A head-on crash Tuesday afternoon east of Shenandoah has claimed the life of the Shenandoah High School Volleyball Coach. The Iowa State Patrol reports 45-year old Chad Van Houten of Shenandoah died at the scene of the crash at around 2:30-p.m., four-miles West of E Avenue on 190th Street. The driver of the other vehicle, 64-year old Larry Wise of Clarinda, was transported to the Shenandoah Hospital by ambulance. Both men were wearing their seat belts.

Officials say Van Houten was westbound on 190th Street in a 2003 Dodge Intrepid, while  Wise was eastbound in a 2006 GMC pickup. Their vehicles met at the crest of a hill and collided in an offset, yet head-on manner. The accident remains under investigation.

Van Houten coached volleyball at Shenandoah for more than 5-years. He also worked as a guard for the Iowa Department of Corrections in Clarinda, and co-owned a drug store in Clarinda, along with his wife, Annie. Tuesday’s school board meeting in Shenandoah was postponed, and grief counselors called-in to help students, staff and the community deal with the loss.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a Page County Sheriff’s vehicle was involved in an accident this (Tuesday) morning. According to the report, 43-year old Sheriff Lyle Palmer, of Shenandoah, was traveling west on Lincoln Avenue at around 11:05-a.m., when the 2009 Chevy Silverado Sheriff’s pickup he was driving, and a 2010 Mazda driven by 62-year old Rebecca Wiese, of Clarinda, collided in the middle of the uncontrolled intersection, in the westbound lane. The accident happened as Wiese was traveling north on 15th Street and approaching the intersection with Lincoln Street.

Wiese was issued a citation for Failure to Yield. Damage from the crash amounted to $10,000. No injuries were reported.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – State data shows that more than 3,200 license plates have been issued to local, state and federal agencies with a designation that allows them to avoid tickets from Iowa traffic cameras.  A recent speeding incident involving Gov. Terry Branstad’s state SUV has revealed how cities give a break to some government vehicles caught on red light and speed cameras.  Several cities said they do not issue tickets to drivers whose plates are not included in police databases because they’re conducting undercover or sensitive work.

Iowa Department of Transportation data requested by The Associated Press shows that 350 agencies have been issued at least one license plate with that designation, ranging from small police departments to the Transportation Security Administration. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources leads the way with 210.