A 39-year old Council Bluffs Police Officer was injured, and another person died, when a vehicle struck the officer’s cruiser as he was handling traffic control Saturday afternoon. According to Bluffs’ Police, Officer Josh Horner, a seven-year veteran of Council Bluffs, was conducting traffic control on southbound Interstate 29 near 25th Street at around 3:30-p.m., when his vehicle was rear-ended. The officer was transported to the Creighton Hospital Emergency Room for treatment. The driver of the vehicle that struck his car was transported to Nebraska Medicine, where he died.

The name of the victim had not been released as of late Saturday evening. The accident is being investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department Traffic Unit.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A number of car crashes were reported in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa Saturday as snow fell in the area. KETV reports police had to close major roads in Omaha and Council Bluffs Saturday afternoon, because of car crashes involving multiple vehicles. The National Weather Service says one or two inches of snow is expected in the area.

In Omaha, police shut down several lanes of northbound U.S. Highway 75 near Interstate 80 after a crash. Serious injuries were reported in the crash, but details of those injuries weren’t immediately available. Across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, a crash on southbound Interstate 29 blocked the highway between the exits for North 25th Street and North 16th Street.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — According to KCCI-TV, fire destroyed an Iowa horse barn, killing one of the horses, while another remained unaccounted for as of late Saturday evening. Another stallion was being treated at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The building is owned by Tim and Libby Hott, and Melinda Antisdel. The 8,000-square-foot building is considered a total loss.

The Des Moines Register says the fire was reported Friday evening in Madison County. West Des Moines Fire Chief Mike Whitsell says crews couldn’t do much initially because there are no hydrants in the area near the Maffitt Lake Equestrian Center.

Whitsell says the barn was already collapsing when firefighters arrived. The flames were visible roughly 10 miles away. About 30 horses were housed in the barn. Whitsell said they were being rescued when firefighters arrived and some had fled the barn on their own. More than 100 volunteers helped search for the horses that ran down Maffitt Lake Road.

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Wal-Mart where three people died after a pickup truck crashed into the store plans to reopen on Sunday. Wal-Mart company spokesman Charles Crowson told The Des Moines Register that the store in Pella, Iowa, would reopen at 7 a.m. Sunday. Authorities have said the Thursday morning crash appears to have been unintentional.

The crash killed two store employees: 31-year-old Carrie Zugg, of Leighton, and 29-year-old Lindsey Rietveld, of Bussey. Seventy-six-year-old customer Ruth Jean DeJong, of Pella, also died. DeJong’s husband, 77-year-old Robert DeJong, was injured in the crash and remained hospitalized Saturday.

Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said Saturday that the truck’s driver, 66-year-old Dennis Mockenhaupt, of Knoxville, Iowa, had been released from the hospital after his injuries were treated.

GALVA, Iowa (AP) — A project to widen 40 miles of Highway 20 to four lanes in northwest Iowa means one small town will have to endure much heavier traffic for two years. The Sioux City Journal reports about 2,500 vehicles a day are expected to follow a detour through the small town of Galva during the $286 million highway project. The detour goes past several homes on the south edge of Galva.

Lucas Schossow says he’s bothered by the semitrailer trucks using loud brakes to slow down, and he says many drivers roll through the stop sign near his house. But neighbor Mary Sorenson says she thinks the detour inconvenience will be offset in the long run by the benefits of the road project.

The first shotgun deer season opens today (Saturday) with thousands of hunters expected to head out into the woods. D-N-R deer biologist Andrew Norton says it’s important for hunters to make sure they can be seen by others. “The most important thing is obviously trying to cover up with a lot of orange, real solid orange so you are not breaking up your outline,” Norton says. He be sure to review your hunting plan to keep everyone safe.

“Just being really cognizant of where you are shooting. Making sure you are taking a safe, ethical shot at a deer. Just always remembering that a deer is certainly not worth putting someone’s life at risk, so just trying to keep that in mind while you are out there,” Norton says.

Here are some other hunting tips from the D-N-R:

• Treat every firearm as if it were loaded
• Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
• Be sure of the target and what is beyond it
• Keep finger off the trigger until ready to fire
• Keep the barrel clear and choose the proper ammunition.

Winter Weather Factors:

• Unload the firearm and open the action when crossing obstacles – if snow and ice is on the ground, the risk of slipping or falling dramatically increases
  Visibility – put the hunt on hold if visibility is poor due to fog and/or snowy conditions
• Bundled up – keeping your finger off the trigger and muzzle control are both extremely important as bulky coats and gloves increases chances of an accidental discharge.

Agricultural industry officials in Iowa who are struggling to find workers are being encouraged to reach out to veterans. Lori Culler, founder of the company Ag Hires, says there’s a shortage of farm-related labor across the country and veterans can fill many of those open positions.

Lori Culler

“We are seeing a huge trend for farms and agribusinesses wanting and looking for military…veterans who have the skills and abilities they’re looking for. There’s a big match here,” Culler said. Veterans who are looking to work in agriculture need to value what they learned during their service, according to Culler.

“I think often, for veterans, maybe they don’t put as much value on what they learned for leadership, communication skills, structure and process. All of those great things about the military are so applicable,” Culler said. Culler encourages employers to have an open mind about applicants who may not have past experience in agriculture but want to be part of the industry.

Culler made her comments this past week at the National Farmer Veteran Coalition Conference in East Lansing, Michigan.

(Reporting by Nicole Heslip, Brownfield Ag News)

Planned improvements to the Union County Fairgrounds, in southwest Iowa, received a big boost this week. Ben Adamson, Vice President of the Union County Fair Board, says the Dekko Foundation has pledged up to half-a-million dollars in support for the construction of two new buildings and other facelifts to fairgrounds in Afton. The money is contingent on a successful fundraising campaign.

“If we’re successful in raising the first $100,000, then they will award us $100,000. Then, we need to raise the remaining funds of about $1 million and they will kick in the remaining $400,000 to finish the project,” Adamson said. The Indiana-based Dekko Foundation was launched in 1981 by Chet Dekko, who made his fortune with a manufacturing business. The foundation has a strong focus around the education of youth and Adamson says one of the biggest reasons for the fairground upgrades is growing participation in the county’s 4-H and FFA programs.

“They liked our proposal, so they’re willing to step up with a pledge,” Adamson said. “Now it’s up to the fair board to go out to the community and raise the funds needed.” The total budget for the entire project is $1,545,000. Adamson is hoping construction will start after the 2017 Union County Fair. Dekko has given the fair board until December 31, 2017 to raise the funds in order to receive the full pledge funding.

(Radio Iowa)

A traffic stop late Friday night into early this (Saturday) morning in Fremont County, resulted in the arrest on drug charges, of a Pottawattamie County man. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports Sheriff’s Deputies and the Fremont County K9 Unit conducted a narcotics investigation on Western Avenue and 155th Street, west of Thurman, and as a result arrested 33-year old Benjamin Foote, of Crescent.

Foote was investigated on suspicion of distributing methamphetamine. Authorities found that he had allegedly delivered over an ounce of meth on Western Avenue, by Thurman. During the traffic stop, Foote was found to be in possession of more Meth, and was operating a motor vehicle while suspended. He was also driving a BMW sedan with Iowa Dealer plates registered to Cardinal Auto, out of Clarinda, without the proper paperwork.

Foote was transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center, where he was being held on $100,000 bond. An investigation into the BMW and Dealer tags continues. The Iowa State Patrol assisted in the original investigation.

Benjamin Foote

w/ Chris Parks

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