CRESTON, Iowa – Oct. 16, 2023 – As part of continuing efforts to improve the work zone on Interstate 80 around Jordan Creek Parkway, the Iowa Department of Transportation will be closing I-80 overnights this week between Jordan Creek Parkway and Grand Prairie Parkway.

The original plan was to close each direction of travel for only one night. That plan has been updated to include two nights of closures in each direction.

• Sunday, Oct. 15 to Monday, Oct. 16 – closure is complete
• Monday, Oct. 16 – westbound I-80 will close at 8 p.m. and re-open by 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

• Tuesday – Oct. 17 – eastbound I-80 will close at 8 p.m. and re-open by 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
• Wednesday – Oct. 18 – eastbound I-80 will close at 8 p.m. and re-open by 5 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19

The closures will allow the contractor to place asphalt on the pavement over the rumble strips. This smoother pavement will address several issues in the work zone including difficulty seeing lanes as well as making the road easier to drive on and less noisy.

While the roadway is closed for construction work you will follow a marked detour route using Jordan Creek Parkway, University Avenue, and Grand Prairie Parkway.

Help keep everyone on the road safer. Drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, you should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say a man was arrested late Sunday night on an OWI charge. 31-year-old Kyle Lee Foster, SR., of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, following a traffic stop in the 2400 block of N. 8th Street in Red Oak, at around11:30-p.m.. Foster was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

There are many people in our neighborhoods and communities who need shelter, food and mental health services. SHARE Iowa wants Giving Tuesday to lift these urgent needs, so each of us can act for our desired causes. Giving Tuesday is November 28, 2023, and early giving is open for SHARE Iowa. Donors can visit SHAREgoodiowa.org and enter the donation code GIVINGTUESDAY at checkout to indicate their early participation for the biggest, local giving day of the year.

Once again, the Community Foundation for Western Iowa will earmark $250,000 for a 20% match on charitable gifts to endowment funds within the Community Foundation. The 20% match is on gifts up to $100,000 per fund. The Community Foundation for Western Iowa also will provide an array of $1,000 hourly prizes for SHARE Iowa nonprofit organizations that participate in Giving Tuesday this year. New this year, Katelman Steel Fabrication, Inc. will sponsor activities and excitement during Giving Tuesday 712.

Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28 is a day that encourages people to do good and that every act of generosity matters. Last year, Giving Tuesday donors in the United States contributed a record $3.1 billion, a 15% increase from 2021.

SHARE Iowa, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, will lead the Giving Tuesday charge in the region. SHARE Iowa is a one-stop online platform that supports the good work of nonprofits in nine counties throughout Western Iowa by connecting residents to easy ways of doing good through financial giving, in-kind donations of items and volunteerism.

Nonprofit organizations partnering with SHARE Iowa will dedicate time, efforts and resources to Giving Tuesday to collectively advocate for support and connect with their community.

Connections Area Agency on Aging works every day to Build Strong Support for older Iowans and their Family Caregivers. In appreciation of National Caregiver Month Connections Area Agency on Aging is hosting a virtual event on November 8th featuring author and speaker Miekka Zanders speaking on Dementia Communication. The event takes place via Zoom from 2-until 3-p.m. on November 8th.

Miekka Zanders is a social worker and nursing home administrator with a special interest in dementia care and quality of life. Over the past 11 years, Miekka has worked with residents, team members and families across the continuum of care to improve understanding and communication for those with dementia. She has presented on dementia communication at the Nebraska Health Care Association conference and American Health Care Association national conference. Miekka authored the highly reviewed book, Being with Dementia: A Soulful Approach.

To register for the event email Alisha Frady at  afrady@connectionsaaa.org or call  800-432-9209. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for the presentation.

