The drivers of two vehicles were injured during separate crashes Wednesday evening, in Pottawattamie County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, at around 6:15-p.m., a 1986 Chevy Camaro driven by 52-year old Curtis Lee Fletcher, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on Interstate 680. As the vehicle was about to enter I-29, it went off onto the shoulder and into the gravel. When Fletcher over corrected, the car came back onto the road and went out of control. It skidded sideways into the west ditch before rolling onto its top. Fletcher, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected from the car, but remained trapped, and had to be freed by mechanical means. He was transported by Crescent Rescue to Creighton Hospital in Omaha, for treatment of a broken neck and ribs. The Patrol says although alcohol was found in the car, Fletcher refused a chemical test for OWI.

The second accident happened at around 7-p.m. Wednesday, on I-29, near Council Bluffs. The State Patrol says 64-year old Patricia Chillingworth, of Fremont, NE, was traveling southbound, when the 2003 Chevy Tracker she was driving hit a large, unidentified object on the road. Chillingworth was injured during the incident, and transported by Council Bluffs Rescue to Mercy Hospital. A passenger in her car was not injured, and refused medical treatment.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The results of a statewide survey released today (Wednesday) will be used to devise a plan to make improvements to Iowa’s 87 state parks. The Iowa Parks Foundation (IPF), using private donations, financed the survey and will also pay for development of the strategic plan. Joe Gunderson, Secretary of the IPF Board, said the survey makes it clear that state parks are important to Iowans. “Almost 80-percent of Iowans use Iowa State Parks,” Gunderson said. “It is the single greatest, most used Iowa state asset. Nothing else is used like our state park system.” More than 12-hundred (1,200) Iowans completed surveys. Two-thirds of the respondents indicated it’s “very important” to maintain and improve state park trails and lakes.

Gunderson said the next step involves the development of a strategic plan to implement the desired improvements. “We hope to stand here in front of you a year from now and show you those results,” Gunderson said at a statehouse news conference. He was joined by IPF Treasurer Mark Doll. “We’re going to go through a thorough planning process and we are going to raise money for that,” Doll said. “That’s going to be 100-percent funded by this group again – by individuals, corporations and families. That’s the next piece. We’ve got the survey done and now we’ll do the strategic plan to be sure we know where we’re going next.”

Governor Terry Branstad and former Congressman Neal Smith founded the IPF in 2008. Branstad believes improvements to Iowa’s State Parks can be paid for with both private and public dollars. “I think if you want to look at how things like this can be accomplished – look at the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation and how that was so successful in getting private sector support and legislative support, making sure we had an effective partnership that’s led to the revitalization of the Fairgrounds,” Branstad said. The governor doubts Iowans would support a “park user fee” as a way to cover the costs of fixing up the state parks.

“We tried that once and it was not a good experience,” Branstad said. “A lot of time was spent trying to collect a relatively small amount of money and it drove down the participation and use of our parks.” The survey found nearly four out of five Iowa households have been to an Iowa State Park in the past two years. Branstad is hoping many of the improvements to the parks can be completed by 2020, which will mark the centennial of the founding the Iowa Parks System.

(Radio Iowa)

Deputies from Cass and Pottawattamie County, along with Iowa State Patrol Troopers coordinated efforts to stop a Trailways Bus Tuesday night on Interstate 80 in western Iowa. Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westering told KJAN News the bus was on its way from Omaha to points east when authorities received word at around 10:40-p.m. a “homicide suspect” from Omaha was on the coach.

Westring says the report indicated there was a warrant for the suspect. The bus was stopped at the Highway 71/Atlantic interchange – Exit 60 – but were unable to located the subject of the search. The bus and its passengers were detained for about 50-minutes before they were allowed to continue on their way. It’s not clear he said, if it was a false report from a tip to authorities, or incorrect information.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Wednesday, that a couple from Omaha, NE, were arrested this week in connection with a December 14, 2010 arson fire in Atlantic. 29-year old Elizabeth Kautter and 27-year old William Kautter, were both charged with Arson in the 1st Degree, a Class-B felony. William Kautter was also charged with six counts of Attempt to Commit Murder, which is also a Class-B felony.

Officials say at around 8:50-p.m. December 14th, firefighters were called to a fire at a single-family home located at 601 East 6th Street in Atlantic. Upon arrival, firefighters observed a fire had ignited on the porch and quickly spread into the home’s main entrance. The homeowners, Myron and Jolynne Gill, along with one of their adult children and three juveniles, were in the home at the time, but all escaped without injury.

An investigation conducted by the Atlantic Police Department, Atlantic Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office, indicated the blaze was caused by gasoline being poured across the front door and porch before being ignited. Complaints and Affidavits filed in coordination with the arrest of William and Elizabeth Kautter said prior to the fire, William Kautter had made several harassing phone calls, threatened physical harm and death to the Gill family.

