An accident involving a Lenox Volunteer Fire Department truck caused a total of $6,500 damage Sunday, but no one was hurt. The Lenox Police Department reports officers responded to the scene of the accident in front of the fire station, at around 6:30-p.m., Sunday.

Photo from Lenox P-D’s Facebook page.

An investigation determined a 1979 Dodge pickup owned by the fire department was parked outside the fire station during the annual soup supper and was on display. While looking at the truck, a child hit the gearshift into neutral causing the truck to roll down the drive before it hit a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer parked on the street.

The Trailblazer, owned by Randy Samo, of Lenox, sustained $4, 000 damage, while the fire department’s truck sustained $2,500 damage. No. citations were issued.

The driver of a vehicle which struck and killed a Shelby County firefighter two years ago on Interstate 80 is now suing the City of Shelby. The Omaha World Herald reports David L. Thies, of Boone, is suing the city for $5,000, a fraction of what the accident cost him. Thies was involved in the accident on I-80 two years ago when he struck Shelby firefighter Michael Collins who was killed while directing traffic after another accident had taken place on the interstate.

Thies claims Collins was under the influence of drugs at the time and stepped into traffic. The papers says documents inside the Iowa State Patrol’s full investigation report say Collins had THC in his system, which is the active ingredient in marijuana and a narcotic pain reliever called oxymorphone. A hearing on his claim is set to take place Oct. 21st, in Pottawattamie County Small Claims Court.

The accident that took the life of Collins happened around 6:50-pm on September 18th, 2011 as Collins was directing traffic. The patrol says Thies was traveling on the Interstate and went around the stopped vehicles and hit Collins in the left lane. No criminal charges were ever filed against Thies, as the investigators did not find his actions reckless. He was however charged with driving without proper registration.

The accident report from the Iowa State Patrol says Collins received oxymorphone from someone who had a prescription. Thies stated his expenses from the accident including medical bills are over $30,000. The City of Shelby declined to comment to the paper on the lawsuit. This was the second accident fatal accident Thies was involved in. Back in 1988, Thies was driving a motorcycle in Nebraska when it crashed and killed the passenger 20 year old Gina Pearson. He was charged with vehicular homicide and served a 17 month jail sentence.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department reports a Missouri man was arrested over the weekend on drug and other charges. 39-year old Raymond Bartholomew Johnson, of Seneca, Mo., was arrested Saturday for Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana with the intent to deliver, 2 counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, no Tax Stamp, Driving Under Suspension, failure to have proof of insurance, registration violation, and on a warrant out of Shelby County.

And, a Tabor man, 24-year old Michael Douglas Auten, was arrested Friday in Fremont County, for Driving Under Suspension, Failure to secure a child, and failure to maintain registration.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A pre-trial hearing for a former western Iowa music teacher accused of sexual exploitation is set to take place this (Monday) morning, in Harlan. Seventy-two-year-old Lee Nelson worked for the Harlan Community School District for 35 years. He was arrested in July on charges of sexual exploitation by a school employee and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. Authorities say a 17-year-old has accused Nelson of committing the acts while Nelson mentored the teenager between October 2012 and April 2013. He’s plead not guilty to the charges,

Nelson resigned from his position at the school this past April. According to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, Nelson voluntarily surrendered his license earlier this year. His trial is set for Oct. 29th.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Audubon City Council will meet during a regular session this evening, at the City Hall. During the meeting, the Council will hear from Terry Siedelmann, with regard to Landlords/utility billings. They’ll also act on: approving a pay estimate amounting to just under $119, 895 for the water tower project; and on a resolution adopting the Audubon County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Discussion items include that which pertains to the property at 210 Church Street. The Audubon City Council meeting begins at 7-p.m.

A Red Oak man was arrested Sunday evening on a trio of charges. Red Oak Police say 35-year-old Michael Shane Sunny Cantrell was arrested in the 400 block of East Grimes for breach of peace, simple domestic assault and 5th degree criminal mischief. Cantrell was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

The Honor Flight from central Iowa earlier this month made national news as aging World War Two veterans bypassed barricades and visited Washington D-C monuments that were “closed” by the federal government shutdown. Even if the shutdown continues, another round of charter flights will be flown later this month, focusing on Korean War veterans. Bill Williams is helping organize two flights for more than 230 veterans from Iowa and Nebraska out of the Omaha airport.

“We are going no matter what,” Williams says. “We have a Silver Star (recipient), several hand-to-hand combat (veterans), a guy who had his legs blown off in Korea, the park police are no match for this crew, trust me.” He says the veterans on these charter trips will see what they want to see, and he jokes they’ll be prepared to cut through any chain link fences that may block their way.

“They’ve closed the restrooms at the World War II Memorial so that is an issue and the Lincoln Memorial is closed, you can’t go see it, that’s a shame,” Williams says. “It doesn’t matter, we’re going, wire cutters in hand.” Williams saw the media coverage of the other veterans groups last week as they made their way into the memorials that were dedicated in their honor, even though the areas were supposed to be closed to the public.

“That’s so ridiculous anyway because they’re open air memorials,” Williams says. “They’re just trying to inflict as much pain on people to put pressure on, that’s all it’s about.” Previous Honor Flights from Omaha have focused more on the older veterans. “We did seven World War II flights in 2008 and 2009 and 1,500 World War II vets had the opportunity to see the World War II Memorial,” Williams says. “This is the first attempt to do something for the Korea veterans. The ones who received the invitation are so excited and it’s just a wonderful opportunity for them in their twilight years to have an experience like this.”

The flights are scheduled for October 29th for about 140 Nebraska Korean War veterans and on October 30th for about 100 Iowans who served in Korea. Williams says both flights will follow the same schedule out of Omaha. “We’ll depart at 6 AM, arrive at Dulles airport at 9:30, we’ll bus to the Korean Memorial, the Vietnam Wall and the Lincoln Memorial,” he says. “Then, we’ll stop at the World War II Memorial and Arlington for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, drive around and see the White House and a few other buildings. The final stop will be the Marine Corps Memorial.”

The flights should get the veterans back to Omaha around midnight. Williams hopes these are the first of many Honor Flights for our states’ Korean War heroes.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — More than 15,000 people turned out for Sunday’s race to raise money to fight breast cancer at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. More than $370,000 from race registrations go to the “Especially for You” fund, which provides mammography and other breast-care services for area individuals who cannot otherwise afford them. Last year the fund helped 773 people receive more than 1,000 services in Linn County.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa-born opera singer Simon Estes has spent a career traveling the world singing and now is lending his voice to help end child deaths caused by malaria in Africa. The Des Moines Register reports Centerville native Estes is inviting every student in Iowa from kindergarten to 12th grade to sell at least three copies of his latest CD, “Save the Children, Save Their Lives.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque junior hockey league player has been released from the hospital after he struck his head on the ice during a game between the Dubuque Fighting Saints and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. KGAN-TV reports 18-year-old Dylan Chanter is home after Saturday night’s injury.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A police officer for the city of Sloan has been hospitalized after his car hit a light pole and flipped over as he was responding to a drunken driver call. Sioux City police tell KTIV-TV that 45-year-old Brent Vanderweil lost control of his patrol car just before 3 a.m. Saturday in Sioux City.