Nebraska

Major ice storm closes roads in Iowa, Nebraska; tornado warning in San Francisco

Published

1 year ago

December 14, 2024

Major ice storm closes roads in Iowa, Nebraska; tornado warning in San Francisco

A major ice storm created treacherous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska this weekend and prompted temporary closures of Interstate 80 after numerous cars and trucks slid off the road.

Many events were cancelled across the region when the storm hit on Friday evening, and businesses announced plans to open late on Saturday as officials urged people to stay home if possible. Temperatures rose high enough in the afternoon to melt the ice in most places, however.

“Luckily some warmer air is moving in behind this to make it temporary,” said Dave Cousins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Davenport, Iowa.

At least one person died in a crash caused by the icy roads in eastern Nebraska. The Washington County Sheriff’s office said a 57-year-old woman died after she lost control of her pickup on Highway 30 near Arlington and hit an oncoming truck. The other driver sustained minor injuries.

Elsewhere, a storm and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (96 kph) prompted the first tornado warning in San Francisco and caused some damage. Parts of neighbouring San Mateo County were also included in the warning, which went out at 5:51 am to about 1 million people and was lifted about 20 minutes later.

Later Saturday, a tornado touched down near a shopping mall in Scotts Valley, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of San Francisco, overturning cars and toppling trees and utility poles, the National Weather Service said.

“Based on video, photos, firsthand accounts, and radar signatures a tornado occurred (at) 1:40 PM,” the service said, adding that a team will investigate and provide a ranking.

Images uploaded to social media showed at least three vehicles on their hood or side, with their windshields smashed and trees and power lines on the ground.

Several people were injured and taken to hospitals, the Scotts Valley Police Department said.

“The tornado has caused extensive damage in several areas, including overturning several vehicles in and around the shopping district on Mt. Hermon Drive,” the department said in a statement. It asked people to avoid the area.

One of those injured was a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, KSBW-TV reported.

In San Francisco, some trees toppled onto cars and streets and damaged roofs. The city has not seen a tornado since 2005, according to the Weather Service. The damage was being assessed to determine if the city was indeed hit by a tornado.

“This was the first ever warning for a possible tornado in San Francisco. I would guess there wasn’t a clear signature on radar for a warning in 2005,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist in the Weather Service’s Monterey, California. He said he was not there in 2005.

The fast-moving storm prompted warnings for residents to take shelter, but few people have basements in the area.

“The biggest thing that we tell people in the city is to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible,” Meteorologist Dalton Behringer said.

In upstate New York, people were digging out after heavy snow fell. More than 33 inches (84 centimeters) was reported near Orchard Park, where residents are used to dealing with lake-effect snow this time of year.

And in Nevada, up to 3 feet (91 centimeters) of snow was forecast for Sierra Nevada mountaintops. More than a foot (30 cm) fell at some Lake Tahoe ski resorts, and a 112-mph (181-kph) gust of wind was recorded at the Mammoth Mountain resort south of Yosemite National Park, according to the National Weather Service’s Reno office.

A winter storm warning was set to expire at 10 pm on Saturday, but an avalanche warning remained in effect into the following night for elevations above 8,000 feet (about 2,400 meters) around Tahoe.

Interstate 80 was closed along an 80-mile (130-kilometer) stretch from Applegate, California, to the Nevada line just west of Reno, where rain was falling, and a winter weather advisory was in effect through the afternoon. The California Highway Patrol reopened the road in the afternoon for passenger vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive and snow tires, though it remained closed to semitrailer trucks.

In western Washington, tens of thousands of people lost electricity on Saturday, local news outlets reported, amid a system that brought rain and gusty winds.

Published On:

Dec 15, 2024

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Nebraska

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appoints Antonio Gomez to Racing and Gaming Commission

Published

11 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appoints Antonio Gomez to Racing and Gaming Commission

LINCOLN, Neb — Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Antonio Gomez of Jackson to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, adding a longtime Siouxland business leader and public servant to the panel.

Commission members serve four-year terms and are subject to approval by the Nebraska Legislature.

Gomez launched Gomez Pallets in South Sioux City in 1983. He has since retired from daily operations, but last year the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce recognized him with the W. Edwards Deming Business Leadership and Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

Gomez previously served on the Nebraska Commission on Latino Americans from 1981 to 2002. He also served as a Dakota County commissioner for 12 years and was on the Foundation Board for Northeast Community College.

Gomez’s appointment is effective April 1.

