A school bus accident this (Wednesday) morning in southern Iowa’s Decatur County injured the school bus driver and three students. The Iowa State Patrol reports the 2008 Thomas School Bus driven by 31-year old Bruce Wayne Miller, of Leon, was traveling on 215th Street, about one-quarter of a mile north of County Road J-20 at around 7:47-a.m., when the bus ran off the road to the right. Miller over-corrected, sending the bus to the left, and into a corn field, where it came to rest. The students, ages 18, 15- and a minor child, were transported to the Decatur County Hospital.

The 15-year old was taken to the hospital by their parents, the 18-year old and the other child were transported by ambulance. Miller was taken to the hospital by Leon Police. None of the injured wore seat belts.

SABULA, Iowa (AP) — Safety concerns have forced the closure of a small bridge that offers the only Iowa access to a much-larger bridge spanning the Mississippi River and connecting eastern Iowa to western Illinois. Motorists commuting from Sabula to Savanna, Illinois, or vice versa, are facing a 36-mile detour after the unexpected bridge closure Tuesday. Iowa Transportation Department Planner Sam Shea tells the Telegraph Herald that the bridge could be closed until May and reopened around Memorial Day.

The closure comes after state officials found portions of pavement on the Sabula bridge to be settling Monday. A more thorough inspection Tuesday found more issues. Officials already had been planning to replace the bridge, which was built in 1933. Shea says it’s unclear how the early closure will affect bridge replacement costs.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a Carlisle man reported to the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday, that sometime overnight Monday into Tuesday, someone entered his property on 265th Street in Union County, and took a windmill with an estimated value of $900. And, a Thayer man reported on Tuesday, that sometime during the time frame, someone entered his property on 265th Street in Union County, and took the top of a windmill, valued at $6,000.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — The University of Northern Iowa has taken over operation of its student bookstore. In December university regents approved the purchase of University Book and Supply near the campus in Cedar Falls. The university took control Tuesday of the renamed UNI Bookstore. The store’s private shareholders first approached the university nearly a year ago.

University vice president Michael Hager told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that UNI Bookstore will be a not-for-profit entity, allowing it to hold down costs for students. Also, students will be allowed to charge the cost of their textbooks and other materials to their university bill and use their financial aid to cover those purchases.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports that at around 3-p.m. Tuesday, officers were dispatched to the area of 17th & Main to investigate a report of a Clarinda Community School District School Bus being struck with a projectile fired from what appeared to have been pellet- or bb-gun type device. The school bus was on its afternoon transportation route and did not have any students on the bus at the time of the incident.

The bus was struck on the driver’s side, striking the window immediately behind the driver’s position, damaging the window. The cost of replacing the window is not yet available. Anyone having information with regard to who may be involved in the incident, is asked to contact the Clarinda Police Department at 712-542-2194. Individual(s) who provide information that leads to charge(s) being filed in this incident will be eligible for a cash reward.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office has released an update on recent arrests. Officials say on Monday, a Deputy made contact with a woman from Carson, with regard to Domestic Assault incident that took place, Sunday. She reported 54-year old Troy Dean Stuart, of Council Bluffs, who has a No Contact/Protection Order against him, contacted the woman by phone Monday, when he got out of jail. Stuart was taken into custody on a warrant for Violating the court order. 37-year old Eric Gabriel Thomsen, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday afternoon, for Driving While Revoked/OWI Test Failure. Thomsen was taken into custody following a traffic stop. Thomsen later bonded out of jail.

A Nebraska man was arrested Tuesday evening, in Pott. County, on four valid Pott. County arrest warrants for Making a False Claim on a hunting/fishing license, non-resident. 51-year old Larry Eugene Rohatsch, of Omaha, was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $1,200 bond. A traffic stop on Highway 92 Tuesday night in Pott. County, resulted in the arrest of 43-year old Ryan Daniel McMullen of Silver City, for Driving While Barred. And, 61-year old Michelle Rae Lett, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday night, on a Felony warrant for Forgery or Theft of a Lottery ticket. She was taken into custody following a traffic stop.

