Fire officials in Council Bluffs say one person was listed in critical condition following a house fire Wednesday morning. Fire Chief Alan Byers says 77-year old James L. Rayburn, of Council Bluffs, accidentally started the fire at 3126 Avenue E, when he carelessly discarded smoking materials. Crews were dispatched to the home at around 10:17-a.m.  Byers says the first fire department units on the scene reported heavy smoke coming from the single-story structure. Rayburn, who had attempted to extinguish the flames before becoming overcome by the smoke, was found just inside an exterior door to the home. He was transported to Alegent-Creighton Health Medical Center by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue. He was later transferred to the burn unit at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, NE. Assistant Fire Chief Larry Wohlers said Rayburn suffered burns on his face, scalp and left arm.

Chief Byers said neighbors who saw smoke coming from the home called 911 and used a garden hose on the flames from outside the structure. Council Bluffs Police Officer Dean Sharp was the first responder to the scene. Sharp and the man who tried to fight the fire, tried to enter the home by breaking out some door glass, but Rayburn’s body blocked their entry. By that time, firefighters had arrived on the scene.

Fire Chief Alan Byers said the incident should serve as as reminder to people not to try to put out a fire on their own. He said “We ask that everyone be reminded of the need to evacuate when you have a fire and to call 911 from a safe place.” Byers said also, that there were no working smoke detectors in the home. Council Bluffs residents who wish to have a smoke detector checked or have detectors installed can call the Fire Department at (712) 328-4672. Byers said detectors will be installed free of charge.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reported Wednesday, numerous people had been arrested during the past week. On Monday, a homeless man, 52-year old Joseph Holeton, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Mills County Jail on $300 bond. And, 40-year old Kenneth B. McDonald, of Glenwood, was arrested for Violation of his Probation. His bond was set at $10,000.

On Sunday, deputies in Mills County arrested 36-year old Lee Alfred Miles, of Glenwood, on a charge of OWI/1st Offense. Bond was ste at $1,000. Taken into custody last Saturday, was: 38-year old Kevin Dewitte Booker, who was arrested on a warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $500; and, 23-year old John Bradley Fitch, of Omaha, who was arrested on Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia charges. His bond was set at $1,300.

And, two men were taken into custody last Friday in Mills County. Officials say 40-year old Nathan Jacob Morris, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a warrant charging him with 5 counts of Burglary in the 3rd degree. Bond was set at $25,000. Also arrested was 18-year old Robert James Bailey, of Omaha, for being a Fugitive From Justice. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond.

The Iowa Republican Party held its annual fall fundraising dinner last night (Wednesday) on the state fairgrounds, with dire warnings from Iowa’s two Republican congressmen about the country’s future should Democrats win in November. Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Kiron, told the crowd the country is “under siege” from the left.  “They will float us off the fiscal waterfall into the situation like Greece without any reservations whatsoever because they believe they will get power in the chaos that would ensue from an American economic collapse,” King said. “That’s why. They’re about power.”

Congressman Tom Latham, a Republican from Clive, made a similar pitch to the G-O-P crowd. “Do all of you believe, like I do, in your heart and your mind and your soul that if we don’t have change we are going to lose this country?” Latham asked, and the crowd applauded. “Our very freedoms, our liberties are at stake.” Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus agreed that Republicans are worried “for the future of this country” if President Obama wins a second term. “I don’t know about you, but are you ready to fire Barack Obama and save America?” Priebus asked the crowd. “Are you ready to win?” The crowd responded in unison with a “yes.”

The evening’s keynote speaker was Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who reminded the audience that both Iowa and Virginia are now among the seven so-called “swing” states that could determine the outcome of the presidential race. He urged the party activists to write one more check and make one more phone call than they’d planned, to help push Romney across the finish line ahead of Obama. “So here’s the deal: You win Iowa. I win Virginia and we’ll have a celebration on November 6th,” McDonnell said. “Deal?” Iowa’s governor, Republican Terry Branstad, did not attend last night’s Iowa G-O-P fundraiser in Des Moines, choosing to attend Romney’s rally in Cedar Rapids instead.

(Radio Iowa)

The drivers of two vehicles were injured during separate crashes Wednesday evening, in Pottawattamie County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, at around 6:15-p.m., a 1986 Chevy Camaro driven by 52-year old Curtis Lee Fletcher, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on Interstate 680. As the vehicle was about to enter I-29, it went off onto the shoulder and into the gravel. When Fletcher over corrected, the car came back onto the road and went out of control. It skidded sideways into the west ditch before rolling onto its top. Fletcher, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected from the car, but remained trapped, and had to be freed by mechanical means. He was transported by Crescent Rescue to Creighton Hospital in Omaha, for treatment of a broken neck and ribs. The Patrol says although alcohol was found in the car, Fletcher refused a chemical test for OWI.

The second accident happened at around 7-p.m. Wednesday, on I-29, near Council Bluffs. The State Patrol says 64-year old Patricia Chillingworth, of Fremont, NE, was traveling southbound, when the 2003 Chevy Tracker she was driving hit a large, unidentified object on the road. Chillingworth was injured during the incident, and transported by Council Bluffs Rescue to Mercy Hospital. A passenger in her car was not injured, and refused medical treatment.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press