MILFORD, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa teacher who failed alcohol tests while chaperoning a high school prom has resigned. Sioux City television station KTIV reports the Okoboji School Board accepted the resignation of 33-year-old Royce Van Roekel, during a special meeting Tuesday (today).

Milford police say officers were sent Saturday night to Boji Bay Fun House & Event Center, where the Okoboji High School prom was being held. Van Roekel failed a field sobriety test and his breath tested out at more than twice the legal limit to drive.

Van Roekel will be suspended until his resignation becomes effective June 1st. Online court records say Van Roekel pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of public intoxication.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Education says the state’s high school graduation rate has increased for the fifth year in a row. Data released by the department Tuesday show about 90 percent of students in Iowa’s 2015 graduating class completed high school within four years. The graduation rate has steadily increased from 88.3 percent for the Class of 2011.

Officials say Iowa became the first state in the country with a graduation rate above 90 percent last year. The U.S. Department of Education has not yet released national data for the Class of 2015. Additionally, there were 3,637 Iowa students who dropped out during the 2014-15 school year, which is a slight decrease from the previous year’s dropout rate.

A man from Council Bluffs was transported to a hospital in Omaha in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicle this (Tuesday) morning. Bluffs Police say 60-year old Clifford Guild was struck by a vehicle driven by 25-year old Jessica Sawyer, of Council Bluffs, at around 8:30-a.m., in the 3800 block of Avenue G.

When officers arrived at the scene, Guild was unresponsive, and officers were unable to obtain a pulse. He was transported to Creighton University Medical Center. An initial investigation determined Guild was crossing the street, and for an unknown reason, crossed in front of the vehicle, driven by Sawyer.

Authorities say at this time, speed and/or alcohol do not appear to be factors in the accident. This case is currently under investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Traffic Unit.

Police in Harlan say four people involved in an accident April 26^th, and who initially reported no injuries, were later seen by a physician. The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 59 and Lincoln Avenue.

Officials say a 2006 Chevy driven by Roland Wegner, of Harlan, was traveling west on Lincoln Avenue and had stopped at the controlled intersection with Highway 59.  A 2014 Mercedes, driven by Rene Flores, of Denison, was traveling north on Highway 59. When Wegner pulled into the intersection, his vehicle was struck on the right side by the Mercedes.

Wegner was cited for Failure to Yield the Right Of Way. Flores, and three other people in the Mercedes, later sought medical treatment. Damage from the collision amounted to $9,000.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department report the arrest on Monday, of 30-year old Eugene Cardine, and 19-year old Jodie Cardine, both of Harlan. The pair were arrested after officers were called to the 1700 block of Lincoln Avenue for a domestic disturbance.  Both subjects were transported to the Shelby County Jail where they were charged with intoxication in public. Eugene Cardine was also charged with violation of a protective order.  Jodie Cardine was also charged with disorderly conduct.

On Sunday, Harlan Police cited 20-year old Zachary Gross, of Earling, for possession of alcohol by person under legal age. The citation was issued after officers found several containers of alcohol in Gross’ truck.  Gross also received a parking citation for parking too far from the curb.

Last Friday, 21-year old Dylan Jager, of Elk Horn, was arrested in Harlan, when officers were called to Veterans Memorial Auditorium where Jager allegedly struck Kendra Week, of Exira.  Jager was later located in Elk Horn and transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with domestic abuse assault.

On April 27th, 23-year old Elmer Nathaniel Chavez Marroquin, of Omaha, was taken into custody in Harlan and charged with harassment in the 3^rd degree. The arrest followed an investigation into a complaint of harassment filed by Mandy Watson, of Harlan.  Marroquin was later located and arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail.  Marroquin was also cited for failure to have a valid driver’s license. That same day, 26-year old Janice Massey, of Harlan, and 26-year old Charles Wilson, of Yuma, Arizona, were both taken into custody after officers responded to a reported verbal domestic incident in the 3000 block of 12^th Street.  Massey and Wilson were transported to the Shelby County Jail where they were both charged with intoxication in public.

Officials with Cenex & CHS Energy report Julie Williamson, of Wiota, has received a special thank you for paying it forward in her community. Williamson was selected to receive free fuel from Tanks of Thanks^®, a program that recognizes people who go the extra mile for others. Recently, Williamson was presented with a $50 Tanks of Thanks gift card, which is redeemable at any Cenex^® location, for donating her handmade quilts to a variety of causes throughout the community.

For years, Williamson has donated to the local school’s “Pink Out Night,” a silent auction. She has also spent time working with the local high school’s student council to make quilt blocks that created a quilt auctioned off for a student with a life-threatening illness.

The Tanks of Thanks program from CHS and Cenex retailers encourages people to nominate neighbors, family and friends for free fuel as a way to thank them for doing good deeds, both large and small. Each month, more than $5,000 in free fuel is given away through the Tanks of Thanks program.

Nominating someone for Tanks of Thanks is easy, and anyone can nominate or be nominated for any act of kindness. To make a nomination, visit TanksofThanks.com and briefly describe why someone deserves a Tank of Thanks.

A group called “The Well Armed Woman” is opening its first chapter in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. Co-founder Patricia Harrold says the club will introduce women to shooting and gun safety skills while improving their marksmanship and confidence. “I definitely have worked with women who have tried and not been successful working with a male instructor,” she says, “especially those who are brand new to firearms.”

Harrold says for some women, it’s easier to learn from another woman. “I worked with one lady who was 73 years old and she had never fired a firearm before,” she says. “I spent several hours with her, working her through the basics because she just couldn’t get it from her husband. She felt uncomfortable and a bit intimidated. The approach I take obviously caters to women and what they need.”

Harrold says more women are buying guns and they want to learn and practice with other women. “Women ownership is increasing, up 47% in the past few years,” she says. “We’re beginning to dominate the industry. A lot of people are catering to us, creating their own brands. I just wanted to make a formal group that would advance the cause and pick up the connection between men and women who are interested in firearms.”

The group is teaming up with Cabela’s and the Omaha Gun Club. Harrold’s goal is 150 members.

(Radio Iowa)