One person was transported to the hospital in Corning Friday afternoon, following a single-vehicle accident in Adams County. The Sheriff’s office reports a passenger in a car driven by 20-year old Francis James Grout the 3rd, of Maryville, MO, was taken to the hospital by private vehicle, for treatment of possible injuries.

Officials say a Buick driven by Grout had been making a right turn onto Juniper Avenue from Highway 148 at around 3-p.m., when the brakes failed, causing the car to go into a ditch. No citations were issued.

The artist who paints the giant “Freedom Rock” in Adair County every year is slowly making progress on painting smaller, but similar rocks in all 99 of Iowa’s counties. Ray “Bubba” Sorenson started the statewide project in 2012. “I’ve booked 65 of the 99 counties and I just completed the 16th,” Sorenson says. The original 60-ton Freedom Rock, located near Greenfield, was first painted in 1999. It often features American stars and stripes, eagles, and other patriotic murals that are designed to pay tribute to veterans.

Sorenson says the boulders he’s painting in other counties are about a quarter to half the size of the original. Committees are formed in each county to help Sorenson decide what he’ll paint on their rock. “I have them send me ideas and I have my own ideas,” Sorenson says. “I kind of combine that and come up with sketches of something that’s unique about that county.”

The Manning Freedom Rock (Photo by Sorenson)

For example, Sorenson recently completed painting a rock that’s located in Manning in Carroll County and it includes a mural of a train trestle that still operates in Manning. Sorenson says he can paint 10 to 12 of the smaller boulders between the months of April and October, so he’ll be working on the 99 county project for the next 8 to 10 years.

“The big goal is thanking our veterans and to keep it patriotic. So, there are a lot of reoccurring themes like flags and eagles, but like I tell everybody, you can paint those in a million different ways. Each rock is unique to each county. When it’s done, there will be this unique 99-county, statewide-linked veterans memorial.” Sorenson charges each county $5,000, plus paint and travel expenses for the work. Painting each rock takes around two weeks. He says the project is currently booked through 2020.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Flooding concerns have eased in much of eastern Iowa as the Mississippi River crests at Davenport. The National Weather Service says the river crested yesterday at 20.89 feet, well above the 15-foot flood stage. That level is expected to drop starting today to below 18 feet by Thursday.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — A bicyclist has been struck and killed by a car in north-central Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says 55-year-old Brian Lauterbach of Charles City died after being hit by a car Thursday night on Highway 14. Authorities say a 16-year-old boy from Rockford was driving the vehicle that hit Lauterbach’s bicycle.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Council Bluffs are investigating the stabbing death of a man on the city’s west side. Police say officers found a man with cuts to his neck after responding to a report of a possible stabbing or shooting around midnight yesterday. A woman has been arrested in the case.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Black Hawk County authorities say a burglary suspect has been injured in a leap from a building at the county landfill. The sheriff’s department says deputies responded to a burglar alarm at the landfill’s maintenance building Thursday morning. Officials say that as deputies closed in, the man inside an upstairs room leaped through a window and landed on a concrete floor. The man was taken to a hospital.

Authorities in Montgomery County report a teenager was arrested Friday afternoon after Red Oak Police responded to an alarm call. Officers went to 1908 Sunnyslope Drive just before 4-p.m and arrested 16-year old Dakota Lynn Girouex, of Red Oak. She was charged with Burglary in the 3rd degree, Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Girouex was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs and held pending an appearance before a magistrate.

A Council Bluffs convenience store that was the subject of a robbery June 22nd, was hit again Friday morning, possibly by the same suspect. Authorities say at around 10:25-a.m., a white male in his 20’s entered the Kum and Go store at 154 Bennett Avenue in Council Bluffs and ordered a customer to the floor. He also demanded the clerk open up the cash drawer, then reached over and grabbed an undetermined amount of cash before fleeing the area.

During the incident, the suspect, who was described at being 5-feet 8-inches tall, wore a black-colored hooded sweatshirt with the word “Tap Out” on it, a black beanie on his head, blue jeans, UnderArmor gloves and a garment covering his mouth and nose. He kept his right hand in his pocket, and never displayed a weapon.

The suspect got away black, two-door Oldsmobile 88, said to have been driven by an Hispanic male who had long dark hair in a ponytail, wore a black sleeveless shirt and had a tattoo on his left shoulder. The vehicle had taped-over Nebraska license plates and gray primer color on the driver’s door.

The incident remains under investigation.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say no injuries were reported following a rollover accident late Friday morning, about 5-miles northeast of Red Oak. Authorities say 57-year old Douglas Mark Jones, of Red Oak, was driving a 2007 Chevy crew cab pickup eastbound on 160th Street, about one-half mile east of L Avenue, when a deer ran onto the road.

When Jones swerved to miss the animal, the pickup went out of control and entered the south ditch before rolling onto the driver’s side. The accident happened at around 11:30-a.m. The pickup, registered to Clyde and Naomi Jones, of Red Oak, sustained $15,000 damage. There were no citations issued.

