The Iowa State Patrol, Tuesday (Today), identified the person who died during a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 35, Monday. Officials say 53-year old Dana Easter, of Independence, MO., died in the collision. Easter was the driver of a 2006 Treovost bus involved in the crash. He was wearing his seat belt. The report says among the other vehicles involved was: a 2013 Kia Optima driven by 50-year old Howard Metzger, of Gruver, IA; a 2014 Freightliner truck driven by 56-year old Richard Sanford, of Altoona, a 2012 Volvo semi tractor-trailer driven by 54-year old Marvin Burns, of Union, IA, and a 2003 Mercedes M50, driven by 59-year old Arlon Binning, of Roland, IA.

Sanford’s truck was stopped in the left lane of I-80 southbound at mile-marker 112 at around 12:28-p.m., due to the road being blocked. The KIA was directly behind the truck, and the Mercedes was behind the KIA, while the Volvo semi was behind the Mercedes. The bus, failed to slow down and collided with the rear of the volvo semi, causing a chain reaction collision with the other vehicles. Burns, the driver of the Volvo semi, was injured, but refused transport to the hospital. Authorities say he was wearing his seat belt.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Some business owners have asked Sioux City officials to deny requests to hold an annual motorcycle rally and concert fundraiser on their street, saying it drives away customers and has led to profit losses. The Sioux City Journal reports that about seven local businesses are opposing a plan by Awesome Biker Nights to continue hosting its charity event on Historic Fourth Street. The Awesome Biker Nights committee requested Fourth Street closures for its festival at a City Council meeting Monday.

Julie Schoenherr owns SoHo Kitchen & Bar. She says the event discourages regular customers from dining and that her restaurant lost $12,000 in business last year. Awesome Biker Nights officials say other Fourth Street businesses wish to participate, so moving to a different location would prove difficult. The council deferred a decision until its meeting on Feb. 26.

The Creston Police Department says a woman driving too fast for conditions lost control of her SUV this (Tuesday) morning, and collided with two trucks in a car dealership parking lot. Authorities say 41-year old Jamie Lynn Gard, of Murray, was turning north from Highway 34 onto Sumner Street and was going too fast for the snowy road conditions. When her 2002 Suzuki XL7 went out of control, Gard over-corrected, causing the vehicle to leave the road and hit two parked trucks in the Stalker Chevrolet parking lot. The accident happened at around 7:30-a.m. Damage to the parked vehicles amounted to $5,000. Gard’s SUV sustained $1,200 damage. No injuries were reported, and no citations were issued.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports four arrests took place over the past week. Last Saturday morning, 19-year old Brennen Meyer Weiland, of Greenfield, was arrested by Greenfield Police for knowingly having in the pockets of his coveralls, a small plastic bag containing a substance believed to be meth, and a knife with a blade 5-inches or longer. Weiland was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $2,000 cash only bond. His preliminary hearing was set for Feb. 15th.

Last Friday, 31-year old James Robert Lyman, of Greenfield, was arrested by Deputies for Violation of Parole, by Driving While Barred. Lyman was being held without bond at the Adair County Jail while awaiting transport by the Dept. of Corrections, to the Newton Correctional Facility. That same day, 43-year old Sharon Yovonne Baldwin, of Cincinnati, OH., was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault with bodily injury, in connection with an incident that happened in the cab of a semi tractor-trailer at Exit 97 on Interstate 80, in Adair County. The victim was Michael Jones, a man she “co-habitated” with. Baldwin was later released on her Own Recognizance.

On January 29th, 42-year old Scott William Richard Funke, of Greenfield, was arrested in Polk County on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. Funke was released from custody later that same day, on a $2,000 cash bond or surety. And, on Jan. 28th, 37-year old Jennifer Marie Woolums, of Adair, was arrested in Adair for Driving Under Suspension. Woolums was issued a citation and released at the scene.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a bus carrying the touring cast and crew of “Dancing with the Stars” was involved in a massive pileup during a snow storm in central Iowa, but no one on the bus was seriously hurt. Iowa State University released a statement saying the Monday crash resulted in the cancellation of a campus performance of “Dancing with the Stars: Live! Light Up The Night.” The university says some people on the bus suffered minor injuries.

The Iowa State Patrol says between 50 and 70 vehicles were involved in the fatal pileup along Interstate 35 near Ames. Investigators say the accidents killed one person and critically injured several others. The pileup occurred as a snow storm swept across the region and cut driver visibility.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is renewing his criticism of the Department of Defense for “wasting” enormous amounts of money. Grassley, a Republican, says a new audit of Pentagon spending has found hundreds of millions of dollars are unaccounted for. “That’s a shocking amount of money unaccounted for the taxpayers dollars,” Grassley says. “It oughta’ be a sin but it’s not in this town, I’m sorry to say.” The accounting firm Ernst & Young found that the D-O-D’s Defense Logistics Agency failed to properly document more than 800-million dollars in construction projects. Grassley says, “This is only one example of a series of audits within the Defense Department where there is not a complete record of expenditures.”

Grassley notes, the accounting firm is of no relation to Iowa Senator Joni Ernst or Iowa Congressman David Young. Across the board, Grassley says the Pentagon’s financial management “is so weak that its leaders and oversight bodies have no reliable way to track the huge sums it’s responsible for.”  “The number-one priority of the federal government is national defense,” Grassley says. “It’s critical we maintain our country’s military readiness but combat readiness can’t be an excuse for wasteful spending.”

The report comes at a critical time, Grassley says, since President Trump is proposing a boost in the military budget. Grassley says an audit of Pentagon spending in Afghanistan in 2016 also found hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted. “The Defense Department is required by law to produce a clean audit and the Department of Defense hasn’t been able to do that,” Grassley says. “I understand it’s the only department in the federal government that hasn’t been able to have what we call a quote-unquote clean audit.”

In a statement released Monday, Grassley says: “I think the odds of a successful DoD audit down the road are zero… They are doomed to failure before they ever get started.” Grassley says this latest audit raises new questions about whether the D-O-D can responsibly manage its $700-billion annual budget, let alone the additional billions President Trump plans to propose this month.

(Radio Iowa)

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — A second person has pleaded guilty for a fire that destroyed a Madison County historic covered bridge featured on the cover of the novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that 18-year-old Joel Davis pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree arson.

Davis told authorities that he and two others set fire to the Cedar Bridge in April last year. Rebuilding the bridge will cost more than $500,000. Davis is scheduled to be sentenced April 16. Nineteen-year-old Alivia Bergmann also pleaded guilty to second-degree arson in December. She’s set to be sentenced in May.

The bridge, located near Winterset, was also featured in the 1995 movie adaptation of “The Bridges of Madison County.”