,000 MidAmerican Energy Co. customers were without power, according to a Facebook post Friday morning "The storm heavily damaged three transmission lines that provide power to the area," and power should be restored by Friday afternoon The MidAmerican Energy outage map showed 4,450 customers were impacted in Storm Lake The damage and power outages are associated with high winds according to data analyzed by Heitkamp and the Sioux Falls NWS station we're attributing to strong winds with wind speeds probably around 60 to 80 mph in that location," Heitkamp said The NWS is not sending out a team to survey damage in Storm Lake and surrounding areas "I'm not looking for more information to change my opinion," Heitkamp said "Looking at everything other than an eyewitness account of a tornado The storm mainly hit Storm Lake and the rural areas in Buena Vista County "It seems like Storm Lake seemed to be the focus of the worst damage that occurred last night," he said Storm debris is being cleaned up and major roadways are being cleared, according to a Facebook post from the Storm Lake Police Department Storm Lake residents are encouraged to stay home and to check on neighbors who may be in need Tornado confirmed in southwest Iowa, damage to be assessedThe same storm system spawned a tornado in Omaha, Nebraska, and at least one tornado in southwest Iowa. A tornado was confirmed near Essex, Iowa. There also were reports of a tornado in Pottawattamie County but the National Weather Service in Omaha still is determining details Surveyors from the NWS station are assessing damage to assess how strong the tornadoes were Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register The Iowa DNR has met their walleye collection goals this spring DNR crews captured 1,910 adult female walleyes at locations that included Storm Lake Nearly 14 hundred quarts of walleye eggs are currently hatching or are being incubated Gilnetting at Storm Lake started on April 7th A news release states that Storm Lake crews spawned enough females to produce 151 quarts of walleye eggs The Storm Lake satellite hatchery transferred their eggs to the Rathbun and Spirit Lake fish hatcheries to be incubated and hatched Iowa’s walleye populations depend on stockings since there is little natural reproduction in most Iowa lakes and rivers by | Apr 18 Perhaps the worst damage in Iowa from the severe weather in the past day happened early this morning in the northwest Iowa town of Storm Lake the Buena Vista County emergency management coordinator says thousands of MidAmerican Energy customers in Storm Lake are without power after a severe thunderstorm hit about 1 AM “They have several power poles that are down at this point in time,” Barritt says but they’re telling us it’s going to be about 8 PM before power is restored That’s their best estimate right now They have a lot of work to do to do that.” The Storm Lake Police Department is releasing a series of photos showing toppled concrete walls and heavy damage to apartment buildings and stores there’s lots of power lines down,” Barritt says “We’ve seen businesses with their roofs ripped off there have been some gas leaks and there’s been a lot of debris and downed power lines on the road.” She recommends residents who can stay home from work or school to do exactly that as the roads are covered with debris and power lines Damage is also being assessed in north-central Iowa’s Wright County where more than two-thousand homes lost power in this morning’s storms Wright County emergency manager Jarika Eisentrager is surveying the destruction to farmsteads “A lot of them are out in the country They have damage to their outbuildings,” Eisentrager says “Some of their hoop buildings got the tarps ripped off and some hog facilities had damage to their roofs.” Damage is being assessed in southwest Iowa’s Page and Fremont counties after a tornado touched down Thursday night Page County emergency management coordinator Jill Harvey says the storm veered north of the town of Essex it did not hit directly in Essex,” Harvey says “They had some minor power outages here in town but there are several structures damaged around the area.” Harvey says officials were concerned for a time that the tornado would strike Shenandoah She’s asking Essex residents to avoid leaving their homes “We do have quite a few trees covering roads,” Harvey says “You may come across roads that are blocked Due to the damage and debris across roads and downed power lines we are requesting that people stay out of the area There are power lines down.” Despite the damage Harvey says no injuries were reported in the county Naig says reports of large hail in parts of the state are also concerning “Just incredible hail size and hail damage,” Naig says but we did see some reports even up in northeast (Iowa) where there were some systems that got built up and you’re hearing about one inch and two inch hail sizes — and that can do a heck of a lot of damage Thursday’s storms struck in the wake of last year’s horrific tornado outbreaks including the May 21st twister that hit Greenfield Though rebuilding efforts continue in Greenfield Naig says some producers are still coping with storm damage “There’s been an incredible amount of work that’s been done,” Naig says but a lot of people that are not yet in their homes with the community rallying together — the communities we’re a long ways from being totally recovered.” Naig says it’s “just the reality Taylor County reported wind gusts of 76 miles an hour while that golf ball-sized hail was reported near towns including Hampton and Waverly National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Cogil says the forecast calls for cooler but storms are likely to return on Easter Sunday looks like Saturday will be relatively pleasant “We are seeing a storm system move up this way on Sunday with rain over spreading the area by Sunday afternoon and continuing Sunday night Should be some generous rainfall for much of the state anywhere from three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half.” Keep up with the changing forecast at weather.gov (Thanks to Ryan Thompson at KAYL in Storm Lake RadioIowa is a division of LEARFIELD © Learfield News & Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy  | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information The high winds overnight have created a lot of damage and knocked out power for the entire community Power lines and trees are down in dozens of locations and crews will be trying to do their work.    * City and Fire Department crews are currently assessing damages They will be covering the entire community Firefighters from several local communities have responded to help   * The latest estimate from Mid American Energy is that power to Storm Lake will be restored at approximately 8 p.m There are several downed lines and broken poles   * Storm Lake residents who rely on powered medical devices – If you need to recharge or power your medical devices you can go to the main entrance at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center for assistance   * If your home has been heavily damaged and you need shelter   * Red Cross is on standby and will be deployed in Storm Lake if conditions warrant the City will be announcing locations for dropoff of debris from storm damages you may do so by email to: stormdamage@stormlake.org Please be aware that with the high volume of issues The Storm Lake soccer teams played MOC-Floyd Valley with the boys team winning 4-3 and the girls team lost 5-2 The Tornado tennis teams played E-L-C on Tuesday The golf teams played Cherokee and the Tornado girls shot a 218 at Cherokee and won the dual by 12 shots Maddy Raveling was medalist with a 46 and Kennadie Miller was runner up with a 54 and Madison Ripke and Morgan Zanfes both shot 77 The boys hosted Cherokee and played the front 9 at the BVU golf course at Lake Creek Medalist was Storm Lake’s Charlie Dvergsten with a 38 Other scores for the Tornadoes were Cam Boyd 40 Iowa (KTIV) - Damage could be seen in nearly every direction you look in Storm Lake after severe weather hit it Friday morning Some of the most destruction from the winds was to a warehouse “Merrill Manufacturing North” received a lot of damage on the backside of the warehouse along North Lake Avenue recounted the storms that rolled through town Thursday night and into Friday morning “On probably the first storm came through around 11:30 and then the second one came through around 3 or 3:30,” said Porsch It was a rude awakening for Storm Lake residents Claudia Mendez said she woke up and went to the front door to see what was happening as the storm moved in “There was a lot of wind and then I saw the lights completely go out A crew was working to clean up a fallen tree on Mendez’s neighbor’s car Dozens of homeowners are cleaning up debris from the straight-line winds “We have a lot of damage to homes where trees have fallen on top of the homes so there’s a lot of wind damage to the homes but there’s a lot of trees that have fallen over and have been pulled out of the ground and laid on top of the houses,” said Mayor Porsch Debris busted the windows of businesses overnight Owners are picking up the pieces and boarding up doors As the day went on, power and cell service started to come back in parts of the community. So we can get trying to get communication out to the general public and it’s been difficult because internet is down,” said Mayor Porsch The City of Storm Lake is implementing its recovery plan working to help neighbors with any assistance Storm Lake Mayor Mike Porsch said cleanup will continue as crews work to gather and clear debris “Next step is to try to clear the debris from the streets We kind of shoved it to the side to start with but it’s amazing the people that have come out to help each other,” said Porsch there have been no injuries reported at this time Storm Lake has set up an email for questions and those who need help The Storm Lake Public Library is offering a series of three free financial literacy sessions The workshops aim to equip participants with essential financial knowledge and tools for personal and family financial success May 1st with a focus on understanding lending basics…May 8th will highlight foundations of investing and retirement savings…and May 15th will focus on the essentials of estate planning The sessions all begin at 4pm at the Storm Lake Public Library The financial literacy programming is part of an initiative supported by a grant from the American Library Association The program is designed to help individuals develop the financial skills and knowledge needed to confidently pursue personal The workshops are open to the public and sponsored by Citizens 1st National Bank Department of Commerce shows the nation’s economy just had its weakest quarter in three years which Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson blames on the policies of the previous administration says the recent downturns in consumer confidence and the gross domestic product are […] View Full Story Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) – Hometown Pride is calling on the community to show their Storm Lake pride by participating in the Storm Lake Proud Neighborhood Challenge a new initiative in partnership with the City’s Storm Lake Proud Week (May 4-10) which encourages residents to team up with other neighbors on a beautification project.adButlerLazyLoad("89353061048106135",100,["731206","731206","731206"],"177045"); Participants can choose a project from the Storm Lake Proud list or propose their own project to Public Works.adButlerLazyLoad("2460152857027525098",100,["731206","731206","731206"],"177045"); Participants then are asked to submit a photo of their group at work to stormlakehometownpride@gmail.com by May 10th for a chance to win a pizza party courtesy of Pizza Ranch and Chesterman Co.; winning photos will be shared on social media