A Wisconsin man was injured when the vehicle he was driving went off the road and rolled into the ditch this (Monday) afternoon, in Cass County. The Iowa State Patrol says 29-year old Christopher Block, of Madison, WI, was wearing his seatbelt, and did not require transport to the hospital following the crash on Interstate 80, at around 12:25-p.m.

Officials say the 2003 Nissan Murano Block was driving was traveling west on I-80 near the Elk Horn exit, when Block fell asleep at the wheel. The SUV drifted toward the left shoulder, and when it hit the rumble strips, caused Block to wake up. He over-corrected, sending the vehicle off the road to the right. The SUV rolled into the north ditch facing south and came to rest on its right side.

The Atlantic Police Department report a local couple were arrested Friday on theft charges. Officials say 34-year old Jennifer Lower and 38-year old Russell Lower, both of Atlantic, were arrested on a Cass County Warrant charging them with Theft in the 5th degree.

On Saturday, officers with the A-PD arrested 36-year old Juan Diaz, of Winchester, CA, on a charge of Theft by Deception. And on Sunday, 24-year old John Chamberlin, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.

Each of the suspects were transported to Cass County Jail and booked in. In other news, the A-PD says no injuries were reported following an accident this (Monday) morning. Officials say Derrick Wolfe, of Atlantic,  was traveling through Wal-Mart parking lot around 9-a.m., when his vehicle hit a pole. Damage to the pole was $250. Wolfe’s vehicle sustained an estimated $6,000 damage.

OTO, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say an Ida County man has drowned in an accident on the Little Sioux River near Oto in western Iowa.  Woodbury County Sheriff’s Maj. Greg Stallman says 23-year-old Derick Vielguth was with three friends when he slipped on a rock and fell into the swift-flowing river about 10:30 a.m. Sunday.  One of the friends jumped in to help but was unable to get him out of the river.  The man’s body was recovered a little before 2 p.m., about 30 yards from where he’d fallen in.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new exhibition about cycling in Iowa and the annual RAGBRAI event will open this week at the State Historical Museum of Iowa.  Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds showcased the “Riding Through History” exhibition during a Monday news conference. The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, just before the annual RAGBRAI event begins Sunday.

RAGBRAI – which started in 1973 – is a week-long bicycle ride through Iowa sponsored by the Des Moines Register. The name stands for Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.   Artifacts in the exhibition include bicycles ridden in the race, press clippings about the early years and examples of food served along the route.

The museum will also host a day of events on July 23, when RAGBRAI is scheduled to come through Des Moines.

Officials in northwest Iowa say after decades of planning and construction, completing the conversion of Highway 20 to four lanes may be in jeopardy. A 32-mile long stretch of U.S. Highway 20 from east of Moville to Early has yet to be four-laned and funding cuts will make it difficult to complete anytime soon, according to Highway 20 Corridor Association Marketing Director Ann Trimble.

“Everybody, in general, needs to be prepared that there could be projects removed from the (Iowa Department of Transportation’s) five-year plan, due to a lack of funding. That’s a blanket warning everyone is getting from the DOT, but it does illustrate where our next steps need to be as far as our advocacy for the completion of the project,” Trimble said. She spoke at the annual meeting of the Highway 20 Corridor Association last week in Sioux City. Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott said completing the project should be a top priority.

“You know, their big push is to get rail across the northern half (of Iowa) and rail across the southern half, but I said we have to get Highway 20 done before you can expect Sioux City to make a real commitment to rail across our state,” Scott said. “Not that we would be opposed to that, but we need a commitment to get this road finished.” The push to widen Highway 20 to four lanes across the entire state started in the 1960s. Advocates say it’s desperately needed as an east-west alternative to Interstate 80.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Public Health, CDC and local public health agencies are investigating an outbreak of an intestinal illness caused by Cyclospora (a rare parasite). As of today, July 15th, 71 cases of Cyclospora infections have been reported to IDPH; almost all have been identified through testing at the State Hygienic Lab (SHL). Linn County in eastern Iowa continues to lead the state with 27 cases. Polk County has four and 17 other counties have at least one.  Three people have been hospitalized.

In western Iowa, there have been 3 confirmed cases in Dallas County, 2 in Mills County, and 1 case each in Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury Counties.  The numbers remain  unchanged from Friday with regard to those counties.

The illness is most commonly contracted by eating food or drinking water contaminated with human feces containing the cyclospora parasite. Iowa typically has just one or two cases a year, usually travelers. Officials believe fresh vegetables may be the culprit, but the investigation continues.

Consumers should wash fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of the illness, which causes diarrhea that lasts an average of 57 days.

Nearly 10-percent of children younger than 4 years of age have food allergies and one of the most severe is caused by peanuts. But, a recent study indicates simply smelling peanuts or peanut butter likely won’t trigger an allergic reaction. Doctor Michael Huckabee has been researching the issue at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. “Studies have shown that most individuals, in fact 91-percent of individuals, actually reported that it was ingestion of the peanut butter that would create a reaction,” Huckabee says. “So, with that information, we feel somewhat reassured that the odor is not the problem, it’s the direct contact – by touching or ingesting – and that’s what causes the more severe reactions.”

A recent study had participants smell peanuts and no one suffered a reaction.  “That smell was disguised by adding tuna fish and mint to the peanut itself, so it could not be smelled as peanuts. They allowed some children to be tested with a dish that had that mixture and those kids did not have reactions,” Huckabee explains.

The study, according to Huckabee, should ease the concerns of kids with peanut allergies and their parents that if they sit by someone in a lunch room who is eating a peanut butter sandwich – they should not suffer a reaction. However, Huckabee says there still is a concern when it comes to airborne peanut dust.  “Even a pinch of peanuts, whether that be dust or powder, if it is airborne and breathed in, that would cause the same reaction as if it were ingested,” Huckabee says.

The reaction from those with peanut allergies can range from a rash to heart arrhythmia’s to death. Huckabee recommends people with a peanut allergy wear a medical alert bracelet and carry an EpiPen.

(Radio Iowa)

No injuries were reported following an accident Sunday night, in Clarinda. The Clarinda P-D says a vehicle driven by 17-year old Samuel Ripley, of Clarinda, was traveling south on 15th Street at around 10:20-p.m., and entering the intersection with Lincoln, at the same time a vehicle driven by 18-year old Krista Rogers, of Clarinda, was traveling west on Lincoln Street and entering the intersection. Ripley’s SUV hit Rogers’ SUV in the middle of the intersection, causing a total of $10,000 damage to the vehicles. After the impact, Rogers’ SUV hit a light pole, causing it to snap-off at the base. Damage to the City of Clarinda pole was estimated at $1,500. Police cited Rogers for Failure to Yield to the vehicle on her right.

w/ Ric Hanson

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