A truck driver from Illinois missing since last Friday was found dead in his still running semi Monday evening, in Pottawattamie County. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Dwayne Richie says 58-year old Terry Ross, of Monmouth, IL, was found by deputies after a fellow trucker located Ross’ semi along an Interstate 80 rest stop near Minden, which was under construction. Ross worked for Liberty Trucking, in Burlington, Iowa.

Riche told KJAN News the trucking company notified law enforcement agencies along Ross’ route that he hadn’t been responding to their calls. One of the agencies which was notified, was the Des Moines Police Department. Riche says an officer with the Des Moines P-D called the Sheriff’s Office to inform them of the situation.

He says Ross’ cell phone had been “pinged” and an approximate location was given of 385^th Street in Pottawattamie County. The officer also gave a description of the truck. Riche says an officer was dispatched at 7:05-p.m., but was unable to locate the semi.

The semi was still covered in snow when it was discovered by Liberty Truck driver John Gatton, of Cole Valley, IL.  Gatton called 9-1-1 after he knocked on the cab of the running semi, and received no answer. Sgt. Riche says the cause of death remains under investigation, but no foul play is suspected.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports an Atlantic woman was arrested Friday on a charge of OWI/2^nd offense. 61-year old Patricia Jean Kinkade-Dorsey was brought to the Cass County Jail and released Saturday, on $2000.00 bond.

The Sheriff‘s Department reports also, they are investigating the theft of a motorcycle from rural Atlantic. Authorities received word on November 30^th a blue and yellow 2006 Honda CVR 1000 track bike was stolen. The cycle has no mirrors, no turning signals and no passenger pegs.

The Cass County Sheriff’s office encourages anyone with information about the incident to please call the Cass County Crimestoppers number at 800-233-3336. Callers can remain anonymous. A reward may be available for any tips leading to the recovery of the stolen item.

A new report suggests Iowa’s construction industry is recovering. An analysis from the Associated General Contractors of America compared October of 2010 to October of this year. It found a four percent increase in construction jobs in the state Iowa. The Quad Cities market saw the largest increase, with a 12 percent jump in the number of construction jobs this fall compared to last fall. There was a four percent bump up in the Des Moines-area construction industry, but just a one percent increase in the Cedar Rapids area. The Omaha/Council Bluffs metro saw a three-percent decline in the number of construction jobs this October compared to October of 2010.

Go to www.radioiowa.com to see the full report.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new director has been named for the Department of Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. Dr. Marci Mylan has been associate director at the VA Health Care System in Minneapolis. She will replace Al Washko, who retired March 31 after holding the Nebraska-western Iowa post for more than seven years.

The system serves more than 161,000 veterans who live in 104 counties in Nebraska, western Iowa, and portions of Kansas and Missouri. Mylan holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and a master’s degree in health care administration. She takes over in Omaha on Jan. 15.

Police in Atlantic said Monday, an accident late Saturday morning in the downtown area caused $1,700 damage to the vehicles involved, but no one was injured. Officials say a vehicle driven by Verlain Rathkamp, of Griswold, was traveling south on Chestnut Street at around 11:35-a.m. in front of Cappel’s Hardware Store, when a vehicle driven by Philip Cullen, of Wiota, began to back out of a parking stall in front of the store, and the vehicles collided.   No citations were issued.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County says a tractor trailer driver who had been missing, was found dead inside the cab of his semi Monday at a rest stop which is under construction, near Shelby. Corporal Nick Amdor, with the Pott County Sheriff’s Office, says the 58-year-old trucker from Monmouth, Ill., appeared to have died of natural causes, but Amdor declined to release the man’s name until his relatives had been notified.

Amdor says it appears the man died Friday evening or Saturday morning.  His body was found in the cab’s sleeper compartment. The semi was still covered in snow when a co-worker found the truck and the body about 7:15 p.m. Monday. The trucking company he had worked for, out of Burlington, had asked its drivers to be on the lookout for the semi-trailer truck, and had notified law enforcement offices along the driver’s route.

Corporal Amdor says while the rest stop near Shelby is under construction,  truckers are still able to pull in for the night to get some sleep.

Iowa law enforcement officials are highlighting a connection between juvenile crime and child abuse. The Iowa State Sheriff and Deputies Association released a report today (Monday) in cooperation with a national group called “Fight Crime, Invest in Kids”. Spokeswoman Jessica Fast says children who suffer mistreatment or neglect are almost twice as likely to commit a crime. And in 2009, 13-thousand (13,000) kids were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect in Iowa.

“It puts numbers on a situation that is very, very real in Iowa. And that’s even under reported because a lot of the times those victims don’t get reported to the police or they don’t rise to the level of criminal abuse,” Fast said. There are currently a handful of state-run programs where parents can volunteer to have their home examined to ensure it’s a safe environment for their children. The latest figures show 15-thousand (15,000) Iowa families had a home visit in 2009. Fast hopes the Iowa legislature will protect funding for the programs during the upcoming session. She says national data shows such programs have the ability to reduce the chance of child abuse by 50 percent.

“What we are really asking the state is to make sure those are high quality programs — evidence based, quality programs that really show the desired results of reducing child abuse and neglect which then increases public safety and saves tax payers’ dollars,” Fast said. Investing in children now, Fast said, would go a long way toward decreasing crime in the future.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Montgomery County, Monday, were investigating the theft of a car from Villisca. They also report the arrest of a Villisca teen, on drug charges.

The Sheriff’s Department said a 2009 silver, 4-door Chevy Impala was reported stolen from the 200 block of East 5^th Street in Villisca, Monday. The car bore Iowa plate number 497 YAM.  Anyone with information on the location of the vehicle or with regard to the theft, is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency or the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, at 712-623-5107.

In other news out of Montgomery County, authorities say 13-year-old Ashley Fitzwater, of Villisca, was taken into custody Monday morning, for allegedly being in possession of marijuana.  The teen was later released to the custody of a parent.

The Iowa State Patrol says a Council Bluffs man was arrested early this (Monday) morning following a chase that wound its way from Iowa into Nebraska, and resulted in a collision with a trooper’s patrol cruiser. Authorities say 41-year old Richard David Poast was trying to elude Trooper James Bullington when Poast lost control of the 1994 Ford Explorer as it was traveling south on North 19st Street in Council Bluffs. The SUV had been reported stolen.

As the SUV went out of control, the 2008 Ford Crown Victoria patrol car Bullington was driving collided with the right side of the Explorer,causing only minor damage to the cruiser. The trooper was not injured.  Damage to the SUV was estimated at $3,000.  Following the collision, Poast continued to elude authorities and made his way into Nebraska, where he was eventually taken into custody.

The incident began at around 1:40-a.m., Monday.