KWIT: Regional News for 6/10 (2008-06-10)

In Iowa...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Chet Culver has declared eight more
counties as disaster areas because of recent storms and flooding.
The counties included in Monday's announcement are Mitchell,
Clayton, Kossuth, Wright, Hamilton, Bremer, Linn and Iowa.
The declaration activates the state's individual disaster
assistance program, which helps low-income Iowans recover from
flood damage.
Iowans with household incomes of up to 130 percent of federal
poverty guidelines may apply for a grant of up to $3,300.
Monday's declaration raises the number of counties declared as
state disaster areas to 39.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a
250-mile stretch of the Mississippi River is expected to close
later this week because of flooding.
That will bring barge traffic to a halt.
The corps plans to close locks and dams from Fulton, Illinois to
Clarksville, Missouri possibly as early as Thursday.
A spokesman says the closure could last up to two weeks.
The only lock and dam in that stretch of the river that won't be
affected is at Keokuk, Iowa, because the gates are high enough that
they shouldn't be affected, he said.
Industry officials say the closing will stop barges carrying
everything from grain and coal to steel and fertilizer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Opponents of a program that pays grocery
stores to handle food stamp debit cards took their case to a
legislative committee yesterday (Monday).
It was another in a four-year effort to change the way Iowa
handles processing of the cards, but grocery store representatives
countered that "there is no free lunch" and somebody must pay the
tab.
Lawmakers haven't been able to resolve the issue in the past,
and members of the Legislature's government oversight committee
didn't seem near a resolution.
Representative Wayne Ford, a Des Moines Democrat, says he
doesn't think he's ever seen so much fighting over Food Stamps andd
poor people.
At the center of the fight was a change made in 2003 to replace
paper food stamp coupons with an electronic card similar to a bank
or credit card.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) - A historic bridge that was a landmark
in Charles City has collapsed under pressure from high rushing
flood waters.
The suspension walking bridge collapsed around 11:05 p.m. Sunday
night. It was a landmark in Charles City. The bridge, which was
built in 1906, is also listed on the National Registry of Historic
Places.
The high rushing water came from the Cedar River, which has
flooded after a weekend of heavy rain in the area. No one was
injured in the collapse of the bridge.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Researchers predict a "dead zone" of
oxygen-depleted waters off the Louisiana and Texas could grow this
summer to 10,084 square miles, making it the largest such expanse
in at least 23 years.
If the preliminary forecast holds, the researchers say, the size
of the so-called "dead zone" would be 17-21 percent larger than
at anytime since the mapping began in 1985 - and about as large as
the state of Massachusetts. Another forecast is planned next month.
Researchers say the largest dead zone measured was 8,894 square
miles in 2002. It was about 7,900 square miles last year.
Many scientists believe the nation's corn crop is partly
responsible for the dead-zone, which is caused, in part, by
nitrogen that enters the Mississippi River as runoff. Nitrogen is a
key ingredient in corn and soybean fertilizer.

In Nebraska...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A top U.S. Veterans Affairs official says
Omaha's aging veterans hospital obviously needs work. But it's not
yet clear whether that means building a new facility or upgrades to
the old one.
VA Secretary James Peake toured the Omaha VA Medical Center
yesterday with Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and Republican
Rep. Lee Terry.
The three praised the care provided. But they say the
57-year-old facility has underlying structural problems such as
rusty pipes and an outdated air-handling system.
The VA Nebraska-Western Iowa system serves more than 172,00
veterans in Nebraska and the surrounding area.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Billionaire Warren Buffett has wagered
roughly $320,000 of his own money that the S&P 500 will outperform
a collection of hedge funds.
The bet covers a decade and says that all the fees, costs and
expenses must be included.
Buffett's bet with the money managers who own Protege Partners
LLC is spelled out on the Long Bets Web site. That group will hold
the wager until the bet concludes at the end of 2017.
The specifics of the wager were first reported online yesterday
by Fortune magazine. The wager is invested in a bond so that the
winner will be able to donate $1 million to a charity at the end.
Buffett has long been critical of the high fees that hedge funds
charge investors. Now he's backing that opinion with this bet.

DUNNING, Neb. (AP) - The weather may be iffy, but about 600
bicyclists participating in this year's Bike Ride Across Nebraska
seem determined to keep on truckin'.
The weeklong bike ride got underway Sunday in Callaway in soggy
conditions, following overnight storms, before breaking in Dunning.
Fred Jalass has participated in the ride in some way each year
since 1986. He says BRAN participants are used to bad weather.
There was a tornado when the group camped in Loup City in 1997.
Two year before, cyclists rode through a June snowstorm, emptying
hardware stores of gloves between Creighton and Ponca.
The event this year has drawn participants from across Nebraska,
Alabama, Texas and Missouri, and as far away as Canada.
The ride ends Saturday in Yutan, after cyclists make the 454
mile trek throughout the eastern part of the state.

In South Dakota...

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Settlements have been reached in the first
trials scheduled in TransCanada Keystone's use of eminent domain to
gain access to private land along its oil pipeline in eastern South
Dakota.
A series of cases have been set for trial to determine
compensation when the pipeline crosses private land. The settlement
covers the first cases that were scheduled to go to trial
yesterday.
A circuit judge last month ruled TransCanada could use eminent
domain in disputes over access to land for the pipeline in Marshall
and Day counties. The next step could be a series of trials to set
the values of easements across private property.
Jeff Rauh (ROW) of TransCanada Keystone says the company is
working to resolve issues with all landowners. He says he doesn't
know if trials will be held in some cases.
The company is building a pipeline designed to deliver 590,000
barrels of oil a day from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in
Oklahoma and Illinois.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The Agricultural Statistics Service
says widespread rain across the state is hampering farmers'
planting efforts.
The latest crop report notes just two days suitable for field
work during the past week.
South Dakota's corn crop is now 95 percent planted, just inching
up from 93 percent. Corn emerged is estimated at 77 percent
complete, which is 17 percentage points below the 5-year average.
The soybean crop is 79 percent planted and 35 percent emerged.
The rain has helped topsoil moisture, which jumped 21 percent in
the surplus category. Only 2 percent of the state is now rated as
short or very short of topsoil moisture.
Subsoil moisture also saw a large jump.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - An advance team from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency has arrived in South Dakota to assess
damage from recent flooding.
Many rivers and streams in the southern two-thirds of the state
are well over their banks from recent heavy storms.
The FEMA team will provide technical assistance and help
determine if damage meets criteria for federal assistance.
Gov. Mike Rounds can then determine if he wants to make a formal
request to the White House for help.
FEMA External Affairs Officer Ron Roth says he's not sure how
long the process will take but the damage is widespread.
Roth says those needing assistance should contact their county
emergency manager.

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) - A National Weather Service meteorologist
says South Dakota is set up in a weather system that is favorable
for continued heavy rains.
Phillip Schumacher says the state is in a pattern that's been
bringing warm and moist air northward across the plains and into
South Dakota.
The pattern has been bringing storm systems every three days or
so, and Schumacher says the next week or so will probably bring
more severe storms to the state.
Gov. Mike Rounds over the weekend declared the entire state a
disaster area because of widespread flooding. Agencies have been
assessing flood damage and helping with response and recovery
efforts.