The Iowa State Patrol says a Cass County Sheriff’s Office car was struck by a passing vehicle Tuesday afternoon, but no injuries were reported. Authorities say 51-year old Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westering was stopped in a construction transition area on Highway 83 at 655th Street and waiting for the pilot car, when he observed driving a maroon SUV pass the 2014 Dodge Charger Westering was driving. Westering knew the driver of the car had a revoked license.

When Westering attempted a “boot leg” turn around, his car was hit in the rear driver’s door in the eastbound lane, by a 2014 Chevy Impala driven by 40-year old Daniel Schwarte, of Wiota. The accident happened at around 12:30-p.m., Tuesday.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The third top official of Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Des Moines for conspiring to cover up campaign payments to a former Iowa state senator. Deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari was convicted of conspiracy and three charges related to false campaign reporting, the same charges for which a jury convicted the campaign’s chairman Jesse Benton and its manager John Tate.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines suburb of Windsor Heights has adopted changes to its sidewalk ordinance, even as it prepares to make controversial changes to the way its sidewalks are laid out. The City Council approved an ordinance Monday night that sets up sidewalk maintenance schedules and ensures compliance with federal disabilities access. The council did not adopt a contentious sidewalk plan unpopular with many longtime residents.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former legislative clerk has been sentenced to more than a year in prison after he admitted to writing a threatening letter to a state lawmaker and bringing a white powder to the Capitol. U. S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel says 28-year-old Michael Dekota McRae was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for writing the letter in 2012 to his boss, Democratic Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad. McRae pleaded guilty in December to conveying false information concerning a biological weapon.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court chose an appropriate setting for legal arguments about the Field of Dreams movie site _ a theater. The court frequently holds oral arguments around the state and on Monday night took up a zoning dispute at the Grand Theatre in Keokuk. The case involved whether the Dyersville City Council acted properly when it rezoned property made famous by the 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner.

Autumn arrives Thursday, along with the most dangerous time of the year for car-deer collisions. A new study ranks Iowa as the fourth-worst state for such accidents. Holly Anderson, spokeswoman for Iowa’s largest auto insurer, State Farm, says the odds a driver will hit a deer in Iowa are one in 68, well above the national odds of one in 164. It’s expensive, too.

“The national cost per claim average is just under $4,000 and that is down slightly from last year,” Anderson says. “That could be from a number of factors. It could be people are hitting deer in different ways. They may be hitting the door instead of the engine.” Conditions in Iowa have improved slightly, as drivers here are about one-point-four percent less likely to collide with a deer than they were last year. Also, last year Iowa was a notch higher on the car-deer crash list at third nationally.

Deer are always a risk for motorists, but we’re heading into the worst season for collisions. “The months that a driver is more likely to collide with a deer are: November, October and December,” Anderson says. “We know that dawn and dusk are high deer traffic times, especially if you’re driving near water or woods, so we really want drivers to be on the lookout during those times.” She suggests employing the policy of “Drive 2 and 2,” for two eyes on the road and two hands on the wheel. Also, remember the phrase, “Don’t Veer for Deer.”

“If you think you’re going to come in contact with a deer, it’s better to just push your brakes,” Anderson says. “A lot of times we see people do swerve and when you’re in that situation, there could be a tree on that side, there could be oncoming traffic coming your way. You don’t want to swerve. Make sure you’re not veering off to avoid the animal. Make sure you’re pushing your brakes instead.” While Iowa ranked fourth, West Virginia tops the list of states where a deer collision is most likely for the tenth year in a row, followed by Montana at number-two and Pennsylvania, third.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Memorial Hospital Obstetrics (OB) Department will be hosting a walk to support families suffering from pregnancy loss and infant loss. The walk is titled, “Love Steps Up” and will be held on Saturday, October 15th. “As OB nurses, we work directly with patients who suffer miscarriages and still births,” said Kate Nachtman, RN. “But we’re also moms who have experienced losses, too, and we know how critical it is to feel supported and loved when you are grieving the loss of a baby.”

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held on Saturday, October 15th at 9 am at the Atlantic High School. Participants will gather and then walk on the track together. The event will conclude with a small program and balloon release.
“We encourage anyone to attend who has been impacted by a loss,” said Kate. “Our goals are to create awareness and to also strengthen our community by showing our support to these families.”

There is no registration or fee for the event, but any questions can be directed to the CCMH OB Department at 712-250-8862.

Better let go of that Eggo.  Kellogg is pulling nearly 10-thousand cases of Eggo Nutri-Grain Whole Wheat Waffles because of concern over listeria contamination. Iowa is among the 25 states affected by the voluntary recall. The Listeria bacteria can be especially harmful to children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anybody with a weakened immune system.  Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, weakness, severe headaches, and a high fever but are treatable with antibiotics.

The waffles are in a 10-count package with the UPC Code 38000 40370 and have a “Best if used by” date of Nov. 21 2017 or Nov. 22 2017. Kellogg advises people to throw the product away and ask for a refund. No illnesses have been reported and no other Eggo products have been affected.

The affected batches of waffles were distributed to customers and retailers in 25 states: CO, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, VT, WI, WY.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Atlantic Fire Department say they lost a great leader, supporter, family man and father figure to the department, Monday, in the passing of 85-year old Eugene “Gene” Freese. It was just two months ago, the Department recognized Freese for 50-years of service to Atlantic Fire and the community. Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said it’s a loss for himself personally, the Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department, and the community.

