GRIMES, Iowa – Oct. 11, 2023 – If you drive on westbound Interstate 35/80 and use the exit ramp to reach U.S. 69 (exit 136) near Des Moines you need to be aware of an upcoming construction project that may slow down your trip.

Beginning on Sunday, Oct. 15 until Friday, Nov. 17, weather permitting, crews will close the westbound I-35/80 exit ramp to U.S. 69 (exit 136) so work can be done on the bridge approaches to the ramp.

While the exit ramp is closed you will follow a marked detour using westbound I-35/80, Iowa 415/2nd Avenue, and U.S. 69.

CRESTON, Iowa – Oct. 11, 2023 – As part of continuing efforts to improve the work zone on Interstate 80 around Jordan Creek Parkway, the Iowa Department of Transportation will be closing I-80 overnights between Jordan Creek Parkway and Grand Prairie Parkway. The Creston DOT Construction Office reports contractors have planned two nights of overnight road closures.

On the first night of work, westbound I-80 will close at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, and re-open by 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 16. On the second night, eastbound I-80 will be closed from 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 to 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The closures will allow the contractor to place asphalt on the pavement over the rumble strips. Officials say the smoother pavement will address several issues in the work zone including difficulty seeing lanes as well as making the road easier to drive on and less noisy.

While the roadway is closed for construction work you will follow a marked detour route using Jordan Creek Parkway, University Avenue, and Grand Prairie Parkway (see map).

(Radio Iowa) – A community college trades program in Waterloo is gaining national acclaim. Hawkeye Community College’s “We Build” program has only been around three years, but has helped establish dozens of Cedar Valley residents in trades ranging from masonry to plumbing. We Build has won the Exemplary Program Award from the National Council for Workforce Education. The college’s Workforce Development Coordinator, Val Peterson, says part of that recognition comes from where the students go after completing the program.

“Most of our students, once they do find employment, tend to stay local,” Peterson says. “They go to local plumbing, electrical, and HVAC and carpentry companies. We’ve actually been able to run into some of our previous students working on their job sites.” Peterson says the program’s strength comes from how closely it ties itself to the area workforce.

“We help them find the job, but maybe when they’re getting a promotion or a raise, or they’re able to do other ‘life’ things like get married and have babies and buy houses, they share in those successes with us.” The national recognition has prompted conversations with other colleges across the country about how Hawkeye’s model can be implemented elsewhere.

The 12-week curriculum has helped more than one-hundred Cedar Valley residents find employment in six different trades — and is looking to expand.

(Grant Winterer, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied a new trial for the man convicted of murdering University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn in 2018. Cristhian Bahena Rivera appealed his first-degree murder conviction, arguing statements he made to police early on should have been suppressed.

He also argued statements from a jail inmate and the investigation of a man for sex trafficking in the Brooklyn area were newly discovered evidence that should require a new trial.

The Appeals Court ruling says there were repeated references to Bahena that he was free to leave as officers questioned him, but he chose to stay and continue the questioning. The ruling also says the confession and investigation do not align with much of the other evidence in this case, and neither one would have changed the guilty outcome.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa fire chief says there’s a good reason preventing kitchen fires is the focus of National Fire Safety Week this year. Estherville Fire Chief Travis Sheridan says most of the fires his department responds to start in the kitchen. “People that leave things on stoves or in their oven,” he says. Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires in the U-S. Estherville’s fire chief says there should be a fire extinguisher in every kitchen.

“Sometimes burners get left on, electric stoves get left on and the tops continue to get hot and people set stuff on top,” Sheridan says, “or they accidentally bump those burners with stuff on top of their ovens as well.” Estherville fire fighters, including the fire chief, are visiting preschools and elementary classrooms in their community this week to talk with kids about preventing fires.

“Actually if you took this program from 30 years ago to today, the kids are very involved and our fire calls have gone down quite a bit due to educating the youth who take this back home and help keep us parents on our toes,” Sheridan says.

According to the U-S Fire Administration, four-point-three percent of the calls Iowa fire departments responded to in 2021 were for fires. More than six out of 10 calls for a fire department response were for a medical emergency. Just over three percent of Iowa fire departments have paid career employees, while nearly 90 percent are totally volunteer.

(Radio Iowa) – Storm Lake Police took several juveniles into custody after a reported threat this (Wednesday) morning at the Storm Lake Elementary School. According to Storm Lake Police, officers got word of the threat during the morning drop-off period. School staff and officers quickly escorted students into the elementary building and into their classrooms.

All other schools in Storm Lake were immediately notified, and they were also put on lock down as a precautionary measure. Three juveniles were taken into custody for questioning. The Storm Lake Police Department says there is no active threat, and all lockdowns were lifted later in the morning.

The school day was set to continue as planned at the Storm Lake schools, with increased police presence throughout the day.