February Starts With Lots of Snowfall
February started out wet with several inches of snowfall and precipitation for the Raccoon Valley area.
According to the National Weather Service, Perry received eight inches of snow this week and 0.93 inch of precipitation. Jefferson saw 7.5 inches of snow and only 0.84 inch of precipitation, while Guthrie Center had 7 inches of snow and 0.3 inch of precipitation.
Our listening area generally sees between 5.1 and 7.4 inches of snowfall for February and 0.8 to 1.5 inches of precipitation for the month.
The weekend forecast is calling for only a slight chance of more snowfall.
Road Closures and Traffic Pattern Impacts for Saturday’s Bike Ride to Rippey
If you’re going to be in Perry Saturday, it’s important to note that there will be some extra traffic on both two and four wheels.
The 39th Annual Bike Ride to Rippey starts in the morning and will have an impact on traffic patterns.
“The only road closures actually will be from about 9:30 until about 10:20. So basically we’re going to shut down the corner of 2nd (Street) and Willis (Avenue). We’ll barricade at 1st Street and 3rd Street and then south on Railroad (Street) just for the mass start. You’ll notice that because there’s going to be all these bikers in the middle of the road. Please keep your car away from that area, we will open it back up as soon as we feel everyone has come through but that doesn’t mean people won’t ride throughout the day as well.”
That’s Bob Wilson with the Perry Chamber who says all riders are encouraged to head back to Perry from Rippey by around 2pm Saturday for safety reasons.
Additionally, anyone coming to Perry for the conference wrestling tournament Saturday is encouraged to avoid Highway 144 if possible and instead head south on Highway 4 to Highway 141.
Perry High School Students Selected for ISU Honor Band
Four Perry High School students will participate in the Iowa State University Honor Band this weekend.
Breanna Peneger, Morgan Holstrom, Edwardo Medina and Alonzo Lumbreras were selected to take part in the two-day festival this Friday and Saturday.
The band will rehearse together and then perform a large, public concert Saturday at 3pm at Stephens Auditorium.
Anyone wanting to attend the concert can purchase tickets for $10 for adults, $5 for children, students and seniors.
Rubio and Clinton Are Victorious in Dallas County Caucuses
Dallas County caucus results are in and it’s Rubio and Clinton who are victorious.
According to the Iowa Republican Party, in Dallas County Marco Rubio received 2,469 votes for 33.9 percent of the vote. In second place was Ted Cruz with 1,691 votes and 23.2 percent, followed by Donald Trump with 1,510 votes and 20.7 percent. Rounding out the race for the Republicans was Ben Carson with 6.7 percent, Rand Paul with 3.8 percent, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush both with 2.9 percent, John Kasich with 2.3 percent and Carly Fiorina with 1.8 percent.
According to the Iowa Democratic Party, Hilary Clinton received 60.1 percent of the vote, followed by Bernie Sanders with 39.5 percent in Dallas County.
Statewide, the Democratic race is tight with Clinton up slightly by around one-half of a percent. Ted Cruz was victorious overall in Iowa with 27.7 percent, followed by Trump and then Rubio.
CDC Issues Travel Warnings Due to Cases of the Zika Virus
Those planning to travel to central or South America may want to reconsider as the Center for Disease Control has issued a level two alert to practice enhanced precautions in response to cases of the Zika virus.
The virus is spread to people through mosquito bites and symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.
Dallas County Public Health Program Director Lisa Anderson says only around 20 percent of people who are infected show symptoms.
“If you have the virus in your bloodstream and you come home and get bit by a mosquito that mosquito can give it to another person, if it bikes another person. Also, the CDC has confirmed that one case of the Zika virus was transmitted sexually and there have been two cases confirmed through blood transfusions in the other countries, like Brazil.”
Though symptoms usually last only a few days and hospitalization is uncommon, the Zika virus is being linked to severe birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes. Because of this, the CDC recommends women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant consider postponing travel to areas where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
More information can be found HERE.