(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department says no injuries were reported after a large PUP trailer became detached from a tow truck Monday night. The trailer rolled downhill and crashed into a parked SUV and a car, before hitting a light pole. It came to rest only after hitting a house, and causing a brief natural gas leak. The family safely evacuated until the gas could be shut-off. Fire crews were on the scene until about 11-p.m.

The accident happened at around 8:10-p.m. in the 500 block of Olive Street. No injuries were reported. Authorities say the Richter and Son tow truck, operated by Eric Kardell, of Atlantic was traveling north on Olive Street, when the trailer became unhitched at about 6th and Olive.

One of the vehicles that was struck Monday night, remained on the scene Tuesday morning (Photo by Lori Murphy/KJAN)

The trailer rolled downhill and hit a 2010 Dodge Journey, owned by Nichole Waterman. Her vehicle sustained about $10,000 damage. The trailer caused about $10,000 damage also, to a 2022 Nissan Sentra, owned by Carroll Area Nursing Service. Damage to the light pole was estimated at $2,500, while the house, owned by Jason Cook, sustained about $15,000 damage. There was a long scratch in the pavement along Olive Street, where the tongue of the trailer gouged the road before the trailer crashed into the aforementioned vehicles and home.

Photo courtesy Chris Parks

(Radio Iowa) -If you are driving for the Thanksgiving holiday National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Dodson says roads should be clear of snow and ice. “We’ve got some low chances for some precipitation, mainly on Wednesday. Those are favoring southern Iowa right now, and those are going to be looks like, mostly during the day,” Dodson says. He says temperatures will be warm enough early on to keep away snow. “We’ve got a high in southern Iowa around 45-44-45 degrees, so looking like probably some rain falling along the Iowa, Missouri border,” he says, “so if you’re heading south, you might see some of that.

It really gets more concerning. I guess when we get into the evening.” Dodson says you might see some snow later Wednesday. “When that sun sets, temperatures are cooling off. We could see a few flurries as that occurs, if there is some lingering precipitation as it starts to cool off. But we’re not expecting much for amounts as that occurs. So you could see some wintry precip falling from the sky, but at the moment, we’re not expecting anything significant,” Dodson says. The dropping temperatures Wednesday will carry through the holiday Thursday an into the weekend. “Once we get into Thanksgiving Day temperatures are going to really start cooling off. And then, especially as we go into the holiday weekend as well, Black Friday and into the weekend,” Dodson says.

“On Thursday, we’re going to be looking at temperatures highs in the upper 20s in the north, and then right around freezing in Central and South. And then as we get into Friday and Saturday, we’re going to see highs falling into the 20s, mid 20s, and overnight lows in the teens to even single digits across northern Iowa.” Dodson says that is well below average for this time of year.

(Radio Iowa) – The advice has always been to avoid discussions of politics and religion at the dinner table. University of Iowa professor Michelle Williams says that may be easier said than done this Thanksgiving. “If you think about everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s hard for some of these topics not to come up, even if you’re just talking about the price of eggs, right, that can turn into a political discussion,” she says. Williams says things are different with your family. “The most important thing I think people need to remember is these are people you love, right? And one of the things we can think about is having a dialog with them instead of a debate,” she says. “We are so used to being trained in school to debate, right? I’m right. You’re wrong. I’m going to show the weaknesses in your argument.” She says the discussion doesn’t need to have a winner or loser.

“Dialog is totally different. That’s an idea of, geez, I want to know. I want to understand your perspective. I want to understand the assumptions you’re making. And we’re not necessarily going to come to a resolution. What we’re going to end up with is I will understand you better, and when you think about your family members, that’s really what you want,” Williams says. Williams says if don’t think the dialog approach will work, it may be best to avoid the subject. “I wouldn’t bring it up, but if it comes up, you can have an approach that conversation in a way that allows people to have better understanding.

Williams is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship in the U-I College of Business.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Monday night, arrested a woman on charges of Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, and Disorderly Conduct. 60-year-old Ruth Kristine Burns, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 6:10-p.m. in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 cash bond.

