A 45-year old auctioneer from Atlantic arrested last weekend on a Class-D Felony charge of Willful Injury Causing Bodily Injury, and a Serious Misdemeanor charge of Domestic Abuse Assault Causing Bodily Injury/Mental Illness, was released from the Cass County Jail Thursday, on $6,000 bond. According to online court records, Rex Dean McDermott is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing, on October 23^rd.

McDermott was arrested October 15^th, following an incident which allegedly occurred at R&B Feeds in Atlantic.

Officials with Travel Iowa say the Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa presented 12 awards recognizing excellence in the tourism industry during the 2012 Iowa Tourism Conference Thursday night. Among the award recipients, was the Manning Hausbarn/Heritage Park in Manning, which won for having an “Outstanding Niche Marketing Campaign,” and, the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau, which picked up the “People’s Choice Award,” during a vote by the conference attendees.

The annual Iowa Tourism Conference brings together more than 250 industry representatives from across the state to network, attend educational sessions and discuss emerging industry trends.

Tourism in Iowa generates more than $7 billion in expenditures, employs 63,400 people statewide and generates $328 million in state taxes. The Iowa Tourism Office is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. For more information about Iowa tourism, visit www.traveliowa.com, call 800.345.IOWA or stop at any Iowa Welcome Center.

A new report from a motor club finds teen drivers in Iowa are much more likely to be involved in deadly crashes if they have another teen riding along in the car. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the statistics from 2005 to 2010 are startling and emphasize the need for more training and discipline for younger drivers. “The prevalence of risky behaviors generally grew for 16 and 17-year-old drivers as the number of teen passengers increased,” White says. “Among 16 and 17-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes, it showed the prevalence of speeding increased from 30% to 44% just with another additional passenger in the vehicle.”

The study found the risk of death doubled with two teen passengers and quadrupled with three or more passengers. White says about one-third of all fatal crashes are caused by speeding, but for teen drivers, it’s nearly half. “Drivers aged 16 to 17 are involved in about seven times as many crashes per mile driven compared to drivers in their 40s, 50s or 60s,” she says.

In Iowa, teens between the ages of 14 and 19 have a higher death rate in crashes than any other age group. White urges Iowa parents to get involved in the driving process, especially during the early driving years, and to restrict the number of passengers allowed inside the vehicle. “In 2011, teenage drivers were involved in 21-percent of all crashes while only representing 7.3-percent of the driving population,” White says.

The study found teen drivers were also involved in 25-percent of all nighttime crashes, while in accidents where speeding was a factor, they were involved in 33-percent of all crashes. This is National Teen Driver Safety Week.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – An index of economic conditions in 10 Midwest and Western states jumped this month after three months of drought-induced doldrums.  The Rural Mainstreet survey of rural bankers rose to 56.6 for October from 48.3 in September. It was the first time since June that the index rose above growth neutral 50.  Survey organizers say any score above 50 on the 100-point scale suggests the economy will grow in the months ahead.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the effects of the drought are being more than offset by high incomes from high agriculture and energy prices. The survey covers Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.