As travelers hit the road en-masse for the Independence Day holiday weekend, law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force as well, watching for alcohol or drug-impaired drivers, and other traffic violations. Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety say a Special Traffic Enforcement Project, or “STEP,” will take place July 1^st thru the 4^th, with a special emphasis on taking impaired drivers off the road, and making sure motorists are buckled up.

Last year, Iowa recorded five traffic-related fatalities over the July 4^th weekend. That was two more than in 2009. Fortunately, none of the deaths over the past four-years were alcohol-related.

During a similar STEP effort in 2010, 214 law enforcement agencies, local and across the state, had contact with a total of 353 alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers. There were also slightly more than 1,000 citations or warnings issued for seatbelt violations, and nearly 5,000 tickets issued for speeding. In all, over 11,228 violations were recorded in 2010.

Officers also assisted 965 motorists, investigated 366 crashes, and apprehended 107 persons wanted on warrants.

Only minor injuries were reported following a motorcycle accident Thursday evening in Audubon County. According to the Sheriff’s Department, 30-year old Steven Robert Pedersen, of Atlantic, was injured when he was thrown from the off-road motorcycle he was riding, after he collided with the side of a passing vehicle. The accident happened at around 6-p.m., on Pheasant Avenue, near 130^th Street.

Officials say 40-year old Kasey Jean Mora, of Audubon, was traveling behind Pedersen’s 2008 Chukeda X Racer cycle and in the process of passing it, when Pedersen veered into the side of her 2006 Chevy Impala. Damage from the accident amounted to $1,400. Pedersen was charged with operating a non-registered motor vehicle, driving under suspension, and driving left of center.

A separate accident happened Saturday night, on Highway 71 near the intersection with Highway 44, in Audubon County. Sheriff’s officials say 42-year old Conda Marie Dennis, of Audubon, was traveling south on Highway 71, when her 1987 Olds Cutless entered the shoulder and the woman tried to drive back onto the road.

Her actions caused her to lose control of the car, which hit a cement guard rail. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vehicle amounted to $2,000.

An Ames resident was arrested Sunday night on a couple charges in Audubon County, following a traffic stop in Exira. 49-year old Jan Tracey Rasmussen faces charges of OWI, 3^rd offense, and driving while barred. Sheriff’s officials say Rasmussen also had an outstanding warrant for driving while barred, stemming from an incident which occurred on January 9^th.

She was brought to the Audubon County Jail and after being seen by the magistrate, was held on $5,000 bond.

A power outage Sunday morning in parts of Pottawattamie, Cass and Shelby Counties had nothing to do with the weather. Tina Potthoff, spokesperson for Mid-American Energy based in Des Moines, said a furry bandit was responsible. She says a raccoon made its way into a substation at 220 Pearl Street in Walnut. The result was a total of 806 customers who lost power.

In particular, 152 customers were left in the dark in Marne, while 654 persons in Pottawattamie County and a smattering of customers in Cass and Shelby Counties were left without power. The incident happened at around 5:04-a.m. Power was restored at around 10-a.m.

Potthoff says when a critter such as a raccoon or squirrel enters a substation, they typically get into the electrical wiring, which typically results in the animal’s demise, along with a power outage.

Governor Branstad says Missouri River flooding has already done “tens of millions of dollars” in damage. Branstad will be conducting an aerial tour of the sprawling Missouri River’s run along Iowa’s western border. “Today I’m going back to Sioux City and Council Bluffs to get a first-hand view of the flood situation and the work that’s been going on,” Branstad says. Branstad has asked for a presidential disaster declaration for the six counties that border the Missouri River, and Branstad says he “can’t imagine” the president won’t grant it.

“That’s important because communities like Hamburg and Council Bluffs and Sioux City and virtually all the communities along the Missouri River have expended a lot of money to protect themselves and they should be eligible for 80 percent reimbursement and also the state’s match as well,” Branstad says. “And so we anticipate this will be a substantial cost at all levels, but under the FEMA guidelines, the federal government should pick up at least 80 percent of this.”

Some concerns have been raised about a nuclear power plant just across the border in Nebraska which is surrounded by water, but Branstad says he’s been “assured” there is no danger to the public. “It is surrounded by water, but it is also actually shut down right now anyway for maintenance purposes,” Branstad says, “and they feel very confident there is no danger with it whatsoever.”

Branstad will fly in a Black Hawk helicopter from Sioux City to Council Bluffs this afternoon. He has on-the-ground meetings in both cities with local officials involved in the flood fight. Branstad will be along the Mississippi River tomorrow (Tuesday) to welcome President Obama to Bettendorf and the governor plans to visit with Obama about that presidential disaster declaration request for the Missouri River corridor. Branstad also spoke with the governors of Montana and North Dakota this past weekend to compare notes on the status of the Missouri River basin.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he’ll press President Barack Obama to issue a disaster declaration along the Missouri River during the president’s trip to eastern Iowa. The governor told reporters at his weekly news conference Monday that he’s scheduled to meet with the president during Obama’s trip to Bettendorf on Tuesday and will use the occasion to seek a federal disaster declaration. That would allow the federal government to pick up roughly 80 percent of the costs of damage to public facilities due to flooding.

The governor has already requested a federal disaster declaration. Branstad says he is hopeful that request will be granted in the next few days. With the president scheduled to be in Bettendorf, Branstad says it makes sense to use that occasion to reiterate his request.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Republican Michele Bachmann is casting herself as the “bold choice” in the 2012 presidential race. The outspoken congresswoman and tea party favorite formally launched her bid Monday in her Iowa birthplace, after first making her intentions clear at a debate earlier this month.

Outside a historic mansion in Waterloo, Bachmann says she’s waging the campaign “not for vanity.” Instead she says voters “must make a bold choice if we are to secure the promise of the future.”

Bachmann enters the race as an Iowa poll shows her near the front of the pack in the first in the nation caucus state. Bachmann played up her tea party ties but also made mention of her Democratic roots.