The Page County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to be leery of traveling salespersons.  Citizens have recently reported that door to door salespersons have become “pushy” in attempts to enter residence to attempt to sell their items to residents.

If residents do not wish to be shown any of the products it is advised to tell the person to leave the property without letting them into the residence.  If persons do not leave the property immediately, call the proper Law Enforcement agency for assistance in removing the person.  It is not advised to let them into the residence even to use the phone for a ride, once they have been told to leave.

Some of the towns in Page County have ordinances against door to door salespersons without a permit.

Residents of Audubon are being asked to conserve water effective immediately. Ed Mahlstadt, with the City of Audubon Public Works, said at 5:55-p.m., there was an issue with the water plant in Audubon, and until the matter is resolved, please conserve water. He said a 10-inch main coming down from the water tower that circles back toward the water plant, has a 32-inch split in it. Crews have excavated a hole and a replacement pipe is being readied to install. In the meantime, residents are asked to conserve water where possible. Mahlstadt said the water is safe, they just need people to conserve usage for about three hours.

ESTHERVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A jury has found northwest Iowa man guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of an Emmet County man. Sioux City television station KTIV reports that the verdict was for a lesser offense than the first-degree charge prosecutors had brought against 19-year-old Lee Christensen. Christensen was found guilty in the June 2015 shooting death of 19-year-old Thomas Bortvit at the Christensen farm in the Estherville area.

Defense attorneys acknowledged that Christensen killed Bortvit, but argued that it was a killing in the heat of passion over Bortvit’s girlfriend, whom Christensen had once dated. Prosecutors said Christensen planned the killing and tried to cover up his crime. Christensen’s sentencing is set for Sept. 16, when he faces up to 50 years in prison.

A boating collision that resulted in one vessel sinking to the bottom of the Missouri River is being investigated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The collision occurred just after 10 p.m. Friday when a 24-foot boat operated by 45-year old Corey Fuller, of Omaha, Neb., collided with another boat being operated by 43-year old Anthony Wilson, of Bellevue, Neb.., on the Missouri River near Council Bluffs.

The boat operated by Fuller sunk to the bottom of the river following the collision. Fuller and a passenger on his boat, 42-year old Kristine Schwab, also of Omaha, Neb., were rescued from the water by another boat. They were not wearing life jackets, but did have life jackets with them. Anthony Wilson’s wife, 37-year old Deanne Wilson,  suffered minor injuries in the collision and was treated and released from Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. Neither of the Wilsons were thrown in the water as a result of the collision.

Alcohol was not a factor in the collision. The incident remains under investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowans are being warned to watch out for those plants on the side of the road with lacy yellow flowers. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that large patches of wild parsnip are growing now across the state. Also known as poison parsnip, the plant looks like a dill plant or Queen Anne’s lace. It is yellow and grows about four feet tall.

The plant is native to Eurasia and related to the carrot family. It has a sap that contains chemicals that can cause rashes, blisters, burning and itching when exposed to sunlight. The rash can hurt for weeks and scars may remain for many years.

Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds have announced their upcoming weekly schedule, which includes stops in Atlantic, Audubon, Harlan and Council Bluffs. Governor Branstad will be in the area next Friday (July 8th), beginning with a 9-a.m. visit to AMVC Veterinary Services, in Audubon.

From there he will travel to Harlan, where Branstad will attend an Agriculture Industry Town Hall meeting hosted by the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, beginning at 10:30-a.m.  Afterward, both the Governor and Lt. Governor will speak at the 33rd Annual Governor’s Volunteer Award recognition ceremony at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, beginning at 1-p.m.

The next leg of Branstad’s trip takes him to Atlantic, where at 3-p.m. next Friday, he’ll tour Rex Pharmacy, which the McKesson Corporation on June 27th, named Health Mart Pharmacy of the Year for 2016. The Governor’s last stop in Atlantic at 3:30-p.m., will be for a tour of the Historic Whitney Inn, the upper floors of which are being converted into mature adult apartments and living spaces. The three-story Victorian-era Boss Hotel was built in 1890, and is on the list of the National Register of Historic Places.

w/ Chris Parks

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A Red Oak woman was cited after losing control of her vehicle and hitting a utility pole on Friday.  Red Oak Police responded to the accident at 6:15pm Friday on North 8th Street.  Officers determined that 18-year-old Ashley Lynn Brower of Red Oak was driving a 2005 Chevy Tahoe northbound on N. 8th Street and lost control.  Brower struck a utility pole on the east side of the street owned by Mid American Energy.  Damage to the pole was estimated at $500 while the Tahoe sustained an estimated $6,000 damage.  Brower was uninjured in the accident and was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office made an early morning arrest on Saturday after a traffic stop at 3rd and E Reed Streets in Red Oak.  At 4:21am deputies arrested 46-year-old Alfred Charles Barrett of Red Oak for OWI 4th Offense (Class D Felony) and Driving While Barred (Aggravated Misdemeanor).  Barrett was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $5,000 bond.