Iowa’s got talent and aspiring singers from across the state can compete for a chance to sing in front of an enormous crowd at Iowa’s largest single-day concert event. Megan Helmers, spokeswoman for the Des Moines Symphony, says they’re looking for someone who can belt out the National Anthem at the patriotic Iowa State Capitol concert on July 1st.

“We have a link on our website right now where people can go online to register,” Helmers says. “We just need a little information from them, contact information and what key they’d like to sing in, and the first 20 who apply are accepted.”

The competitors in the 7th annual “Oh Say, Can You Sing?” contest will audition before a panel of judges on-stage next weekend during the popular Des Moines Arts Festival. The 20 people who registered online will be guaranteed a slot and five walk-up singers will also be allowed to audition.

“Whoever we pick will get to sing the National Anthem at Yankee Doodle Pops in front of a crowd of 100,000 people, backed by the Des Moines Symphony,” Helmers says. “They’ll also get season tickets for our next symphony season as well as a few other perks.”

America’s National Anthem is considered by many vocalists to be a tough song to sing, given its wide required range of highs and lows. “That is absolutely correct,” Helmers says. “I think it’s probably one of the more difficult national anthems in the world to sing correctly, but we’ve been pretty lucky in past years and we’ve had some terrific vocalists who’ve auditioned for us.”

The auditions will be held at noon on June 25th at the arts fest. Learn more at the website: dmsymphony.org.

(Radio Iowa)

Guthrie County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett has released statistics with regards to the sheriff’s office most recent special traffic enforcement project. The traffic safety project ran from May 23rd through June 6th.

Members of the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office made four felony arrests and seven drug arrests. The sheriff’s office staff also processed seven impaired drivers. Five drivers were impaired on illicit or prescription drugs and two were impaired by alcohol.

A total of two hundred and twelve warnings were issued for traffic violations with ninety coming from speed violations, followed by thirty-seven equipment violations. Thirty-two total citations were issued with twenty-two issued for speeding.

The Creston Police Department reports a woman was arrested Wednesday afternoon, on a Theft charge. 41-year old Carrie Johns, of Creston, faces a charge of 5th Degree Theft. Johns was released from the Law Enforcement Center on a Promise to Appear.

HARTLEY, Iowa (AP) – A former police chief who sued the city of Hartley over his firing has settled the lawsuit. The Sioux City Journal reports the dismissal of Mark Younie’s lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City.

The settlement agreement says the city’s insurance carrier, EMC Cos., will pay Younie $25,000 on behalf of the city. The city will pay Younie’s attorneys $75,000, to be split with Younie in accordance with his contract with the attorneys.

Younie was fired in January 2014, and he sued the city in October 2014. He alleged in the lawsuit that he was fired because he’d filed a grievance alleging a labor law violation. The city said Younie’s firing was unrelated to the grievance.

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a crash off Interstate 80 stranded a truck driver in an Iowa creek for several hours. The Iowa State Patrol says the crash occurred around 4 a.m. Wednesday near a Waukee exit west of Des Moines. The driver lost control of his semitrailer somehow, and it went down between the bridges over Sugar Creek. The semi landed upside down, with its cargo of produce strewn about.

Bridge construction workers found the man around 11 a.m., lying in the water, about halfway up on some pallets. He was hospitalized. The crash is being investigated.