In addition, cell phone records showed the Kautter’s had traveled to Iowa from Omaha the night of the fire, and, Elizabeth Kautter was seen purchasing gasoline at an Atlantic area gas station on December 14th, 2010. William Kautter was arrested and charged in May 2012, for making terroristic threats. In August 2012, he plead guilty to a lesser charge.

A Harlan man was cited for Failure to Maintain Control, after the vehicle he was driving jumped a curb Tuesday, and struck a light pole, knocking the pole to the ground. According to Harlan Police, the accident happened as Zachary Kloewer, of Harlan, was traveling east on Cyclone Avenue, in a 1999 Ford. The vehicle sustained extensive damage to its front and right side, while damage to the light pole owned by Harlan Municipal Utilities, was estimated at $2,000.

The Harlan Police Department Wednesday, issued a report on arrests, incidents and accidents that took place over the past few weeks. Most recently, 59-year old Gary Anderson, of Harlan, was arrested last Saturday (Oct. 20th), on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 3rd degree. He was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, and interference with official acts resulting in injury. His arrest was the result of an investigation into a disturbance taking place in front of a business at 1007 7th Street, where Anderson allegedly damaged a window in the door of the business.

Authorities report also, the arrest October 18th, of 36-year old Steven Thompson, of Harlan, on Burglary in the 3rd degree and Possession of a Controlled substance charges, along with Prohibited Acts. His arrest occurred after Thompson was observed allegedly removing a lawn mower for the garage at 911 Broadway Street.

And, 26-year old Devin Stahl, of Harlan, was arrested October 13th on a charge of 2nd degree theft, for allegedly taking a surveillance camera from a hallway inside Myrtue Medical Center.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker said the bridge to the County Landfill which had been closed last week for repairs, has reopened, but there has been a delay in the arrival of guardrails that were ordered. Rather than keep the bridge closed until the guardrails are installed, they elected to re-open it, but install snow barriers to keep people away from the edge of the bridge. The barriers were just installed, and already they have been destroyed. The barrier was torn down by someone Tuesday night. They hadn’t even been up for a whole day. It was tossed into a ditch, which Marker says is very “aggravating.”

He issued a warning to those responsible for removing the safety barriers, and he urged people who live near the bridge to be watchful for suspicious activity in the area. He says if the activity ceases, they will keep the bridge open, but if it continues, they will be forced to close the bridge again, for liability reasons. Marker says they need the public’s help to make sure the damage doesn’t happen again.

The last County in southwest Iowa to rescind its ban on opening burning did so today (Wednesday). Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon told the Board of Supervisors and the media during the Board’s meeting Wednesday morning, that the Burn Ban would cease effective at Noon today. The ban has been in place for the past three-months. Kennon cautioned however, that if dry conditions return, the fire danger will return as well.

He says area Fire Chiefs are still concerned about unsupervised burns of large brush piles, which can smolder for days, left unattended.  Kennon says County residents still need to call their local fire chief if large outdoor burning is planned. He said you should also call the Cass County Communications Center at 243-2204 to report open burning plans before the fires are lit, so area departments aren’t sent out by calls to the Comm Center from concerned citizens and motorists who think a fire is wild or out of control.

Kennon says overall the Burn ban was successful, but there was some confusion about what was considered to be an “Open Burn,” versus outdoor recreational-type fire activities. He says those in a pit outside your home for barbeques and such, has always been allowed. He blames himself for the frustration and confusion among the public for not getting enough information out through the media, and making it clear what a “Burn Ban,” covers.

Even though the drought has dropped levels in Missouri River reservoirs drastically, last year’s flood damage is still being repaired at key points along the waterway. Just upriver, restoration is underway at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota. Dave Becker, the dam’s operations manager, says bank restoration work is being done just downstream from the dam on the north shore. “We lost about 12 foot of river bed there so we lost the foundation for that riprap,” Becker says. “That riprap work is going on and that’ll probably be going on for three or four more months.”

The water releases last summer topped 160-thousand cubic feet per second and caused damage along and under the concrete slab just in front of the spillway gates. Becker says repairs are planned for that area, too. “We are going to have to do some work on the spillway slab,” Becker says. “They have to do more testing on that. It’ll need to wait until our spillway flows stop, about Thanksgiving or so.”

Becker says contractors will drill through the massive slab, working to fill some voids that developed in the gravel bed under the concrete as the floodwaters churned. “They are going to drill through the slab, try and fill the two largest voids and they’ll drill more test holes through the slab to check what the conditions are below,” he says.

Much of the work will extend into next spring.

(Radio Iowa)