Thousands of bicycle riders from across Iowa and around the world are starting their second day of the statewide trek known as RAGBRAI today (Monday). This year’s route runs 418 miles across southern Iowa from Glenwood to Muscatine. On the first day of the event, a 72-year old man from Florida was struck and killed by a pickup truck, near Glenwood. Andrea Henry, with the Iowa D-O-T, urges motorists who encounter long lines of bikes to stay alert and don’t do anything to distract or startle the riders.

“We ask that you do not honk your horns at bicyclists,” Henry says. “Use extra caution when you’re passing them. Give them plenty of room because sometimes bicyclists might swerve to avoid road hazards like potholes or debris or railroad tracks or narrow bridges.”

RAGBRAI organizers say that about 30 people have died in the event’s 44 year history, but most deaths are linked to medical problems. Including the latest victim, nine bicyclists have been killed in Iowa this year in collisions with vehicles. Henry notes, the safety tips for motorists apply all year long, not just during RAGBRAI.

“Be careful when opening your vehicle door,” Henry says. “Sometimes bicyclists will be riding close to the edge of the roadway and that can become a problem. When in doubt, always yield to bicyclists. Make sure you give them plenty of space and don’t try to pass if you don’t have the room to do so.”

Cyclists, too, need to keep safety first by always wearing a helmet. “We ask that you never ride against traffic,” Henry says. “Bicyclists are always supposed to follow the same flow as traffic. Obey traffic signs and signals just like you would if you were in a vehicle. Always, make eye contact with a motorist. Sometimes, it’s difficult for them to see you and if you make eye contact with them, that ups your chance of visibility.”

At night, use a headlight, taillight and reflectors. Today’s section of RAGBRAI takes the cyclists 75 miles from Shenandoah to Creston.

(Radio Iowa)

An 82-year- old northwest Iowa man who got lost in a cornfield Saturday evening was found Sunday afternoon following an extensive search. Family members say Stewart “Skip” Harris left his home in rural Akron Saturday evening, riding his all-terrain vehicle at around 9:30 p.m. to check on irrigation units. Son John Harris says he saw a light on at his father’s house in the evening, so didn’t stop to check on him. Harris says he discovered his father wasn’t home Sunday morning and began looking for him.

“Right away I came down here to the field to see if he happened to be down here — and then that’s when I found the four-wheeler here in the cornfield abandoned. I called my sister and told here ‘we got problems.’ We looked for a while, five family members and finally we just said we can’t do this ourselves and called 9-1-1,” Harris. “Somehow the word got out…and there’s just so many people here who have helped us out.” He says his dad apparently went out to check on an irrigation units.

“Evidently in the dark he got disoriented and he drove into the cornfield and couldn’t find his way out. He left the four-wheeler and started walking around. It’s hard enough to find your way out in the daylight, let alone in the dark,” Harris says. The elder Harris was located in a cornfield at about 2:12 Sunday afternoon, nearly 17 hours since he was last seen. He was in good condition, aside from being exhausted, and dirty and dehydrated. Volunteer searchers cheered when Skip Harris was brought to the command center ending the search. John Harris was thankful with the way things turned out.

“It could have been a tragic ending — fortunately it worked out the right way,” Harris says. “We thank all the volunteers, and thank God for helping us find him.” More than 150 people from various emergency agencies, along with several volunteers concentrated their search within two corn fields Sunday.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 1:40 a.m. CDT

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Five people, an adult and four teens, suffered what were believed to be minor injuries, when an amusement park ride had a mechanical breakdown Sunday night, causing some of the arms of “The Octopus” ride to collapse onto the ground.

EMERSON, Iowa – Authorities say a medical condition may have caused a fatal, single-vehicle accident west of here Sunday afternoon. 62-year old Stephen Pierson died in the crash.

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Opening day of bike ride across Iowa marred by death of bicycle rider. Iowa State Patrol says rider was killed near Glenwood on Sunday morning.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say 59-year-old man was killed Sunday morning in a shooting. Officers are investigating the shooting that happened around 4:30 a.m. near Roosevelt High School. Few details about the shooting were released Sunday and no arrests had been made.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The National Weather Service confirms at least three tornadoes moved through eastern Iowa on Saturday. The storms damaged crops and some farm outbuildings but mostly avoided towns. Experts are still surveying the damage from the storms.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A new Kossuth County sheriff’s department drone helped authorities quickly find and rescue an Iowa man and his granddaughter whose boat became hung up on a logjam on the Upper Des Moines River. Authorities said the remote-control aircraft reduced the amount of time it took to locate the pair.

The Iowa State Patrol says one person died following a single-vehicle accident Sunday afternoon, in Mills County. 62-year old Stephen Pierson, of Emerson, died at the scene of the crash that took place at around 2:36-p.m.  Pierson was traveling west on County Road H-34 about 8-miles west of 390th Street, when his 1993 Chevy Lumina left the road  and went into a ditch. The vehicle traveled for about 195-feet in the ditch prior to hitting an embankment and coming to rest.

The Patrol says Pierson, who was not wearing a seat belt, was known to have medical conditions, that may have played a role in the accident.

Five people, an adult and four teens, suffered what were described as non-life threatening injuries Sunday evening, when a mechanical failure caused the arms of an amusement park ride at the Cass County Fair to come crashing to the ground. Atlantic Police Lt. Dave Erickson told KJAN News Sunday night, that the incident happened at around 7:30-p.m. on “The Octopus.” The ride is located just outside of the “Kids Barn” portion of the two commercial buildings on the northwest side of the fairgrounds.

Erickson said the injured parties, a woman believed to be in her 20’s, along with two  teens, a male and a female, were transported by ambulance to the Cass County Hospital. Two 15-year old males went to the hospital by private vehicle. The injured complained of neck, back and shoulder pain, and bruises, according to Erickson.

He said the Fair Board has contacted the State Division of Labor about the incident, and until an Inspector can come out and examine the ride and find out what went wrong, the “Octopus” is shut down.

Three people, two children and an adult, were injured Sunday night when a mechanical failure occurred on an amusement ride at the Cass County Fair, in Atlantic.  According to KETV in Omaha, the mechanical failure, which was reported around 7:40 p.m. at the Cass County Fair, caused the arms of the octopus ride to slam to the ground. The ride is located just outside of the “Kids Barn” portion of the two commercial buildings on the northwest side of the fairgrounds.

An adult and child went to Cass County Memorial Hospital by ambulance. The other child went to the hospital in a private vehicle. The ride is currently shut down. No further information was given. We’ll update this story on KJAN as officials provide us with more details.