(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert, Tuesday, updated the County Board of Supervisors on the status of various bridge/road projects. She said beginning today (Wednesday), H-34 and Nature Avenue to Q Avenue will be closed for an HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt) milling and overlay and widening. Detour signage is in-place.

Albert says the sheriff’s office and schools have been notified about the construction project. Affected residents in the area will be able to get through, but otherwise the road will be closed to through traffic. Ten-Point Construction is handling the patching of H-34, and another project in Montgomery County.

And, she said Montgomery County Secondary Roads Department employees will be meeting with representatives from FEMA and Homeland Security this Thursday, with regard to damage and debris removal, following the May storms/tornadoes.

(Radio Iowa) -0 A bestselling author who’s originally from northeast Iowa is releasing a new novel this week called “The Thirteenth Husband,” about a real-life railroad heiress who was something of a 19th century Paris Hilton. Greer Macallister, who grew up in Janesville, says Aimee Crocker was a fascinating figure in history, whose tale includes snakes, spirits, world travels, and lavish Manhattan parties, but through her public notoriety, there’s also private pain.

“She inherited $10-million when she was 10 years old in the 1880s, and that’s closer to 200-, or $300-million today. So she had a lot of money,” Macallister says. “I think a lot of people don’t think the rich have any problems, and didn’t feel very sorry for her, but she did have those tragedies, and she did have a lot to deal with and a lot to struggle with in her life, so I think that makes her very interesting.” The first of Crocker’s many marriages ended with a bitter court battle over custody of her daughter, and Macallister says it took place largely on the front pages of newspapers.

“She is very much like that sort of Paris Hilton, sort of Kim Kardashian personality, where the tabloids are a tool for her, but they’re also a curse,” Macallister says. “People would follow her around and write about everything she did, and that was great if she wanted to make a splash, but it was not great when she had personal tragedies.” Crocker’s saga is filled with both fortune and scandal, as well as ghosts, but did she really get married 13 times? Macallister says that’s a big spoiler and you’d have to read the book to learn the full story.

Greer Macallister

“She did have a lot of husbands, and the title of the book comes from a story that she told in her lifetime, ‘The Real Aimee Crocker,'” Macallister says. “She had gone to many psychics, mystics, fortune tellers, etcetera, and one of them had told her that she needed to be careful about getting married too many times and that her 13th husband would bury her.” This is Macallister’s fifth work of historical fiction and she says it would be a mistake to think the genre is only focused on the past.

“Historical fiction always has some sort of resonance with the present and even on into the future, so there’s always some sort of connection we can make,” Macallister says. “Looking back at past events, seeing how people of the past lived their lives, we can draw parallels with our current situation, both the external world and our internal personalities, and sort of see how patterns emerge and move forward.” Macallister lives with her family in Boston. Her previous books include: “Girl in Disguise,” about the first female private detective. Macallister says Kate Warne, who joined the Pinkerton Agency in the 1850s, is someone whose name should be in every textbook.

GREENFIELD, Iowa [WHO-TV]— Twister the cat survived the deadly EF4 Greenfield tornado in May and is now ready for a new home. Twister, a tuxedo cat, is one of the many animals who were taken in by AHeinz57 Pet Rescue after the tornado tore through town. Linda Adams with the pet rescue said staff, told WHO-TV, they believe Twister was a stray before the tornado. After several weeks of rehabilitation and lots of love, staff say he is ready to find a forever home for the shy little kitty.

If you’d like to learn more about Twister or any of the other animals available for adoption just visit AHeinz57’s website.

DALLAS COUNTY, Iowa — [KCCI] – The Iowa State Patrol says speeding and littering kicked off a chase on Interstate 80 on Tuesday. ISP says a trooper tried to pull over an SUV for speeding and littering in a construction zone, but the driver took off. Law enforcement was eventually able to use stop sticks and disable the vehicle on the off-ramp to Ute Avenue in Dallas County.

Iowa State Patrol says the driver was identified as Raymond Craig. He now faces multiple charges, including eluding, operating while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance.

(Corning, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Adams County report two people from Missouri were arrested July 31^st on drug charges, following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highways 34 & 48. Authorities say 59-year-old Janie Ray, of Mexico, Missouri, and 58-year-old Phillip Hutchinson of New Florence, Missouri, were taken into custody.

Hutchinson was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine/3^rd offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Ray faces charges that include Poss. of Methamphetamine/1^st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond for Hutchinson’s cash bond was set at $5,300. Ray was being held in the Adams County Jail a $1,300 cash bond.

K-9 Midge assisted with the investigation.

Sheriffs deputies in Adams County arrested 31-year-old Devin Heimke, of Corning, on charges that include Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication, and Interference with Official Acts. He was arrested at the Casey’s General Store and transported to the Adams County Jail, his bond was set at $900.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on July 26th, of 49-year-old John Anthony Neely. He was taken into custody on an active warrant for Violation of Probation. Neely was being held in the Adams County Jail.

PLEASANT HILL, Iowa [KCCI] — A southeastern Iowa sheriff has admitted to police that he caused a crash in Pleasant Hill that left two people seriously injured Friday night. 44-year-old Travis Pinegar, of Des Moines, and his 4-year-old grandson were stopped at a red light heading west on East University Avenue when they were rear-ended by 61-year-old David Davis, of Bloomfield. Davis is the Davis County sheriff.

According to a crash report from Pleasant Hill police, Davis was traveling 45 mph in a 2008 Ford F-250 when he crashed into Pinegar’s 2023 Dodge Charger around 10:20 p.m. Friday. Pinegar had a forward-facing dash cam that captured the moment of impact. See footage from the crash in the video player above.

The impact pushed Pinegar’s car into the intersection, causing another collision with a vehicle turning north from East University Avenue onto NE 56th Street. Pinegar suffered a fractured skull and was left with a brain bleed and concussion. He’ll likely be in the hospital for a few more weeks. His grandson, Junior, also suffered serious injuries but was released from the hospital the next day.