KWIT: Regional News for 6/9 (2008-06-09)

In Iowa...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Governor Chet Culver has activated the
state's emergency operations center as floods continued to ravage
parts of Iowa.
Culver put 31 counties under an emergency proclamation. That
allows them to use state resources for no charge. The state also
put its individual disaster assistance program into effect.
Emergency response officials reported severe flooding in many
communities in northern Iowa. Mason City was among those hit the
hardest. Mayor Roger Bang declare a state of emergency tonight and
a put a curfew into effect until Monday morning.
A levee broke along the Winnebago River in Mason City and its
water treatment plant was shut down.
Water spilled over a retention dam in New Hartford, affecting
around 300 residents. The town had been sent 21,000 sandbags and
officials are working to set up a shelter.
Over 42,000 sandbags and 4 pumps have been sent to the Iowa City
area. Officials believe that the Coralville Reservoir could top its
spillway and flood Iowa City by Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Projections from the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers show that the Saylorville Reservoir will crest about six
feet over the emergency spillway between Tuesday and Thursday.
But an additional emergency levy system put in after the 1993
floods will allow the reservoir to handle that much water. That's
according to Polk County emergency management coordinator A.J.
Mumm.
City and county officials spent today gathering information on
what pipes and valves will be affected if rainfall passes
projections. Officials are advising people living in low-lying
areas to move important records and belongings to higher levels as
a precaution.
The reservoir sits 14 miles upstream from the confluence of the
Raccoon and the Des Moines rivers in downtown Des Moines. It is
expected to crest at about 890 feet.
The lake's record level is 892 feet, set in July of 1993.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is
planning a study that would identify new gaming markets. The
commission wants to explore the possibility of issuing future
casino licenses.
The study will focus in part on Webster, Wapello, Franklin and
Tama counties, where voters have approved referenda allowing
gambling. Projects in those counties have not been granted state
gaming licenses allowing a casino to operate, however.
Storm Lake commissioner Diane Hamilton cautions that the
organization wants to avoid over-saturating the market.
Iowa Governor Chet Culver says that casino proposals in Fort
Dodge and Ottumwa should be the first in line to receive new gaming
licenses.

In Nebraska...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - West Omaha resident Paul Higgins says he's
convinced there were two tornadoes that swept through his
neighborhood early yesterday morning.
The 87-year-old cites his years of living in the "Tornado
Alley" states of Kansas and Nebraska.
Higgins says he was already awake when the first blast hit
sometime near 2:30 a.m.
As he went to check that his front storm door was closed, the
front door blew open and he was knocked down. He says rocks blew
into his house through the open front door, but he was not hurt.
Higgins says he and his wife got down to their basement as
another blast hit. Higgins was convinced that was a second twister.
His home sustained little damage, but across the street, a tree
lay against a house. The home next door was missing a roof.

UNDATED (AP) - Governor Dave Heineman was in west Omaha
yesterday morning to see the damage from the state's latest
tornado.
He says the damage is the most extensive he's seen in the past
10 days.
The governor compared the storm and its aftermath with the May
29th tornadoes that struck Kearney and Aurora in south-central
Nebraska.
He says the May 29th storms hit during the daytime, so people
had plenty of warning. But in the Omaha area early this morning,
people were still sleeping and had little, if any, warning.
Heineman says he is awaiting a formal request from local
authorities before seeking more state or federal aid.
He was accompanied this morning by a Federal Emergency
Management Agency official who had been in the state since May
30th.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Republican Senate candidate Mike Johanns
has released a 14-page document detailing his position on several
issues facing Nebraska.
The former agriculture secretary and Nebraska governor presented
the paper during a news conference yesterday in Lincoln. It
contains his views on agriculture, education, health care, illegal
immigration and same-sex marriage, among other things.
Johanns says he wants voters to know where he stands and what he
wants to accomplish in Washington.
Johanns will face Democrat Scott Kleeb in November for the
Senate seat being vacated by Republican Chuck Hagel, who's not
seeking a third term. Also running are Nebraska Green Party
candidate Steven Larrick and Nebraska Party candidate Kelly Renee
Rosberg.

In South Dakota...

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota State University report
says the average value of South Dakota's agricultural land in
February was 22.5 percent higher than a year earlier.
An economist says most of the people who participated in the
survey agreed the increases are directly related to booming markets
for corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops. The economist says
higher prices for corn, wheat and soybeans have boosted farm
income, putting pressure on ag land values and rental rates.
The study says cropland value and cash rental rates are the
highest they've been in the nearly two decades that SDSU
researchers have tracked ag real estate.
Statewide, the average value of all non-irrigated ag land was
$1,041 per acre in February, an 18-year high.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Applications will be accepted until July 1st
for a state program that provides annual refunds of sales or
property taxes to the disabled and eligible senior citizens in
South Dakota.
Refunds are based on income.
To be eligible for refunds, applicants must have been at least
66 years old by January 1st of this year or have been disabled
during any part of the year.
Applicants also must have been state residents in all of 2007.
The maximum 2007 income requirements were $10,250 for a
single-member household, and $13,250 for a multiple-member
household.
Refund applications are available from the Department of Revenue
and Regulation's Property and Special Taxes Division.