No injuries were reported following a car-versus-deer accident Wednesday, in Page County. Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports a 2005 Nissan Altima driven by 17-year old Marcus Allen Taylor, of Villisca, was traveling east on 130^th Street off of Highway 71, when a deer popped up out of a ditch.

The ensuing collision, which happened at around 7:05-p.m., caused about $3,000 damage to the vehicle.

Chad Lewis, author

An author who calls himself a “paranormal investigator” will give what promises to be a bone-chilling lecture in Iowa tonight (Friday) about some of the state’s unexplained mysteries and alleged hauntings. Chad Lewis has traveled all over Iowa, taking pictures, doing interviews, researching spooky incidents and trying to make sense of them. He’s compiled a book called, “The Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations.”  “When you hear stories of people being haunted by gypsies in Algona, you need to go there to see what they’re experiencing, see the atmosphere, see the conditions, and then come to your own conclusion as to whether or not they’re haunted,” Lewis says. “Traveling to these places is half the fun.” Several spots in Iowa are known for phantom hitchhikers, including near a certain cemetery in Estherville. Lewis says he talked with several people who’ve encountered a spirit-woman on the roadside.

“I even had a gentleman who said he gave her a ride and went to ask her where she was going and she had disappeared from his front seat,” Lewis says. “He was so convinced that she was real, he spent the next hour scouring the countryside looking for her, thinking she must have snuck out.” Lewis investigated the Ghost Train near Boone and the story of Kate Shelley Bridge. He’s also been to Iowa City and Council Bluffs to probe the tale of haunted “black angels” in city graveyards. “Legends have been brewing for decades that if you go there, sometimes you have to follow some of the conditions, like if you go there at midnight, the black angel will come to life and you’ll be cursed with bad luck,” Lewis says. “If you have a kiss in front of the angel, it will come to life and you’ll have bad luck.” He notes there are never predictions of good luck, like you’ll win the lottery, but it’s instead something like you’ll lose your sight or your life.

Of all the places he’s visited in Iowa, Lewis says only a few really gave him the heebee-jeebees, including a haunted bridge in rural Webster County, which was supposedly inhabited by a werewolf — though he didn’t actually see the creature.  “Another place that really creeped me out was the Villisca axe murder house in Villisca where eight members of a family and a couple guests were brutally killed with an axe,” Lewis says. “The case was never solved. Now, if you have a macabre sense of adventure, you can spend the night in the house where they were tragically murdered.” Lewis has a Masters of Science in Applied Psychology and has studied the paranormal for 14 years. His talk is scheduled for tonight at 7 o’clock at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. Learn more about the book at: “unexplainedresearch.com”

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Mitt Romney

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he’s “enough of a business guy” to want to review farm programs and federal price supports for corn and soybeans before saying what he would do as president.   “I’m not running for office based on making promises of handing out money, all right?” Romney said in Iowa Thursday. He made his comments in Treynor, during a roundtable discussion with about 14 local farmers and business leaders. Ethanol producer Rick Schwark told Romney the corn-based fuel has a ripple effect on the rural economy. 

“In our facility, we have 46 people that work directly at the plant, but each day we receive over 100 semis of corn,” Schwark said. “Those are trucks. Each have a truck driver.” Romney said he supported federal subsidies for ethanol to help get the industry on its feet, but the subsidies shouldn’t continue forever, according to Romney. Ward Chambers, a doctor who lives — and farms — in rural Treynor, calls that a gutsy stand for Romney.

“No more ethanol subsidies,” Chambers said. “That’s pretty strong stuff for southwest Iowa.” The federal subsidy for ethanol production is set to expire at the end of the year. Romney indicated he would like to see more a more gradual reduction in the tax break rather than an abrupt elimination. During an August visit to Iowa, Romney said he hoped to do “darned well” in the Caucuses. Yesterday in Treynor Romney began his conversation with the 14 people his campaign had invited to the event like this:  “There’s a good shot I might become the next president of the United States. It’s not a sure thing, but it’s a good shot and if I am, I will benefit by having heard from you.” Romney made three stops in Iowa Thursday, beginning in Sioux City and ending in Council Bluffs, where he met with about three dozen members of the Chamber of Commerce.

(Radio Iowa)

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) – Seven horses at a rescue farm in western Iowa had to be rescued again after  saboteurs cut wire fences and knocked down wooden ones at the farm.  The horses were seen running loose on a highway Thursday, near Glenwood. That’s where the Hooves and Paws Rescue farm is located. Owner Genea Stoops says she received a call from the Mills County Sheriff’s Department informing her that the horses were loose.

She says she was away from the farm at the time. After returning and corralling the horses, Stoops discovered that a wire fence had been cut and her wooden fence had been knocked in. No horses were injured.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials with the Harlan Police Department say two persons were arrested, and two accidents were investigated over the course of the past couple of weeks. In a report issued Thursday, the H-P.D. says 33-year old Robin Hensel, of Harlan, was arrested October 13th following a traffic stop, on a charge of Driving Under Suspension. Hensel plead guilty to the offense Tuesday in Shelby County District Court. He was ordered to pay a fine of $250.    And, 48-year old Christina Hansen, of Harlan, was arrested October 15th following a trafic stop, for Driving Under Suspension, Operating a Non-registered vehicle, and for Failure to Prove Security against Liability.  

