Firefighters from Atlantic and Marne responded to reported vehicle fire on Interstate 80 this (Monday) afternoon. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon said the incident happened at around 2-p.m. on I-80 eastbound near the Marne exit (Mile marker 51).

Photo courtesy Mike Kennon, Cass Co. EMA

No injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a Glenwood man was arrested over the weekend on a trio of moving violations. 23-year old Tyler Jason Chambers was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, speeding, and failure to provide proof of insurance. His bond was set at $300.

Sheriff’s officials say 46-year old James Lee Schmitt, of David City, NE, was arrested Friday at the Mills County Jail, for violating a no contact order, and on a warrant for stalking. His bond was set at $5,500. And, 57-year old Timothy John Urban, of Boise, ID, was arrested Friday in Mills County, on a charge of Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $300.

Authorities said also, a man from Kentucky was injured Saturday afternoon, when the semi he was driving turned too sharply as it was leaving a driveway. The trailer entered a ditch and damaged the road. The accident happened about seven-miles north of Glenwood on 189th Street. The driver of the semi, Robert Harris, of Paducah, KY, was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, by Pacific Junction Rescue.

While Iowa is susceptible to tornadoes during any month of the year, the traditional tornado season is now over and the state came out with an above-average number of twisters this year, more than 50. Meteorologist Rod Donavon, at the National Weather Service, says we may still see a tornado in the coming weeks and Iowans should never let down their guard for the risk. “The season’s really never over and the official numbers can’t come out until December 31st, at the end of the year,” Donavon says. “We’re not expecting a lot of tornadoes after this but last year we did have that October event across northwest Iowa and back in 2005, we had a November event, so certainly it’s never over until it’s over.” The recent drought years equated to very few tornadoes touching down in Iowa, but with the drought well behind us, tornado numbers picked right back up this year, especially during May and June. “We are preliminarily up to 52 which is above average,” Donavon says. “A typical year, at least over the last 30-year average, has been around 45 or 46. We’re certainly up quite a bit over the last two years where we had 16 in 2012 and right around 20 last year.” By contrast, a decade ago, Iowa set a tornado record in 2004 with 120 confirmed touch downs. Still, in recent years during the drought, Iowa went from May of 2012 to May of 2013 without a single tornado, four days short of a full calendar year. “A lot of that had to do with the drier years,” Donavon says. “In 2012-2013, we just didn’t have the storms or the storm systems moving across the state and we were near record low numbers. We are much closer to average this year. We had a lot of what we’d consider weaker tornadoes, a lot of EF0s, EF1s, which fortunately didn’t hit much property or any neighborhoods.” There were three tornadoes that registered as EF2s this year, but those were the strongest and none rated in the upper, more-destructive categories of EF3s, 4s and 5s. Two people were killed in tornadoes in Iowa this year. Both died in a twister that hit Keokuk County in April.

(Radio Iowa)

Two people were injured just north of Council Bluffs Saturday afternoon during an accident involving two motorcycles. The Daily NonPareil reports the accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at County Road L34 and Mahogany Road near Underwood.

One of the injured parties was given CPR at the scene and then taken by medical helicopter to an Omaha hospital. The other person was transported to Alegent Health Mercy Hospital. A condition report on their conditions is currently not available.

DES MOINES, Iowa – With the summer quickly winding down, the need for blood donors in Iowa is up. Nichole Hanger, public relations and marketing specialist with LifeServe Blood Center, said there are generally fewer people who donate over the busy summer months, even though demand generally increases. “A person injured in a car accident can use up to 100 units of blood, so it’s really critical we have an ample supply,” Hanger said. “Not only to help that one patient, but cancer patients, and surgery patients.”

Hanger encouraged people of all blood types to consider donating; especially those with blood types “B-negative” and “O-negative.” “O-negative is the universal blood donor and it’s used most commonly for trauma and accident patients, newborn babies, and those that don’t immediately know their blood type,” said Hanger. “So, it’s critical we have a stable blood supply of ‘O-negative,’ but all blood types are needed throughout the year.”

