Sheriff’s dispatchers in Pottawattamie County report one-person was critically injured in a one-car crash just before midnight Saturday, near Crescent. The male driver of the car was the lone occupant of the vehicle which crashed on New Year’s Eve near the intersection of Old Lincoln Highway and Cold Water Avenue.  The man, whose name was not available early Sunday, was taken to Creighton University Medical Center to be treated for a head injury.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich brought his “Newt’s Jobs and Growth” bus tour to Council Bluffs and Atlantic, Saturday. In Atlantic, he spoke before a crowd of about 100-people at the bottling plant, about the tone of the advertisements that have been run against him, and in general. He said “It will be interesting to see whether in fact the people of Iowa decide that they don’t like the people who run negative ads, because you could send a tremendous signal to the country that the era of nasty and negative 30-second campaigns is over and that sense, you could have a very, very big impact.”

Newt Gingrich and wife Callista

He says “The level of sheer dishonesty in the ads…makes him sad there weren’t a couple of more debates” to debunk the candidates and their attack ads. He said “If somebody will lie to you to get to be President, why would you expect them to tell you the truth when they’re President?” Gingrich said he’s focused on a postive campaign in many different aspects. He said what the people need to focus on instead, should be he economy. Gingrich floated his proposal to turn around the economy, which involves tax cuts or changes. He says there should be zero a Capital Gains tax, a 12.5% Corporate tax rate, and 100% write-off within one-year, for the purchase of new farm or business equipment. The purpose would be to compete with China and India, and have more value-added jobs here.

He also proposed that in the future, as a prerequisite for unemployment compensation, a person would have to sign-up for a business training program. He says “We would no longer pay people 99-weeks to do nothing,” a statement which drew a sustained applause. Gingrich would also abolish the death, or inheritance tax. As far as personal taxes are concerned, his proposal offers an optional 15% flat tax, based on a model used in Hong Kong. He would also repeal several regulations which, according to Gingrich inhibit business growth.  That would include “Obama Care,” Dodd-Frank, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,  which is a United States federal law which set new or enhanced standards for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting firms. It is named after sponsors U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and U.S. Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-OH).)

Gingrich says if elected in November, he would ask Congress to repeal all three before the Presidential Inaugural in Jan. 2013. He would also sign a series of executive orders on Inauguration day, one of which will abolish all of the so-called “White House Czars.” In addition, Gingrich says he would replace the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a long-term solutions agency. During a question and answer session with the audience, 76-year old Gary Nelson, from Audubon, a third-generation farmer, asked Gingrich for a simple favor. He asked to hake Gingrich’s hand, because he’s only shaken the hands of two other Presidents who went on to win the election. Gingrich obliged him and called that “A good omen.”

Audubon area farmer Gary Nelson asks to shake Gingrich's hand

Gingrich is scheduled to be in Ames, Marshalltown and Waterloo, on Sunday. The 68-year old Harrisburg, PA., native, is an author, political consultant, and history teacher who served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He represented Georgia’s 6th congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999.

w/ Chris Parks

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Mother Nature took Iowans on another wild ride in 2011. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says the summer long flooding along the Missouri River certainly topped the year’s weather news, but strong spring storms and drought conditions also garnered headlines. The tornado season started early, with eight twisters touching down on March 22nd. “The biggest outbreak of the season came on April 9,” Hillaker said. “We had 20 tornadoes on that afternoon and evening. The most damaging one hit Mapleton that evening.” Around 100 homes in Mapleton were destroyed while 14 residents were injured. An even 50 tornadoes touched down in Iowa this year – the last one on July 7.

“We had the earliest end to our tornado season since 1962,” Hillaker said. Following four straight years of extremely wet weather, 2011 was marked by a lack of significant rain across much of the state. Hillaker said sections of eastern Iowa had above normal precipitation, but it was very dry elsewhere. “Especially northwestern sections of the state where a pretty big part of Iowa is classified right now as (having) severe drought conditions,” Hillaker said.

