A northwest Iowa woman has been charged with attempted murder for her role in a two-vehicle accident in Plymouth County nearly four months ago. Authorities say 29 year old Melissa Ebert, of Cherokee, intentionally drove her vehicle into the path of a car driven by 28 year old Dustin Boll, of Le Mars, shortly before midnight on September 9th. Both drivers and a passenger in Ebert’s vehicle, 33 year old Damian Johnson, also of Cherokee, suffered serious injuries in the accident on a county road.

Ebert has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of serious injury by motor vehicle and second offense O-W-I. She’s being held in the Plymouth County Jail on $50-thousand dollars bond.

(Radio Iowa)

A half dozen presidential candidates campaigned in Iowa Tuesday. During an evening rally in Council Bluffs, Republican front-runner Donald Trump told the crowd former New York Governor George Pataki’s exit from the race wouldn’t have much impact. “There’s not much to split up ’cause he was at zero,” Trump said, and the crowd laughed. “No, No. I always say: ‘Oh, let’s see. He dropped out. He’s got three. How many of the three can we get, the three percent?’ When they drop out at zero, you just say: ‘Let’s go on to the next.’ Right?”

For the second time in Iowa, Trump carried the Bible his mother gave him on stage and talked about “polling so well” with evangelical voters in Iowa.  “We love ‘The Art of the Deal,'” Trump said, referring to his book. “But the Bible is far, far, far superior. Right? Yes.” The crowd cheered. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has criticized Trump for opposing a hike in the minimum wage and Sanders suggests Trump’s tax strategies would help the wealthy and devastate the “disappearaing” middle class. Trump shot back last night (Tuesday).

“Forget about socialist. I think he’s a communist. He wants to bring your taxes up to 90 percent,” Trump said and the crowd started booing. “I mean, no, think of it. The guy wants to bring your taxes up to, like, whatever and give some people free (college). But you know who’s paying for it, folks? You’re paying for it. Lots of luck. Enjoy yourselves, O.K.? But he’s literally, people are talking about a 90 percent tax rate. Who would be happy paying 90 percent to taxes? Not too many people. No, it’s terrible.”

Sanders told a crowd in Muscatine late Tuesday afternoon that it is “absurd” that bright young kids cannot afford to go to college and it deprives the country of their economic potential. Earlier in the day Republican Chris Christie urged a crowd of about 50 in an Iowa City restaurant to choose an experienced candidate rather than a political novice “We’ve got former governors, current governors We’ve got current senators, former senators. We’ve got business executives and we’ve got a character,” Christie said, to laughter. “O.K? We’ve got it all and it’s been very entertaining, but this is what I tell Iowa: ‘Show time is over. It’s game time. You and the people in New Hampshire are the most powerful people in America. You are going to take this race from 13 to four or five.”

Florida Senator Marco Rubio campaigned in eastern Iowa yesterday. He spoke to about 150 people in Clinton, then took questions from the crowd. “First of all I can see why Hillary would not run against you in 2016. That’s obviously obvious,” a man in the crowd said. Rubio replied: “But I do want to run against her.” South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy endorsed Rubio Monday and campaigned with him in Iowa.

“National security (and) public safety are the most important issues to me and there is nobody better on those two issues than Marco Rubio,” Gowdy said. Gowdy is running a U.S. House investigation of the 2012 attack in Benghazi. Gowdy told the crowd in Clinton it is a “serious investigation” that will “find out what happened.” Democrat Martin O’Malley campaigned in Jefferson and Fort Dodge last night. Republican Rick Santorum met with supporters at a “house party” in Waukee.

(Radio Iowa)

Fire destroyed an apartment building Tuesday in the northwest Iowa town of Sloan. Major Todd Wieck, of the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department, says a deputy helped two female residents who jumped to safety from a second floor window of the four apartment, two story structure. “As he pulled up to the scene, he saw one female jump from a window. He got out of his car and ran over to the building. At that time, there was a lot of smoke and flames coming from the building,” Wieck said. “He assisted the second female victim out of the window and down to the ground.”

