Authorities across the Midwest were investigating reports Thursday of a brief, bright light streaking across the early morning sky. The Omaha World-Herald and Associated Press report the quick-hit light show around 1:30-a.m. Thursday was seen in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, including the Omaha area and around Columbus and Waverly, NE.

The streaking light reportedly was seen from parts of Kansas and points north to locations east of the Omaha area as far away as Illinois. No explanation was immediately forthcoming.

Tuesday night, the body of a Russian rocket that burned up as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere set off a wave of excitement on social media and fueled speculation over what caused the flash of light in the western U.S.

U.S. Strategic Command spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn said the fireball that seen over Arizona, Nevada and California was an SL-4 rocket body booster from Russia that launched Monday.

As the state heads into the heart of winter, the cost of heating fuels remain low. Iowa Department of Agriculture fuels analyst, Harold Hommes says the most common heating fuel — natural gas — was one-dollar, 65 cents last week and is still one-dollar, 75 cents in the latest survey. “I don’t know the last time I saw it that far under two dollars, it’s been a decade or so, and nat gas has been especially hard hit,” Hommes says.

He says propane prices have also been flat. The latest report had propane averaging 99 cents a gallon. Propane prices can sometimes move up as heaters turn on. “We haven’t seen the usual winter bump, but I think that’s because there’s ample supplies in place. And now I think some of the retailers and wholesalers are concerned about moving that propane,” according to Hommes. Hommes says the low prices are something that’s not isolated to heating fuels.

He says it’s an overall soft commodity market, whether it be ag commodities of livestock, grains, or mines and minerals, energy. “It just seems like the commodity markets are going through a fairly soft period in a pretty significant way. These are pretty serious price levels that we just haven’t seen in some time on the energy front,” Hommes says. The soft energy market is good news Iowans when it comes to heating homes and businesses, as they lead to lower monthly bills.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Transportation pays hundreds of millions of dollars to the contractors working on Iowa’s roads and bridges. D-O-T director Paul Trombino says his agency is managing all the “paperwork” for the projects — without paper. “All of our contract documents are done electronically, including signatures with the industry,” he says. Trambino calls the “paperless” project “Doc Express”.

“It’s really grown,” Trombino says. “We actually have a lot of states that are really looking to copy our process with this electronic document and we’re really sort of leading that edge from a national perspective.” The Iowa D-O-T has a five-year, three-point-two BILLION dollar construction budget, with designs for hundreds of projects. Contractors and subcontractors are logging onto the D-O-T’s “Doc Express” website to submit all the information about the projects. There’s an instructional video to explain the process.

An electronic record is created for all contracts and any changes that are made. Officials say “Doc Express” helps avoid having paperwork lost or damaged on the worksite, plus contractors AND state officials can easily sort the electronic documents to quickly find what they need. “Doc Express” is configured for use on smart phones, tablets or laptops, so contractors can refer to documents and make adjustments in the field.

(Radio Iowa)

(Update from 9:25-p.m.: Bluffs Police said at that time they were getting caught-up on reports and responding to accidents as usual.)

The Council Bluffs Police Department Thursday evening issued a statement say “Due to a large number of crashes this evening, [they] will only be responding to crashes blocking the roadway or injury crashes. If anyone is involved in a minor property damage crash, please move to a safe location and exchange information. Contact police after the storm has been cleaned up.”

“Remember that crashes need to be reported to the agency where the crash occurred. We anticipate responding to all crashes later in the evening. Thank you for your assistance. Information to exchange: Names, addresses, drivers’ license number, vehicle make, model, license plate, and insurance information.”

The Harlan Police Department today (Thursday), released a report on recent arrests. Officials say on Dec. 18th, officers with the Harlan P-D arrested 29-year old Erik Romero, of Harlan, following a traffic stop. Romero was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with driving while barred. And, on Dec. 17th, Harlan Police arrested 53-year old Dale Noll, of Harlan, at his residence. Noll was taken into custody on an active Shelby County warrant for violation of probation.

Harlan Police also investigated accidents that took place on Dec. 3rd and 21st, neither of which resulted in injury. Drivers involved in the separate collisions included: Betty Specht, of Westphalia & Jeremy Walker, of Harlan; Faye Jacobsen, of Harlan, & Jamie Lee, of Avoca. Damage from the crashes amounted to $4,500 altogether. Only one of the drivers was cited: Betty Specht, of Westphalia, was cited following the Dec. 3rd crash at Chatburn Ave and College Place, for failure to stop in an assured clear distance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say an officer accidentally fired his gun while practicing his “quick draw.” A police report says Officer Brady Pratt “unknowingly” had his finger on the trigger when he drew his gun from his holster, and he fired a round Wednesday inside an office at the Des Moines airport. The bullet hit a ceiling tile above a door before it landed in a ceiling tile in the hallway. No one was hurt.

The 23-year-old officer reported the incident to his supervisor. Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesman for the department, says the incident will be reviewed and discipline is possible. The Des Moines Register reports Pratt joined the department in 2013.