to celebrate community volunteerism Storm Lake Hometown Pride is a volunteer committee under the Keep Iowa Beautiful Hometown Pride program focusing on short-term and long-term improvements to enhance Storm Lake.adButlerLazyLoad("85597956382838692",100,["731206","731206","731206"],"177045"); For more information or to get involved, email stormlakehometownpride@gmail.com or their website. Iowa (KTIV) - Trees were down and trucks were toppled over in the Storm Lake And with thousands of people experiencing power outages and assessing the damage to their homes and property Friday was the start of a long recovery for the community KTIV spent the day in Storm Lake and heard how residents woke to no power residents had to leave their homes to find resources Some told KTIV they had to search for somewhere to eat Hy-Vee was one of the only places they could go to get food Representatives for the grocery store said a disaster relief team is sent out to areas hit hard by severe storms so workers could get hot food out to customers So we decided it was time to find a place to eat,” said Terry Michael “I did have to jimmy the garage door to get in and get my car out.“ Families also found necessities at the Hy-Vee grocery store “We had to snuggle up together under the blanket And this morning the house was a little bit cooler and that’s another reason why we left That way we can stay somewhere that’s a little warmer until the power comes back on,“ said Katelyn Esquibel Hy-Vee’s disaster team sent people from Sioux City As of Friday afternoon a majority of the power has been restored to Storm Lake and surrounding communities Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s getting positive signals from USDA officials reviewing Iowa’s request to redirect electronic benefits families with children who qualify for free or reduced price school lunches get to buy groceries in the summer The Biden Administration twice rejected the governor’s plan to instead have the state make bulk purchases of healthy […] View Full Story Iowa (KTIV) - After severe weather hit the area Storm Lake residents began to clean debris left behind Go Serv Global is helping residents with debris cleanup City officials say if residents need help with the cleanup of storm damage to call (712)-283-2304 or email at stormdamage@stormlake.org The following map shows the areas where the city has dropped off dumpsters at specific locations around Storm Lake The city says some 80-90 volunteers have helped out in various ways and a great deal of progress has been made over the past two days Thanks to everyone who has helped out in the parks We will be wrapping up today’s efforts later this afternoon but we recognize that there is a LOT to be done still in the days ahead Stay tuned and we will keep you up to date on the efforts The city urges anyone who has concerns or needs help to email stormdamage@stormlake.org  Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office stopped a pickup truck for speeding outside of Storm Lake and fled from the traffic stop at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement located Palenik at his Storm Lake residence a short time later. Palenik subsequently barricaded himself inside his residence. At approximately 10:00 a.m. law enforcement evacuated residents in the area surrounding the 300 block of Oneida Street and set up a perimeter around the home Palenik fired several rounds at law enforcement.  to include the Storm Lake Police Department responded to assist with negotiations and tactical support.  Palenik fired dozens of rounds at officers striking both occupied vehicles and law enforcement equipment.  Palenik again fired at law enforcement.  Officers returned fire striking Palenik. Palenik died at the scene.  The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave consistent with departmental policy and no further details will be released at this time The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been requested to investigate.  ABOUT THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the largest law enforcement agency in the state It includes seven divisions and several bureaus and federal government agencies and the private sector to keep Iowa a safe place by following our core values: leadership Divisions within the Iowa DPS: Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center Professional Development and Support Services Division The Department of Public Safety is led by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor https://dps.iowa.gov  © 2024 State of Iowa - Read our accessibility, data, and privacy policies Farmers’ time in the fields last week was hampered by rain According to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report periodic rainfall last week resulted in just 2.3 days suitable for fieldwork statewide 3.2 days were suitable for fieldwork in northwest Iowa 50 percent of corn has now been planted in northwest Iowa 34 percent of corn has been planted statewide which is two days ahead of the five-year average 29 percent of northwest Iowa soybeans have been planted 25 percent of soybeans have been planted statewide and four days ahead of the five-year average 72 percent of northwest Iowa topsoil has adequate moisture 63 percent of subsoil in northwest Iowa has adequate moisture The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is trying to prepare northeast Iowa residents for black bear sightings in the area DNR biologist Vince Evelsizer says there have already been a few early sightings “We had a few bears over winter for the first time and they emerged One of them was in late March and […] View Full Story An electrical contractor is scheduled to begin repairs of storm-damaged traffic signals in Storm Lake tomorrow (Tues) they plan to be working on the Lake and Milwaukee intersection starting at approximately 8:30am One traffic lane will be closed down temporarily during the repairs Drivers are advised to travel with care in that area