In an update to our earlier story, the Iowa State Patrol Wednesday evening released more information about an accident which occurred Wednesday afternoon that killed one person and injured two IA DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers. Officials say 52-year old Bruce Coenen, of Harlan, died in the crash. DOT officers Brian Rink, age 40, of Griswold, and Kent Liebe, age 58, of Carter Lake, were injured.

The Daily NonPareil, quoting Police dispatch reports, said Coenen had left a behavioral facility in Harlan, smelling of alcohol. The 2003 Pontiac Bonneville he was driving travelled south on Highway 59 for nine-miles at speeds of up to 100-miles per hours, with a Harlan Police officer in pursuit. The car slammed into the DOT enforcement officers’  2012 Chevy Tahoe, about one-mile north of Interstate 80, at around 12:25-p.m., after the SUV did a U-turn in an attempt to block the Bonneville using a rolling stop, according to authorities. The Bonneville caught fire, and state troopers who arrived on the scene put out the blaze.

Coenen died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. His body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, for autopsy. The Patrol says Brian Rink was also not wearing a seat belt. He was transported by private vehicle to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. Kent Liebe was wearing a seat belt. He was transported by Avoca Rescue to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. A report on both officers’ conditions, was not available.

Highway 59 was closed for more than two hours as the crash was investigated. It reopened at about 2:30 p.m. Assisting at the scene, was Avoca Fire and Rescue, Harlan Fire and Walnut Fire and Rescue.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports the old “Grandchild in trouble” scam is making its way around the area….again. Brothers say he was recently made aware of an elderly Clarinda couple who was called by someone who said that the couple’s grandson had been involved in a serious accident and that $2,400.00 needed to be wired immediately to the grandson.

The grandson had not been in an accident and the money was ultimately sent to the country of Chile.` The scam sometimes involves a person who claims to be, or is representing, a grandchild who is supposedly in jail, and needs to be bonded out. The “grandchild” in most of those cases, is in another country, like Canada, or Mexico.

The bottom line grandparents need to be aware of, is to VERIFY information with another family member. Or, in the case of a supposedly arrested grandchild, call the law enforcement agency or your local law enforcement agency, to have them verify the claim. NEVER give personal banking or credit card information to someone claiming to be or representing a relative, especially if you are not certain the circumstances are real.

An accident this (Wednesday) afternoon south of Harlan has claimed one life and injured two Iowa DOT Enforcement officers. The Harlan Police Department reports at around 12:15-p.m., the H-PD received a call about a possibly intoxicated driver. A Harlan Police Officer located the suspect vehicle as it was traveling south on U-S Highway 59.

The driver of the vehicle ignored the patrol vehicles’ lights and sirens, and continued southbound for about nine-miles. Other units were called to assist in the traffic stop. A DOT enforcement vehicle responded with lights and sirens activated. The suspect vehicle collided with the DOT car, injuring both officers in the vehicle just north of the Shelby/Pottawattamie County line.

The driver of the suspect vehicle died at the scene of the crash from injuries suffered in the collision. The Iowa State Patrol is conducting an investigation into the incident. Additional updates will be released from the Patrol, when available.

Templeton Rye whiskey fans have more to celebrate this week than just the 80th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. After seven years of legal production, the one millionth bottle of the Prohibition-era spirit will be released. Templeton Rye is now available in more than 40 states, but founders Scott Bush and Keith Kerkhoff want to give back to the fans at home where it all started and will release the bottle in Iowa to say thanks.

Gov. Branstad putting the label on the millionth bottle at the Templeton Rye distillery in Templeton, Iowa, Wednesday morning.

“We are very grateful for all of our devoted fans for the success of Templeton Rye throughout the country, but it wouldn’t have been possible without our fans in Iowa,” said Scott Bush, president and co-founder of Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC. “We thought about keeping the millionth bottle for our own collection, but instead, we decided it would be most rewarding to share it with those who helped us achieve this remarkable milestone.”

