LINN COUNTY, Iowa [KCRG] — A husband and wife from eastern Iowa died Wednesday following a seed truck rollover in Linn County. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened around 8:42 a.m. on Highway 13 near Travis Road, southeast of Marion.

Authorities say when the driver of the grain truck, 74-year-old John Kilburg, lost control, the truck rolled over and ended up on its side in the southbound lanes of Highway 13. He and his passenger, 70-year-old Donelle Kilburg, were trapped in the cab and had to be extricated.

John Kilburg was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital after the crash. Donelle Kilburg died Wednesday afternoon at University of Iowa Hospital. Both were from Spragueville, in Jackson County. The accident remains under investigation.

WAUKEE, Iowa (KCCI)— A central Iowa woman accused of killing her own child was convicted by a jury, Thursday, of 1st-Degree Murder and Child Endangerment Causing Death. 27-year-old Yemissi Keto, of Waukee, was arrested in September 2023 on charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. A 1-year-old baby was found unresponsive on Aug. 31, 2023, and pronounced dead at the scene.

Court documents say officers on the scene found several open bleach bottles and cleaning substances around the baby. Keto, the child’s mother, said she held him on the ground and poured bleach or another cleaning substance over the child’s face before suffocating him. Keto admitted she took these actions with intent to kill the baby, according to court documents.

A Sentencing date has not been announced.

Yemissi Keto

DELAWARE COUNTY, Iowa – A collision Thursday afternoon in eastern Iowa between a pickup and a semi tractor-trailer, resulted in one person deceased and another injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 3:25-p.m. in the area of 210th St. West of County Road x47, East of Earlville. Investigators say a 2007 Ford F-350 was traveling eastbound on 210th street when it crossed the center line and crashed head-on with a semi-truck.

The driver of the pickup, 59-year-old Terry Meyer, of Dyersville, died at the scene. The driver of the semi, 50-year-old Tom Bufford, of Earlville, was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals for treatment of his injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston, Thursday afternoon, arrested 61-year-old Ronald Dale Brammer, of Creston. He was arrested at 434 Wyoming on a charge of Driving While License Suspended. Brammer was taken to Union County Jail and later posted a $300 cash or approved surety bond before being released.

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2024 – Salm Partners, LLC, a Denmark, Wis., establishment, is recalling approximately 35,430 pounds of Johnsonville turkey kielbasa sausage that may be contaminated with foreign materials, specifically pieces of rubber, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The turkey kielbasa sausages were produced between Oct. 30-31, 2023. The following products are subject to recall [view labels]:

• 12-oz. vacuum-packed packages containing a single piece of “Johnsonville POLISH KIELBASA TURKEY” sausage and best by dates “05/17/24” and “05/18/24” printed on the side of the packaging.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “P-32009” printed on the side of the packaging. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

The problem was discovered after the firm received complaints from consumers reporting they found pieces of rubber in the ready-to-eat turkey kielbasa products.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions or injury due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

(Radio Iowa) – Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday and as Iowans move their clocks forward an hour on Saturday night, Emily Holley, with the Iowa Chapter of the American Red Cross, suggests you do a quick safety check of your smoke alarms, too. “We’re recommending that everyone tests their smoke alarms and replace the batteries if needed,” Holley says. “A smoke alarm that is 10 years old or older definitely needs to be replaced. And we want to make sure that everyone has working smoke alarms on every level of the home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.”

Last year, Red Cross volunteers helped more than 18-hundred people in Iowa who were affected by 584 home fires. Nationwide, home fires account for most of the 65-thousand disasters to which the Red Cross responds. Holley says every second counts when there’s a fire, so making sure those smoke alarms are working is key. “We also recommend folks take the time to practice a two-minute home fire escape. It’s critical that you have escape routes out of your home and a joint meeting place,” Holley says. “Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half, and on average, you only have about two minutes to get out of the home.”

She says you should have at least two ways to get out of every room, and select a spot at a safe distance away from your home, like a tree or mailbox, where everyone can meet. For more information, download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.

redcross.org/homefires

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a plan to raise the minimum salary for teachers by nearly 50 percent within two years. The current minimum salary is 33-thousand-500 dollars a year. Republican Representative Henry Cisneros of Muscatine was the only “no” vote on the bill.

Republican Representative Bill Gustoff of Des Moines says the plan would bring about the largest single boost to teacher pay in state history.  “The bill achieves a significant goal set forth by Governor Reynolds to move Iowa’s minimum starting teacher salary to $50,000,” Gustoff said, “and I thank her for setting a bold target that will vault Iowa to the top of the list to attract teachers in terms of pay.” The plan includes money to help districts not only raise the pay of current teachers who aren’t being paid 50-thousand dollars a year, but to pay a 15-dollar-an-hour wage to other school staff, like paraeducators.