The Iowa Department of Transportation has rescheduled the public information meeting that will now be held Tuesday, March 13, to discuss two Missouri Valley bypass corridor study areas. The northern study area extends along Harrison County Road F-50 from Interstate 29 to U.S. 30. The southern study area includes an area south of Missouri Valley and extends along U.S. 30 from I-29 to 280th Street. The public information meeting was originally scheduled for Jan. 23, which was postponed due to inclement weather.

All interested persons are invited to attend this meeting anytime between 4 and 6 p.m. at the Rand Community Center, 100 S. Fourth St., in Missouri Valley. The meeting will be conducted utilizing an open forum format. Iowa DOT staff will be present to informally discuss the proposed improvements. No formal presentation will be made. The meeting space is accessible for persons with disabilities. However, if you require special accommodations at the meeting, please notify the Iowa DOT contact listed below by March 9th.

For general information regarding the proposed improvements or public meeting, contact Scott Suhr, transportation planner, Iowa DOT District 4 Office, 2210 E. Seventh St., Atlantic, Iowa 50022, phone 712-243-3355 or 800-289-4368, email scott.suhr@iowadot.us.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three arrests took place this past Monday: 45-year old Renee Jean Gooch, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 6-p.m. Monday for Driving Under Suspension (DUS). Her bond was set at $300; 20-year old Dylan Seth Harris, of Malvern, was arrested at around 8:40-p.m. Monday, for DUS, Failure to File SR-22 Insurance, and Careless Driving. His bond was set at $1,300. 28-year old Jeffrey Scott Holsinger, of Omaha, was arrested at around 2:20-p.m. Monday at the Mills County Jail, on a warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $1,500.

And, on Feb. 23rd, 57-year old Deborah Ann Fencer, of Glenwood, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Her bond was set at $1,000.

The Exira-Elk Horn/Kimballton School Board met Tuesday evening in Elk Horn, after their meeting had previously been delayed twice by bad weather. Superintendent Trevor Miller told KJAN News they held public hearings on the 2018-19 School Calendar, and Capital Improvement Projects, during which their were no comments. He said the Board then approved the bid packages and they are ready to go on four of the five packages. People are in-place also, and they’re just waiting for better weather.

Miller provided a reminder of what those packages entail: Package A includes the windows project, plus a new HVAC system in the Elk Horn Building, to replace a 1955 boiler and place the building under one system, instead of three. The north and south side parking lots for the Exira Building will be redone. There will also be a new playground in the front, and a new preschool playground on the south side of the building. Other improvements include new lighting for the football and baseball fields, and new concession stand/restroom for the baseball field in Elk Horn.)

Miller says the Package A contract (windows & HVAC system) went Grand Contracting, of Red Oak, for $1.7-million. Package B, the playground/parking lot project, was awarded to Caliber Concrete of Adair, for about $770,000, with the Alternates. Viking Construction, of Exira, was awarded the concrete work for Project C, the baseball/concession stand and other work, for their bid of $156,000. And, the sports lighting and other services went to Pro-Tech Electric Services, of Omaha, for $400,000. Miller says those bids came in where the School Board wanted, so they’re pretty happy, and it leaves them leeway for change orders, and still stay within the $3.9-million bond issue voters approved.

They hope to have all those projects completed by this Fall. Miller also spoke about the “Coaches vs. Cancer” first-year effort by the Student Council and Leo’s Club, which raised $1,400. He said also, there is no change to the 2018-19 School Calendar, from last year, other than a few dates. And, Trevor Miller said the Exira-EHK School Board voted to renew their Auditing contract for three-years, with Nolte, and, they approved Ahlers & Cooney as their Bond and Disclosure Counsel. The next Board meeting is March 19^th, at 7-p.m.

EAGLE GROVE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a house fire in north-central Iowa killed one person and injured another. Eagle Grove Fire Chief Tom Peterson told The Messenger that three people were in the Eagle Grove home when the blaze erupted around 9:30 p.m. Monday. He says two of them made it out — one uninjured and one later taken to an Iowa City hospital. Firefighters found the third resident’s body as they knocked down flames.

Peterson says an electrical fire in the kitchen spread through the rear of the structure.