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition on Dec. 5, the millionth bottle, with a special nine-digit numeric code printed on it, will be shipped to the state warehouse and enter the Iowa distribution system, along with other bottles featuring nine-digit codes. At an event in Templeton celebrating the milestone, the first number of the special millionth bottle code was announced: 5.

Each week, another digit of the numeric code will be released on the Templeton Rye website, Facebook and Twitter pages and through emails to the Templeton Rye Bootleggers Society. The full unique numeric sequence will be revealed on Jan. 17, 2014, what would have been Al Capone’s 115th birthday.

The lucky fan who discovers the millionth bottle will not only receive a piece of history, but will be invited to the Templeton Rye distillery for a tour and tasting with Keith Kerkhoff, master distiller and co-founder of Templeton Rye. The fan who finds the millionth bottle is encouraged to send an email to millionthbottle@templetonrye.com.

The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors today (Wednesday) approved a total of more than $7.5 million in grants to 26 Local Housing Trust Funds to support local affordable housing initiatives, which will assist more than 2,000 Iowa families. The funding is provided from the State Housing Trust Fund’s Local Housing Trust Fund program. The grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local down payment assistance programs, providing low-interest loans or grants to assist Iowans in home rehabilitation, financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans and supporting transitional housing and homeless assistance programs.

Here are some of the grant recipients, grant amount and what the funds will be used for, in the KJAN listening area:

• Council Bluffs Housing Trust Fund, Inc. – $198,903. The Council Bluffs Housing Trust Fund will use the grant to promote the development and preservation of affordable single-family and multifamily housing units through the financing of rehabilitation, new construction or direct assistance activities. The trust fund will also promote home buyer and tenant education.

• Council of Governments Housing, Inc. – $305,674. The grant will assist 34 low-income households through a combination of grants and low-interest loans. Eligible activities will include lead hazard remediation, owner-occupied rehabilitation, down payment assistance for home buyers and emergency relocation and foreclosure prevention assistance.* Area served: Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie and Sac Counties.

• Southern Iowa COG Housing Trust Fund – $295,951.The grant will focus efforts on seven affordable housing activities to assist an estimated 35 households: owner-occupied rehabilitation in support of homeownership, first-time home buyer assistance,transitional/special needs housing (including assisted living), infrastructure for new development/infill housing, lead-based paint remediation, demolition and lot clearance for new construction and rental projects.* Area served: Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union Counties.

• Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund, Inc. – $387,014.The grant will assist an estimated 60 households by providing down payment assistance and owner-occupied and rental rehabilitation assistance to low-income households. Lead-based paint stabilization assistance will also be available to eligible households.* Area served: Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie (excluding the city of Council Bluffs) and Shelby Counties.

A Grand Ole Christmas can be experienced this (Wednesday) evening in Pottawattamie County. The 20^th annual Carson Christmas Celebration will commence with activities for the whole family. Wilma Laughlin, chairperson of the Carson Christmas, says the event begins with a soup supper from 4-to 7-pm. They will also have kid’s activities assisted by Riverside students, beginning at 5-p.m.

The Carson Community Center will host the soup supper, kid’s activities along with a bake sale and a craft and vendor show. The businesses will hold an open house from 5- to 7:30-pm, and  Santa will arrive at around 7:05pm downtown. Laughlin says you can get your picture taken with him at All 4 You Photography.

The main staple at the Carson Christmas for the past few years has been the shows inside the Dreamland Theatre. Laughlin says “We are going to have two shows this year. The theme is of course the Grand Ole Opry. The first show doors open at 5:45 with the show starting at 6pm. The second show the doors will open at 6:45 and the show start at 7:30.”

Laughlin is the play’s writer, but she  said this will be her final year doing the Christmas play. Tickets for the show can be purchased at the door for $4.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in western Iowa say a vehicle collision with a semitrailer has killed one man and injured three others.  Maj. Greg Stallman with the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the three adults and a boy were in a northbound vehicle Wednesday on Interstate 29 near Sergeant Bluff. The vehicle crossed the center line and hit a southbound semitrailer.

The Sioux City Journal reports the crash temporarily closed some traffic in the area, but all lanes on the highway have been reopened. The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the crash. The identities of the victims have not been released.