The two women suffered minor injuries.

Image courtesy Radio Iowa

Fire crews were sent to the apartment complex around 10 a.m. Residents of a nearby building were also evacuated. The apartment building, where the fire originated, is considered “a total loss,” according to Wieck. Heavy smoke from the fire forced the evacuation of residents of the second apartment building next door.

A total of 15 residents were displaced by the fire. The Evangelical Covenant Church across the street from the complex was being used as a shelter for the residents and the American Red Cross is also assisting. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man has been charged on suspicion of robbing several convenience stores in Des Moines. The Des Moines Police Department says 31-year-old Bradley Michael William Boyd was arrested and charged with five counts of second-degree robbery. Police announced the arrest after they sought help from the public in identifying a suspect who robbed three convenience stores in Des Moines since Dec. 13. Two of the stores were robbed twice.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Three people from Sioux City, Iowa, have been arrested in a prostitution sting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The man and two women were arrested at a hotel after police responded to an online ad. Clemens says 23-year-old Brittany Leners and 28-year-old Amanda Meyer are each facing one count of prostitution. Clemens says 26-year-old Rashad Lee was arrested on one count of pimping after police found out he had driven the women to Sioux Falls.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of relatives of a police detective killed while serving with the military in Afghanistan are traveling from Iowa to New York for his funeral. Services for Joseph Lemm will be Wednesday. The man who grew up in Bernard was one of six Americans killed by a suicide bomber last week.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — This has been a record year for the ethanol industry in Iowa. A trade group says the state’s refineries produced a record of more than 4 billion gallons this year. Iowa has more than 40 ethanol refineries and a dozen biodiesel plants. It produces more than 25 percent of the nation’s ethanol.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The extended family of an American soldier killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan is traveling from Iowa to New York to attend his funeral. The Telegraph Herald reports about 50 family members of Technical Sgt. Joseph Lemm boarded a coach bus Tuesday in Dubuque. They were expected to fly from Chicago ahead of funeral services Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

Democrat presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, the former Governor of Maryland, will be the keynote speaker at a Cass County Democratic Party fundraiser this Saturday. The event featuring O’Malley and candidates for the U-S Senate and Iowa House, begins at 12:30-p.m. with a luncheon at the Cass County Community Center ( 805 W. 10th St.),  in Atlantic. The cost to attend is $25 per person. Reservations are requested by Dec. 30th.

Cass County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle says proceeds from the event will be used to offset the expenses of the 2016 caucus and local campaigns. Speakers during the afternoon include:

• 1:00-to 1:10-p.m. Iowa Senator Tom Fiegen, candidate for U-S Senate.
• 1:10-to1:20-p.m. Bob Krause, Candidate for U-S Senate.
• 1:20-to 1:30-p.m. Scott Heldt, Candidate for Iowa House, District 20
• 1:30-to 1:40-p.m. Mike Sherzan, Candidate for U-S Congress, 3rd District
• 1:40-to 1:50-p.m. Jim Mowrer, Candidate for U-S Congress, 3rd District
• 1:50-to 2:00-p.m. Desmund Adams, Candidate for U-S Congress, 3rd District

Gov. O’Malley is set to speak at 2-p.m., but Toelle says his arrival may be delayed since he is coming from an event in Des Moines. For  more information or to make your reservation, call Sherry Toelle at 712-243-4861.

Firefighters were on the scene this (Tuesday) morning, of an apartment building fire in the western Iowa town of Sloan. The call came in shortly before 10-am. A Woodbury County Sheriff’s deputy says the top floor of the structure was engulfed in flames when he arrived. The deputy says two residents jumped to safety from a second floor window of the four apartment, two story structure.

Heavy smoke from the fire forced residents of a second building next door to evacuate. The sheriff’s department says a total of 15 people have been displaced by the fire from the two buildings. A church has been opened as a shelter for the residents and the American Red Cross is also assisting at the scene. No report on injuries at this time.

(Radio Iowa)