Connections Area Agency is one of six Area Agencies on Aging in Iowa, and part of a nationwide network. With a mission of enhancing the quality of life for elders in 20 counties through education, planning and coordination of services, Connections Area Agency on Aging is the premier agency for assisting elders, caregivers, and their families to access the information and services needed for independence and life transitions. Offices are located in Council Bluffs, Creston and Sioux City. For more information, contact Connections AAA at 800-432-9209 or at www.connectionsaaa.org

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report two arrests. Last Friday, 50-year-0ld Martin Evans, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant. He has since posted a $300 cash bond and was released. And, on Saturday, Glenwood Police arrested 36-year-old Heather Meister, of Glenwood, for Domestic Abuse Assault. She posted a $1,000 cash-only bond, and was released.

(Radio Iowa) – A semi driver died early this (Monday) morning in a crash at a construction zone on Interstate-80 near the DeSoto exit. The wreck happened at the point near DeSoto where eastbound I-80 lanes shift to the left in a construction zone. It’s the same area where two people were killed in a semi crash in August. A spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol says during the August wreck and today’s (Monday’s) crash, the gas tanks of both semis hit the concrete guard rail.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene at about 2 a.m. today (Monday). Traffic on eastbound I-80 was rerouted into Adel for about three hours as the semi fire was doused and the wreckage removed from the interstate.

(Creston, Iowa) – The driver of a car that struck a deer on the road Sunday night in Union County, was injured and transported to the hospital in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, 67-year-old Dean Bruce Mensching, of Creston, was traveling north on Green Valley Road south of 140th Street, when a deer crossed the road. Mensching’s 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis collided with the animal, causing $3,000 damage to the car. Both the driver and passenger airbags in the vehicle deployed upon impact. The accident happened at around 7:12-p.m., Sunday.

Dean Mensching complained of neck pain, and was transported by EMS ambulance to the Greater Regional Medical Center.

(Radio Iowa) – There has been at least an area of moderate drought somewhere in Iowa for the past 172 weeks. This is the longest period of moderate drought in Iowa since the U-S Drought Monitor was launched in 1999. Thursday’s Drought Monitor shows Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi as the only states with at least 95 percent of the state in moderate drought. State climatologist Justin Glisan says widespread rain last week is by no means a drought buster, but it will allow for some improvement in this week’s drought map.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – [Updated 10:30-a.m. 10/16/23] The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet at 9-a.m. this Tuesday (Oct. 17th), in the courthouse basement meeting room, in Atlantic. On their light agenda for the day, is a monthly report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber.

The Board will also receive a weekly update from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken.

(Radio Iowa) – The Transportation Commission has approved moving ahead with plans to use federal money to install more electric car chargers along the interstate highway system. The D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says the next step is to get documents ready. “So these are the application itself that applicants will fill out as they’re seeking this funding, and also supporting information they need, that details, the program requirements and expectations,” he says. He says they will get input on the applications and then hope send them out by mid-November, and get applications back by early next year. “And then we expect it’ll take us probably a couple of months to review those applications and actually identify award winners, ” Anderson says. He says they expect to get a lot of interest.

“There are some other states that are a little further along in the process and they definitely have received a lot of interest in applications for their program, and their funding as well,” he says. Iowa’s allocation of the federal funding is a little more than 50 million dollars. “We’re still determining exactly how much we will make available in this first round. I expect it’ll be more like two years of the funding, so maybe not quite 20 million dollars. But that’s still to be determined,” Anderson says. “But certainly a significant amount of funding will be available in this first round.” He says the cost of putting in the charges is expected to vary significantly from site to site, as there are very specific power requirements for proper power levels to charge vehicles in a timely manner. And he says there’s also requirements that these be operational and reliable chargers.

Anderson says the idea of the program is to get a start on building the infrastructure so those with electric cars can feel confident in traveling away from home. “What we hear often referred to is range anxiety. So that impacts not only owners of electric vehicles, and how willing they are to make longer distance trips with your vehicles. But it’s also a factor in people deciding whether to buy electric vehicles,” Anderson says.

It’s not known how many chargers may be installed in the first round as the price can vary quite a bit depending on what is needed to get them up and running at each site.