Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

(Iowa City)– A small car making an illegal U-turn was struck by a semi Sunday afternoon on Interstate 80 near Oxford, in eastern Iowa, resulting in the deaths of three people including two children and an adult. Two others were injured. injuries to two other vehicle occupants. All of the victims were in the same vehicle. The injured were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. No names were released as of early Monday morning. The children were said to be 11 and 13-years of age.

OSAGE, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is proposing a sweeping agriculture and rural investment plan to break up big agriculture monopolies and shift farm subsidies toward small family farmers. Sanders told voters in Osage, Iowa, that a farmer producing the food people eat may be almost as important as “some crook on Wall Street who destroys the economy.” His plan includes several antitrust proposals, including a moratorium on mergers by big agriculture companies.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa egg farm which lost more than 4 million chickens in the 2015 bird flu outbreak centered in the Midwest is suing companies hired by the U.S. government to disinfect barns to kill the bird flu virus. Sunrise Farms says the chlorine dioxide gas and heat treatments used to kill the virus destroyed barn equipment, electrical wiring, production equipment and water lines.

KENSETT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in north-central Iowa say a man has died after being hit by a car. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the incident happened Friday evening in rural Worth County when a car hit 58-year-old Rick Johnson, of Kensett, while he was walking on a county road. The Iowa State Patrol says the car was driven by a 42-year-old Mason City man.

(Update 3:19-a.m., May 6) — A small car making an illegal U-turn was struck by a semi Sunday afternoon on Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa, resulting in the deaths of three people including two children. Two other people were injured. All of the victims were in the same vehicle. The injured were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. No names were released as of early this (Monday) morning. The children were said to be 11 and 13-years of age.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2010 KIA Rondo was traveling west on I-80 at around 1:07-p.m., when the driver slowed to make a left hand turn. The car crossed from the number two lane into the number one lane in an attempt to use the crossover to travel on the eastbound lanes.

As the vehicle crossed into the number one lane, it was struck broadside by a 2020 Peterbilt semi. The car came to rest in the median, and the semi came to rest on the westbound lanes. The crash, which happened in Johnson County near mile marker 231, remains under investigation.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke paid visits to communities in southwest Iowa Sunday, including Atlantic, where he spoke in a shelter at Sunnyside Park. During his approximately 20 minute speech before a large crowd, O’Rourke transitioned quickly between topics before opening the floor to questions. One of first topics he tackled was the economy, which he said was “…going gangbusters for a few people in this country.”

Beto O’Rourke in Atlantic (Ric Hanson/photo 5/5/19)

He asked why do we pay teachers and public school educators, etc., who work two or three jobs jobs, a fraction of what they are worth in order to make ends meet? He said those people should be paid a living wage, and we should begin to invest in world class public education that begins with Universal Pre-K for three- and four-year old’s. He said that will allow kids to catch-up and an even chance for success in life. O’Rourke admits it “Does not come cheap and it will not come easy, but it is something that…if we make that investment…will produce returns for the lifetime of that child, of their family and of this country.”

He was asked if he was in favor of Medicare for all. O’Rourke said there is already a proposal written by two women in the legislature entitled “Medicare for America.” He says it would allow people to keep their current employer-sponsored insurance, but if you cannot afford the co-pay, the premium or the deductible is too large, you would be free to switch to Medicare. O’Rourke drew a round of applause when he mentioned making community college free or at least fair, for every American who wants to attend, as a means to reduce the National Debt. He said also with the 45,000 funded, but unfilled clinical positions available with the Veterans Administration and in under-served school districts, if a person is willing to fill one of those positions, they should benefit from their effort. He said your college debt should be wiped clean so you can focus on public service and being back home instead of worrying about paying-off your heavy debt. He said also, since not everyone wants to go to college, it should be easier for a person to join a Union, learn a trade, become an apprentice, and command them a skill that will allow them to earn a living wage.

Speaking earlier, in Shenandoah, Sunday, O’Rourke repeated his calls to impeach President Donald Trump and drew a distinction between himself and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who’s declining any rush to proceedings.

O’Rourke said special counsel Robert Mueller’s report makes impeachment more necessary than ever. He said “proceedings in the House ensure that more of these facts come to light, ensure that the Senate can make a very informed decision about this president.” Asked about Pelosi cautioning against doing so O’Rourke answered, “That’s fine. We’re two different people.” O’Rourke said he really respects “the speaker and what she’s been able to do, but when asked my opinion I’ve got to give my opinion not anyone else’s.”

In investigation into a vehicle parked alongside Highway 34 in Adams County, Saturday night, resulted in the arrest of a man from Texas. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year old Dylan Masters, of Troup, TX., was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

Authorities say Masters was parked near the intersection of Highway 34 and Sycamore when Adams County deputies came upon his vehicle at around 11:50-p.m.  When they spoke with Masters, it was apparent he was possibly under the influence of alcohol, which was confirmed through a field sobriety test

2020 Democratic presidential candidate, Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, from Texas, will be in Southwest Iowa today, holding town hall events. His schedule includes:

• 8:30am   Cottonwood Pavilion, Shenandoah
• 10:45am  Chautauqua Park, Red Oak
• 1:00pm    Sunnyside Park, Atlantic (O’Rouke is scheduled to speak at 1:30-p.m.)
• 3:45pm    Old Depot, Creston

The 46-year old O’Rouke is a businessman, musician, and politician who represented Texas’ 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. After being re-elected to the House in 2014 and 2016, O’Rourke declined to seek re-election in 2018. Instead, he ran for United States Senate against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz. His campaign received significant national attention for its record fundraising, ability to draw large crowds, and extensive use of social media. Cruz narrowly defeated O’Rourke 50.9% to 48.3% while O’Rourke set a record for most votes cast for a Democrat in Texas history.

On March 14, 2019, O’Rourke announced his campaign for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election.

A Special meeting of the Griswold School Board will be held 5-p.m. Monday (May 6th), in the Middle School/High School Library. The meeting is for the purposes of hiring an assistant high school softball coach, and to consider approving an open enrollment request. The public is invited to comment on the assistant coaching matter, prior to Board action.