The Red Oak Police Department believes a medical incident led a man to cross traffic and crash into two parked vehicles on Monday afternoon.  At 2:51pm a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Richard Leroy Clark of Red Oak was traveling southbound on North Broadway in Red Oak when he crossed two lanes of traffic, jumped a sidewalk, and ran into two parked vehicles in the Kum and Go parking lot.  Clark left the scene of the accident and officers found a license plate at the accident site. Officers then were able to locate Clark and his damaged vehicle at his residence. It is believed Clark suffered a medical incident and alcohol was not a factor.

No one was injured during the incident and Clark was checked out by Red Oak Rescue. Clark was cited for traveling on the wrong side of a two-way highway. The two parked vehicles that were struck suffered a total of $6,000 estimated damage. Clark’s vehicle sustained an estimated $5,000 damage.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s officials and Red Oak Rescue assisted the Red Oak Police with the incident.

The Creston Police Department reports a minor accident occurred just after noon on Monday. At 12:06pm officers were called to the accident at the intersection of Highway 34 and Commerce Street. A 1998 Oldsmobile BVD driven by 36-year-old Shauna Kay McClain of Creston was stopped on Commerce Road waiting to turn right on Highway 34. A 2008 Dodge Caliber driven by Patti Elaine Page-Jones of Creston was behind the Oldsmobile at the stop and thought McClain had turned.  Page-Jones then ran into the back of the Oldsmobile as she proceeded forward. No injuries were reported and a total of $3,000 damage was estimated. McClain was cited for Driving While Suspended.

The Iowa State Patrol is reporting another “extreme speed” incident. A trooper on Sunday clocked a vehicle on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs going 115 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. A picture of the radar reading and the car that was pulled over was posted by the Patrol to Facebook. Patrick Hoye, Chief of the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says THAT motorist is not just putting their own life at risk – but many others on the road.

“When a driver is going that fast, there is just absolutely no reaction time for them to stop,” Hoye said. “They’re in and out of lanes…it’s an extremely dangerous situation.” Other motorists who spot another vehicle traveling at such an extreme speed are encouraged to safely report it to police. “What we ask citizens to do is pull over at the next exit, call the local sheriff’s department and alert them of that vehicle traveling at that extreme speed,” Hoye said.

“A lot of times, that’s how law enforcement is notified if there’s no officers in that area.” In recent months, the State Patrol has posted several photos of traffic stops on Iowa interstates involving vehicles clocked at speeds over 100 miles an hour.

(Radio Iowa)

An insurance brokerage based in Burlington recently agreed to pay a group of Iowa cities, counties and school districts over a million dollars to cover what the state insurance commissioner has classified as “deceptive” fees. But SOME local officials say they’re getting just a fraction of what they SHOULD be paid and they’d like to sue. Two Rivers Insurance has agreed to pay restitution to Winnebago County, for example, but County Supervisor Mike Stensrud, of Lake Mills, says the county actually overpaid Two Rivers by far, far more.

“I can definitively say that I will not go along with accepting the $5700 settlement,” Stensrud says. “I believe we can prove that we were bilked out of $85,000.” Stensrud is urging his fellow county supervisors to sue. “I believe that we should go after the loss that we incurred,” Stensrud says. Hancock County Supervisor Jerry Tlach, of Garner, says Hancock County paid the company more than 250-thousand dollars in brokerage fees that were disguised as premium costs, but Two Rivers has agreed to cut the county a check for just a quarter of that amount.

“We haven’t signed anything to say we’ll accept it yet or not,” Tlach says. “…This is the best deal the Iowa Insurance Division thought they could come up with.” Two Rivers Insurance sold Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance policies to local Iowa governments for more than 10-thousand employees statewide. In 2014, Wellmark informed regulators it had discovered Two Rivers was adding fees to what was described to customers as just the premiums.

Two Rivers denies wrongdoing, but in May the company agreed to pay the local goverments one-point-three million dollars. The president of Two Rivers told The Des Moines Register the brokerage still believes its “past practices were appropriate at the time,” but agreed to offer to pay restitution to end “what would be an extremely costly and burdensome legal process.” The settlement involves 15 counties, 12 Iowa cities and four school districts as well as the public library and public water utility in Council Bluffs.

These local governments formed a consortium to buy policies in a larger group. Many local officials involved have indicated they’ll accept the Two Rivers restititution because their counties, cities and schools were able to reduce insurance costs with lower group rates. The 33 local governments have until July 22nd to accept or reject the proposed restitution. Locally, the settlement involves the CITIES of Council Bluffs and Harlan, and the following COUNTIES: Guthrie, Monona, Pottawattamie and Union.

Here is a link to the insurance commissioner’s ruling and “Exhibit A” spells out how much Two Rivers is to pay to each of the local governments listed above.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Union County report a Creston woman was arrested last week on four Union County warrants. 45-year old Anita Ruth Michael was taken into custody on the warrants charging her with two counts each: Possession of controlled substance, and Possession of drug paraphernalia.  Michael was being held for Union County in the Ringgold County Jail on $2,600 bond.

Three male juveniles, ages 11, 9 and 7, face charges in connection with the destruction of playground equipment at the Odebolt-Arthur/BCIG School, Friday evening in Odebolt. The Sac County Sheriff’s Office reports Odebolt Firefighters were called to school located at 600 Maple Street, at around 5-p.m, Friday.

An investigation determined the juveniles were allegedly playing with lighters, and had set wood chips on fire underneath a plastic slide. The fire got out of control and quickly spread to the rest of the playground equipment. The damage was estimated to be between $70,000 and $80,000.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called-in to assist in the investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending.