A portion of Interstate 80 in Pottawattamie County was blocked for about 3-hours altogether Monday northeast of Council Bluffs, after a trailer hauling a boring machine and being pulled by a 1992 GMC 3-axle truck, began to sway and both vehicles overturned. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened on I-80 eastbound at around 11:30-a.m., about a mile north of the exit to Highway 6. The driver of the vehicle, 27-year old Benjamin Mattox, of Malcom, NE., suffered minor cuts and bruises, but refused medical treatment.

Officials say the truck, registered to Watts Electric, out of Waverly, NE., was traveling eastbound when the trailer and its load began to sway. The trailer rolled into the median, while the truck flipped onto the driver’s side on the road. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue, the Iowa DCI and DOT crews.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says an Emerson man was arrested Saturday on assault and drug charges. 37-year old Sean Eugene Hicks was taken into custody at around 4:40-p.m. on a warrant for Assault, and for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Hicks was booked into the Mills County Jail and held on $3,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad has launched a new state website that he says will help encourage efforts to reduce water pollution in Iowa. Branstad announced the website Monday. He says it will provide information to rural and urban residents as part of a wide-ranging approach to enhancing water quality in the state.

Iowa recently came to a deal with federal authorities to inspect more livestock farms and strictly enforce penalties when manure leaks into rivers or streams. That came after a long dispute over enforcing the U.S. Clean Water Act.  Environmental groups note that 479 lakes, rivers and streams in the state are listed as impaired by the EPA. A wet spring this year caused some rivers in central Iowa to record the highest nitrate levels ever.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency has updated the fire danger warning signs in the county. The fire danger signs remain in the “Moderate” category, for the third straight week. Bob Seivert, Emergency Management Coordinator, said the harvest is moving nicely and rain is in the forecast later in the week. If you are planning a burn, contact your local fire chief before igniting. The Shelby County EMA will update the situation again on Thursday.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Saturday of 33-year old Jason Arthur Malloy, of Audubon. Malloy was taken into custody at around 8-pm on a warrant for Revocation of Probation. He has since posted bond, and was released. Malloy is scheduled to appear in Court this Thursday, Oct. 31st.

Sheriff’s officials also say no injuries were reported following an accident Friday morning, in Exira. A vehicle driven by 28-year old Crystal Michelle Parker, of Exira, was backing out of a driveway on the west side of North Kilworth Street, when her 1996 Olds hit a southbound car driven by 56-year old Janell Fay Bluml, of Audubon. Authorities say Parker didn’t see Bluml’s 2001 Buick approaching, and struck her car on the left front corner, causing a total of $2,000 damage. The accident happened at around 11-a.m. Officials say Parker was cited for Unsafe backing.

The Atlantic Police Department reports two arrests took place Saturday. 37-year old Mandy Bolin, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a 5th degree Theft charge. And, 29-year old Cody Hanson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Hanson was also wanted on a Buena Vista County warrant for False Imprisonment. Both subjects were brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

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Two people were taken into custody early this (Monday) morning, in Red Oak. According to the Red Oak Police Department,  21-year-old Jeremy Allen Aparo, of Griswold was arrested at around 2:15-a.m., for Possession of a controlled substance/marijuana, and Possession of drug paraphernalia. 20-year-old Wilson D. Baker, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around the same time on a Possession of drug paraphernalia charge. Aparo was brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on $1,000 cash bond, while Baker was cited for his offense, and released.

A host of pests may be trying to enter homes, now that the weather has turned colder across Iowa. That includes bats, which can be dangerous, especially if they carry rabies. Ann Garvey, with the Iowa Department of Public Health, says last year 17 rabid bats were reported to state health officials.  “So far this year, we’ve had six (bats) test positive from different areas of the state,” Garvey says. There have been no human rabies cases. Bat bites can be visibly undetectable, so any potential exposure or contact with a bat means the bat should be captured and tested for rabies.

Garvey suggests the easiest way to catch a bat is to wait until it lands on a flat surface. “Take a hard-sided container, like a coffee can, and place it over the bat on the floor or wall. Then, slide a piece of cardboard or something hard underneath it and tape it to the container,” Garvey says. If a bat is found in your home and you know you were NOT “exposed” to it, Garvey says you can simply open a door or windows and the bat should eventually find its way out. Anyone who may’ve been bitten by a bat is advised to wash the exposed area with soap and water, and seek medical attention. Garvey says treatment of rabies is safer and less painful today than it was years ago.

“The rabies series is now one dose of Rabies Immune Globulin and then four or five doses of vaccine, depending on whether you have any other health conditions,” Garvey says. “For adults, that vaccine is given in the arm, just like a flu shot. It’s no longer the large series of shots in the stomach.”

(Radio Iowa)