On average, Iowa received 32-inches of precipitation in 2011. That’s about three inches below normal. Dubuque recorded the most precipitation over the year with 46 inches. Much of city was pounded with roughly 12 inches of rain in a 24-hour period between July 27 and 28. Ida County in northwest Iowa had the least amount of precipitation over the year with 20 inches, according to Hillaker. The year is ending with a rather unusual December featuring warmer than normal temperatures and just two-and-a-half inches of snow, on average, statewide. Snowfall totals over the previous four Decembers, between 2007 and 2010, have averaged between 13 and 24 inches.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

Iowans who will be whooping it up for New Year’s Eve tonight need to remember that not all alcoholic drinks are created equal. Alcohol counselor John Smith says it isn’t necessarily a good rule of thumb to assume you’re okay to drive if you’ve only had one drink an hour, at least if you want to avoid being nailed for driving drunk. “Certainly, there are things like a Long Island iced tea that might have five shots of different alcohol in them,” Smith says. “You could easily have a drink that has five to seven standard drinks in one drink.” He teaches classes to those convicted of drunk driving and he’s advising people on ways to avoid getting tipsy, like eating a good meal and pacing your drinking. Smith says Iowans should make it a point to watch the alcohol content of their drinks.

Smith says, “A typical, standard drink is a 12-ounce American beer at about 5% alcohol and that’s about the same amount as about an ounce and a half of 80-proof liquor, or about the same as 5-ounces of table wine at 12-percent.” Smith says any one of those drinks would put a man weighing 180-pounds about one-fourth of the way to exceeding the legal limit for driving. On the other hand, he says just one Long Island iced tea could result in a drunk driving charge. Smith says it’s important to keep an eye on just how much booze actually goes into your drink.

He says if you order a double or if a friend tries to make you a special drink with extra booze, it could hit you much harder than just a single, standard drink. The only sure way is to avoid getting charged with drunk driving after a night of drinking, Smith says, is to simply not get behind the wheel.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

2 separate arrests were reported by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in the past two days on drug and alcohol related charges.

On Thursday (12/29) at approximately 11:10pm Sheriff’s officials arrested 35-year-old Sean Eugene Hicks of Emerson for possession of Marijuana with the intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphenalia, manner of conveyance, stopping on the paved portion of the roadway, and having no valid driver’s license.  The arrest was made following an incident at 210th St and Boxelder Avenue in rural Red Oak.  Hicks was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

On Friday (12/30) evening at around 10:59pm Montgomery County Sheriff’s officials arrested 49-year-0ld John Elsworth Martin of Omaha for OWI 3rd offense at M Avenue and Highway 34 in rural Red Oak. Martin was also charged with open container and driving with no valid driver’s license.  He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Red Oak Police report the arrest of 19-year-old Shealeigh Deann Lambright on Friday (12/30) at 5:43pm on a valid Montgomery County warrant for 5th degree theft.  Police arrested Lambright in the 100 block of West Coolbaugh Street and booked her into the Montgomery County jail on $300 bond.

Authorities in Council Bluffs  say a 52-year-old Carter Lake woman was killed Friday in a two-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 480 that tied up traffic for several hours. Police say Linda Steskal, of Carter Lake, died at the scene of the crash.  According to Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Chad Geer, an SUV driven by 45-year old Ronnie Dunbar, of Council Bluffs, was traveling at a high rate of speed at around 3:30-p.m. Friday, when it hit the rear of Steskal’s Chevy Malibu near the Dodge Street exit. Following the collision,the 4-door Malibu bounced off of a guardrail, spewing debris across the roadway. Police had to shut down all four eastbound lanes into Council Bluffs for more than three hours, while eastbound traffic was diverted back into downtown Omaha. Law officers from the Council Bluffs and Omaha police departments, the Iowa State Patrol and Nebraska State Patrol helped reroute traffic.

Steskal’s car sustained heavy front- and rear-end damage before it ended up in a ditch with the back window broken out and the hood folded up. The other vehicle, a Mercury Mountaineer, was on the north shoulder of I-480 east, facing west.  It had heavy damage to the driver’s side, with the back wheel broken. Sgt. Geer told reporters alcohol was found in the SUV, and officials were investigating whether alcohol use was a factor in the accident.

Dunbar fled the scene on foot following the crash, but was taken into custody near the Interstate 29 bridge over Ninth Avenue. He was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license. His passenger, 45-year old Michael Barnett, of Council Bluffs, was injured and taken to Mercy Hospital, where he was treated and released.