Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was in Iowa Sunday afternoon to deliver her endorsement of U-S Senate candidate Joni Ernst in person. “She’s going to set ’em straight,” Palin said. “She’s a soldier. She’s a hard-working farmer. She’s a pistol-packin’ Harley rider.” Ernst is one of five Republicans vying for the G-O-P’s U.S. Senate nomination and Palin announced a month ago that Ernst was her choice.

Palin told the crowd gathered in West Des Moines Sunday that Ernst would not be “co-opted” by the special interests in D.C. and she urged Ernst supporters to go out and “brag her up.” “Time is short. We don’t need a whole lot of touchy-feely, compassionate, ‘kumbayah’ singing around the campfire when it comes to these campaigns,” Palin said. “We need the fighters. We need you all to fight for the right folks that we need in D.C.”

The newly-decorated Ernst campaign vehicle was parked outside Sunday’s event, featuring the phrase: “honk if you want to make DC squeal.” That continues the theme of a campaign ad in which Ernst talked about castrating pigs as a farm girl. “Coolest campaign bus in the nation. I think it’s gorgeous and it says it all, about castrating those hogs, you know…That ad that she put out, right. That right there,” Palin said, snapping her fingers. “I mean, it got people’s attention because it’s like: ‘Whoa! Nobody’s going to push her around.'”

Ernst thanked Palin for the endorsement, saying she’d be honored to be the first woman Iowa elected to the U.S. congress. Sunday’s event was organized by ShePAC, a political action committee formed in 2012 to help elect conservative Republican women.

(Radio Iowa)

No serious injuries were reported following a two-vehicle accident Sunday night on Interstate 80 in Cass County. According to dispatch reports, the accident, which temporarily blocked most of the westbound lanes, happened at around 11:24-p.m., near the 68.5-mile marker westbound.

The Iowa State Patrol covered the investigation. Additional details are currently not available.

Today (Monday) is Worker’s Memorial Day. Sixty-one Iowans who died while on the job were honored at event Friday in front of the Iowa Worforce Development office in Des Moines. Of the 61 who died in Iowa last year, about half were killed in industrial or farming-related accidents. Iowa AFL-CIO president, Ken Seeger, says there’s a problem in Iowa’s workplaces-a lack of safety inspectors. “Some people don’t want regulations on corporate entities and frankly I think that we need a few more — otherwise we wouldn’t have 61 Iowans dying. We can do better, but some people are choosing not to,” Seeger says.

About half of the deaths happened in industrial or farming-related accidents. Fifteen of the victims suffered heart attacks while at work.   “It represents a lot of families who have lost a wage earner, lost a loved one, whose lives have been inalterably changed,” Seeger says. “This is the 21st century, you’d think we could do better. Todd Osborn of Nevada attended the event to honor his brother Justyn Jarnagin, who died over the summer while working at a construction site.

“He’s a really good man, he worked hard, just had a newborn, was full of life and suddenly had it taken away from him. We’re here to honor his memory,” Osborn said. Unions in Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Sioux City will host memorial events today (Monday) for those who died last year.

(Radio Iowa)

The trial of a Council Bluffs woman accused of beating and burning her stepson is set to begin on Tuesday afternoon. The Daily NonPareil reports 46-year old Rebecca S. Beyer is charged with first-degree kidnapping and willful injury causing serious injury in connection with the alleged abuse of the 20-year-old son of her husband. The victim’s father, 51-year old James W. Beyer,  and his stepson, 22-year old Ryan Smith,  also face charges in the case.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Strong thunderstorms caused damage across Iowa yesterday and at least two tornadoes were spotted in eastern Iowa. The National Weather Service said the storms caused wind damage in a number of Iowa towns as gusts neared 90 miles per hour and hail up to 1-inch in diameter fell. One person was hurt when a barn was blown over near Martinsburg.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Legislature is poised to finish work for the year by Tuesday, a week after their daily expense payments ended and jobs ended for some staffers. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal and Republican House Speaker Kraig Paulsen say most of what remains is final paperwork and moving remaining budget bills.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Moderate and evangelical Republicans regained most of the leadership positions within the Iowa GOP from libertarians this weekend. Central committee member David Chung of Cedar Rapids tells the Des Moines Register he hopes the change helps build trust and cooperation within the party. Chung says he didn’t like the way the party was run over the past two years after supporters of now retired Texas Congressman Ron Paul took charge.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says U.S. Senate hopeful Joni Ernst would bring Iowa’s values to Washington, D.C . Palin was one of many women in politics to attend the “Heels On, Gloves Off!” rally Sunday in West Des Moines to support Ernst, a Republican state senator.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a work session Monday evening in the High School Media Center, beginning at 7:30-p.m. During their meeting, the Board will act on approving New Teacher Recommendations, and, they will discuss the Schuler/Washington Schools’ Building Leadership Team (BLT), 2014 Iowa Assessment results, and a report on Superintendent Mike Amstein’s goals.

