The driver of a cement truck was transported to a hospital in Omaha Wednesday afternoon, after the vehicle blew a tire, went out of control and rolled onto its side before coming to rest partially in a ditch. The accident happened at around 2:30-p.m. on southbound Interstate 29, just north of Highway 370. The Iowa State Patrol told the Daily NonPareil the female driver the of truck suffered unknown, possibly critical, injuries, and had to be  extricated from the vehicle before being transported to Alegent Creighton University Medical Center by Lewis Township Fire & Rescue Department.

Rescue units from Glenwood, Lewis Township and Pacific Junction and a medical helicopter were called to the scene. Access to southbound I-29 from I-80 was shut down for about 2-hours following the crash.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad says the state will reject bids for the Iowa Communications Network. Branstad said yesterday that the bids for the statewide fiber-optic network do not reflect the value of the system. Both bids came from the West Des Moines-based Iowa Network Services.

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — The North Liberty City Council has taken the second step toward allowing residents to keep chickens in their backyards. The Iowa City Press-Citizen says the council voted 3-2 Tuesday for the proposed ordinance, after making some changes to it. A third approval is required before the ordinance can go into effect. Permit holders would have to complete an approved class in raising chickens.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Des Moines are investigating a fatal collision involving the drivers of a motorcycle and SUV. Police say the crash happened yesterday morning at the intersection of 9th Street and Hickman Road in Des Moines. Fifty-seven-year-old Nicholas Otto of Urbandale died from his injuries.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa City man has been accused of striking a child inside his neighbor’s home. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports the incident occurred about 6 p.m. Sunday. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Juan Canizalez-Perez barged into the home without permission and hit the child on an arm. Johnson County Jail records say Canizalez-Perez remained in custody yesterday.

A teen from Madison County who was injured during a rollover crash the night of August 13th, has died from his injuries. According to the McCalley Funeral Home in Adel, 16-year old Devin Ray Umbaugh, of the Adel/Winterset area, died Sunday at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.

Umbaugh was driving a 1993 Jeep Wrangler at around 10:25-p.m. Aug. 13th, when the SUV went out of control on a 90-degree bend on a gravel road near the intersection of South 15th Street and Meadow Drive. The vehicle entered the ditch and landed on its side. The teen, who would have been a junior this year at the ADM High School, was not wearing a seat belt.

Funeral services for Devin Umbaugh will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, at the ADM High School in Adel.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer late Wednesday afternoon, released additional details about the escape of two teens earlier in the day, and the related theft of a pickup. Palmer says at around 11:19-a.m., his office received a call from Merle Mellencamp, of 1898 Quince Avenue. The man reported his white, 2008 Ford F-250 standard cab pickup with a black grill guard, had been stolen from his farm yard within the previous 15-minutes. The keys had been in the vehicle, and the tank full of gas.

As deputies were enroute to Mellencamp’s residence, the Sheriff’s Office called the Clarinda Academy to inquire about any run-a ways that had not been reported. Official at the Academy called back later to say they had two missing females. The 14-year olds were identified as Taylor Kay Dalton, of Nevada (IA), and Jasmime Lacy Nall, of Lake Isabella, CA.

While a stolen vehicle report was being taken, law enforcement officers across southwest Iowa were notified about both the stolen pickup and the missing females. Less than an hour from when the vehicle was first reported stolen, it along with the two teenaged girls were located in Union County, near Afton.