Customers of Wind Stream Communications in northern Pottawattamie County were asked to use their cell phones to make 9-1-1 calls late Friday night, after land-line 9-1-1 service was disrupted due to a cut fiber optic line. The outage affected Windstream customers in the Minden, Shelby and Avoca telephone prefixes. The line was quickly repaired and a service map showed no disruptions by 11-p.m., Friday. The service was expected to have been restored by no later than midnight.

A four-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 80 Friday night in Cass County resulted in four persons being sent to the hospital. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 9:35-p.m. about a mile west of the Marne exit.

Officials say a 2015 Freightliner semi and a 2006 Chevy Malibu were traveling east in the right lane when the semi, driven by 46-year old Chasun Briley, of Hubbard, OH, rear-ended the Malibu, driven by 25-year old Joseph T. Foster, of Des Moines. The impact caused the car to cross the median and come to rest in the left lane on the westbound side of the road. An unknown vehicle was rear-ended by a 1999 Mercury Sable driven by 34-year old Joann M. Scharlau, of Des Moines, when the unknown car, traveling west on I-80 in the left lane, swerved to the right to avoid a collision with the Malibu.

The Sable came came to rest on the right shoulder of westbound I-80, while the unknown vehicle continued west. Foster and the other individuals injured in the crash, including 21-year old Aleia Robinson and 20-year old Yazsmine V. Wright, both of Des Moines, along with 27-year old Greggie M. Moore, of Omaha, were transported by Walnut Fire and Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, in Atlantic. It’s not clear which vehicle Robinson, Wright and Moore were in. Foster and Robinson were wearing their seat belts.

Two black males who escaped from the Clarinda Academy Friday afternoon were taken into custody at around 8:45-p.m., just west of Clarinda. Authorities reported the escape just before 3-p.m.  The males, ages 17 and 19 had last been seen heading north from the Clarinda Academy. One of the escapees is from Minnesota and the other is California.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

CHARITON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a suspect in a southern Iowa shooting is still at large. Police and other officials are searching for the person believed to have shot a woman Friday morning outside her home in Chariton, Iowa. The woman was taken to a local hospital and then transported to a Des Moines hospital. She remains in critical condition.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say the Iowa State University student found dead in Iowa City last September may have been killed in a central Iowa hotel. The Des Moines Register reports a search warrant made public Thursday says 20-year-old Tong Shao had stayed in a Nevada, Iowa hotel from September 5th to September 7th with her boyfriend, Xiandnan Li, the sole person of interest in the case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Polk County’s medical examiner says he’s seen four times more flu-related deaths so far this season than he saw last winter. Doctor Gregory Schmunk told the Des Moines Register yesterday he’s received 12 death certificates since November citing flu as a main or contributing cause of death. Schmunk says he received just three such certificates last winter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Economic Development Authority has awarded nearly $86 million to four companies to support job creation and expansion projects in the state. The board announced the grants yesterday, which will aid projects in Davenport, Ames, Charles City and Burlington.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Polk County’s medical examiner says he’s seen four times more flu-related deaths so far this season than he saw last winter. Dr. Gregory Schmunk said Friday he’s received 12 death certificates since November citing flu as a main or contributing cause of death. Schmunk says he received just three such certificates last winter. The Des Moines Register reports three are death certificates of children, most others of the elderly, and one of a 47-year-old.

Schmunk says the spike in flu deaths shows the seriousness of this year’s outbreak, when the height of flu season hasn’t yet hit. The county medical examiner’s office doesn’t receive all death certificates, but Schmunk says he estimates that he sees more than half of Polk County’s death certificates, which is Iowa’s most populous county.

The Council Bluffs Police Dept. says a fire early this (Friday) morning is suspicious in nature, and possibly a hate crime. Sgt. Chad Meyers reports at around 3:35-a.m., an Officer with the Council Bluffs Police Department was on patrol, when he smelled smoke in the area. The Officer was able to trace the smoke back to a house located at 2929 Avenue G. The windows of the house were blackened and smoke could be seen rising from the roof.

The Officer requested the Fire Department be dispatched, as he began trying to alert anyone who may have been inside the house. The Fire Department arrived and was able to extinguish the fire and determine that nobody was home. While on scene, Officers noticed that swastikas and racial slurs had been spray painted on the north and west sides of a detached garage at this address. During a neighborhood canvass, it was learned that the graffiti on the garage has been there for two or three days. The fire itself was isolated to the house and not the detached garage.

The homeowner is a white female, who has a bi-racial daughter and bi-racial adult grandson who live with her at the home. All three of them were out of town last night. The fire is suspicious in nature and will be investigated as an arson by the Council Bluffs Fire Department, in cooperation with the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Council Bluffs Police Department. The graffiti on the garage will be investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department as a possible hate crime.

Meyers says at this time, authorities don’t  know if the two incidents are related. Anyone with information on either incident is asked to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department at 328-STOP. You can remain anonymous and any tip leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect is eligible for a cash reward.

w/Jim Field talking about tax changes

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(Updated 10:35-a.m.)

Quick action by the owners of a hog confinement facility northeast of Shelby saved about 200 hogs from a fiery death, but anywhere from 75-to 100 of the animals were lost during a blaze Thursday night. Shelby Fire Chief Eric Wendt told KJAN news the building at 515 Hazel Road was fully engulfed in flames and the roof of the building had collapsed. Wendt said the structure was capable of holding 2,500 of the animals, but there were 350 inside at the time the blaze broke out .

Photo’s from the Harlan Fire & Rescue Dept.’s Facebook page.

Firefighters from Shelby, Harlan, Avoca, Minden and Elk Horn responded to the scene after motorist passing by reported seeing flames. Crews remained on the scene for about 5-hours. Wendt said the cause of the fire appears to have been a short in an electrical panel for the lighting, auger and related equipment.

No injuries were reported, but the loss was substantial. The animals and structure were valued at $400,000. Wendt said the mutual aid they received was greatly appreciated.

A Mills County man was arrested Thursday on a harassment charge. According to Glenwood Police, 48-year old Tony Martin, of Glenwood, was arrested for Harassment in the 3rd degree. His bond set at $300.

More area news, with Ric Hanson.

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