IOWA/NEBRASKA (KWQC) — With the biggest travel weekends of the year approaching, AAA expects to respond to more than 570,000 calls from drivers with car trouble. AAA says The Auto Club Group will launch its free ‘Tow to Go’ service beginning on Wednesday. The service aims to prevent impaired driving. The program is available in Iowa, Nebraska and other select states, offering a safe ride for would-be-impaired drivers and their vehicles.

AAA requests that the program be used as a last resort, yet it is free to those who need it. Tow to Go is active from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Monday. You can call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.

AAA spokesman Brian Ortner says “Tow to Go serves as that last line of defense in keeping impaired drivers off the road. If you plan to consume alcohol or drugs this weekend, make plans for a safe ride home first. If your plans fall through, you can call AAA, and we’ll get you to a safe place.”

Nationwide, AAA expects Thanksgiving travel to set new records with an estimated 71.7 million Americans forecast to take a road trip.

Guidelines

• Free and available to AAA members and non-members.
• Confidential local ride for one person and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.
• Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance. Tow to Go is designed as a safety net for those that did not plan ahead. Always choose a designated driver before celebrating.
• In some situations, AAA may need to make other arrangements to get an impaired individual a safe ride home.
• Tow to Go may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions

DECATUR COUNTY, Iowa [WHO-TV/ARL]— Multiple dogs described as emaciated were rescued from a “filthy” trailer in Decatur County, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa announced on Monday. According to the ARL, the Animal Welfare & Response Team were called to assist the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office in rescuing several dogs from a trailer. The ARL said when the team arrived they saw several puppies poking their heads out of broken windows on the trailer. (Photo’s below are from the ARL’s Facebook page)

One dog and four puppies were found living in “chaos” inside the trailer, the ARL said. The inside of the trailer was described as being tight and “filled with feces, trash, and destroyed furniture.”

The ARL said the dogs didn’t have access to food or water and they were emaciated — with their hipbones jutting out and their ribs visible through their fur. According to the ARL, the puppies weighed less than half of what they should for their age.

All the dogs are now under the care of the ARL and are on feeding plans to get them back to a healthy weight. Anyone who would like to donate to help can do so on the ARL’s website.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal judge has ordered Des Moines Area Community College to stop using a new school logo, finding that Drake University would likely be successful in establishing trademark infringement. KCCI reports that on Friday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, blocking DMACC from using the block letter “D” logo, even when it’s paired with the DMACC house mark. The college must stop its use of the logo within 21 days of Friday’s ruling.

In July, Drake filed a trademark lawsuit against DMACC, arguing that the community college’s new black and white block letter “D” logo was too similar to Drake’s historic “Vintage D” logo.

Stephanie Rose chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa wrote in a 43-page ruling, that “DMACC may choose to return to its prior successful branding that served it well for 35 years, requiring only the cessation of its recently-adopted D and blue/white color scheme. This temporary burden pales in comparison to the erosion of Drake’s century-old brand identity and the confusion created by having two post-secondary institutions using nearly identical branding in the same geographic market.”

Rose wrote that the “D” logos are similar enough that there is “legitimate concern of confusion of sponsorship or affiliation as much as there is a confusion of source.” She added, “Given the incredibly close proximity, remarkable similarity of the marks including their colors, and the identical nature of the services provided by the parties within the same geographic area, Drake has established that it is likely to succeed on the merits of its case in establishing a likelihood of confusion.”

Judge Rose also addressed concerns DMACC had about the costs of removing the block D logo, saying that “Although DMACC argues it would incur costs to revise its branding, these self-inflicted harms from knowingly adopting potentially infringing marks do not outweigh the incalculable damage to Drake’s distinctive identity and reputation.”

Rose also ordered Drake to pay $25,000 because federal court rules require the petitioner to post a bond to “pay the costs and damages sustained by any party found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained.”

Drake University President Marty Martin issued a statement saying they are happy with the court’s decision and looking forward to putting the matter to rest.