COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Little boys aren’t the only ones who dream of being engineers when they grow up. Eileen Galiher did, too, and became the first female engineer at Union Pacific Railroad’s Council Bluffs yard. “I was the first one in Council Bluffs, but I have no idea how many there were everywhere else,” she said.

In Portsmouth, where she was born, her grandpa was a section foreman for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co., which was known as The Milwaukee Road, and lived in a section foreman’s house by the tracks, she said. She had several uncles – and, later, cousins – who also worked for the Milwaukee. Her family moved to Council Bluffs when she was 8, and her dad worked for Union Pacific as a mechanic. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and did civil service work for seven years before landing a secretarial job at Union Pacific headquarters. She had two sisters who also started out as secretaries for the railroad.

“My dad worked there, too, at the same time,” she said. “I have many relatives that worked for the railroad, so it’s kind of in your blood. None of them were engineers.” After almost 10 years as a secretary, Galiher started training as an engineer in January 1979. “I had always wanted to be an engineer,” she said. “I had inquired about it several years.”

She trained for a year, with UP providing all the training. Then she had to meet quality standards. Galiher’s first work as an engineer was hostling, or moving engines, she said. She started in the Council Bluffs rail yard, then worked in Grand Island and Columbus in Nebraska “until I could hold a job back in Council Bluffs,” she said.

“I was stuck on the switch engine for about 16 months in Council Bluffs; and I had regular hours, but that’s the only thing I had – regular hours,” she said. “Then I got on the Extras Board in Council Bluffs” and worked as an on-call engineer, she said. “I chose to work the Extras Board and the road to make more money.” That meant having an unpredictable schedule, “It’s tough, but it gave me a good retirement,” she said.

Galiher, now of Honey Creek, worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 34 1/2 years, including about 25 years as an engineer, before she retired May 1, 2003. She still has a son-in-law who works for the railroad. Galiher now spends some of her time volunteering at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.

“I have various hobbies,” she said. “My biggest one right now is quilting.” Galiher is also in the Red Hat Society and a card group. She has two daughters – one in Council Bluffs and one in Salt Lake – five grandchildren (including two in Council Bluffs) and one great-grandchild, also in Council Bluffs.

SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska woman has been extradited to Iowa in a 2001 shooting death.

KITV-TV reports 45-year-old Tracey Richter-Roberts, of Omaha, Neb., is being held without bail in the Sac County jail. She’s due in court next week.

Richter-Roberts was arrested Tuesday in Omaha. She’s charged with first-degree murder in the 2001 shooting death of 20-year-old Dustin Wehde.

Richter-Roberts shot Wehde – a family friend – multiple times in her home on Dec. 13, 2001. She had told authorities at the time that she and her three children were in the home when Wehde and another man broke in and attacked her.

No charges were brought against Richter-Roberts at the time but the investigation was reopened in 2009.

HARLAN, Iowa (AP) — A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to up to five years in prison for taking alcohol to a Harlan party where a teenager drank it and later died.

Dustin Thomas, of Crescent, pleaded guilty earlier this month to supplying alcohol to someone under legal age, resulting in death. The Omaha World-Herald reports he was sentenced Friday in Shelby County District Court.

Seventeen-year-old Julio Caceres was found unconscious at a party in Harlan last October and died two days later at a hospital. An autopsy showed he choked on vomit.

Court records say Thomas told investigators he took a bottle of whiskey to the party. The complaint says several witnesses reported that Caceres drank a large amount from the bottle.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s office was called to a single vehicle accident around 3:43pm Friday afternoon at US Highway 34 and L Ave.  Upon arrival a 2001 Chevy Suburban owned by Lupita Cisneros of Rowlett, TX and being operated by 75-year-old Keith Wayne Rhone of Rockwall, TX was found wrecked while travelling Eastbound on Highway 34. 

The Suburban was pulling a 1995 Viking Travel Trailer heading Eastbound on Highway 34 when Rhone fell asleep at the wheel.  The vehicle traveled across the westbound lane of traffic and entered into the north ditch, travelling 400 feet before striking the ditch embankment of L Avenue and coming to rest. 

Two minor children in the vehicle were transported to Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by Red Oak Rescue for treatment of minor injuries.  The Suburban was a total loss and the travel trailer had an estimated $500 damage.  The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Red Oak Rescue and the Iowa State Patrol.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of 21-year-old Brandon Manwiller of Corning on a forgery charge.  Manwiller allegedly stole three checks from someone, forged their name and cashed the checks at Hy-Vee in Corning.  The arrest was made Friday morning at around 10:45am and Manwiller was taken to the Adams County Jail.

w/ Chris Parks

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A woman has been inured after a one vehicle crash in Fremont County.

At about 4:30 Thursday, police were notified of a rollover accident about two miles north of 120^th street on highway 59.

A vehicle driven by Dung Thi Nguyen was northbound on highway 59 when she lost control. The vehicle entered a ditch and rolled over onto its top. Investigators say neither speed nor alcohol were contributing factors to the incident.

When officers arrived, they found Nguyen on the side of the road having been assisted by a passerby. Nguyen was taken to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital by Shenandoah Rescue. She was treated for minor injuries. No other details are known at this time.

The Harlan Police Department has received several recent reports of vehicles that have either been broken into or had damage done to them. They report the recent string occurred between July 20^th and 24^th.

All of the cases remain under investigation as no arrests have yet been made. Police would like to remind citizens to lock unattended vehicles and report any suspicious activity that you may have seen. They say you may be eligible for rewards paid by Crime Stoppers for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons involved.

The Guthrie Center City Council is considering whether to expand its current two man law enforcement department to three members.

During their meeting earlier this week, the Council also considered having their police force have more of a visible presence at night, especially between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM.

They’re considering having more visibility after two pharmacy break-ins were reported in a period of less than two months. The most recent break-in occurred July 12^th at Dowd Healthmart Drug where a burglar broke a the front door of the store and stole prescription drugs. The other break-in occurred on May 26^th.

In addition, concerned citizens brought up recent incidents of minor vandalism in the city. The Council discussed having greater enforcement of their midnight curfew for youths to help thwart the burglaries and vandalism.

w/ Brett Johnson

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