ONAWA, IA – A pipeline carrying natural gasoline developed a leak over the weekend,
with the potential to lose about 140,000 gallons of gasoline in the Missouri River
floodplain southwest of Onawa.

Enterprise Products of Houston, Tex., reported a drop in pipeline pressure to the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. The pressure drop
occurred at 2:30 a.m. in a section of 8-inch pipe that runs under the Missouri River
from Decatur, Neb., east to Interstate 29 just west of Onawa.

Company officials were able to shut the pipeline down on both sides of the river,
estimating the maximum amount of gasoline in the pipe to be 140,742 gallons. They
had teams searching for the leak by 4:30 a.m. The company tried to verify and locate
the break on the ground, from a plane and from a boat.

By 4 p.m., they suspected the break was on the Iowa side of the river in the flood
plain, but still did not have a specific location. The company is pumping the
gasoline that remains in the pipeline into trucks. If flood water shows up as they
pump, that may help the company locate the break. If not, officials plan to send
divers to look early next week.

Natural gasoline is not natural gas. It is an unrefined light-weight liquid, clear
to light amber in color. It smells of petroleum and floats on water. It is heavier
than air. The product has likely floated on down river. Even if the gasoline is
found, it would be dangerous and difficult to recover in the turbulent flood
conditions.

The DNR notified downstream water supplies in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Blair and
Omaha, Neb., to alert the operators of possible petroleum contamination. The DNR
also notified the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The company notified
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Nebraska.

A second pipeline carrying propane runs in the same trench as the natural gasoline.
Company officials are using a flare to burn off propane on the Nebraska side of the
river as a precaution.

The DNR is not considering enforcement actions.

Sheriff’s officials in Adams County say a Creston man was arrested early this (Sunday) morning, at the Corning City Park. 20-year old Michael Frabau was taken into custody at around 1:45-a.m., on a charge of Public Intoxication, after he was seen wearing just his boxer shorts.

Authorities in Montgomery County Sunday, investigated a property damage accident in Red Oak. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a two-vehicle accident happened at the intersection of Highways 34 & 48. When Deputies arrived just after noon, Sunday, they determined a 2008 Chrysler van owned and driven by 86-year old Gene H. Howes, of Hamilton, IL, was traveling east on Highway 34, and failed to yield or stop at the intersection with Highway 48.

The van collided with a 1998 Ford van, driven by 44-year old June Marie Lang, of Red Oak. No injuries were reported. Damage from the crash amounted to $8,000.

Officials say Howe was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. Deputies were assisted at the scene by personnel from the Red Oak Fire and Rescue Department, Red Oak Police, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Reserves.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Eight drivers are representing the Nebraska trucking industry at the national competition in Orlando, Fla., this week. The drivers all won the chance to represent Nebraska by winning one of the categories at the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships in June. The competition is designed to promote safety while drivers showcase their skills in tests such as an alley dock, side park and right turn. Drivers also have to navigate an obstacle course that designed to represent challenges they face every day.

Tim Dean, of Griswold, Iowa, was named the best professional truck driver in Nebraska after winning the tanker competition. He is one of three drivers for Omaha-based Werner Enterprises who won state categories. Drivers from Crete Carrier Corporation won two of the eight state categories.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – When the Missouri River’s floodwaters recede this fall, piles of debris, silt and some smelly surprises will be revealed. It’s hard to say exactly what’s hiding under the waters, but experts predict this year’s epic flood will leave behind a mammoth mess once the water returns to within the Missouri River’s banks. The Army Corps of Engineers’ John Remus says he doesn’t envy the cleanup crews.

Much of the flooded land in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri this year was farmland, so the mess is certain to include agricultural debris like crop residue and fuel tanks. Carcasses of small animals swept up by the flood will add to the mess. And the river will leave large piles of sand and woody debris all over the floodplain.

MADRID, Iowa (AP) – Two people have died in a small plane crash near the Des Moines River near Madrid. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the Saturday afternoon crash of a vintage World War II plane. The Dallas County sheriff’s office says the plane went down in a remote area and was only accessible by boat or helicopter. The plane took down some high-power transmission lines when it crashed. Authorities have not yet released the name of the pilot or passenger who died in the crash.

The plane was a rebuilt war plane from the Iowa Aviation Museum in Greenfield. It was flying along the river from Boone to Ankeny when it crashed.

An Elliott woman was arrested Friday afternoon on a felony arson charge. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 47-year old Tammy Sue Davis was taken into custody on a warrant charging her with Arson in the 1^st Degree, a Class “B” Felony.

Davis was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $25,000 bond.

Sheriff’s officials were not able to provide more detailed information on the basis for the warrant, Saturday evening.

A Red Oak teen was arrested on a burglary charge Friday. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 16-year old Kendall Brian Kuhlman faces a charge of burglary in the 3^rd Degree. He was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs, and held until his case appears in court.

A Red Oak man was arrested Friday on a drug charge. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 18-year old Caleb Robert Renn was taken into custody for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Renn was brought to the Montgomery County jail, and later released on a citation.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Michele Bachmann is the winner of the Iowa Straw Poll. For the tea party favorite, it was a display of popularity and organizational strength — five months before the Iowa caucuses begin the GOP presidential nominating season. Texas Congressman Ron Paul finished a close second. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has sparred with his home-state rival Bachmann in a debate and on the campaign trail, finished a distant third.

Pawlenty made it clear he’s not dropping out, despite a disappointing finish. He said, “We have a lot more work to do” — but that his campaign is “just beginning.” Today’s poll doesn’t necessarily predict who will win the Iowa caucuses. But it shows that Bachmann has some support in the state — as well as the strongest get-out-the-vote operation and widest volunteer base.

In speeches throughout the day, candidates assailed President Barack Obama and offered themselves as the answer to America’s high unemployment, rising debt and stock market swings.