A western Iowa man is dead after authorities say he had a fight with a roommate. It happened Saturday afternoon in Coon Rapids. The victim, 28-year-old Bill Smith, was taken to a hospital in Carroll before being flown to a Des Moines hospital where he died Sunday evening. Coon Rapids Police Chief Joel Roetman says Smith had been fighting with a roommate when he was injured. Smith’s mother, who live across the street, called 911. “Nobody has been arrested in the case yet,” Roetman told Radio Iowa. “We’re still interviewing the people who were at the residence at the time. There were five people in the home when the altercation began.” The names of the other people in the home are not being released. It’s unclear how the fight started. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

“If the cause of death is relating to an injury (Smith) sustained, then we’re looking at some kind of charges being filed in the case,” Roetman said. Alcohol was “not a contributing factor” in the incident, according to Roetman. He says it appears the altercation was limited to a fist fight. “It’s believed at this time that there were no weapons involved,” Roetman said. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are assisting the Coon Rapids Police Department in the investigation.

(www.radioiowa.com)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is putting out a call for volunteers to help clean up five state parks tomorrow (Tuesday). Linda King is volunteer coordinator for the DNR. She says the work will involve picking up trash and sticks and possibly some painting. The state park clean up is part of the national “9-11 Call to Service” — an effort to unite one million Americans through volunteering in honor of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. King expects the parks will need a lot of attention. “We’re hoping for a big turnout. Over the last few three day holidays, our state parks have had a lot more garbage and litter left behind,” King said. “That’s why we’re doing it on Tuesday after the long Labor Day weekend to help our park rangers pick up the parks.” Volunteers are urged to come prepared for some serious labor.

King suggests volunteers bring gloves, wear closed toed shoes and bring something to drink. The five parks involved in the volunteer effort are Lake Ahquabi near Indianola, Big Creek in Polk County, Backbone State Park near Dubuque, Lake of Three Fires in southwest Iowa’s Taylor County and Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area near Cedar Rapids.  Persons wanting to volunteer for the  Lake of Three Fires State Park clean-up should meet at the park office. The clean-up will take place from 9 to 11 a.m., Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Farmers in Nebraska and Iowa whose cropland has been covered all summer by Missouri River floodwaters can get help dealing with the damage to their land. Experts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Iowa State University Extension are planning a Sept. 12 workshop for farmers. The event from 9:30 a.m. to noon will be broadcast to 14 different locations along the river in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota that day.

Some flood damage, like erosion and sand deposits, will be obvious once the floodwaters recede. But some damage to the soil won’t be so easy to see or repair. Experts from both universities will offer advice on dealing with flood damage, and farmers will have an opportunity to ask questions. Details are available online at http://flood.unl.edu or http://bit.ly/qBTnfF .

w/ Ric Hanson

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w/Ric Hanson

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The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a special meeting Tuesday evening, at the high school media center. During the 6:30-p.m. session, the Board will discuss the Atlantic Middle School Renovation and H-VAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) project, and associated costs.

Last month, the Board grudgingly approved a bid for the Middle School HVAC and Renovation Project that was nearly $750,000 over the 6.9-million dollar budget. At the time, Jerry Purdy, with Design Alliance Engineering, said the project came in over budget because of what’s termed “Project creep,” whereby items that were added to it during the design phase for one reason or another, some because of code, others for function or aesthetics, were not adjusted in the final budget.

While the board was not happy with the fact the project went over budget, they agreed that their options are limited, and timing was critical if the students were to receive a quality education with as minimal interruptions as possible

The City of Atlantic’s Board of Adjustment will hold a Public Hearing Tuesday morning, in the Council’s chambers at City Hall. During the hearing at 7:30, the Board will consider a variance application by Judy Miller, at 406 East 10^th Street, in Atlantic, that would allow for the construction of a residential storage shed that exceeds the rear and side yard setback requirements, as stated in the City’s Code of Ordinances.

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) – With a surplus of hay in Iowa and a shortage in the southwest, a Clovis, New Mexico, pastor is working to bring hay to area farmers and ranchers in need. Pastor Bonita Knox with the Trinity Lutheran Church says they’re gauging the need. Knox says the issue of moving surplus hay to shortage areas came up when an Iowa farmer was seated next to a Texas rancher during a mid-August nationwide gathering of Lutherans in Florida. The conversation grew to a plan, now known as “Hay Lift.”

Knox says she jumped at the chance to include the Eastern Plains in the relief effort. Now Knox is putting out a call to the community to tell her how much hay is needed so that she can report back by Tuesday morning.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Council Bluffs has reopened its entrance to a pedestrian bridge over the Missouri River to Nebraska. The city closed off access to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in early July due to safety issues. The Missouri River was at a record flood level for weeks but has been receding. The bridge was reopened at the Iowa side on Saturday. The 3,000-foot bridge’s entrance in Omaha has remained open.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Authorities have reopened stretches of the Missouri River in South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri to boat traffic. The Coast Guard announced Saturday that the river is open from just below Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, S.D., to the southern border of Ponca State Park in Nebraska. The river is also open to boats from St. Louis to about 10 miles upriver from Kansas City, Mo. The river has been closed to boat traffic for months amid record flooding.

The Coast Guard warns that the river remains high and boaters should use caution, particularly near levees.