Prior to adjourning for the evening, the Atlantic School Board will hold an informal evaluation of the Superintendent in a closed session.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Severe thunderstorms are causing damage across Iowa Sunday afternoon, and a tornado warning was issued in southeastern Iowa. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Keokuk and Iowa counties at least through 4:30 p.m. Sunday because radar showed a possible tornado. But even before that warning was issued, the storms’ strong winds caused damage in several other Iowa towns.

Wind gusts up to 60 mph were recorded in Wapello Sunday afternoon, and at least one farm near there sustained damage to the roof and porch. South of Udell, several farm buildings were damaged or destroyed as the thunderstorm moved through. Several trees about one-foot in diameter were snapped off.

And the roof was blown off of the Oskaloosa Family Medical Center in Mahaska, Iowa. In southwest Iowa, three-quarter inch diameter hail was reported at around 12:18-p.m., two miles west of Griswold, and thunderstorm winds reached 58-miles per hour at the Shenandoah Airport at around 11:15-a.m.

There were no immediate reports of damage in southwest Iowa Sunday afternoon.

The City Council in Audubon will hold a regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening at City Hall. During the 7-p.m. session, the Council will receive an update on the Audubon County Economic Development (ACED) Housing Development plan. They’ll also act on approval of a bargaining unit stipulation and an order to authorize the Region 12 Council of Governments (COG) to release the Deed Restriction on the 210 Church Street property.

In other business, the Council will act on scheduling May 12th as the date for a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Code of Ordinances affecting the change in City Council meeting date and times. They’ll also act on a Resolution setting the rules for the Public Forum portion of City Council meetings and discuss the Dangerous Building list and abatement notices.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Rain is falling across southeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, and residents are preparing for the possibility of severe weather later on Sunday. The storms moved into southeast Nebraska Sunday morning and spread into Iowa. The National Weather Service says these storms might produce large hail and damaging winds, so residents are being encouraged to monitor the weather.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued Sunday morning for the western Iowa counties of Mills, Page, Montgomery and Fremont. That area may see quarter-size hail and 60 mph winds.

The Weather Service says there is a significant chance that more severe storms will develop in Nebraska and Iowa Sunday afternoon.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating a shooting, Saturday evening, on the campus of Iowa Western Community College. Authorities say at around 5:55-p.m., officers were dispatched to Jenny Edmundson Memorial Hospital for a man with a gunshot wound. Officers learned that the victim was 19-year old Dalton Crosser, a student at Iowa Western Community College. Crosser told investigators that he and another 19 year old student had arranged to meet someone to sell an item, near the “village” area of the IWCC campus. He said that he and his friend drove to that area in his friend’s car.

Crosser told authorities that a gold colored four door car, with a sunroof pulled up behind them. Two men exited the car and walked up to their vehicle, getting into the back seat. The suspect in the passenger side back seat then displayed a handgun and pointed it at the victims, demanding their wallets.  Crosser didn’t think the gun was real and attempted to grab it from the suspect. A struggle for the gun ensued and Crosser was shot in the upper left arm/shoulder area. Both suspects fled after the shot was fired, leaving in the car that they had arrived in. Crosser’s friend then drove him to JEMH. He was treated for single gunshot wound and later released from the hospital.

The suspects were described as black males in their late teens to early twenties, both around 5’8″, with thin builds. The suspect with the gun was described as wearing a Rastafari type shirt, with dreadlocks. The other man was wearing a blue hat and white shirt. There was a third person in the gold car that didn’t get out. He was described as black male in his late teens or early twenties. No arrests have been made at this time.

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call 328-STOP.