Two people in a semi tractor trailer were injured Sunday morning during an accident in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver of the semi, 55-year old James E. Payne, of Detroit, and his passenger, 62-year old Vincent H. Brown, of Chicago, IL. suffered non-life threatening injuries, and were transported by Underwood Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. Both men were wearing their seat belts. The accident happened on westbound Interstate 80 about a mile north of the Underwood Exit, at around 7:40-a.m.

Officials say the pair were in a 2012 Volvo semi when Payne fell asleep at the wheel. The rig entered the median and struck a crossover before hitting a sign and landing on its wheels.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in northwest Iowa are searching for a man who absconded from a sex offender transition release program. The Iowa Department of Human Services says 42-year-old Cory West did not return from his place of employment and was last seen in the Storm Lake area. Authorities say he absconded early Sunday.

Cory West (photo from IA Sex Offender Registry)

West was ordered into a civil commitment program at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute in 2011, and became eligible for the transition release program in fall of 2013. The program provides long-term inpatient treatment for violent sexual predators that have served their prison terms but are considered likely to commit further offenses.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Texas company seeking to run an underground oil pipeline through Iowa has a laborious approval process to get through before it can start digging. Energy Transfer Partners LP is behind the project, which would carry crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to Illinois, cutting diagonally through 17 Iowa counties along the way. The pipeline would use a 30-inch diameter pipe to carry at least 320,000 barrels a day.

The company says the pipeline would allow them to transport oil more safely than by trucks or rail, but environmental activists are already aggressively campaigning against the project and calling on Gov. Terry Branstad to oppose it. Branstad says he hasn’t made a decision about whether he would support the project.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report one person was arrested Saturday night on an assault charge. 52-year old Orval Clark, Jr., of Villisca, was arrested at around 9:37-p.m. for Simple Assault. Clark was brought to Montgomery County Corrections and held on $300 cash bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad will be talking to educators from around the state about the importance of taking on leadership roles. Branstad will give opening remarks Monday at the state-sponsored Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium. This event will be held in Ankeny and is the second such summit. More than 450 teachers, principals and other educators are expected to attend.

Speakers throughout the daylong event include teachers and students from Iowa schools, as well as international experts. In 2013, Branstad signed a new education law that provides funding to offer extra compensation to teachers who take on leadership and mentoring roles.

The CAM School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting Monday evening (Aug. 4th), at the high school in Anita. During their 6-p.m. session, the Board will act on open enrollment applications, and enter into discussion with and/or possible act on matters pertaining to, the Adair-Casey Board of Education.

According to reports, the Adair-Casey School Board has been meeting with area school boards for general discussion on issues that may help determine any decisions that could affect the district in the future.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Brad Keselowski held off the charging Michael McDowell on Saturday night to win the NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway. Keselowski, the Sprint Cup driver commuting from Pocono in Pennsylvania, led 146 of 250 laps for his third Nationwide victory of the season and second in two starts. Trevor Bayne was third, followed by Sam Hornish Junior and Ty Dillon.

Keselowski was set to cruise to an easy win when James Buescher’s crash erased his lead. But Keselowski went high to overtake McDowell and held on for his 30th series victory. Keselowski won for the third time at the track. He won the inaugural race five years ago and topped Hornish last season.

Keselowski’s success on Iowa’s short track — along with a front-row spot next to Bayne and six consecutive top-three finishes in NASCAR’s second-tier series — had him pegged as the heavy favorite from the moment the green flag dropped.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Waterloo police are investigating the overnight shooting death of man. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that officers were called to a Jackson Street neighborhood around 2 a.m. yesterday for reports of a shooting and found 27-year-old Gary Wilson in the street. Wilson was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City’s new downtown casino and hotel is now open for business. About 1,000 people turned out Friday night to celebrate the opening Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sioux City.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa officials say the institution raised nearly $516 million in funding from outside sources in the 2014 fiscal year — nearly $10 million more than last year. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the biggest gains were in research funding, which makes up the majority of external funding. University President Sally Mason and Vice President for Research and Economic Development Daniel Reed announced the increases during a Friday news conference.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The commission that oversees water quality in Iowa will consider adoption later this month of a new rule critics contend is too friendly to livestock farmers. The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission plans to vote August 9th on the rule that aligns state regulations with the federal Clean Water Act. It primarily gives the Iowa DNR authority to require permits that strictly regulate manure handling for livestock farms shown to spill manure into waterways.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Public Safety reported Saturday, a female inmate died Friday while in custody at the Page County Correctional Facility. 58-year old Jodie Blanche Taylor, of Shenandoah, was in her cell within the Page County Correctional Facility where she reported to a fellow inmate that she was experiencing a medical problem.  Moments later Taylor collapsed to the ground.

Authorities at the Page County Sheriff’s Office were alerted to the medical emergency and responded to the cell to perform lifesaving measures on Taylor.  Taylor was then transported to the Clarinda Regional Health Center where she was pronounced deceased. The Page County Sheriff’s Office requested the Iowa DCI to investigate the incident.   The Iowa DCI conducted a series of interviews, reviewed the numerous items of evidence, and detected no signs of foul play.

On Saturday, August 2nd, an autopsy was performed at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, by Dr. Jonathan Thompson, Associate State Medical Examiner. He determined the cause of death to be aortic dissection and the manner of death to be natural causes.