SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities blame arcing wires in an underground vault for causing a downtown Sioux City fire that led to explosions that blew manhole covers into the air. The Sioux City Journal reports that MidAmerican Energy dispatched a crew after learning of the fire and blasts Wednesday evening. The workers isolated the problem and restored service to several customers that had lost power.

Fire officials say a pressure buildup from the fire caused the explosions. No injuries have been reported.

Thousands of Iowans will be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day with green beer or other forms of alcohol. Police are hoping those people are traveling with someone who’s sober. Sergeant Scott Bright is spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety. “If people are going out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, they should remember to take a designated driver with them,” Bright says.

Last year, St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Thursday and between the March 17 to 20 period, police across the state arrested 259 people for O-W-I. Bright says a lot of Iowans begin their St. Patrick’s partying early in the day. “They have a long weekend, they start to drink early in the morning, and then we see a lot of people driving who are intoxicated,” Bright says.

According to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during a typical St. Patrick’s Day weekend, more than 25-percent of all crash fatalities involve alcohol. That figure rises to 50-percent between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. There have already been 53 fatalities from traffic crashes in Iowa this year.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Constitution requires that the State of Iowa have a balanced budget, but the Iowa Senate has endorsed a constitutional amendment that would enforce MORE restraints on state spending. Senator Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, is a leading advocate for the proposal. “It helps us avoid the boom-and-bust cycles of budgeting,” Schneider said. “It provides fiscal discipline during periods of strong economic growth. It helps us make sure that we don’t over-extend our budget.”

Senator Pam Jochum, of Dubuque, says these proposed restraints would prevent legislators of the future from functioning in times of crisis. “The Constitution to me, to government, to our democracy…you don’t mess with it without a whole lot of thought,” Jochum said. Jochum and nine other senators, all Democrats, voted against the proposal. Republican Mark Chelgren, of Ottumw,a was among the 38 senators who supported the proposal. “This is the absolute way we can hold future legislators accountable,” Chelgren said.

The proposed amendment would take the state LAW that currently limits state spending to 99 percent of expected tax revenue and make that LAW part of the CONSTITUTION. It also would impose a new limit on how much state spending may INCREASE from year-to-year. Over-riding these “constitutional caps” on spending would require a vote by at least two-thirds of the legislature along with the governor’s approval. Amending the state constitution takes years — and the final decision is made by voters in a statewide election. THIS proposed constitutional amendment must clear the Iowa House by 2018, and then be approved AGAIN by the House and Senate in 2019 or 2020 before it could be submitted to voters in 2020.

(Radio Iowa)

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater today (Friday), said 25-year old Cody Leon Zimmerline, of Adair, was arrested Thursday morning for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Sheriff’s Deputies were notified by Zimmerline’s parents that their son was using drugs in his room, and provided cell phone images showing a white, powdery substance and glass pipes used to ingest meth and marijuana in the bedroom. Deputies who spoke with Zimmerline also saw the drug paraphernalia in the room along with a medication bottle containing a green, leafy substance. A search warrant was obtained for the evidence, which was seized. Cody Zimmerline was released from custody on his own recognizance.

Sheriff Vandewater reports also, 54-year old Teresa Rae Thompson, of Greenfield, was arrested Tuesday and held at the Adair County Jail until turned over to Polk County authorities on a warrant for Failure to Appear in Court on a 4th Degree Theft charge.

And, 27-year old Tyler Alexander Estrada, of Stuart, was arrested Monday for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Police say a 79-year-old Omaha woman embezzled more than $1.2 million from her employer and blew it gambling at casinos. The Omaha World-Herald reports Annie Carbullido pleaded no contest Tuesday to two counts of theft by deception and two counts of tax evasion. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 17.

Investigators say Carbullido was a bookkeeper at Travel Faire Inc. and repeatedly wrote checks for cash and hid her theft as expenses so she could obtain money for gambling. A court affidavit says Carbullido had gambled and lost roughly $1.9 million since 2003 at the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Creston Police say a Union County man was arrested today (Friday), on an OWI/1st offense charge. 40-year Gabriel George Looney, of Kent, was arrested at the intersection of Highway 34 and Cromwell Road, in Creston. He was later released on $1,000 bond.