LifeServe Blood Center provides blood and blood products to more than 100 hospitals across Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Sales of Indian motorcycles are strong enough to support more jobs at the Iowa plant that makes them. The Des Moines Register reports Polaris Industries expects to hire 300 more people at its Spirit Lake plant that already employs more than 700.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines police officer was treated for minor injuries after being struck by a vehicle outside the Iowa State Fair. Police say senior police officer Ben Ihde was directing traffic outside the fairgrounds about 6:30 p.m. Saturday when he was hit by a vehicle that was slowly turning onto another street. Ihde was knocked off balance and fell, striking his head. He was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa City officials are considering imposing new taxi cab rules after a driver was charged with several assaults last winter. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine recommended the new rules, which could include city-issued IDs, 24-hour dispatch centers and other changes to the way cab companies operate.

ALTA, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man used 600 golf balls to make a 6-foot-tall statue of a golfer swinging a club. KCAU reports Kevin Pingel’s creation in Alta is an expression of his love for golf. Pingel says he decided to create the statue after collecting hundreds of golf balls from his yard on a golf course.

A trio of area school board meetings are set to take place Monday evening. The Griswold Community School District Board of Education will gather at 5:45-p.m. in the Central Office Board Room at the Middle School/High School Building. During their session, the Board will receive updates on the various summer infrastructure improvement projects. They’ll also act on matters pertaining to the Regional Academy and Project Priorities. Information to be presented includes that which pertains to Student survey results, and an overview of Student Test Scores.

The CAM School District’s Board of Education will meet in the High School Media Center at 6:30-p.m.  Discussion and/or action items during the meeting include that which pertains to: A possible sharing agreement with Nodaway Valley for a Human Resources Director; Resignations; The “Backpack Program”; Advancement on the pay scale; a Head Start contract; A request for out-of-state travel for the CAM FFA, and a request for supplemental aid/allowable growth for negative special education balance.

And, the Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton Board of Education will meet 7-p.m. Monday, in the Family and Consumer Science Room at the High School in Elk Horn. During the meeting, the Board will act on contracts for: Deb Graham (Para educator); Tony Petersen (Jr. High football and girl’s basketball coach); Hilary Runyan (Asst. H.S. Volleyball Coach, and Ben Hansen, Asst. H.S. football coach).

The Exira-EHK Board will also discuss and/or act on: An upgrade to the baseball field; Approving the National FFA trip for the 2014-2015 school year; Changes to the High School handbook; and, proposals for land formerly used for the Exira Elementary building.

The Harlan Police Department responded to call for a possible shooting on Sunday, August 17th at 12:30pm at 1401 19th Street.  When officers arrived at the location, which is the Harlan Community Intermediate School, they discovered a white male on the outside of the building with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was then determined by Medivac ambulance to have perished from the wound.

The Shelby County Medical examiner was called to the scene to pronounce the man dead and an autopsy was ordered with the body being taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny.

School was not in session at the time and no students were in the school at the time.  No danger was posed to anyone else and there was no entrance or attempted entrance to the building.

The investigation is ongoing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Several price records fell as the livestock auctions at the Iowa State Fair raised $327,000 for scholarships this year. The Des Moines Register reports hundreds watched the auctions Saturday. The livestock was raised by students involved in 4-H and FFA groups, and the proceeds help provide scholarships for people interested in agriculture.

Seventeen-year-old Alexis Delaney says she had no idea her prized hog would sell for $50,000. Iowa Select Farms paid nearly double the previous record price. Delaney says she raised her hog, Frankie, in DeWitt since he was a piglet and fed him marshmallows as a treat.

Seventeen-year-old Truman Chamness of Blairsburg says he spent many long days taking care of his champion red heifer. His dedication paid off when Casey’s General Store paid $36,500 for the heifer.