Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer says charges are pending the result of an investigation into a single-vehicle accident that took place at around 7-a.m. today (Thursday). The accident happened about four-miles west of where a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by 36-year old Thomas Christopher Lee Blank, of Council Bluffs, blew a passenger side tire as the car was traveling east on 190th st. The tire shredded, but Blank continued to drive the car, which went out of control about 150-yards east of E Avenue. The car went into the north ditch and rolled onto the roof. When Law Enforcement arrived, Blank and passenger in the vehicle, 33-year old Lacey Nichole Remmen, of Carter Lake, where under the trunk / rear deck of the vehicle, sheltered from the weather. Both were transported to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital for treatment of unknown injuries. Remmen was transported to University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska by Life Net.
Blank and Remmen were found to be the only occupants of the vehicle at the time of the accident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Senate panel has advanced a bill that would let school districts in Iowa decide whether to start classes earlier in August. Members of an education subcommittee voted Thursday in favor of advancing the bill, which would remove authority from the state education department to issue waivers that allow school districts to start early. The department recently released new guidelines for the waivers, which in the past were issued automatically.

The bill will be sent to a full committee for consideration. A similar House bill was recently sent to another full committee for review. Organizations in support of both bills say school districts should have control on deciding their calendars. Tourism officials say early school start dates hurt businesses that rely on summer attendance, including the Iowa State Fair.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Members of a House panel have rejected a bill that would have expanded the ability of children to use a crossbow to hunt deer in Iowa. The natural resources subcommittee tabled the bill indefinitely Thursday. Bill sponsor Rep. Matt Windschitl, a Missouri Valley Republican, says he will work with interested parties to reword the bill for a future session.

The bill would have allowed children ages 16 and under with a youth deer hunting license to hunt for deer with a crossbow during other firearm seasons. The minor would have needed an unused tag. A child can currently use a crossbow during the late muzzleloader season if they’re accompanied by a licensed adult.

The Iowa Bowhunters Association, which supports archery through bow and arrow, expressed concern about expanding crossbow use.

A Mills County man is being sought by authorities following an incident that took place Wednesday night in Page County. According to reports, an Iowa State Patrol Trooper saw 38-year old Harold Rudduck, of Glenwood, walking along County Road J-20 east of Essex, at around 8:30-p.m. After talking with the man, the Trooper ran a check on his identity and learned Rudduck was wanted in Council Bluffs for failure to appear on a drug charge.

Rudduck took off on foot when the Trooper went to place him under arrest, and ran into a wooded area. Despite a search by a k-9 unit and deputies from Cass, Page and Montgomery Counties, authorities were unable to locate the man. The search was called-off at around 11-p.m.

Rudduck is described as being a white male with tattoos on his left arm, right forearm, chest, neck and left wrist. The man may have been picked up by a friend. Anyone with information on Ruddock’s location is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.

There’s an increased emphasis on bringing in-state students into the three state-supported universities and that has ramped up the competition with private schools for graduating Iowa high schoolers. Jonathan Brand, the president of Cornell College, says the Mount Vernon school is continually seeking to increase the number of in-state students. “About seventeen percent of our students now are from Iowa..and that number has got to grow,” Brand says. He says it’s an important issue for the school that has nearly 12-hundred students.

“I so firmly believe — without giving up our national or international focus — when you have a healthy number of students from your home state, it anchors the student body, the culture, the population, in the healthiest of ways.” The college has launched what it calls a “Promise Grant” which Brand says makes Cornell a good deal. “Which is 20-thousand dollars per year for four years for those Iowa students who are admitted to Cornell College,” Brand explains. “That is our way of saying that we want to make sure that Cornell is accessible to them, that we want them here.”

The discount brings Cornell’s tuition next fall to 18-thousand-dollars for Iowa residents and brings it within five-thousand dollars of what the University of Iowa is listing as its base tuition. Brand says the school is looking to grow, even in the more competitive environment. “Our plan over the next seven to ten years is to grow initially to sixteen-hundred students. And, at that point, we’ll take a breather and make sure that the academic experience is of the same caliber and quality that it is today,” Brand says. He says they realize they are fighting strong headwinds with the demographics in the upper Midwest, and in Iowa. The school does draw eighty-three percent its students from regions that are growing like the west coast and Chicago has also been a target area.

