Two people were arrested this week on drug charges, in Mills County. Sheriff’s officials say 35-year old Harold Jay Rudock, of Glenwood, and 28-year old Natosha Myree Crally, of Red Oak, were arrested Monday evening on Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Stolen Property/3rd offense, charges. Ruduck was also charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His bond was set at $3,300. Cralley’s bond was set at $3,000.

A Glenwood man was arrested early Wednesday morning. 22-year old Dylan Wayne Miller was arrested on a charge of OWI/1st offense, following a traffic stop at around 1-a.m. His bond was set at $1,000.   And, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 25-year old Seth Ryan Peters, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Mills County Jail at around 8:30-a.m. Wednesday, for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Revoked charge. His bond was set at $5,000.

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Sheriff’s officials in Page County say rapidly deteriorating road conditions were to blame for two, separate non-injury accidents late Wednesday morning.  The first happened at around 10:55-a.m., east of Shenandoah on C Avenue, just south of Highway 2. Officials say a 2010 Ford pickup driven by 46-year old Donald Wayne Lindquist, of Red Oak, was traveling south on C Avenue, when the roadway became  slick very quickly. The pickup went out of control and into a ditch where it rolled over. Damage was estimated at $15,000.

The second accident happened at around 11:50-a.m., Wednesday, also on C Avenue, about one-half mile north of 250th Street. The Page County Sheriff’s Office says 62-year old Dasie Mae Richt, of Northboro, was traveling south on C Avenue, when her 2001 Mitsubishi went out of control and entered a ditch, where it rolled over and landed on a fence before coming to rest on its top. Damage was estimated at $7,000.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A wintry storm that heaped snow on the Rockies has pushed east into northern Nebraska and northwest Iowa. NWS meteorologist Todd Heitkamp said 4 to 6 inches of snow had fallen in northwest Iowa on Wednesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Board of Regents has approved plans to freeze tuition rates for undergraduates — and reduce them for law students. The regents voted yesterday to keep tuition steady for resident undergraduate students at Iowa’s three public universities for the second straight year. The freeze is contingent on the schools receiving a 4 percent general funding increase from lawmakers next year. Without it, the regents warn they may have to approve a hike later.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The ambassador of Nigeria is coming to Dubuque. Ambassador Geoffrey Teneilabe will address an audience December 12th at the Dubuque Multicultural Family Center as it celebrates the history and culture of Africa. The reception and program, titled “All Africa” will include opening remarks by Dubuque Mayor Roy Buol.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a man suspected of shooting at passing vehicles in a Des Moines neighborhood is in custody and injured. Police Sergeant Jason Halifax says officers exchanged gunfire with the man yesterday afternoon on the city’s south side, following multiple reports of shots being fired in the area. He was injured and taken to a local hospital.

In an update to our earlier story, the Iowa State Patrol Wednesday evening released more information about an accident which occurred Wednesday afternoon that killed one person and injured two IA DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers. Officials say 52-year old Bruce Coenen, of Harlan, died in the crash. DOT officers Brian Rink, age 40, of Griswold, and Kent Liebe, age 58, of Carter Lake, were injured.

The Daily NonPareil, quoting Police dispatch reports, said Coenen had left a behavioral facility in Harlan, smelling of alcohol. The 2003 Pontiac Bonneville he was driving travelled south on Highway 59 for nine-miles at speeds of up to 100-miles per hours, with a Harlan Police officer in pursuit. The car slammed into the DOT enforcement officers’  2012 Chevy Tahoe, about one-mile north of Interstate 80, at around 12:25-p.m., after the SUV did a U-turn in an attempt to block the Bonneville using a rolling stop, according to authorities. The Bonneville caught fire, and state troopers who arrived on the scene put out the blaze.

Coenen died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. His body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, for autopsy. The Patrol says Brian Rink was also not wearing a seat belt. He was transported by private vehicle to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. Kent Liebe was wearing a seat belt. He was transported by Avoca Rescue to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. A report on both officers’ conditions, was not available.

Highway 59 was closed for more than two hours as the crash was investigated. It reopened at about 2:30 p.m. Assisting at the scene, was Avoca Fire and Rescue, Harlan Fire and Walnut Fire and Rescue.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports the old “Grandchild in trouble” scam is making its way around the area….again. Brothers say he was recently made aware of an elderly Clarinda couple who was called by someone who said that the couple’s grandson had been involved in a serious accident and that $2,400.00 needed to be wired immediately to the grandson.

The grandson had not been in an accident and the money was ultimately sent to the country of Chile.` The scam sometimes involves a person who claims to be, or is representing, a grandchild who is supposedly in jail, and needs to be bonded out. The “grandchild” in most of those cases, is in another country, like Canada, or Mexico.

The bottom line grandparents need to be aware of, is to VERIFY information with another family member. Or, in the case of a supposedly arrested grandchild, call the law enforcement agency or your local law enforcement agency, to have them verify the claim. NEVER give personal banking or credit card information to someone claiming to be or representing a relative, especially if you are not certain the circumstances are real.

An accident this (Wednesday) afternoon south of Harlan has claimed one life and injured two Iowa DOT Enforcement officers. The Harlan Police Department reports at around 12:15-p.m., the H-PD received a call about a possibly intoxicated driver. A Harlan Police Officer located the suspect vehicle as it was traveling south on U-S Highway 59.

The driver of the vehicle ignored the patrol vehicles’ lights and sirens, and continued southbound for about nine-miles. Other units were called to assist in the traffic stop. A DOT enforcement vehicle responded with lights and sirens activated. The suspect vehicle collided with the DOT car, injuring both officers in the vehicle just north of the Shelby/Pottawattamie County line.

The driver of the suspect vehicle died at the scene of the crash from injuries suffered in the collision. The Iowa State Patrol is conducting an investigation into the incident. Additional updates will be released from the Patrol, when available.

Templeton Rye whiskey fans have more to celebrate this week than just the 80th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. After seven years of legal production, the one millionth bottle of the Prohibition-era spirit will be released. Templeton Rye is now available in more than 40 states, but founders Scott Bush and Keith Kerkhoff want to give back to the fans at home where it all started and will release the bottle in Iowa to say thanks.

Gov. Branstad putting the label on the millionth bottle at the Templeton Rye distillery in Templeton, Iowa, Wednesday morning.

“We are very grateful for all of our devoted fans for the success of Templeton Rye throughout the country, but it wouldn’t have been possible without our fans in Iowa,” said Scott Bush, president and co-founder of Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC. “We thought about keeping the millionth bottle for our own collection, but instead, we decided it would be most rewarding to share it with those who helped us achieve this remarkable milestone.”

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition on Dec. 5, the millionth bottle, with a special nine-digit numeric code printed on it, will be shipped to the state warehouse and enter the Iowa distribution system, along with other bottles featuring nine-digit codes. At an event in Templeton celebrating the milestone, the first number of the special millionth bottle code was announced: 5.

Each week, another digit of the numeric code will be released on the Templeton Rye website, Facebook and Twitter pages and through emails to the Templeton Rye Bootleggers Society. The full unique numeric sequence will be revealed on Jan. 17, 2014, what would have been Al Capone’s 115th birthday.

The lucky fan who discovers the millionth bottle will not only receive a piece of history, but will be invited to the Templeton Rye distillery for a tour and tasting with Keith Kerkhoff, master distiller and co-founder of Templeton Rye. The fan who finds the millionth bottle is encouraged to send an email to millionthbottle@templetonrye.com.