From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
GILMORE CITY, Iowa (AP) – The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado hit near Gilmore City in north-central Iowa as a strong line of storms moved across the state Tuesday night into Wednesday. Weather service meteorologist Rod Donavon in Des Moines said Wednesday that the tornado was confirmed by a trained spotter southwest of the small town of Gilmore City and tracked several miles to the northeast. Donavon says up to 10 tornadoes were reported across mostly the northern half of the state as the storms moved through, but only ones near Logan in western Iowa and near Stacyville and St. Ansgar in northeastern Iowa have been confirmed. There have been no reports of serious injuries with the storms. (Image courtesy KCCI)
SALADO, Texas (AP) – Nearly two dozen people were injured when tornadoes swept through central Texas as part of a storm system that’s expected to spawn more twisters and damaging winds. The storms caused widespread damage Tuesday in Salado, about 50 miles north of Austin. Bell County Judge David Blackburn, the county’s top elected official, said 23 people were injured, one of them critically. Forecasters say hurricane-force winds, intense tornadoes and large hail are possible in Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana and Alabama. Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, are among the cities that could see the worst weather Wednesday. Elsewhere, the North Dakota Capitol, schools, government offices and interstates were closed Wednesday due to a blizzard.
Last year, Congress pledged $3.5 billion to carbon capture and sequestration projects around the United States, which has been called the largest federal investment ever by advocates for the technology. Advocates say that the technology is much needed if the world hopes to transition away from fossil fuels, and the United Nations’ top scientists say it could be part of the solution. But environmental justice advocates and residents of legacy pollution communities are wary of the technology, with many calling it a “false solution.”
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden says his administration will suspend a federal rule that bars higher levels of ethanol in gasoline during the summer. The move is intended to tamp down prices at the pump that have spiked during Russia’s war with Ukraine. Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. At Biden’s direction, the Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow widespread sale of 15% ethanol blend that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures. Officials said the move would save drivers up to 10 cents per gallon at 2,300 gas stations that sell E15, as the high-blend ethanol is known.
LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – A former Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputy has pleaded guilty to 11 charges alleging he stole drugs from homes, the department and from pharmacies. Forty-three-year-old Aaron Leusink, of Le Mars, pleaded guilty as his trial was scheduled to start on Tuesday. Investigators alleged Leusink stole prescription drugs from homes while he was enforcing search warrants and took pills that were collected as evidence. He also was accused of committing several burglaries at five Plymouth County pharmacies dating back to 2017. The investigation began after video from Leusink’s body camera showed him taking prescription drugs from a rural Le Mars home. He will be sentenced June 10.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate because she didn’t gather enough petition signatures, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party’s best chance to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Judge Scott Beattie filed a ruling Sunday that overturned a decision by a three-member panel of state elected officials. The panel concluded last week that Finkenauer’s campaign had substantially complied with Iowa law requiring at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties. But Beattie said the law requires each signature be accompanied by the date and some of Finkenauer’s petition signatures didn’t comply. Finkenauer might appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.
