Two people were arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence Friday, in Cass County. The Sheriff’s Dept. reports 24-year old Justin Dale Hardisty, of Cumberland, was arrested on charges of OWI/ 3rd or Subsequent Offense, and Driving While Barred. Hardisty was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remained held today (Monday) on $7,000 bond.

And, 36-year old Kelly Monta Watson,  of Omaha, NE, was arrested Friday on charges of OWI/1st Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Watson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on $1,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – First Lady Michelle Obama will appear in Des Moines Friday to campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Braley. Braley spokesman Jeff Giertz said Sunday that Obama and Braley will attend a rally at Drake University Friday afternoon. The event will stress the importance of early voting in the competitive Iowa Senate race.

Braley, a four-term congressman from Waterloo, is locked a tight race against Republican Joni Ernst, a state lawmaker and officer in the Iowa National Guard from Red Oak. They are vying for the seat held by retiring Democratic Senator Tom Harkin.

Republicans are hoping to win in Iowa in their drive for the six-seat gain they need to grab the Senate majority. Obama has been stumping for Democrats in a number of tight races around the country.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad and top aides say they weren’t aware that a former state official was gay when the governor asked him to resign and cut his pay. In affidavits filed last week, Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and four aides said Christopher Godfrey wasn’t singled out because of sexual orientation.

Godfrey, the state’s former workers’ compensation commissioner, is suing over what he calls their heavy-handed and illegal attempts to force his resignation. After he declined, the governor cut Godfrey’s pay by $40,000, to the lowest allowed for the position. Godfrey’s lawsuit alleges discrimination based on sexual orientation, extortion and defamation.

Godfrey’s attorney has filed a motion arguing that Branstad’s lawyer has a conflict and should be removed. The affidavits are part of an attempt to defeat that motion.

In an update to our story Sunday morning (and earlier today) about a rollover accident Sunday in Cass County, authorities say a Montgomery County man was arrested on a charge of OWI/1st offense. 22-year old Timothy Alan Carlson, of Elliott, was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

Sheriff’s officials say the accident happened on Osage Road just west of 550th Street southwest of Lewis, at around 1:38-a.m. A Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived to find a 2003 Ford F-250 pickup that had rolled several times before coming to rest in a farm field. The driver – identified as Carlson – was examined at the scene by Griswold Rescue personnel, but refused transport the hospital.

Carlson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance. Damage to Carlson’s vehicle is estimated at $10,000. Damage to crops in the field is estimated at $250.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – An American video journalist who contracted Ebola while working in Liberia has arrived at a Nebraska hospital where he will be treated. The ambulance carrying 33-year-old Ashoka Mukpo pulled up at around 8-a.m. to a receiving bay at the Nebraska Medical Center on Monday. The area isn’t visible from the street, but the driver was wearing head-to-toe protective gear as the ambulance drove past. Mukpo will be treated in the hospital’s specialized isolation unit.

He is the fifth American to return to the United States for treatment since the start of the latest Ebola outbreak, which the World Health Organization estimates has killed more than 3,400 people. Meanwhile, a Liberian man with Ebola who started showing symptoms while visiting the U.S. is in critical condition at a Dallas hospital.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Harlan Police along with personnel from the Harlan Fire Department and Medivac, were responding just before 8-a.m. to a two-vehicle accident on Highway 44, west of Harlan. The crash happened near the entrance to Western Engineering.

No other details are available at this time.

(KNOD)

Iowa voters will elect at least two new U.S. Representatives in November. Iowa has four congressional districts, but incumbents are seeking reelection in just two. The other two are open races because Republican Congressman Tom Latham of Clive didn’t seek reelection and Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo is running for the U.S. Senate. Donna Hoffman, head of the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa, says there’s a reason the state’s congressional races aren’t getting as much attention as Iowa’s U.S. Senate race.

“Virtually no one expects Republicans to lose control of the House and I think that has some effect on why the House races…are getting a little bit less attention in terms of national politics,” Hoffman says, “because the House really is not in play.” Campaign fundraising reports from federal candidates are due later this week and Hoffman says that will help her “handicap” the congressional races, but she says voter registration “leans Democratic” in the first district and Democrat Pat Murphy seems to have a slight edge over Republican Rod Blum.

Both candidates are from Dubuque and the two have not debated one another. “There hasn’t been a lot of outside spending which is a little bit surprising because that is an open race,” Hoffman says. “It is certainly one that is competitive, but we haven’t seen a lot of outside interests, with the national parties coming in or outside groups coming in.” Iowa’s other open race is in the third district, where Democrat Staci Appel of Ackworth and Republican David Young of Van Meter is getting the most attention among the four congressional races. “That one is seen as being a true toss-up,” Hoffman says. “No one has been determined to have the advantage there.”

Young and Appel debated one another in Council Bluffs last month and they’re scheduled to debate tonight (Monday) in Indianola. “We see a little bit of movement there in terms of the national parties starting to spend some money there and not as much as we might have thought,” Hoffman says. “It seems like the Senate race is really sucking all the air out of the room in terms of the attention that’s coming to Iowa.”

In the fourth district, Republican Congressman Steve King of Kiron and Democrat Jim Mowrer of Boone are scheduled to debate later this month in Storm Lake. Hoffman says the fundraising in this district has been interesting, as Mowrer collected slight more than King did during the last reporting period in June.  “Which is really kind of surprising. He’s seen as being a quality candidate. He’s a young Democrat. He’s an Iraqi war vet,” Hoffman says. “Having said that, I think that Steve King is probably secure in that particular seat.”

At the end of September, there were 56-thousand more registered Republicans compared to Democrats in King’s district. In the second district, Democrats hold a voter registration edge of 27-thousand. That’s where Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa is running for a third time against Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa City. “He seems likely to hold onto that,” Hoffman says. “And certainly incumbents are typically advantaged in races such as that.” Several prominent figures have lost their first bids for elected office. In Iowa, Democrat Tom Harkin lost his first race in 1972, then won in a rematch in 1974.

“I haven’t seen with the Miller-Meeks and Loebsack race at this point that there’s much more momentum there than she had last time, but again there’s still a decent amount of time before the November elections and that could come,” Hoffman says. “But it doesn’t appear that the third time is going to be the charm for Miller-Meeks.” Loebsack and Miller-Meeks debated one another in August and they are scheduled to debate again this Saturday in Davenport. As for the campaign conversation in each of these races, Hoffman says “bread and butter” domestic issues have dominated.

“You have seen some foreign policy start to filter into some of the races in other states and we haven’t seen that in Iowa,” Hoffman says. “There’s the potential there as events drive foreign policy discussions that you could potentially have some candidates talking about those kinds of issues.” Hoffman teaches courses about legislative politics as well as campaigns and elections at U-N-I.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Shelby County says no injuries were reported following a single-vehicle, rollover accident this morning. The accident occurred a little after 7-a.m. on Highway 59, just south of 1700th St.

Sheriff’s deputies, Harlan Police, Westphalia Fire and Rescue and Earling Rescue, also responded. The driver of the vehicle was out of the vehicle when officials arrived, and indicated he was not injured.

No other information is available at this time.

(KNOD)

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