Police in West Nashville, TN, Thursday afternoon, released additional details on a crash that took place Wednesday morning. The accident claimed the life of 17-year old Zoey Van Eaton, who was to have begun her senior year at the Nodaway Valley High School, in Greenfield, this fall.

Authorities say the teen was a passenger on a Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by her father, 49-year old Scott Van Eaton, of Fontanelle. The initial investigation determined Scott Van Eaton was traveling west on River Road near Indian Creek Road about 7:15-a.m. when he lost control of the motorcycle while negotiating a curve.The cycle slid into the oncoming lane of traffic and was struck by the eastbound Subaru Forrester.

The driver of the SUV, 62-year old Betty Hunt, told police she could not avoid the collision. Zoey Eaton and her father were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where Zoey Eaton was pronounced deceased. Her father was reported to be in critical but stable condition. Betty Hunt was not injured in the crash. Police say neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the crash.

Nodaway Valley School District Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau said they received word of the accident, just as the Nodaway Valley Baseball team was winning the right to attend the State Baseball Tournament.

Grief counselors were available at the Nodaway Valley High School this (Thursday) afternoon. Dr. Berlau aks people to keep the Van Eaton family in their prayers.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of bankers suggests there’s been a drop in the already weak economic outlook for rural areas of 10 Western and Plains states. A report issued Thursday on the Rural Mainstreet Index says it fell to 39.8 this month from 43.9 in June. Survey officials say any score below 50 on any of the survey’s indexes suggests a decline in that area.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the overall index has remained below growth-neutral for 11 straight months. He says that over the past 12 months, farm prices are down 9 percent and livestock prices are down 16 percent.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Police in Red Oak have arrested a man on a valid warrant out of Carroll County, for Contempt of Court. 34-year old Jesse Donald Trost, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 12:30-p.m. today (Thursday). Trost was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and was awaiting extradition to Carroll County.

DES MOINES– Starting Aug. 1, Iowa communities with populations of 5,000 or smaller can apply for special funding to inspect abandoned commercial buildings. The funds, from the DNR’s Derelict Building Grant Program, allow eligible communities to investigate the amount of asbestos present in a building and determine the physical characteristics and stability of these structures by completing structural engineering assessments.

“If a building collapses and the presence of asbestos is unknown, it can increase the economic burden on the community,” said the DNR’s Scott Flagg. “In addition, a building’s appearance may not reveal the actual condition of the structure. Building assessments can assist communities determine how best to address an abandoned building.”

The Derelict Building Grant Program provides small communities and rural counties financial assistance for abandoned commercial and public structures, which can improve the appearance of their streets, revitalize local economies and alleviate the environmental concerns these buildings can pose. Projects selected may apply for funding in 2017 for additional program-related tasks.

For more information and to obtain an application on the Derelict Building Grant Program, contact Scott Flagg at 515-725-8318 or Scott.Flagg@dnr.iowa.gov. No applications will be accepted after 4 p.m. on Aug. 18.

Students and staff with the Nodaway Valley School District are filled with mixed emotions today. School District Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau said they received word as the Nodaway Valley Baseball team was winning the right to attend the State Baseball Tournament, a student died in an out-of-state motorcycle accident

Zoey Van Eaton.
Photo courtesy Nodaway Valley School District.

The student was identified as Zoey Van Eaton, who would have been a senior at Nodaway Valley this fall. According to WKRN-TV in Nashville the teen was a passenger on a motorcyle that collided with a car in West Nashville around 7-p.m., Wednesday night. Van Eaton and the driver of the motorcycle were both taken by ambulance to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center where Zoey died from her injuries.

Berlau said they will have grief counselors available at the Nodaway Valley High School from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. today (Thursday).

He asks people to keep the Van Eaton family in their prayers. Additional details about the accident are currently not available.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting a reversal from two consecutive years of declines in new H-I-V diagnoses. Jerry Harms is the agency’s H-I-V/AIDS surveillance coordinator. “In 2015, we had a 27 percent increase in our new HIV diagnoses,” Harms says.

The HIV Surveillance Report for 2015, released today (Thursday), shows there were 124 new HIV diagnoses last year, up from the 98 cases reported in 2014. Harms says the reason for the increase is unclear.  “But, what we’re sort of thinking is 2014 was the first year of full implementation of the Affordable Care Act and it’s possible that fewer tests were performed (that year) because providers were dealing with a bunch of new patients. Maybe in 2015, they were more prepared to test folks,” Harms says.

Iowa joins other Midwestern states, such as Wisconsin and Minnesota, that reported an increase in new HIV diagnoses in 2015. The state of Nebraska, however, reported a decrease in new cases. “Some are up and some are down. You know, just like we can’t explain the decline (in 2014) and then the increase (in 2015) all that well…it’s a little hard to compare from state to state,” Harms says.

Around 2,500 people in Iowa have been diagnosed and are living with HIV. According to Harms, Iowa is considered a “low prevalence” state. “At the end of 2015, we had about 80 per 100,000. And, to compare in the Midwest, that number was around 165 per 100,000. The national number was almost 300 per 100,000,” Harms says.

The I-D-P-H report shows the number of deaths among HIV-infected persons diagnosed in Iowa continues to decrease since peaking at 103 deaths in 1995. In 2015, there were 20 HIV or AIDS-related deaths in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs woman who left her infant with an abusive boyfriend has been given two years of probation. The Daily Nonpareil reports 20-year-old Kuira Lawton pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts Tuesday and was also sentenced to a suspended prison term of six years.

Prosecutors say Lawton failed to protect her baby because she would leave the child with Rodney Weatherwax, who’s since been convicted of child endangerment causing injury. He was given 20 years in prison. A court document says Weatherwax injured the baby at least three times between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30 last year. The 5-month-old child suffered at least 20 fractures. Lawton told doctors that Weatherwax punched the child in the face.

State officials are working with Lawton on child visitation rights.

Police in Glenwood report two people were arrested this (Thursday) morning, on OWI charges. 39-year old Michelle Weilage, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Her bond was set at $1,000. And, 27-year old Cody Sparks, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense. His bond was set at $2,000.

LAWTON, Iowa (AP) – A former city clerk in northwest Iowa has pleaded not guilty to a Nebraska charge filed in a child sex case. The Sioux City Journal reports 61-year-old Douglas Furlich, of Lawton, entered the plea Wednesday in Dakota County District Court in Dakota City. The felony charge is child enticement by use of an electronic communications device. The Lawton City Council in Iowa fired Furlich after his arrest.

The Nebraska State Patrol says Furlich posted an ad online saying he was “looking for a younger guy.” Officials say an undercover officer responded, pretending to be a 15-year-old boy. Court documents say Furlich went to a South Sioux City, Nebraska, park in June to meet the boy. Furlich was arrested there.

The Harlan Police Department reports two recent arrests and one incident of theft. Officials say 20-year old Austin VanAernam, of Atlantic, was arrested Sunday for Disorderly Conduct, after officers were called to assist Medivac with a person injured in an altercation. Authorities say assault charges may be pending.

On Friday, Harlan Police arrested 51-year old Amy Jo Ross, of Harlan, for Burglary in the 3rd Degree, after she allegedly broke into a woman’s residence in the 2100 block of Lincoln Avenue.

And, the H-PD is investigating the theft of a small garden trailer. The trailer was reported missing from a home in the 800 block of Tarkington, on Monday. The loss was estimated at $100.

(8-a.m. News)