Beginning July 2^nd and continuing through July 8^th, law enforcement in Iowa and across the nation will step up their enforcement efforts to curtail impaired driving during the Independence Day holiday week, as part of the ongoing “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown.  The goal is to find and arrest impaired drivers who put themselves and others at risk.

During last year’s four-day STEP (or, Special Traffic Enforcement Program) enforcement wave, Iowa officers made 455 drunken driving contacts, and more than 12,700 traffic violations were reported by 225 law enforcement agencies across the state.   During the official three-day holiday, six fatalities occurred on Iowa roadways.

Iowa law enforcement agencies across the state are strongly urging all motorists to buckle up; slow down; and if you decide to drink, be responsible and designate a sober driver so everyone can enjoy a safe 4^th of July holiday.   The goal is to make the roads safer for everyone.

For more on the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.

An infant secured in a child safety was checked for injuries at the Shenandoah Medical Center, following a single-vehicle accident Saturday morning. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports Landon Jared James Wright, of Clarinda, who is less than one-year old, was traveling in a 2006 Pontiac driven by 24-year old Betsy Breanne Krienert, of Osmond, NE, when the woman went to check on her son. The car drifted onto the west shoulder of southbound Highway 59.

Krienert overcorrected. Her actions caused the car enter a ditch and come to rest beside a ditch and a bean field. Krienert didn’t have a cell phone with her. A passing motorist transported her to the Shenandoah Police Department. After authorities spoke with the woman, she took the boy to SMC to be checked for possible injuries. No charges were filed. The car sustained about $1,000 damage during the accident, which happened at around 11:30-a.m. Saturday, about three-miles north of Shenandoah.

Officials with the American Red Cross’ Midwest Blood Services Region based in Omaha, are putting out an emergency call for blood donors. Tricia Quinn, CEO of the organization’s Midwest Blood Services Region says the blood supply has reached emergency levels, with fewer than 50,000 donations than expected so far this month. The shortfall, she says, leaves the Red Cross with half the readily available blood products on-hand now, than this same time last year.

All eligible blood donors, especially those with “O Positive” “O” Negative, “B and A Negative” types of blood, are encouraged to roll-up their sleeves and give the gift of life. Even though those are the most needed types, all blood types will be accepted, especially in preparation for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

Call 1-800-Red Cross or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. Upcoming area blood donation opportunities include:

In Pottawattamie County, at the Loess Hills Chapter Donation Center (705 N. 16th St., in Council Bluffs), from 12:30-6:15-pm. today (June 25th); tomorrow (June 26th), from 11am-5pm; and June 30th 6:30-a.m. to Noon.  Other dates are available as well, in July.

In Cass County on June 28th at the Wesley Heritage House, from 11am-4pm.

In Shelby County, on June 27th from Noon-6pm at St. Mary’s School in Panama, and on Julu 10th, from 11:30-a.m.-5:30pm, at the Veteran’s Memorial Building.

Donation opportunities are also available late this month through mid-July in Carroll, Harrison, and Page Counties. Those who donate blood between now and September 5th, will automatically be entered into the Life Life, Give Life promotion, for a chance to win prize packages from GiftCertificates.com. Those donating between June 29th and July 8th will be entered to win additional prize certificates, to thank them for giving blood around the Independence Day holiday.

The Secretary of the Navy was in Sioux City this weekend for the naming ceremony for the first ship to ever carry the western Iowa city’s name. Secretary Ray Maybus spoke at a city hall ceremony paid tribute to the actions of Sioux City Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Bud Day. “That’s the kind of character that the people of this city, that Sioux City has exemplified, and that’s the kind of character that will sail in the U-S-S Sioux City,” Maybus said. The U-S-S Sioux City is what’s called a littoral combat ship, and is designed to be able to switch its setup to do many things.

“Right now we’ve to three mission modules, we’ve got an anti-surface, anti-submarine and an anti-mine. But a lot more are in development and a lot more are on the way,” Maybus explained. “So when the mission changes, all she has to do is pull in, you take out one module and put in another, and she’ll be ready to go.” The new ship will be fast, with a top speed of 40 knots. Construction is set to begin next year with completion by 2016. Maybus said the U-S-S Sioux City is part of an effort to build the fleet back to levels that were seen around 9-11.

“We’re going to grow the fleet to 300 ships by 2019. Since December of 2010 we have put 40 ships under contract, and that compares to three in 2008. This is gonna allow us to protect America,” Maybus said. Maybus said the fleet had shrunk to 283 ships since 9-11, and they are able to rebuild it using fixed-price contracts and better competition from bidders. Another ship in the same class as the U-S-S Sioux city will be named the U-S-S Omaha.

(Radio Iowa)