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Nebraska

CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16

Published

23 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. This is the Huskers’ first Sweet 16 in program history, while Iowa is playing in its first Sweet 16 since 1999.

Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt 74-72 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa advanced after beating the defending national champion, the Florida Gators, 73-72.

CBS Sports reporter Isaac Trotter broke down Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup. Trotter started by looking at the two previous matchups in this series.

These teams have played twice. Iowa won at home in a 57-52 rockfight. Nebraska returned the favor by winning at home, 84-75 in overtime, in another to-the-death brawl.

It’s no secret that Nebraska’s defense caused significant problems for the Iowa offense in the second game, and if the Hawkeyes are going to win the rubber match, Trotter believes that turnovers will be the key.

There are no secrets in the rubber match. Nebraska’s no-middle defense has given Iowa real problems both times. The Hawkeyes turned it over 20% of the time in Game 1 and 26% of the time in Game 2. That can’t happen in the third encounter.

CBS Sports believes that Iowa has the best player on the floor in Bennett Stirtz, but Trotter also believes that Nebraska’s defense is just too much in the end for Iowa.

Iowa has the best player on the floor, Bennett Stirtz, and can hurt Nebraska on the glass, but the Huskers get the nod because of this pick-and-roll defense. You have to be able to guard ball screens effectively to shut down Iowa, and Nebraska has been an elite pick-and-roll defense, rating in the 99th percentile nationally, per Synergy.

In the end, Trotter selected Nebraska as his pick. Should the Huskers advance to the Elite Eight, Nebraska would play the winner of the Illinois-Houston game. Nebraska-Iowa play in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT on TBS.

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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16

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Nebraska

Protect Colorado agriculture — do the homework on Nebraska canal plan (Letters)

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Protect Colorado agriculture — do the homework on Nebraska canal plan (Letters)

We need to do our homework on Nebraska canal plan

Re: “Colorado’s water war with Nebraska comes to a head,” Sept. 21 news story

Farming in northeastern Colorado has never been easy, and it is getting harder. Markets are tough, input costs are up, and young people are leaving. What keeps communities in Northeastern Colorado going is agriculture, the water, the ground, and the community that ties everything together. The proposed Perkins County Canal — to carry South Platte River water into Nebraska — threatens all of it.

When you take water off farmland, the damage does not stop in crop yields. Equipment dealers, elevators, local banks, and businesses all feel it. Schools and roads will suffer. We have seen what happens to towns that lose their agricultural base, and we cannot let that happen again without a real fight.

That fight needs to be a regional one. I am asking communities across northeastern Colorado to come together and hire an independent economic consultant to assess the true local impact of this project (acres affected, jobs at risk, income lost, tax base eroded).

The Corps of Engineers will do its own analysis, but we need our own numbers. If their conclusions do not match what our communities are actually facing, we need the documentation to say so and demand they take another look.

Rural communities have always figured out how to help each other when it counts. This is one of those times. I urge local officials, water boards, farm bureaus, and civic leaders to set aside any differences and work together on this. The permit process will not wait, and neither can we.

Kimberly L. Kinnison, Ovid

Don’t let our children be ‘policy pawns’

Re: “District accused of violating Title IX,” March 14 news story

The Trump administration seems intent on the persecution of transgender children, excluding them from bathrooms, sports and school activities. Refusing to allow transgender children to participate in school in a manner consistent with their gender identity promotes the exclusion of particularly vulnerable children.

Participation in sports, access to bathrooms in which they feel comfortable, and full inclusion are critical components of healthy development for all children.

Some children are taller, faster, or stronger, have been training with private coaches or attending schools with better facilities, but the requirement of biological uniformity applies only to transgender children.

Exclusion harms children. Is this in dispute? Our children are not political pawns.

Jane Cates, Jefferson County

Don’t forget the Denver Chamber Music Festival

Re: “Classical blast,” March 15 feature story

Thanks to Ray Rinaldi for a terrific article about classical music festivals in the mountains this summer. I’d like to add one, and it’s right here in town: the Denver Chamber Music Festival from June 5 to June 13. World-class musicians, including the amazing classical/bluegrass violinist Tessa Lark, our first composer in residence, and local favorites Stephanie Cheng and Margaret Dyer Harris, and the members of the Colorado Cello Quartet.

All performances are at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts; tickets available at denverchambermusicfestival.org. Avoid Interstate 70 and enjoy phenomenal music in Denver!

Alix Corboy, Denver

Editor’s note: Corboy is executive director of the Denver Chamber Music Festival

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