(Cape Canaveral, FL) – Iowa born Astronaut Peggy Whitson and three other members of the SpaceX AX-2 Dragon crew launched into space from Florida, Sunday. Whitson, who retired from NASA, is the station’s first female commander who holds the U.S. record for most accumulated time in space: 665 days and counting. The four member team are expected to spend a little over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.

Others onboard during the launch include a man and woman from Saudi Arabia – a fighter pilot and scientist – and the owner of a sports car racing team from Tennessee. Whitson works for SpaceX. The others paid for their seat on the 10-day mission. While the cost of their ticket wasn’t disclosed, The company previously stated the price tag would be in the area of $55-million each.

Falcon 9 launches Ax-2, Dragon’s 10th human spaceflight (SpaceX social media post)

The Saudi government is sponsoring the flight for the country’s two space-faring crew.

(Marshalltown, Iowa) – Officials with the Marshalltown Police Department reported Sunday, that at around 6:21-p.m. Saturday, a Marshalltown Police Department vehicle struck a four-year-old, male child. The accident occurred near the intersection of Woodbury Street and North 12^th Avenue, in Marshalltown. The police vehicle was being driven by Officer David Danielson.The name of the child was not released.

Authorities say Officer Danielson was conducting a routine patrol through the area when the accident occurred. The Officer immediately requested medical treatment for the child, who was subsequently transported to an area medical facility and treated for an injury to his right foot and lower leg. The child also suffered various scratches and abrasions, but appears to have avoided serious injury. He was treated and released, pending additional medical follow-up later this week.

Officer Danielson has served the City of Marshalltown as a police officer for sixteen years. He currently works as a uniformed patrol officer.

The Marshalltown Police Department was assisted at the accident scene by the Marshalltown Fire Department and the Unity Point Ambulance service. An investigation into the accident is continuing.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report ranks Iowa 20th in the nation for the overall health of older adults. The annual America’s Health Rankings by the United Health Care Foundation looks at more than 50 factors that affect adults over the age of 64. It found Iowa seniors have low rates of food insecurity and mental distress — and very few elderly Iowans avoided seeking medical care due to the cost. Archana Dubey is the Chief Medical Officer at United Healthcare. She says Iowa also ranks low for the number of doctors who specialize in treating aging adults, but that’s improving.

“There is a definite increase in geriatric providers,” she says. “That’s something that I did notice – a 19% increase in physicians who are practicing this specialty.” The report found a low rate of social isolation among elderly Iowans. However, it did find households with someone age 65 or above are slightly less likely to have a high speed connection to the internet.

“Even though nationally, we improved on internet access, but we noticed that in Iowa, we could do better so there is a lower percentage of household connectivity to high speed internet,” Dubey says. The report found 79 percent of Iowa households with people age 65 plus have high speed internet. That compared to 83 percent nationally. Dubey says being able to go online to order groceries or visit with a nurse or doctor is important to the health of older adults.

The United Health Care Foundation’s annual report found dental health among Iowa seniors has improved, while the rate of injuries from falls among older adults in Iowa is higher than the national average.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – An accident at around 8-p.m. Sunday in Montgomery County claimed the life of a man from Red Oak. The Iowa State Patrol reports 68-year-old Miles H. Russell died, when the 2019 Ford F-150 pickup he was driving crossed the center line of eastbound Highway 34 near Eastern Avenue in Red Oak, and struck the front driver’s side of a westbound 2007 Peterbilt tractor-trailer, driven by 54-year-old Jonathan D. Gonseth, of Murray.

Following the collision, the pickup struck a road sign and came to rest partially in the north ditch. The semi came to rest partially on the road and westbound shoulder. Miles Russell – who was not wearing a seat belt – was transported by Red Oak Fire to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Gonseth suffered minor injuries, but was not transported to the hospital.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on arrests spanning a time frame from May 4th through the 18th. On the 18th, 41-year-old Joshua Jay Martin, of Clarinda, was arrested at the Page County Jail, for Willful Injury causing bodily injury.

There were two arrests on May 16th in Page County: 31-year-old Daniel Dean Archer, of Shenandoah, was arrested in Shenandoah on an active warrant for Violation of Probation. Archer was also charged with Interference with official acts, Possession of a controlled substance [PCS] – methamphetamine, PCS – marijuana, and Possession of drug paraphernalia; and, 32-year-old Michael Ryan Weeden, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on an active warrant for two counts of probation violation, original charges of assault on a police officer without injury and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Weeden was taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail.

On May 14th, Deputies in Page County arrested 35-year-old Chad Douglas Smith, of New Market, on an active warrant for child endangerment. Smith was transferred from the custody of a Montgomery County Deputy to deputies from Page County.

On the 13th of May, 31-year-old Chelsie Nichole Greene, of Shenandoah, was arrested in rural Shenandoah, for Domestic Abuse Assault. And, on the 4th, 28-year-old Juan Salazar, of Syracuse, New York, was arrested in Page County for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.