A collision Thursday afternoon near Afton, in Union County, resulted in possible/unknown injuries to one person. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the accident happened on Highway 34, at around 3:50-p.m.  It occurred as a school bus was dropping of children near 1784 Highway 34. Officials say a 2017 Jeep Renegade driven by 55-year old Shellie Ann Mayne, of Afton, stopped for the school bus, along with a couple of other vehicles. 41-year old James Aaron Evans, of Keokuk, was distracted by objects in his 2015 Chevy Malibu, and failed to stop in-time. His car hit the Jeep on the passenger rear side.

Mayne, who was wearing her seat belt, complained of pain and possible injury following the collision, but was not transported to the hospital. Evans was also wearing his seat belt, and appeared to be uninjured. Sheriff’s Deputies cited Evans for Following too Close. Damage from the collision amounted to $5,000 ($2,500 per vehicle).

City officials in Exira say crews are continuing with repair work on a water leak that was reported this past week, and which resulted in residents being asked to conserve water. The leak is being repaired but residents are still being asked to conserve water through this weekend, as the repairs are in progress. They hope that repairs will be completed by Monday.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A woman has been sentenced to 10 years of probation for stealing around $160,000 while working as bookkeeper for Ottumwa Christian School. The Ottumwa Courier reports that 42-year-old Joni Stinson also was ordered to pay restitution and was given a suspended prison sentence of 10 years at her sentencing Thursday in Ottumwa. A restitution hearing is scheduled for April 23.

Court records show Stinson pleaded guilty to theft, after prosecutors dropped three related charges. In court Stinson apologized to her former colleagues and acknowledged that she’d embarrassed her family and betrayed her friends.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say some student spectators at a predominantly white school in northwest Iowa greeted a visiting rival boys’ basketball team with racist chants. The chants and slogans at the Jan. 19 game at Spencer High School included some fans yelling that the Storm Lake players should “go back where you came from.” Other students chanted, “USA.”

The school superintendents say the Storm Lake district has 2,400 students, and 84 percent are non-Caucasian. The Spencer district has 1,900 students and is predominantly white. Spencer Superintendent Terry Hemann told The Des Moines Register that administrators have disciplined the Spencer students involved, but he declined to provide details. A similar situation occurred during a football game last October between the rival schools.

Creston Police continue to compile reports about damage caused to residences by someone throwing a rock. Authorities said today (Friday), that at around 12:40-p.m. on January 13th, a woman residing in the 600 block of N. Birch Street reported to police the someone threw a rock through her window. The damage was estimated at $100. The incident was the latest in a string of vandalism by rock reports Creston Police have received. No arrests have been made.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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DUNLAP, Iowa (AP) — Officials pulled a man’s body from a Harrison County sand pit, Thursday, hours after the dump truck he was driving fell into water in the pit. Omaha, Nebraska, television station KETV reports that authorities and rescue workers were called Thursday morning to Hallett Materials in Harrison County just south of Dunlap for reports of a missing truck and driver. Sometime later, crews discovered the truck submerged in the sand pit under ice and water.

The driver was trapped inside the truck, where he died. His body was recovered Thursday afternoon. Officials have not yet released the man’s name. Officials are conducting an investigation into what caused the accident. .

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were hurt during a collision between a two cars Thursday evening, south of Red Oak. Officials said a 2012 Ford Mustang, owned and driven by 31-year old Melissa Lynn Bond, of Red Oak, was traveling south on Highway 48 just before 6-p.m., and stopped at the intersection with 230th while waiting for cross traffic, so she could turn east onto 230th. A 1998 Buick LeSabre, owned and driven by 56-year old Donna Diann Franks, of Essex, was also southbound on Highway 48, but Franks didn’t notice Bond’s car was stopped on the roadway. Her Buick struck the Ford, causing a total of $9,000 damage.

Bond and her passenger, 55-year old Mark Kevin Cody, of Villisca, suffered possible/unknown injuries, and were transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, for treatment. Franks was cited for Failure to Stop in an Assured, Clear Distance. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Red Oak Police, Red Oak Fire and Rescue, and Eggleston Towing.

A Semi-tractor tanker accident occurred Thursday morning, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Department says a 2016 Peterbilt semi-tractor pulling a liquid cargo tank trailer owned by Sudbeck Trucking, in Sheldon, was traveling on 110th Street just before 8-a.m. Thursday, when the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The semi entered the south ditch about three-quarters of a mile west of O Avenue, and crashed through a pasture fence. The driver, 58-year old Keith Faber, of Boyden, was not injured. Damage to the semi amounted to $4,500, while the fence sustained $600 damage. No citations were issued.