He says Gene was well known for his work as a firefighter, at Walnut Grove and the Skating Rink for many years. McNees says many of the firefighters grew up with Gene in their lives. He said Freese “Was a great leader and a great man.” Mark says Gene was Assistant Chief when McNees joined the fire department, and he’s learned a tremendous amount from him.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees (left) and Gene Freese (AFD photo)

It was a little over two-months ago the community and AFD came together to honor Gene Freese for his more than 50-years of service, something that McNees said is very rare in that occupation. McNees said no one can remember anyone else having put in 50 years with the AFD.  He said “What he showed in commitment and dedication to the department and to his community, and serving others, was a huge benefit to our younger guys that are on the department. Many of them looked up to him as a father figure, even a grandfather figure. He might be one of the oldest, active EMT’s in the State. He was still active on the department, making calls, attending training and keeping up on his EMT status.”

The Chief said times are changing, and it won’t be long before people are able to serve as long as Gene did, due to insurance, workman’s compensation and other regulations, so having a 50-year veteran of the force may never happen again. He said the hearts and prayers go out to Gene’s wife Carol and the family, and they will do what they can to serve them following his passing.

It’s been a tough week for the AFD. Former Firefighter Shawn Sarsfield lost his father Royce last weekend. McNees said anytime a firefighter loses a family member, the department shares their loss.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Auditors say an agricultural law expert at Iowa State University collected $278,000 in speaking and consulting fees that should have been deposited with the school. A report issued Tuesday by the state auditor says Roger McEowen had a “clear conflict of interest” that university officials failed to recognize or manage for years.

McEowen was director of the ISU Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation until his resignation in January. He also owned a private company that provided many of the same educational and legal services as the center.

The report says McEowen received fees for dozens of seminars and speaking engagements in Kansas, North Dakota and elsewhere. It says that money should have gone to the center because he did them on university time, using the center’s staff and materials.

To help haul in this year’s harvest, Governor Terry Branstad, Monday, signed a proclamation granting a temporary 60-day weight limit exemption for trucks on Iowa roads, effective today (Tuesday). The proclamation specifically increases the weight allowable for shipment of corn, soybeans, hay, straw and stover, by 12.5 percent per axle (up to a maximum of 90,000 pounds) without the need for an oversize/overweight permit.

The 2016 proclamation again applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa, excluding the interstate system. Trucks cannot exceed the truck’s regular maximum by more than 12.5 percent per axle and must obey the posted limits on all roads and bridges.The proclamation directs the Iowa Department of Transportation to monitor the operation of the proclamation, assure the public’s safety and facilitate the movement of the trucks involved. Farmers who are transporting grain are also required to follow their vehicle safety standards on axle weights.

A traffic stop late Monday night in Pottawattamie County resulted in a brief pursuit and the arrest of a man from Carroll County. The Pott. County Sheriff’s Office reports at around 11:50-p.m., a deputy tried to stop a 1998 Jeep SUV driving erratically on Interstate 80 about a mile east of the Avoca exit. When the driver of the vehicle, later identified as 45-year old Chad Walter Bald, of Manning refused to yield, a short pursuit began.

After he stopped the SUV on North Vista Drive in Avoca, Bald attempted to run from law enforcement, but was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit. Bald allegedly admitted to authorities he was under the influence of Meth. He was also found to be in the possession of 2.6-grams of meth at the time of his arrest.

Bald faces charges that include felony Eluding, Possession of a Controlled Substance and OWI/1st offense. He was later booked into the Pott. County Jail.

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly to 4.2 percent in August from 4.1 percent in July. The state’s jobless rate was 3.6 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate remained at 4.9 percent in August. Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development, says “While the unemployment rate ticked up again in August, there were a few bright spots.”

Townsend says “The total number of working Iowans also increased by 1,700 from July and 3,600 higher than a year ago. Additionally, for the third consecutive month, Iowa businesses expanded their payrolls and added 4,900 jobs, raising the total number of working Iowans. Iowa’s unemployment rate also remains 0.7% lower than the national rate.”

The number of unemployed Iowans rose to 72,700 in August from 70,700 in July. The current estimate is 11,500 higher than the year ago level of 61,200. The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,642,300 in August. This figure was 1,700 higher than July and 3,600 higher than one year ago.

For the third consecutive month, Iowa businesses expanded their payrolls and added 4,900 jobs, raising the total to 1,590,600. Both goods-producing and service sectors gained jobs this month with private services adding the majority (2,900). Government added jobs at the local level and is 4,800 higher annually; however, this gain is partially due to seasonal staff being retained and brought back earlier than usual this year. Compared to last year, the state has added 31,200 jobs, a gain of 2.0 percent.

Leisure and hospitality added the most jobs in August (1,400), with the gains evenly split between arts and entertainment and accommodations and food services. Despite recent uncertainty within the economy, staffing patterns in these industries has been strong, a reassuring sign that consumers are still willing to part with disposable income on non-essentials. Elsewhere, trade and transportation was bolstered by retail trade hiring and added 1,300 jobs. Retail in Iowa has not fared well recently, adding jobs in only three months in 2016. Other gains this month included financial activities, construction, manufacturing, and other services. Losses were small by comparison and were led by professional and business services (-600). Despite a sizable gain last month, this sector has pared jobs in three of the last four months. The only other losses were small declines in education and health services and information.

Annually, construction continues to expand over last year’s level and is now up 14,400 jobs. Leisure and hospitality is a distant second with 5,800 jobs gained, then other services at 4,300. Manufacturing continues to lag due to durable goods layoffs (-5,000), and this stagnation may now be carrying over into professional and business services—down 2,900 jobs versus one year ago.