The winners of this year’s Iowa Character Awards have been announced. Amy Smit, with the Character Counts in Iowa program, says 13 award winners were selected from 60 entries. “Every year, I think that they can’t get any better than the last. They always continue to not just surprise me, but our entire selection committee with the great Iowa teachers, students and companies that we have throughout the state,” Smit said.

All of the winners will be recognized at The Iowa Character Awards Banquet on August 5 at the Hy-Vee Conference Center in West Des Moines. Smit says Harlan High School is the winner of this year’s “School of Character” award. “They’re fairly new to Character Counts, but they’ve really taken it on and made it part of their school culture and climate. So, we’re really happy to recognize them,” Smit said.

Andria Knutson and Zach Moss of Winterset, have been named co-winners in the “Youth Citizen of the Year” category. “These two are known throughout their community for being so service oriented and so caring about other people that our selection committee was really blown away by their dedication to helping others,” Smit said. Character Counts In Iowa is a non-profit organization that was founded by former Governor Robert Ray in 1997.

(Pat Powers/Radio Iowa)

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Sheriff’s officials in western Iowa’s Monona County say a Moorhead man died following a motorcycle accident between Moorhead and Pisgah. 36 year old Eric Houston was found in a ditch off of Highway 183. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials say the accident, which happened sometime Monday night, was not discovered until Tuesday morning, when the driver of a mail truck saw Houston’s cycle in the ditch.

The accident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin is urging U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to approve crop disaster relief for western Iowa in the wake of flooding along the Missouri River. Harkin, a Democrat, made his plea in a letter to Vilsack, a former Iowa governor. Harkin says a secretarial disaster designation would provide money from USDA programs, emergency loans and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program to help producers recover from loss of crops and damage to farmland, livestock facilities and buildings.

Harkin says designated counties would include: Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury. Gov. Terry Branstad recently began the process to secure a disaster designation.

Dep. Kyle Quist & his K-9 partner Kane (photo by Cass. Co. S/O)

The Cass County K-9 unit was involved in the apprehension early this morning of two suspects in Pottawattamie County. Full details are currently not available, but according to Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Quist, a vehicle pursuit ended with a crash in Pott County at 290^th and York Road.

Two suspects ran from the vehicle and were located by the K-9 unit in a tree line east of where they wrecked the vehicle We’ll have more on this story when additional details are released.

The Cass County K-9 unit was involved in the apprehension early this morning of two suspects in northern Pottawattamie County. Pott County Sheriff’s Department spokesman, Sgt. Dwayne Richie told KJAN News the incident began at around 2:36-a.m. near Neola, as Deputy John Kirlin, who was on routine patrol, was traveling south on Railroad Highway.

The deputy observed two vehicles traveling northbound. After he turned around to catch up with the vehicles, both vehicles began to speed up. One car made a turn onto 6^th Street in Neola, the other turned onto 5^th Street. The 1^st car turned around and back onto Railroad Hwy before traveling onto 5^th street. Both vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed. The deputy activated his cruiser’s lights and sirens.

Deputy Kirlin then began to record the incident on his in-car camera. He was able to follow the taillights of one of the vehicle onto 290^th Street and continued the pursuit at speeds in excess of 77-miles per hour on the gravel road.

The pursuit ended at the intersection of York Road and Tustin Avenue, where Kirlin found a red, 2009 Chevy Cobalt in the north ditch. The vehicle was unoccupied, and the rear passenger door left open. The car’s engine was also running and beginning to overheat. The deputy shut the vehicle off and was assisted in the search for the occupants by two more deputies, a State Trooper and a Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy and Cass County K-9 officer Kyle Quist and his partner “Kane.”

Authorities determined three suspects ran from the vehicle. Two suspects, a male and a female, both 18-years of age, were located by the K-9 unit hiding in a tree line. They were identified as Caitlyn Ozee and Patrick Eggerling. The driver of the vehicle, identified as 35-year old Scott Hall, of Council Bluffs. Hall reportedly told the pair to “run,” but they soon reconsidered their options. Richie says they were warned by Deputy Quist to come out or the dog would be sent after them, they decided to comply.

The pair were charged with Interference with Official Acts. During question, Eggerling told officials why Hall took-off from the deputy. He said it was because Hall didn’t have a Driver’s License. Hall remains at large, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is set to visit three flood-damaged towns in western Iowa. Branstad and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Administrator Brig. Gen. Derek Hill are set to visit with local officials in Blencoe, Missouri Valley and Pacific Junction today (Wednesday).

Branstad’s office also says that the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration and county officials will start conduct assessments in six counties beginning today.

Branstad asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack last week for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury counties.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Red Cross has opened a 24-hour shelter in Council Bluffs to help people affected by the flooding along the Missouri River.

Red Cross officials say the clinic opened Tuesday evening at First Assembly of God Church in Council Bluffs. The shelter will provide meals, minor first aid, referrals and a safe place to stay.

Officials say other shelters remain on standby in counties along the river in both Iowa and Nebraska.

Firefighters from Adair, Anita and Wiota were called to a reported structure fire early this morning, about 3-miles south/southwest of Adair, in Adair County. Adair Deputy Fire Chief Scott Harkins told KJAN News the call from the Oliver residence at 1407 Cedar Avenue, came in at around 3:19-a.m.

Firefighters from Anita and Wiota were paged-out to assist Adair Fire about 25-minutes later.

Harkins says the fire appears to have started in the attic, and was electrical in nature. The flames then spread to the insulation and woodwork. No injuries were reported. Harkins said there was minimal fire damage, but the house did sustained smoke and water damage. No dollar amount of the damage was immediately available.