M.J. Dolan, executive director of the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, says the fifteen regionally-based colleges draw from outside too, dispelling the notion that they are exclusively Iowan.
“And it think it’s important, certainly for Iowa’s community colleges, we welcome all young people coming into this state,” Dolan says. But she says they also depend on a diverse variety of Iowa students. “Certainly we’ve seen that in our communities with the increasing minority populations all across rural Iowa as well as the urban areas, inviting those folks in. You know, we have so many stories, the Cattlemen’s Association approached us and was interested in getting training for Latino workers in the cattle industry. We had a German company come to Estherville, Iowa who is interested in getting training for the wind industry.” Dolan does acknowledges that Iowa’s community colleges largely depend on the same pool of Iowa students as the other schools.

“I don’t want to lead anyone astray saying that we aren’t concerned about the unintended consequences of a policy that takes our Iowa students and wants to put them into many institutions when there aren’t enough to go around,” Dolan says. Dolan’s reference to unintended consequences is a reference to the proposed Board of Regents policy which changes the funding formula to distribute money based on the number of in-state students.

(Radio Iowa)

One person was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston following a collision Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say vehicles driven by 35-year old Nicholas Sprague, of Orient, and 21-year old Marissa Merrill, of Creston, collided at the intersection of East Monroe and South Vine Streets, at around 1:30-p.m., Tuesday.

According to the accident report, Merrill was traveling west on Monroe and stopped at the intersection, but then pulled out in front of the Sprague vehicle, which was traveling south on Vine Street. Sprague couldn’t stop in time. His 2000 Mazda Protege hit Merrill’s 2012 Kia on the passenger side. Merrill was extricated from her car and transported to the hospital. A report on her condition was not available.

Damage from the crash amounted to $8,000.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – A federal agency is investigating whether Iowa State University has responded appropriately to reports of sexual violence against students. The school confirmed Thursday that the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights is investigating its handling of a 2014 assault of a female student by a male student.

An Oct. 15 letter from the agency to ISU President Steven Leath says investigators will look into whether the school has failed to “promptly and equitably” respond to complaints of sexual violence, including the female student’s report. Iowa State spokesman John McCarroll said an investigation by campus police has led to a criminal charge against the male student. He says the student faces a disciplinary hearing next month.

McCarroll said school officials believe they’ve acted appropriately and are cooperating with investigators.

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean your children can’t have fun at camp! Beth Irlbeck, Cass County Youth Coordinator with ISU Extension, says the kids can attend a fun, special Polar Bear Day Camp, which will be held indoors. The Polar Bear Day Camp is being sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board and Cass County ISU Extension. The camps take place Feb. 13th & 16th, are and intended for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

The event on Feb 13th takes place from 9-a.m. until Noon, and on Feb. 16th, from 1-until 4-p.m. Both winter day camps will take place at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. Irlbeck says participants will learn a lot about Polar Bears, and have fun with several activities. That includes Polar Bear Crafts, learning about the life of a polar bear, experiencing an outdoor adventure by going on a winter hike and coloring in the snow, and participating in games & activities about polar bears and other arctic animals.

The camps will be offered free of charge, and a snack will be provided. Pre-registration is required. Registration deadline for Polar Bear Camp is February 4th. Call the Cass County Extension office at 243-1132 or email xcass@iastate.edu to register your children. No registrations will be accepted after the registration deadline.

Parents should remember to dress their children to go outdoors for fun and a winter hike.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Friday, will hold a public hearing on a change of zoning classification for a three-acre section of land in Grant Township, for Alliant Energy. If approved following the public hearing, the land would change from General Agricultural to a Light Industrial designation.

The Board will also act on the appointment of an Administrative Assistant for Cass County Attorney Dave Wiederstein, as well as the abatement of property taxes for property located at 307 Michigan Street, owned by the City of Anita.

In other business, the Supervisors will receive a report on the Secondary Roads Department’s 5-year bridge construction program, and a quarterly report from the County Veterans Affairs Director. The meeting begins at 8:30-a.m., Friday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad has named a longtime staffer as acting director of the Iowa Department of Corrections.  Branstad said Thursday that Jerry Bartruff will take over the job. He will replace retiring Director John Baldwin. Bartruff’s first day in the role will be Friday. He has worked in the department since 1982, most recently as deputy director for operations in the department’s eastern region.

Branstad called Bartruff a “capable professional” who could handle the transition.  Baldwin appeared before lawmakers earlier this week to discuss the long-delayed Iowa State Penitentiary. Baldwin said he still doesn’t know when the facility will open, noting that officials are studying a potential solution to a faulty smoke control system. The prison in Fort Madison was scheduled to open last March.