KWIT: Regional News for 5/27 (2008-05-27)

In Iowa...

PARKERSBURG, Iowa (AP) - Officials say a deadly tornado that
swept through northeast Iowa destroyed more than 200 homes and
damaged hundreds more.
The Sunday afternoon tornado killed six people, including four
in the small town of Parkersburg. Two others died in the nearby
town of New Hartford.
Rescuers are still picking through the ruins, but officials say
they are hopeful no other victims would be found. About 70 people
were injured, including two in critical condition.
The number of buildings affected by the twister is staggering:
222 homes destroyed, 21 businesses destroyed and more than 400
homes damaged. Among the buildings destroyed were Parkersburg's
city hall, high school and the city's sole grocery store and gas
station.
Governor Culver has issued a disaster proclamation for
Blackhawk, Buchanan and Butler counties, a move that helps
coordination between state and local authorities. Culver has also
asked President Bush to expedite federal aid.
National Guard troops are expected to aid in the cleanup.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa will soon end its status as the
last state without uniform school curriculum standards.
The Legislature approved the change last session, making the
Iowa Core Curriculum the basis for what teachers will cover in
their classrooms beginning in 2012. The new standards will be
implemented that year in grades 9-12, and by 2014 in kindergarten
through eighth grade.
The curriculum identifies concepts and skill sets for reading,
math, science and social studies.
Education officials acknowledge they were initially reluctant to
change the system that gave control to local school districts. But
they changed their minds after evidence mounted that Iowa was
losing ground to other states in the classroom and in preparing
their youth for the work force.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Just over the horizon, even more
technology is coming to the farm.
Researchers at the University of Illinois are working on a small
robot that can identify individual weeds in a field and spray them
with herbicide so farmers don't have to spray an entire field as
they commonly do now.
The robot will move perhaps 2 miles per hour picking out weeds
by color, location and other characteristics.
But the technology is years from commercial viability.
Dan Davidson is an agronomist with agricultural-data company DTN
in Omaha.
He says what's expensive and far-fetched today may quickly
become cost-effective if fuel and fertilizer costs don't drop back.
Right now corn and soybean prices are holding near record highs,
giving farmers the money to spend.
The new technology, the farmers say, should help them stay
profitable when those prices come down.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - As the cost of fuel rises, some police
departments are dusting off their bikes and turning to pedal power.
Some departments encourage more foot patrols, while others
discourage officers from letting their engines idle or making them
travel in twos.
In Clive, Iowa, Police Chief Robert Cox says more officers will
be biking and walking to save gas.
With gas near $3.80 a gallon, Cox says his department has
already spent its 2007-08 budget of nearly $41,000.
Bike patrols do have limitations. Weather can be a problem and
they also can't be used to transport suspects or engage in vehicle
chases.
But advocates say the benefits of cost savings and public
visibility are worth it. Bikes also can go places cars can't.

In Nebraska...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - More severe weather may be on the way to some
parts of Nebraska.
The National Weather Service was forecasting rain and
thunderstorms for most of the state last evening, overnight and
today, with the chances ranging from 30 percent to 70 percent.
On Sunday evening, winds ripped off some roofs and shingles,
knocked down trees and knocked out power to many homes and
businesses.
Winds upward of 70 mph tore off half the roof and broke windows
at Weeping Water's old City Auditorium.
Dozens of trees were knocked down in Sarpy County and elsewhere.
The winds and rain knocked out power to many people in Lincoln,
but it was restored to most by yesterday morning.
Memorial Day flags were blown away from a cemetery in Saline
County.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Rescue divers have been unable to reach a
pickup submerged in the Elkhorn River southwest of Omaha.
A Douglas County sheriff's spokesman said yesterday that the
rain-swollen river was too dangerous for drivers to enter and may
too strong on today as well.
It's unclear whether anyone was in the truck when it went into
the river.
It was spotted early yesterday morning by a passer-by who had
seen its lights.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will
play Eastern Illinois in Lincoln on Friday at 1:05 p.m. as part of
regional play in the NCAA national college baseball tournament.
UC Irvine will play Oral Roberts at 7:05 Friday evening in
Lincoln.
UNL is one of 16 sites to host regional games.
The selection gives the Cornhuskers an at-large berth into the
tournament. It is the program's ninth NCAA bid in the past 10
years.
The regional tournament could run through the following Monday
at Haymarket Park.
Tickets can be purchased at Huskers.com.
The Huskers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 40-14-1 record.

