ATLANTIC, Iowa – April 8, 2024 – If you drive on westbound U.S. 275/Iowa 92/Veterans Memorial Highway at Metro Drive in Council Bluffs you need to be aware of lane closures on Tuesday, April 9 that may impact your trip.

The Iowa DOT, in partnership with the City of Council Bluffs, will close U.S. 275/Iowa 92/Veterans Memorial Highway at Metro Drive to replace a traffic signal pole and mast arm. The scheduled lane closures will include occur at the following times.

• From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. the westbound lanes of the roadway will be closed.

• From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the westbound left lane will open, and the westbound right lane will remain closed.

• From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. both westbound lanes will close again. Work will then be completed after the roadway opens.

During this work, the traffic signal will be flashing red for all directions and temporary stop signs will be in place. Northbound left turns will be prohibited from the southbound Interstate 29 exit ramp. You will be detoured north on Metro Drive and Denmark Drive, west on 35th Avenue, and south on the South Expressway back to U.S. 275 (see map).

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa [WHO-TV] — It’s been 13 years now, since a young realtor was shot and killed in a West Des Moines townhome. 27-year-old Ashley Okland was showing the property on April 8, 2011, when gunshots rang out. Okland was shot multiple times. Her killer has never been caught.

During a recent interview with WHO 13, Assistant Chief of Police Jody Hayes said the possibilities of what happened are endless. While the case may be considered “cold” by the public’s standards, Hayes said it is still being “actively” investigated and that investigative leads continue to come in.

Ashley Okland
(Courtesy West Des Moines Police Department)

The agency has continued to keep some of the details surrounding the crime, like the caliber of the gun used, close to the vest.

Hayes said he believes the case can still be solved.

(Atlantic, Iowa) A partial solar eclipse will be viewable in Atlantic this afternoon (assuming there is no cloud cover), beginning at 12:41-p.m., with the maximum coverage available (through protective glasses) at 1:56-p.m. Never look directly at the Sun. You can seriously hurt your eyes, and even go blind. Proper eye protection, like eclipse glasses or a special solar filter, is the only safe option. Sunglasses don’t work.

The event will end at 3:11-p.m. (total time: 2-hours and 30-minutes).

More information is available here:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@z-us-50022?iso=20240408

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports a woman from Adams County was arrested during a traffic stop April 2nd. A records check indicated 36-year-old Nicole Jean Dorman, of Corning, was wanted on a Union County warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree, a Serious Misdemeanor. Dorman was turned-over to a Union County Deputy following  the traffic stop at 270th Street and Highway 92, in Fontanelle.

The warrant stated bond was set at $300, with 10% acceptable.

(Radio Iowa) – The view of today’s (Monday) solar eclipse will range from excellent to so-so to lousy, depending on where you’re located in Iowa at mid-day. Meteorologist Dylan Dodson, at the National Weather Service, says folks in the northern few tiers of counties may have to hop in the car and head south if they want to see the spectacle.  “Partly to mostly cloudy as you get further north in the state, but for the south, you’ll see mostly clear skies through most of the day today,” Dodson says. “Then central Iowa, you’re going to be kind of right on that gradient between the clouds as they’re kind of hanging out across northern Iowa.” Veteran eclipse watchers say even when high, thin clouds partly obscure the sky, the eclipse may still be visible.

“I don’t have any personal experience on that, but I would imagine, just gauging off of how you see the sun through the clouds sometimes,” Dodson says. “If it’s more of a thinner cloud deck, you might be able to see it through the clouds. It’ll be more of a filtered sunshine, but if it’s really caked in, it might still be kind of difficult to see.”

The 2017 eclipse (NASA photo)

While parts of the nation will see a total eclipse, the sun will be about 90-percent covered in southeast Iowa, and more like 75-percent in northwest Iowa. The moon will start covering the sun around 12:45 P-M, the peak should be around 2 o’clock this afternoon, and it’ll all be over by about 3.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood say a Pottawattamie County man was arrested Saturday, for Driving Under Suspension. 23-year-old Austin Wilson, of Council Bluffs, was released from custody after posting a $300 cash or surety bond.

And, no injuries were reported following an accident that occurred at around 11-a.m. Saturday, in Glenwood. Authorities say 70-year-old James Allen Rolling, of Glenwood, was traveling east on Hickory Ridge Road, when a pickup driven by 17-year-old Jaxen Robert Tadin, of Glenwood, backed out of a driveway and struck the front of Rolling’s pickup truck. Tadin told authorities he had looked both ways while backing out, but did not see Rolling’s vehicle before proceeding into the street.

Damage from the collision amounted to $10,000. No citations were issued.