Harlan Police also report non-injury accidents occuring on October 3rd and 5th caused a total of $14,000 damage, and resulted in two separate citations. Anita Dargy, of Harlan, was cited for Failure to come to a complete stop in an assured clear distance, following an accident October 3rd in the 1000 block of Chatburn Avenue.  During the accident, Dargy’s vehicle rear-ended one driven by Adam Phifer, of Harlan, as he was about to turn into a bowling alley driveway.

Kaitlyn Ladehoff, of Templeton, was cited October 5th, for Failure to Yield to a vehicle on her right, following an accident at 9th and Laurel Streets, in Harlan. Her vehicle collided with one driven by Peggy Ahrenholtz, of Manilla, at the uncontrolled intersection. The impact spin Ladehoff’s car around 180-degrees.

The Iowa Department of Transportation late Thursday released details on the planned, temporary closure of U.S. 30 between Interstate 29 (west of Missouri Valley) and the Missouri River (near Blair, Neb.), which is scheduled to begin next week. An accelerated work schedule and special traffic control measures are being employed to get traffic moving as quickly as possible.

Closure points
·  Western end – one mile east of the Missouri River (near Blair, Neb.)
·  Eastern end – approximately ½ mile east of Harrison County Road K-45
·  No access will be available to U.S. 30 from side roads, including Corning Avenue
and Harrison County Road K-45/Austin Avenue

The project will be completed in two stages.
Stage 1
·  Work during this stage will involve removal of granular material from the TrapBags, stockpiling of the material at various locations, disposal of the plastic bag material, broom and wash the surface of the pavement and paved shoulders, dispose of all sandbags and plastic materials, and place final pavement markings.
·  U.S. 30 will be closed to all traffic, around-the-clock, for five continuous days, beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24.
·  Due to the importance of this highway and river crossing to regional traffic, the contract includes an incentive/disincentive provision. The contractor is allowed a maximum of five calendar days to complete the work. An incentive is available to the contractor for reopening the roadway in fewer calendar days. Liquidated damages would apply if the roadway is not opened within this period.
·  Because the contractor will be working quickly to restore traffic, it is unknown precisely when the road will be reopened to traffic. However, the closure is not expected to extend beyond 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
Stage 2
·  Repairs to the foreslopes and shoulders will be completed during this stage.
·  U.S. 30 will be open to single-lane traffic during daylight hours with use of flaggers and pilot cars. During nighttime hours, all lanes of U.S. 30 will be open to traffic by using a shoulder closure.
·  The contractor has 20 working days to complete this stage. Weather can impact available working days.
·  Contract specifications allow traffic control to be set up starting 30 minutes after sunrise, and must be taken down and off the roadway 30 minutes before sunset.

Detour: Persons wishing to cross the Missouri River may take the following detour on
the Iowa side of the river.
·  Starting at the I-29/U.S. 30 interchange near Missouri Valley
·  Travel south on I-29 to I-80
·  Then west on I-80 across the Missouri River into Omaha, Neb.

As a reminder, I-680 is closed from I-29 west to the Missouri River. This road is currently being rebuilt following the flooding.

The Audubon Police Department reports five western Iowa residents were arrested Wednesday on numerous drug charges. Police Chief David Simonsen said the arrests stemmed from an investigation into alleged drug activity, and the execution of a search warrant, at a residence in Audubon.

Among those taken into custody, Wednesday was: 25-year-old  Nina Gross of Audubon, who was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Gathering Where Drugs are Used/Marijuana, and Gathering Where Drugs are Used/Methamphetamine. 28-year-old Anthony Bruns of Manning, was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Gathering where Drugs are Used/Methamphetamine, Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Knowingly keeping a Dwelling for the Purpose of Using a Controlled Substance. 38-year-old Chad Darrow of Denison, was charged with Gathering Where Drugs are Used/Methamphetamine, and Possession of Methamphetamine. 36-year-old Michael Stessman of Defiance, was charged with Possession of Marijuana/3^rd or Subsequent Offense, Possession of Methamphetamine/Subsequent Offense, and Gathering Where Drugs are Used/ Methamphetamine. And, 31-year-old Nickolas Schwenn of Denison, was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Gathering Where Drugs are Used/Methamphetamine.

All five suspects were booked into the Audubon County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate. The Audubon Police Department was assisted in their investigation and arrests by deputies with the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department, and the County Attorney’s Office.

The new Iowa Economic Development Authority Board met today (Thursday) in Des Moines, with its members taking action on approving awards that will create up to 593 jobs in Iowa and retain another 105 jobs. The board approved incentives for planned or proposed projects located in Des Moines, Charles City, Fort Dodge, Coralville, Urbandale, Davenport, Underwood and Independence. The incentives went to companies whose business is in the areas of technology, manufacturing, food processing and biosciences.

In western Iowa, Link Snacks in Underwood was approved by the board for $40,000 in direct financial assistance plus tax incentives to Link Snacks, Inc., to expand it’s operations. The money will be used for the acquisition of an existing building in the city of Underwood to establish a second distribution center in Iowa for its products.

The company’s other center is in Laurens.  Link Snacks,Inc. is one of the fastest-growing meat snack manufacturers in the world, and sells their products in more than 40 countries.  This $9.4 million capital investment is expected to create 131 new jobs.