Two people were injured during a crash Thursday night northwest of Denison, in Crawford County. The Iowa State Patrol says the drivers of the vehicles, 31-year old Shaun Stephen Monroy, of Ida Grove, and 30-year old Marcus Alan Kelly, of Harlan, both of whom were wearing their seat belts, were transported by Crawford County Rescue to the Crawford County Hospital in Denison, after their vehicles collided at around 10:10-p.m. on Highway 59, near the intersection with 6 Mile Road.

Authorities say Monroy was traveling south on Highway 59 in a 1996 Chevy pickup, at the same time a 2005 Ford Taurus driven by Kelly, was traveling north. For reasons unknown, Kelly’s car crossed the center line of the road after coming out of a left hand curve. Monroy was unable to take any evasive action, and the vehicles collided in the north lane of Highway 59. Both vehicles came to rest on the highway, just east of the shoulder of the road.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report at around 4:25pm Wednesday, the Buffalo Center Chief of Police Matt Holmquist was flagged down by a motorist and alerted to suspicious activity near the 400 block of Second Street northwest. The witness said aman and woman were seen walking up to a house and acting suspicious. Several minutes later the same couple were seen leaving with two small children. They walked to a silver SUV that had been parked a distance away from the house.

The Buffalo Center Police Department and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the incident. A babysitter at the house told law enforcement that the two kids ages 3 and 1 were taken by an unknown male and the children’s biological mother, Ashley Machain, who had brandished a knife.

Law Enforcement began searching for the silver SUV, Machain and the male accomplice. At 2:25am the two children were recovered safely in Fort Dodge,(Iowa). Machain and the male, Daniel Smith were taken into police custody. Machain faces felony charges that include Burglary 2nd and Child Endangerment. Smith was charged with felony Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and Driving While Barred, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.

Agencies Assisting- Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Forest City Police Department, the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa State Patrol (ISP), Fort Dodge Police Department, Faribault County, MN Sheriff’s Office,  Wells, MN Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Ames Police Department, Iowa State University Police Department, Department of Human Services and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot is on the upswing again, growing to more than $400 million on the Thanksgiving holiday. The jackpot was an estimated $403 million Thursday after no winning numbers were selected in a Wednesday night drawing. The next drawing is scheduled Saturday night, and the jackpot could grow in the meantime.

The prize is on the brink of becoming one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history if it keeps rolling with no lucky winners. A record-setting $1.6 billion jackpot was reached in January. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million. The popular game is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.