Police in Council Bluffs report a Council Bluffs man is dead after he was stabbed in the neck today (Friday) Bluffs Police Sgt. Dave Dawson says officers were dispatched to the 3500 block of 5th Avenue at around noon. When they arrived, 52-year old Douglas Eugene Richt was found laying on the front porch of 3501 5th Avenue. Council Bluffs Medical personnel arrived on the scene and treated Richt, who was then transported to a hospital, where he died from his injury. 45-year old Jodie Marie Sherman, of Council Bluffs, was charged with Murder in the 1st degree, Willful Injury and Violating a Restraining Order.

Dawson said investigators have learned Richt came to the residence to pick up Sherman, who left the residence and got into the 1999 Saturn driven by Richt. A verbal argument ensued and a witness or witnesses observed Richt leave the vehicle and attempt to crawl onto the porch at 3501 5th Avenue.

Sherman also left the vehicle but was quickly apprehended by a uniformed officer in the area. Sherman was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail. An investigation into the incident continues.

Firefighters from Audubon plus more than a half-dozen other communities responded to the scene of a structure fire in downtown Audubon early this afternoon. Audubon Fire Chief John Ballou told KJAN News the fire at 310 Broadway Street was reported at around noon. He said there was a little confusion at first because the noon whistle sounded at about the same time as the fire sirens were going off.

The Chief said when they arrived there was a fire on the second floor and smoke coming from the windows. The upper floor of the building was said to have been vacant. Audubon Mayor Sam Kauffman told KJAN the lower floor was a former daycare center, and is owned by Jonell Gaskill-Irlmeier. The lower floor was being used primarily for storage of documents and other items.

Crews from Adair, Atlantic, Brayton, Exira, Manning and Templeton all responded with mutual aid. Atlantic sent it’s ladder truck,while Templeton and Manning sent their tankers. A semi tanker loaded with water provided by a local farmer also was at the scene. Ballou said it was fortunate that several of the fire trucks had just been in Exira for the City’s 4th of July parade, and were able to respond quickly.

The flames were pretty much knocked down by around 3:30 pm, but a rekindle was reported just after 4-p.m. The roof, upper floor and part of the 1st floor eventually collapsed into the basement. The structure was considered a total loss. A business in an adjacent building sustained water damage. No injuries were reported. A cause of the blaze was not immediately available. An inspector with the State Fire Marshal’s Office is expected to be in Audubon Saturday, to try and determine the source of the fire.

Mayor Sam Kauffman said while he was grateful for the assistance from area fire departments, he especially wanted to thank the Atlantic Fire Department for sending it’s “quint,” or ladder truck equipped with a snorkel. He said that piece of equipment likely prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent buildings and creating a major disaster.

The White Pole Road Development Corporation is celebrating  the 100th anniversary of Iowa’s first registered state route. The White Pole Road (aka Great White Way Highway) was a dirt road that once stretched from Davenport to Council Bluffs and insured motorists a straighter, leveler and shorter route across the state with a town every five miles along the way. The White Pole Road became the first certified state route under the provisions of the then newly-formed Iowa State Highway Commission on July 30, 1914.

Leighton Christiansen, Iowa DOT Librarian, says “There were so many interesting names and road designations that crisscrossed the state at the beginning of the 1900s during the ‘Good Roads’ movement. When the Highway Commission was formed in 1913, they decided to organize these auto trails. The Great White Way Association of Iowa plotted their road on county maps, paid a $5 registration fee and soon became the first official route in Iowa.”

Today, the recreated 26-mile White Pole Road in the West Central part of the state is a tribute to this original road that once connected the five communities of Adair, Casey, Menlo, Stuart and Dexter. This particular stretch of road is also important because it served as the nucleus to Iowa’s first certified route. In the early 1900s, these towns were part of the regional Des Moines-to-Atlantic White Pole Auto Club which held meetings at the halfway point in Menlo. This road promotion then grew from Des Moines to Council Bluffs in 1910 and in the fall of 1912, the road continued on to the east of Des Moines to Davenport. Plans were made to eventually extend this statewide road from Chicago to Denver but by the 1920s the vision was merged with other routes and the name ultimately gave way to highway numbers.

In 2002, the White Pole Road Development Corporation formed with a mission to create a tourism industry that brought new visitors and related revenues in to each of their five communities and improved the quality of life. These community leaders knew the value of a good road running through their towns just like they did 100 years ago and decided to pay tribute to the route. John Fisher, president of the White Pole Road Development Corporation, said “It’s the people who built the original road and it’s the people building it again in spirit. 100 years later we’ve gone full circle and we’re using our old road to help grow and bring vitality back to rural Iowa.”

The group invites you to follow the over 700 telephone poles painted white along its 26-mile stretch on Saturday, July 12th and reflect on all those that have cruised before you. Refreshments will be served outside the Stuart City Hall from 6-8pm. A representative from the Iowa DOT will be present.

(Press Release)