Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Three people were critically injured and a five-month old girl died during a house fire Saturday night, in Council Bluffs. According to Council Bluffs Police Department spokesman, Sgt. Dave Dawson, firefighters and police were called to 747 Mill Street at around 7:55-p.m., for a working house fire. The fire had originally been called-in by two neighbors, who also attempted to get the victims out of the home, but were unsuccessful.

Firefighters entered the home and found four bodies inside. Six-month old Mayci J. Colburn-Lerette, was found dead in the living room. The remaining victims, identified as three-year old Gerad D. Lerette…30-year old Jeremiah D. Lerette, and 70-year old Terese M. Lerette, all of Council Bluffs, were found in various rooms inside the home.

They two adults and child were initially transported to Creighton University Hospital for treatment. They were later transferred to St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, NE, where they were last listed in critical condition.

The Council Bluffs fire marshal and Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the incident.

4:21-p.m. 1-inch diameter hail (quarter-size) 3 miles north of Greenfield in Adair County. (Adair County Emergency Management report)

3:37-p.m. 1-inch diameter hail 1 mile northwest of Gravity, in Taylor County. (Trained spotter)

3:22-p.m. Marble-sized hail in Atlantic (.50″) on 17th Street and near Redwood Drive (southeast part of town). Report from Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees and KJAN GM Jim Field. Earlier report of pea-sized hail on the south side of town.   (Rainfall at KJAN .09″)

Meteorologists are warning residents of the Midwest to stay pay close attention to the forecast for Mother’s Day. The Severe Storms Prediction Center in Norman, OK., says a severe weather outbreak with many tornadoes and very large hail is possible Sunday and Sunday night across parts of the central plains and mid-Missouri valley. Persons celebrating with loved ones and those attending graduations should be aware of a potentially explosive outbreak of severe weather. Much if Iowa, especially southwest and west central parts of the state, fall under the “Moderate” risk category.

Officials with the Iowa Storm Chasing Network say “Of particular concern here in Iowa is the conditions which will favor the development of a few, independent supercells, rather than a more linear bowing structure of storms.  This setup gives us concern that not only are tornadoes possible, but strong, long-track tornadoes as well.”

www.weather.gov/desmoines

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Audubon City Council will meet Monday evening to take care of some administrative matters. Among the items on their agenda, is a Public Hearing on an Ordinance amending the City’s Code of Ordinances, with regard to the date and time of future City Council meetings. The amendment proposes changing the time to 5:30-p.m. instead of 7-p.m., and from the second and fourth Mondays of each month to the third Wednesday of the month. The hearing will be followed by a roll call vote on the first reading of the amended Ordinance.

The Council will also discuss and vote on a Resolution ordering the acquisition or condemnation, if necessary, of 408 Market Street, which is an old gas station. The hope is that the City can negotiate a purchase price for property not to exceed $10,000, so that the site may be cleaned up using state assistance.

In other business, the Council will act on appointing Jan Roberts as Deputy City Clerk and the appointment of Shelly Burr to the Board of Adjustment. The meeting begins at 7-p.m. Monday, at the Audubon City Hall.

Letter carriers across Iowa will be doing more than delivering the mail today (Saturday) — they’ll also be picking up donations for food pantries. Harley Tapper, the postmaster in Webster City, says the annual Stamp Out Hunger day was started 22 years ago. “It’s the largest (food drive) in the country…and millions of pounds of food get collected and distributed,” Tapper says. Nationwide, letter carriers collected 74.4 million pounds of food items during last year’s Stamp Out Hunger day. Iowans can help the effort by leaving canned food for their mail carrier to pick up.

“We ask for people to put non-perishable food items in a bag by their mailbox or mail receptacle,” Tapper says. Since the National Association of Letter Carrier’s food drive began in 1992, nearly 1.3 billion pounds of food has been collected.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Glenwood said Friday a local man has been arrested on sexual abuse, kidnapping and indecent contact with a child, charges.

Daniel Logan Walden

66-year-old Daniel Logan Walden, of Glenwood, was arrested on a charge of 1st degree kidnapping, two counts of 2nd degree sexual abuse and indecent contact with a child. Walden is accused of sexually abusing a child under the age of 12 after luring the child into his residence.
An investigation into the incident continues. Authorities are asking anyone who may additional information regarding Walden’s alleged activities to contact Glenwood Police Officer Rose Ives or Police Chief Eric Johansen at 712-527-9920.

Cass County Extension and the Southwest Iowa STEM Hub are bringing science, technology, engineering and math fun to Cass County. The “Celebrate STEM” Festival is set for May 22 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Cass County Community Center. Youth and families of all ages are invited to come explore STEM through hands-on learning and investigation. Cass County Extension and the Southwest Iowa Regional STEM Hub are partnering with local community organizations and educators and host the “Celebrate STEM” Festival.

Attendees will receive a “passport” at the front door to help them explore the many exhibits from throughout Cass County and southwest Iowa. There will be opportunities to learn more about STEM programs happening for local youth, sign up for upcoming summer events in the county, and also learn about STEM in local businesses and careers. A variety of activities will also be available to spark student and parent interest with hands-on learning ranging from testing chemical reactions to flying flight simulators.

The event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend. Anyone interested in learning more about opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math in Cass County is encouraged to attend. No pre-registration is required, and attendees are invited to stop in and stay for as long as they can. Any local business or organization that would like to participate is encouraged to call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 for more information on this event!

The Epic Iowa Road Trip made its journey into Western Iowa today (Friday). A specially wrapped motor coach is traveling 2,100 miles promoting more than 60 tourism destinations in 33 counties and 46 communities across the state of Iowa. The trip began earlier this week in Eastern Iowa and made several stops in the area today. The Epic Iowa Road Trip ventured into Shelby County Friday afternoon. The first stop was at the Danish Windmill Welcome Center.

The motorcoach then stopped in Avoca at Farmall Land USA. Shawna Lode, Iowa Tourism Office Manager, said they have seen all portions of Iowa. “We started on Friday, May 2nd in Ottumwa and since that time we have traveled to all parts of the state from the eastern side to the central side and we are concluding on the Western side of the state.” She says the tour group has seen a lot of diversity.  “We were at Pella Tulip time and we visited the Iowa Speedway in Newton. Those are two big name destinations in the state. But we have also visited some of the unknown places like the little Brown Church or here at Farmall Land that is a hidden treasure and we want Iowans to know about.”

Lode says the Tourism committee had a great response and the road trip could become an annual event. “We have had a tremendous response and we are really happy with how the nine days have gone. We will sit back in a week or so and then talk about next year.”

On Saturday, the Epic Iowa Road Trip will head towards the Loess Hills with stops at the Council Bluffs Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Harrison County Visitor’s Center on Highway 30 and the Twisted Tail in Beebeetown. The Road Trip will conclude Saturday in Sioux City. The Epic Iowa Road Trip is a partnership among the Central Iowa Tourism Region, Eastern Iowa Tourism Association, Western Iowa Tourism Region and Iowa Tourism Office to promote tourism destinations in the state and raise awareness of tourism’s impact on Iowa’s economy.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)