Representative Sue Cahill, a Democrat from Marshalltown who’s a retired teacher, says there’s bipartisan agreement this is the right move. “It provides recognition of educators and those who work in our educational settings,” Cahill said, “and it shows the value we have for them.” The bill passed on a 93-to-one vote. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says that margin sends a message to the governor and state senators who’ve tied a teacher pay decision to bills that overhaul Area Education Agencies.

“The House of Representatives is united in support of paying our teachers, paying our educators, paying our paraprofessionals in a way that is non-politicized,” Konfrst said, “…and is good for Iowa kids.” Gustoff calls it a “kumbaya”  moment. “This is a good bill that checks a lot of boxes and reflects the input of many stakeholders and many policymakers,” Gustoff says. “It brings the parties together and showcases that the legislative process does work.”

The Senate Education Committee’s A-E-A plan would raise minimum teacher pay, but to a lower level around 46-thouand dollars a year. In January, Reynolds also proposed a minimum salary of 62-thousand dollars for teachers with at least 12 years of experience. That’s not included in the House-passed plan or the one Senators have drafted.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has voted to increase penalties for the death of an unborn person. Current law provides penalties for causing a human pregnancy to end without consent. Democrats like Representative Beth Wessell-Kroschell  f Ames say the change could make introit fertilization illegal and they cited the recent Alabama supreme court ruling that embryos are children.

“This measure is a blatant attempt to advance an anti-abortion agenda and further enshrine the myth of fetal personhood in our state code,” she said. Representative Heather Matson of Ankeny says her two children are the result of fertility treatments. “What can people who simply want more than anything to become a parent realistically expect if IVF is no longer available to them?” Matson said. “What a tragedy.”

Representative Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull, says the bill raises the penalty for killing a mother and her unborn baby and has nothing to do with I-V-F.  “When it comes to the Alabama stuff that you guys continue to talk about, that is in regards to their own constitution, their own laws, their own code, etc.,” Wheeler said, “not to mention the Alabama governor already signed a bill protecting IVF.”

Representative Zach Dieken of Granville says fetus is a Latin word and he prefers that English be used in Iowa law. “I do believe my two year old is a person,” Dieken said. “I believe that my 13 month old is a person and, when my wife gives birth to my third child in November, because she informed me three days ago she’s pregnant, I do believe that person is a person.”

The bill passed with the support of 58 House Republicans. Two Republicans and 34 Democrats voted against the bill, which now goes to the Senate for consideration.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the City of Atlantic’s Personnel & Finance Committee will meet at 3:30-p.m. Friday (March 8th), in the City Council’s Chambers at City Hall. Among their agenda items is to Review and make a Recommendation to the City Council, with regard to the City Clerk’s position and Contractual Services.

City Clerk/Treasurer Barb Barrick told KJAN News she has “reached a mutual agreement” with the City of Huxley, which is expected to become official on March 12th. Barrick said the Council has received her written resignation.

She cited as a reason for the change is to be closer to her family. Her husband is in Postville, one daughter is in Cedar Falls, her son and grandchildren are in the Pella area, and other two daughters are in Iowa City.

Barrick had succeeded Deb Wheatley Field in 2017, after she retired as City Clerk following 35-years of service.  In other business, the Personnel and Finance Committee will review and make recommendations on the following:

• Police Staffing
• A YMCA Management Contract for the Sunnyside Pool
• and a new Retainer Agreement for the City Attorney.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a diesel spill on the Middle Nodaway River in Adair County.

On March 7, the DNR Atlantic Field Office received a call from an Adair County Conservation Officer reporting a red sheen on an unnamed tributary located on G27 between Indian and Jordan Avenues in Adair County. Field Office staff responded and discovered that diesel had overflowed from a vent tube of an above ground storage tank at a farm operation owned by Kading Land Company, Inc.

The discharged diesel reached a stormwater intake located inside the secondary containment area and continued flowing via field tile, eventually reaching an unnamed tributary of the Middle Nodaway River.

The amount of diesel spilled is unknown. No dead fish have been observed. Staff will continue to work with the responsible party to clean up the spill. The investigation is ongoing.

Red sheen at tributary of Middle Nodaway River: Photo Courtesy: Iowa DNR

To report a release after hours, please call the DNR’s emergency spill line at (515) 725-8694. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of an incident. The DNR website has more information about spill reporting requirements.