Police in Creston said there were no injuries and no citations issued following a chain reaction collision Monday afternoon. Authorities say a 2013 Chevy Camaro driven by 22-year old Joshua Reed, of Creston, was stopped heading northbound at the stoplights for the intersection of Sumner and Adams Streets in Creston. A 2014 Ford Fusion driven by 33-year old Ashlee Nelson, of Greenfield, was directly behind the Camaro, and also came to a complete stop.

A 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by 52-year old Camilla Walters, of Mt. Ayr, was traveling northbound, when the woman mixed-up the gas and brake pedals. As a result, her car struck the Ford, which in-turn hit the Camaro.

Damage from the collisions amounted to $4,300.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following an accident at happened at around 3:30-p.m. Monday, west of Red Oak. Officials say a 2014 Ford F-150 pickup owned by MidAmerican Energy, and driven by 57-year old Raymond Flick, of Red Oak, was stopped on Highway 34 eastbound at a bridge construction traffic light.

A 2002 Pontiac Grand Am owned and operated by 80-year old Michael Wingett, of Omaha, was eastbound on Highway 34 and failed to get completely stopped prior to hitting the rear of the pickup.

Damage to the vehicles amounted to $4,000. Wingett was cited for failure to have insurance. Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted at the scene by Red Oak Police.

(Radio Iowa) — A Rock Valley man has died after being injured in an ATV accident over the weekend in northwest Iowa’s Lyon County. Authorities say the accident occurred at the intersection of 6th Avenue and Main Street in Doon around 3:30 Saturday afternoon when 25-year-old Jacob Soodsma is said to have fallen off the back of an ATV operated by 27-year-old Joseph Keegan of Rock Rapids as it entered the intersection from a private residence. Soodsma was taken to an area hospital before being airlifted to Sanford Health Systems in Sioux Falls where he died from injuries. The incident remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol and the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.

Iowa’s Annual Sales Tax Holiday takes place this Friday, August 2nd and Saturday, August 3rd. The annual break from sales tax is the perfect time to save on new clothes or shoes before the kids head back to school or even something special for the upcoming holiday season.

In general, select clothing and footwear are tax exempt – meaning no state sales tax will be collected – but there are restrictions. Check out the Sales Tax Holiday web page for full details.

Washington, D.C. – Third District Representative Congresswoman Cindy Axne today (Monday) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant program has awarded over $4.8 million to Des Moines International Airport and Guthrie County Regional Airport. Des Moines International received an additional $1.68 million, in addition to the $10.3 million they received in June, as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Runway Incursion Mitigation Program to enhance safety at the airport. Guthrie County Regional Airport received nearly $3.15 million to fund runway reconstruction projects.

Axne says “The continued support our local airports receive from the Federal Aviation Administration is instrumental to Iowa’s efforts to develop and repair vital infrastructure to improve safety and development. I’m pleased Des Moines and Guthrie airports are receiving this competitive federal funding which is a direct investment in our growth here in Iowa’s Third District.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has lifted the no-wake speed restriction, which equates to roughly 5 mph, for boating on Lake Manawa. Officials say the water levels in Indian Creek and the Missouri River have dropped to below flood stage and the lake level has returned to normal. The no-wake restriction had been in place since June 5 to minimize the impact of the high water to infrastructure around the lake, as well as boater safety issues associated with flood related debris floating just under the water surface.

(Radio Iowa) — The leader of the labor union which represents a majority of state employees has been re-elected to another term. Danny Homan won his eighth term as president of AFSCME Council 61 in a weekend vote at the union’s convention. AFSCME represents some 20-thousand state employees.

Homan issued a statement saying that despite what he calls legislative attempts to “destroy our union,” Council 61 “will continue to strongly advocate for our members and all working families. We’re not going anywhere.”

AFSCME had sued the state seeking to overturn the new collective bargaining law passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2017 — but the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the law. Homan became a public employee with the corrections department in 1984 and was first elected president of AFSCME in 2005.

(Radio Iowa) — Election officials across Iowa are preparing for combined school board and city elections this fall. Board of education elections used to be held in September, but a law passed in 2017 requires them to be held in November — on the same day as city elections. Clinton County Auditor Eric VanLancker says his staff is preparing for the upcoming combined election and notes many voters will have new polling places.

“Maybe the most logical thing to do is to just use our traditional city election polling locations,” VanLancker says, “and then we will figure out where, say, the people who want to vote in the school election who don’t necessarily live in the city, we’ve assigned them a city polling location to go to so they can still vote in the school election.” VanLancker says he hopes the consolidation results in more people voting in school district -and- city elections.

Clinton County voter turnout in the last presidential election was 74-percent. “These folks here who have control of your local money in your local community, we should be turning out 74% for those, too, instead of 12%,” VanLancker says. “We’ve even seen 6% turnouts for these elections.” He says some urban voters won’t see any change at all, however…

“It won’t be that simple at some of our more rural polling locations. We know we have one location that’s going to have up to six different ballot styles,” VanLancker says. “They’ve got a city ballot and then they’re in the middle of two or three or four other school districts that’ll be going to that polling location as well.”

During July, Clinton County mailed new voter registration cards to its voters so they’ll know where to cast their ballots.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Congressman Steve King says it’s up to Republicans to reach across the aisle and get more Democrats in the U.S. House to support the United States Mexico Canada Agreement.  “Let’s just work the political situation,” King says. “…In the end, it’s an up-or-down vote, non-amendable and a take-it-or-leave-it situation, so I think we’re going to end up taking it.”

Mexico has already ratified the deal and Canada’s government has started the ratification process. King says during a recent meeting with President Trump’s top trade advisor, he got the impression House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supports the U-S-M-C-A. “First I thought that she would be resistant and delay because I didn’t think that she wanted to see President Trump get a win…until the time I sat down with Ambassador Lighthizer who had not even an inflection in his voice that he was frustrated with Speaker Pelosi,” King says.

King, though he’s a “yes” on the U-S-M-C-A, suggests keeping the North American Free Trade Agreement in force would be good for Iowa’s economy. “I never would have opened that trade agreement up…NAFTA was good for Iowa agriculture and good for Iowa manufacturing, but not so good for other states across the country,” King says. Mexico and Canada are Iowa’s top two trading partners.

King made his comments during an interview at the Plymouth County Fair.