An American Red Cross chapter serving eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa is accepting nominations for the 2012 Heroes in the Heartland event.

These awards honor individuals from 30 counties in northeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa and the Omaha area who have saved another person’s life during the past year or who have positively impacted the quality of life in the Heartland Area in other ways.

Past honorees have ranged in age from 9 to 92 and have represented all walks of life and almost every conceivable circumstance.

The categories of awards given are Lifetime Hero, Good Samaritan, Call to Action, Commitment to Community, Disaster Relief and Public Servant Hero.

Nominations must be turned in to the Heartland Chapter in Omaha by Nov. 4. The awards will be presented on March 14.

–AP

A crash in Ringgold County has led to the death of a Mount Ayr man over the weekend. Konner Evan Klommhous of Mount Ayr was pronounced dead at the scene of the one vehicle incident over the weekend.

Another man involved in the incident sustained serious injuries. Erik Joseph Freed of Redding was transported to Ringgold County Hospital and then flown to Iowa Methodist in Des Moines.

No other details are available as the incident remains under investigation.

A collision between a car and a semi Sunday afternoon resulted in the death of a Carroll County woman. The Iowa State Patrol says 83-year old Irene Kathryn Klahn, of Carroll died, when her 2002 Buick Century crossed the center line of Highway 71 and collided with a semi tractor trailer. The accident happened about 3 miles north of Exira, as Klahn was traveling north on 71. The Patrol says the driver of the semi, 42-year old Michael Miller, of Buckeye, Az, swerved onto the shoulder of the road to avoid the crash, but the car hit the semi neat its fuel tank. The car then spun around and ended up on the east shoulder. The semi came to rest in the west ditch. Klahn, who was wearing a seatbelt, died at the Audubon County Memorial Hospital. The accident remains under investigation.

The final list of candidates to file for City offices in Red Oak have been announced, following the 5-p.m. Thursday deadline to return nomination papers. In Red Oak,  five candidates are in the running for mayor: Bill Billings, Junior, Larry Brandstetter, Bill Haufle, James A. Johnson and Jeff VanScoy.

Incumbent Mayor Ted Schoonover had announced earlier this year he would not be seeking reelection, since he was appointed to the auditor’s post in Montgomery County. Brandstetter is currently Red Oak’s 3rd Ward councilman. Two candidates look to fill his seat: Councilman At-Large Larry Barnett and Steve Fenn.

And, with Barnett looking to take over the 3rd Ward seat, three candidates have filed to run for his at-large spot on the Council, including Dennis Jones, Jeanice Lester and Russell Williams. Another incumbent, Roger Waggener, faces a challenge for re-election to his 1st Ward seat, from John Haidsiak and Scott Keith.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Omaha police say a third suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of an Omaha man. Fifty-year-old James Asmus was found dead on Sept. 2 in a south Omaha garage. Police say 25-year-old Jason Hanan, of Omaha, was arrested on Friday for first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. He’s being held on no bond in the Douglas County jail.

Two Iowa men are also charged in Asmus’ death.  Anthony Good Jr. and Corey Brooks, both of Council Bluffs, face charges of first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and being felons in possession of a firearm.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – Funeral services are being held today (Saturday), for an Iowa State Patrol trooper who died in a fiery crash south of Indianola. Forty-three-year-old Mark Toney died when his patrol car left U.S. Highway 65, landed in a field and burst into flames on Tuesday. The crash remains under investigation. Toney was born in Murphysboro, Ill., and grew up in Ankeny. His funeral is at 10 a.m., at the Northview Middle School in Ankeny. Burial will be at Ankeny Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Toney’s death was the first in the line of duty for the patrol in almost 21 years.

Another public worker, Shelby firefighter Michael Collins, of Minden, was killed last Sunday when he was hit by a car while directing traffic on Interstate 80 in Pottawattamie County.Services for Mike Collins were held Friday, during which the 41-year old father of two was remembered as a dedicated volunteer fire fighter, who always put himself before others.

More Iowa families are living in poverty, but more Iowa children have health insurance according to new data from the 2010 census. Noga O’Connor, a researcher with the Iowa Policy Project, reviewed the data – which shows just four percent of Iowa’s kids are without health insurance.  “More children in 2010 were covered than in ’09 and ’08. The data here doesn’t tell us exactly the cause behind the improvement, but it’s just good to know there are fewer children in Iowa who do not have health insurance,” O’Connor said. Child poverty rates are up, but O’Connor believes more parents know about public insurance programs, which could help explain the increase in children with health insurance. Just five states have better child coverage rates than Iowa. Overall, nearly 1 in 11 Iowans were without insurance in 2010. The census data also shows Iowa’s poverty rate rose to 12.6 percent from 11.6 percent two years earlier. Median household income in Iowa dropped to $47,961 from $49,454 in 2008. The numbers are even bleaker for many of Iowa’s neighboring states. “But that’s only partial consolation, since the fact that we’re doing better than other states doesn’t completely overshadow the fact that the state is struggling today financially,” O’Connor said. Iowa’s poverty rate for 2010 was the second lowest in the region – only Minnesota’s was lower.