Iowa Governor Terry Branstad today (Monday) ordered flags to fly at half-staff on Tuesday, September 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to honor Rockwell City Police Officer Jamie Buenting, who was killed in the line of duty last Friday morning. Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will represent the administration at tomorrow’s funeral services.

Flags will be at half-staff on the state Capitol building and on flag displays in the Capitol complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – American Red Cross units from Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Sioux City, and Waterloo are preparing to leave for Colorado to assist with flood relief.  Leadership in Colorado has asked for all five regional emergency response vehicles from Iowa to respond as soon as possible.  Units from Cedar Rapids and Waterloo are leaving Monday and a team from Des Moines expects to depart Tuesday. Departure times for the others are not yet determined.

Red Cross volunteers are staffing shelters or evacuation centers throughout Colorado. The Red Cross says about 1,250 people stayed in 26 shelters Saturday night. Of those 10 were operated by or with the support of the Red Cross. The organization also is helping other organizations plan for recovery which includes assessing damage and providing cleanup supplies.

Residents of Massena will be heading to the polls Tuesday during a special election, to cast their ballots for Mayor. The position of Mayor was left open by the death on May 27th of Don McCunn. Since then, Linda Reineke has served as Mayor Pro-Tem.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman said absentee ballots may be cast in the Auditor’s Office at the Cass County Courthouse until 5-p.m. today (Monday), and again on Tuesday from 8-a.m. until 11. The polls will be open Tuesday from Noon until 8-p.m.  The only polling site is at the Massena Public Library.

Sunderman said since no one has filed nomination papers to run for the office of Mayor in Massena, the person having the most write-in votes will be elected. The elected individual will serve until the end of December. The office of Mayor will appear again on the ballot during the November 5th, 2013 General Election. The person who is nominated at that time will serve a full, two-year term, beginning on January 1st, 2014.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is selling sponsorships of the state’s rest areas as a way to raise money. The DOT officially began soliciting bids for rest area sponsors this month. Bids must be received by Oct. 9.  The minimum bid accepted for sponsorship of a rest area is $7,500 for a three-year contract.   Businesses may sponsor one or more of the state’s 37 interstate rest areas.

In exchange for the money a sponsor gets a business name or logo placed on a sign with a blue background. A signs will be posted at a highway entrance to the rest area and inside the facility.  The DOT says the money will help maintain rest areas, modernize outdated facilities and for other state highway purposes.

An Adair County man was injured during an accident this (Monday) morning on Interstate 80, about 2-miles east of Adair. The Iowa State Patrol reports 25-year old Nicholas Standley, of Greenfield, was transported by Adair Fire and Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, following the crash on I-80 near the 78-mile marker westbound, at around 6:35-a.m.

Officials say a 2003 Chevy Impala driven by 25-year old Tyler Davis, of Des Moines, was traveling west in the right lane of I-80, while a 2003 Chevy Cavalier driven by Standley was also in the right lane. After Davis’ car ran into the rear of Standley’s car, both drivers pulled their vehicles onto the right shoulder. Standley suffered minor neck and back injuries during the collision. Officials say he was wearing a seat belt.

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A man and woman from Nebraska remain hospitalized in Omaha following the Sept. 7th crash of their motorcycle in Mills County.  Bill Brucken, the uncle of 56-year old Robert S. Fatica, of Fremont, NE., said in an e-mail to KJAN News, his nephew is in critical condition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Fatica suffered several fractured vertebrae and ribs. Brucken, who lives in Cleveland, OH.,  says as of this past Saturday, Fatica was unconscious due to severe brain injuries and bleeding on the brain. He also has a broken eye socket and nose.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reported a 1995 Harley Davidson occupied by Fatica and his 40-year old wife Michelle, was traveling north on 190th Street at around 12:20-a.m. Sept. 7th, when the cycle left the road and drove into a ditch. The couple was ejected from the motorcycle. Neither was wearing a helmet. Michelle Fatica remains hospitalized at the UNMC, where she is recovering from surgeries to repair a severely broken shoulder, collarbone, ribs and several fractured vertebrae.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs manufacturer of truck bodies and related equipment is expanding and expects to hire a dozen welders and additional information technology workers. The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs reports Omaha Standard Palfinger is building a logistical center south of its headquarters to move materials and products more efficiently.  A company spokesman says the expansion will involve the construction of five additional loading docks to improve shipping capabilities as it prepares for future growth.

The company acquired nearly five acres for the expansion, which should be completed in mid-October.  Established in 1926, Omaha Standard is a manufacturer of an extensive line of truck bodies and truck equipment. Two years later, it was acquired by the Salzburg, Austria-based company Palfinger.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa soldier has received the Silver Star medal, one of the nation’s top combat decorations, for his actions in Afghanistan.  Sgt. Ryan Steinkamp, who is 26 and from Johnston, was awarded the honor Aug. 28.   The Des Moines Register reports the award is recognition of his leadership in combat on April 17, 2012, when his squad was tasked with clearing insurgents from a village in Afghanistan. They fought against fortified enemy positions, cleared more than 50 compounds and managed to avoid civilian casualties.

The U.S. Department of Defense says only 127 Marines have been awarded the Silver Star for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.   Steinkamp is scheduled to be discharged from the Marines in December.