Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department say a woman from Omaha was injured when she jumped from the Veterans Memorial Bridge in what was an apparent attempt at suicide, this (Thursday) afternoon. Council Bluffs Police and Fire were dispatched to the 4100 block of Veterans Memorial Bridge just before 1-p.m. reference an injured party possibly being on the bridge ledge.

Upon officers arrival it was determined that a 32 year old female had exited a vehicle on the bridge and jumped off the bridge railing. The woman fell about 10‐to 12-feet to the catwalk on the south side of the bridge.

Omaha Fire and Rescue along with Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue were able to retrieve the woman from the catwalk and tend to her injuries, which included a compound fracture to her right ankle. She was transported to a local hospital
for treatment. Her name is not being released.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS – Reports of wastewater discharges from cities in central Iowa are pouring into the DNR’s south central regional field office following heavy overnight rainfalls. Large parts of the state are experiencing similar discharges following storms dumping upwards of seven inches of rain in some areas over the last 48 hours, according to the National Weather Service.

The following cities reported discharges in the 18-county area served by DNR field
office 5 as of noon Thursday: Chariton, Des Moines, Grinnell, Indianola, Melbourne,
Redfield, Ogden, Waukee and West Des Moines. The field office expects more reports
yet today.

Aside from the dangers of high volume, swiftly moving waters, the DNR recommends
keeping children and pets out of flooded waters for at least 48 hours after a storm.

The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors has awarded nearly $8 million in grants and initiatives for the first cycle of 2015. Grants will assist 24 nonprofit organizations and governmental entities with funding for projects and programs that directly impact southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

This is the first grants and initiatives funding announcement of the year after the Foundation restructured its grant cycles in late 2014 to be three times per year rather than four. The Letter of Inquiry period for the third cycle is open Oct. 1. Interested organizations should visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the application process.

Funding for the Foundation’s grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association (IWRA), which receives contracted license fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. IWRA distributes funds to the Iowa West Foundation, an independent 501(c)3 organization under the IRS Code. The Foundation makes grants throughout southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

2015 Cycle 1 Grants and Initiatives include, but are not limited to:

• Audubon County Early Childhood Organization: Programmatic support for the Children’s Nest Daycare Center, $40,000
• City of Griswold: Improvements to the Griswold Community Building, $10,000
• Eckels Memorial Library 2015 collection development in library located in Oakland (IA) $2,000
• Harlan Friends of Downtown LED lighting and updated sound system in historic downtown Harlan, $7,500.
• Riverside Community School District, Support for Pottawattamie Promise program delivery, $76,344
• Stanton Historical Society, Repair and repainting of the Swedish coffeepot water tower, $5,000
• West Pottawattamie County Agricultural Extension District, Support for the West Pottawattamie County 4-H youth programming administration, $57,700.

An accident in Creston this (Thursday) morning occurred when the driver of a vehicle dropped his cell phone and reached down to pick it up. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says 25-year old Joshua Winebrenner, of Afton,  was driving east on Howard Street in Creston, when his 1998 Chevy Cavalier hit the rear of a parked 2001 Ford Escape. The accident happened at around 7:10-a.m.

Winebrenner was cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Damage from the collision amounted to $3,500.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports the right lane of westbound I-80 at the 112 mile marker (Racoon River near Van Meter/Desoto) has been closed by the Iowa State Patrol. Troopers continue to monitor the rising waters in that area and will make further closures if need be. Drivers need to use caution in that area or plan an alternative route.