An 11-year old male suffered serious injuries after he was struck by a van Wednesday afternoon while crossing a street, in Council Bluffs. Council Bluffs Police say Blake Smith, of Council Bluffs, was transported by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue to Nebraska Medicine, after he was hit by a 2004 Ford full-size van at around 3:30-p.m.. The driver of the van was identified as 52-year old Rex Miles, of Council Bluffs.

Police say Miles was traveling west on East Kanesvillle Boulevard in the right lane. Traffic was reported to be stopped in the left, westbound lane, for a red light ahead. Miles and witnesses told police that Blake ran northbound across Kanesville and through the stopped line of vehicles in the left lane, before crossing into Miles’ path.

Miles said he didn’t see Blake until it was too late. He attempted to stop, but his van struck Blake before Miles could stop. The Council Bluffs Police Traffic Unit is conducting an investigation into the crash. At this time, impairment and speed do not appear to be factors in accident.

An unusual accident Wednesday afternoon in Montgomery County resulted in minor injuries to the driver of a pickup. The Sheriff’s Office says at around 1:30-p.m., a 1974 John Deere tractor pulling a grain wagon was traveling south on Highway 48 near 160th Street, when the frame of the wagon failed, causing the left front wheel to break-free. The wheel crossed the center line of the road and hit a northbound 2013 Chevy Silverado pickup. The impact caused the airbags on the pickup to deploy, and resulted in the driver of the truck, 30-year old Luke McPhee, of Gladstone, MO., suffering from minor abrasions to his forearms.

The tractor and wagon are owned by Paul Perkins, of Red Oak. The tractor was driven by 49-year old Stacy Perkins, of Red Oak. Authorities say there were no citations issued.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:58 a.m. CST

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) – A former city clerk in northwest Iowa has been sentenced in a Nebraska court to probation for trying to set up a sexual encounter with a minor. The Sioux City Journal reports that 61-year-old Douglas Furlich, of Lawton, Iowa, was sentenced Wednesday to three years of intense supervised release. Officials say he interacted online with an undercover officer he thought was a 15-year-old boy and went to meet the boy in a park for sex in June.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Republicans have achieved their longtime goal of taking control of both the state House and Senate. The GOP flipped several Senate seats Tuesday to erase a slim Democratic majority in the chamber. It’s the first time in 20 years the GOP will have control of both chambers and the governor’s office in Iowa, a development that’s expected to alter legislative priorities in January.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials say students at several Des Moines-area high schools have staged walkouts to protest Donald Trump’s election victory. The Des Moines school district noted in a news release Wednesday that the majority of the district students are minorities and said the campaign rhetoric raised “concerns and divisions” among the students, their friends and families. The district says it won’t “stand in the way of our students peacefully expressing their concerns.”

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), heard an annual report from Atlantic Public Library Director Natalie Struecker, on behalf of the six libraries located in Cass County, and a request for Fiscal Year 2018 funding.

Struecker said the libraries are looking at updating some of their community services because the State has updated the standards by which libraries are graded and receive State funding. She said the Atlantic Library already does much of what the State is asking, because it is bigger and has the funding to accomplish many of the goals, but some of the smaller libraries in the County will struggle in some areas, such as adding an online catalogue.

Struecker asked the Board to consider an increase in funding over last year’s increase, in the amount of $2,000 per library, or $24,000 altogether.

The Board will consider how much to contribute when they work on hammering out their County budget in January. During the last Fiscal Year (2017), the Board gave each of the libraries a $600 increase. The prior Fiscal Year they gave an additional $1,000.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says an Adair County man was arrested this (Wednesday) morning on a Union County warrant for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. 37-year old Michael Ross Waddingham was taken into custody at around 8-a.m. at the Adair/Union County line. He was transported to the Union County Jail and held on $300 bond.

Atlantic Police report the arrest on Tuesday of 38-year old Robert Atkinson, of Anita. Atkinson was taken into custody on an Audubon County warrant for Probation Violation. He was transported to the Audubon County Jail.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

County Supervisor:

John Straight (R), 4,563

Thomas J. Bothwell (D), 2,667

County Sheriff:

Jeff Killpack (R), 3,650

Patrick G. Sears (Incumbent) (D), 3,683

County Auditor:

Susan Bonham (D), 5,373

Write-in’s: 100

For more results, go to the Iowa Secretary of State’s website at https://electionresults.sos.iowa.gov/Views/TabularData.aspx?TabCounty=CountyReporting^Harrison^86&ElectionID=86

A Red Oak man was arrested Tuesday night on a Montgomery County warrant for Burglary in the 3rd Degree. 32-year old Christopher Ivan Long was taken into custody at around 9:40-p.m. in the 200 block of 2nd Avenue. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $3,000 cash bond.