In South Dakota...

ELK POINT, S.D. (AP) - Forces favoring a $10 billion crude oil
refinery that a Texas-based company wants to build in Union County
have a 10-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage heading into a June 3 vote
that will decide whether rezoning for the project will stand.
Documents filed late last week show that two groups opposed to
the refinery combined to raise more campaign funds than a single
citizens group favoring the development. But the pro-refinery
contingent gains the advantage when considering the money that
Hyperion Refining contributed to its own campaign committee.
Hyperion Energy Center Referendum, a ballot committee formed by
Hyperion Refining, filed its first disclosure report earlier in the
week, taking in $45,000 from the company and spending about half of
it through May 19.
Citizens for Hyperion collected $22,030.
Save Union County collected $10,368 and spent almost all of it.
Citizens Opposed to Oil Pollution raised $15,539 and spent most
of it during the reporting period.

UNDATED (AP) - As the start of construction nears for the $5.2
billion Keystone crude oil pipeline, a public liaison for the
pipeline company says landowners with easements will be informed
when construction will start on their property.
Sarah Metcalf of Aberdeen says land agents will make sure all
the landowners know when construction activities are going to
start. She says she is available to help solve problems that might
arise and to escort people if they want to view the construction.
Metcalf says she thinks most of the hard feelings that occurred
early on with land agents have been overcome. Some landowners had
complained earlier about the behavior of some land agents who were
seeking to negotiate easements for the pipeline.
Construction in northern South Dakota is to start later in the
summer on the 30-inch pipeline, which will pass through ten eastern
South Dakota counties.

YANKTON, S.D. (AP) - A 10-ton load limit on the Meridian
(muh-RIHD'-ee-uhn) Bridge over the Missouri River at Yankton has
forced truck traffic to take long detours.
And the entire span will be closed for several weeks during the
summer so repairs can be finished.
Yankton's acting city manager, Al Viereck (VEER'-ihk), says it's
costing truckers money and will hurt business.
He says the city and the local Chamber are working on some
ideas, including coordination of car pooling and bus pooling.
The load limit essentially prohibits semis from using the
double-deck bridge, which was built in 1924. Viereck says the Army
Corps of Engineers originally wanted a 7-ton load limit but agreed
to a 10-ton restriction.

BATH, S.D. (AP) - A man who hosted a campaign rally on his farm
near Bath this month for Democratic presidential contender Hillary
Rodham Clinton is helping spearhead an effort to reduce gasoline
prices by cutting the speed limit.
Dennis Jones is working with former state Senator Rebecca Dunn
of Sioux Falls on a proposal to lower the speed limit by 10 mph on
interstate and other federal highways.
Jones admits that a lot of people won't like the idea.
But he says it's hard to dispute the logic of the idea: Driving
faster requires more power. More power takes more gasoline, and
consumption plays a major role in higher gas prices.
Jones and Dunn are talking daily with politicians, the media and
others in hopes of gaining congressional traction for a temporary
slowdown from July Fourth through Labor Day.
Jones says an interstate speed limit of 65 mph instead of the
current 75 mph would reduce gasoline use on those roads by 14
percent to 17 percent.

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) - Warmer weather that has finally graced
South Dakota is being called a shot in the arm for farmers who were
worried about getting their crops into the fields this spring.
Spring planting was behind schedule due to inclement weather --
including a snowstorm in late April.
As of two weeks ago, the National Agricultural Statistics
Service said only 27 percent of the state's corn crop had been
planted. The weather improved, and a week later, it shot up to 55
percent planted.
And Extension officials expect a big improvement when the new
figures come out this week.
In northeastern South Dakota, officials say farmers have mostly
caught up, thanks to a good dose of sunshine.