A traffic stop late Saturday night in Hamburg resulted in the arrest of two people on drug charges. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies conducted the stop for an equipment violation at around 11:15-p.m., near the intersection of C and Adams Streets, in Hamburg. Deputies, assisted by the Fremont County K9 Unit,  arrested 19-year old Kiersten Olney, of Hamburg, and 44-year old Dave Balfour, of Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Balfour was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and subsequently released on $300 bond. Onley was arrested on an outstanding warrant for Violation of Probation in Fremont County. She also faces charges that include: Providing False Information to Law Enforcement; Possession of a Controlled Substance with the intent to distribute, (Methamphetamine under 5 grams); Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Possession of Marijuana; Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs; 2 counts of Possession of Schedule II controlled Substances, and, Possession of Alcohol by Persons Under Legal Age. Onley was being held in the Fremont County Jail.

A surge in residents applying for gun permits in Pottawattamie County is keeping sheriff’s officials busy. Sheriff Jeff Danker told the Daily NonPareil the lobby of his office has been filled with residents applying for gun permits, either the one-year purchase permit or the five-year right to carry permit. Danker said the numbers of people interested in legally owning a firearm has grown to the point where discussions have been held about how to handle the big lines in the small lobby.

He said on some days, there have been as many as 40 people applying for gun permits. So far in 2015, the sheriff’s office has handed out 970 permit applications, and Danker expects that number to rise significantly before the end of the year. In 2014, the sheriff’s office handed out 877 applications.

Danker said he heard from one applicant that recent shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, California led him to get a permit to carry a gun. That, and discussion by President Obama about stricter guns control had led to the surge in permit requests and gun sales. Along with dealing with new permits, in 2016, the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office will also have to deal with renewing permits to carry. Permits to carry last five years. In 2011, Iowa saw a record number of people apply for permits to carry concealed weapons.

Danker said he didn’t readily have 2011 permits numbers, but he did say it was a lot. Statewide, roughly 101,000 nonprofessional permits were issued in 2011, up from 39,000 in 2010. In 2011, the Iowa Legislature changed the state’s permitting law from “may issue” to “shall issue,” giving law enforcement less discretion over who can receive a permit.

Elsewhere in southwest Iowa, Harrison County Sheriff Patrick Sears said he’s issued 229 permits to carry a concealed weapon so far in 2015, compared to 178 in 2014. He said he’s seen a recent uptick in the last month or so, attributing it to a possibility of two factors – or a combination of the two. The county issued 836 permits to carry in 2011. Sears expects a busy 2016.

A 12-year old female passenger in a van was transported by Lewis 1st Responders to the Cass County Memorial Hospital early Sunday morning, following a rollover accident. According to scanner traffic, a mini-van rolled into the south ditch at the A-T-and T curve near Lewis (582nd Street and White Pole Road), at around 12:05-a.m. The girl complained of neck pain prior to being transported. Three other people in the van were apparently not injured. The road was said to be a bit icy at the time.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office also was on the scene. No other details are currently available.

Two people from Minnesota were injured during a collision between a semi and a car Saturday night on Interstate 80 near Neola. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2016 Volvo semi driven by 45-year old Craig Alfred Smith, of Grand Rapids, MI, was traveling west on I-80 at around 8:10-p.m., when he went to change lanes. A 2009 Toyota Camry traveling in the adjacent lane tried to take evasive action, but the car and semi collided in the car’s lane of travel.

The Camry, driven by 31-year old Martha Nyachua James, of Burnsville, MN, went into the ditch and rolled over. James, and her passenger, 45-year old Nyangut Jing Bithow, of Eagan, MN, were transported by Underwood Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. The extent of their injuries is not known. Both occupants of the car were wearing their seat belts.

The accident remains under investigation, with charges pending.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City area gun stores are reporting a sharp increase in sales following a recent spate of home invasions. The Sioux City Journal reports that store owners attribute the rise to a combination of local, national and international events, including the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

BOONE, Iowa (AP) — A teenager accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl has been released from jail after an Iowa judge waived his bond. The 16-year-old was released Thursday after being charged with second-degree sexual abuse and invasion of privacy. Authorities say the teenager took pictures of the girl’s genitals using his phone on August 12th at an in-home daycare operated by the teen’s mother.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys for a Dubuque man accused of fatally shooting his daughter say he was not fit to waive his Miranda rights when he was interviewed by authorities on June 9th. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that attorneys argued for their motion to suppress statements made by 62-year-old Robert C. Stern.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A longtime Iowa City bookstore employee is getting a holiday surprise from best-selling author James Patterson. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that Paul Ingram is one of 87 independent booksellers to receive an honorary holiday bonus from the novelist. Ingram works at Prairie Lights, a popular independent bookstore in downtown Iowa City. Patterson is giving $250,000 as a thank-you to booksellers for their dedication to spreading the joy of reading.