Extra Law Enforcement Patrols Out This Weekend
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick off to summer for many and a busy travel time across the country. Those driving this weekend are reminded of the traffic laws, as there will be extra law enforcement out on the roads.
The Perry Police Department is just one of many agencies participating in the current Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau special Traffic Enforcement Wave.
Now through June 1st, law enforcement departments are utilizing special grant funds to have extra patrols on the streets participating in the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign.
STEP waves are aim to save lives and reduce serious injury crashes during the especially busy holiday weekends.
Last year, three people died in traffic accidents in Iowa during the Memorial Day weekend, two of which included alcohol.
Drivers are also reminded of the importance of driving sober and having a designated driver when necessary.
The next sTEP wave will be around the 4th of July holiday.
Dallas County Auditor’s Office Open Extra Saturday Hours
Those looking to vote via absentee for the upcoming primary election are running out of time.
Absentee ballots need to be requested in writing by 5pm Friday, May 30th.
The Dallas County Auditor’s office will be open special, additional hours this weekend and next to allow area voters to complete their absentee ballots.
Eligible voters can stop by the office this Saturday and next between 8am and 5pm, or during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm.
All mailed absentee ballots need to be postmarked by midnight June 2nd.
The primary election takes place Tuesday, June 3rd. If you have questions, call the Dallas County Auditor’s office at 993-6914.
Perry Police Continue to Look for Female Subject
We now have a bit more information on why the Perry Police Department is looking for the public’s help to identify a person of interest.
Chief Eric Vaughn tells Raccoon Valley Radio they’re looking for a shorter, Hispanic female who was last seen in the area of 5th and Paul Streets just before 3pm Wednesday. The woman had her hair pulled back and was last seen wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt and carrying a soccer ball, though conflicting reports from witnesses say she may have also been wearing jeans or a pink skirt of some type.
Chief Vaughn says around 3:13pm a report came in that this female had approached a child as they were coming home from school. The female attempted to speak to the child but due to a language barrier the juvenile could not understand what the female was saying.
As the child went into her residence and shut the door the unknown female followed her to the entrance and damaged the screen on the door. She was last seen heading southbound from that area.
Vaughn says there are no charges against the female at this time, police are simply looking to speak with her about the incident.
Anyone with information about this person is asked to call the Perry Police Department at 465-4636.
Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.
Significant Unemployment Changes in April
April was a month for some major improvement in the Raccoon River Valley in terms of jobs.
All three of our primary counties saw significant improvement in unemployment figures last month.
According to Iowa Workforce Development, Dallas County’s unemployment rate dropped half a percentage in April to 3.4 percent. Greene County saw an eight-tenths of a percent drop last month to 3.6 percent overall and Guthrie County’s unemployment rate dropped two whole percent in April to 3.9 percent.
In comparison, Dallas County’s April 2013 unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, Greene’s was 4.6 percent and Guthrie’s was 5.4 percent.
The number of Iowans without a job also dropped in April, down two-tenths of a percent to 4.3. While the national unemployment rate dropped to 6.3 percent.
No Change in the Drought Conditions This Week
Drought conditions in the Raccoon River Valley area remain the same as last week, ranging from normal to moderate drought.
This week’s storms did help our precipitation totals for the month though.
While the last couple weeks may have felt wet, all three of our weather reporting stations in the area show we’re more than 2 inches behind our normal monthly rainfall amounts with just over a week left to go in May.
According to the National Weather Service, Perry received 0.72 inches of rain this week, bringing the total amount to 2.25 inches so far this month.
Jefferson received 0.32 inches of rain, adding to their total of 3.45 inches in May.
And data from this week’s thunderstorms in Guthrie Center are missing. The latest report shows they’ve registered 2.68 inches so far.
All three areas typically get between approximately 4.5 and 5 inches of rain during the month of May.