The Iowa State Patrol reports two females from Nebraska and a woman from Central Iowa were injured in a crash Sunday afternoon on Interstate 80 near Adair. Authorities say a semi tractor-trailer fire at the 76 mile marker westbound caused traffic to back up on I-80 at around 1:25-p.m. A 2018 BMW X5 driven by 57-year old Judith Kisicki, of Clive, failed to stop in a safe distance and struck the rear of a 2013 Ford Fusion. The Ford was driven by 46-year old Audra Anneberg, of Omaha.

The impact caused the Fusion to be pushed into the cable guard rail. The BMW continued forward, before striking a 2014 Honda Accord, being driven by 27-year old Andrew Novak, of Omaha. The Honda then struck another 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Jacqueline Thomas, of Fremont, NE.

The Honda and BMW collided and came to rest in the north ditch. The Hyundai came to rest in the left lane of I-80. Another vehicle involved in the multi-car pileup was a 2006 Chrysler Town and County van driven by Thad Lambrecht.

Kisicki was transported by Mercy Air Lifeflight to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Audra Anneberg and her passenger, 13-year old Andrea Anneberg, of Omaha, were transported by Adair Fire and Rescue and Adair EMS, to Methodist Medical Center. All of the crash victims were wearing their seat belts.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports what started out as one of the more severe types of calls their dispatch center receives, turned out to be not so bad, and then not good. The Center received an emergency 911 early Sunday afternoon, about a “semi fully loaded with propane and fully engulfed” at the exit 76 off ramp into Adair.

Adair Fire quickly responded and knocked the fire down. They also realized the tanker was full of milk and only had propane fuel tanks for the truck’s regular operation. Authorities say the reporting party was overwhelmed with what was going on and did not specify some important details. A tanker of propane that catches fire requires a 1/2 mile radius evacuation. That would inherently be almost the entire town of Adair.

The Montgomery County County Sheriff’s Office reports a Red Oak woman was arrested at around 7:24-a.m. Saturday in Red Oak, following a complaint about a person yelling and drinking a bottle of vodka. Deputies located 48-year old Shelby Joann Olivares in the 200 block of W. 3rd Street, and charged her with Breach of Peace. While at the Montgomery County Jail, Olivares damaged a shower knob, and was subsequently charged with Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. Her total bond was set at $600.

ZWINGLE, Iowa (AP) — Several Dubuque police officers found themselves in an unusual environment at the bottom of a quarry pond. The police department’s nine-member dive team was undergoing its monthly training exercises, The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported . Training is held monthly so divers can keep their skills sharp.

The team had four newer members recently receive their advanced open-water certifications. Training began with technique practice, where members practiced following commands given over a radio. “We’re starting with basics, and then we’ll get into search patterns,” said Lt. Dave Haupert, a member of the team.

The department received a grant about three years ago to purchase dive equipment to begin building the specialty team, said Dubuque Police Chief Mark Dalsing. “We had individuals that had dive skills,” Dalsing said. “But it was really limited, and we recognized we needed to increase our capacity.”

The city’s location on the Mississippi River means investigators must sometimes go underwater to salvage evidence. “We know for a fact that evidence is thrown into the river,” Haupert said. “So if we are doing an investigation and somebody said, ‘I threw the gun in the river,’ we can go try to recover that evidence, which can be crucial to a case.”

The department plans to pursue additional training for tasks such as first aid and diving in icy water, Haupert said. Dalsing said he’s looking into forming a multi-agency dive team with the Dubuque Fire and Dubuque County Sheriff’s departments.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines Police say a shooting in the capital city late Saturday night was an act of self defense. Officers responded at around 11:30-p.m. to the 200 block of east Park Avenue for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they found 32-year-old Joshua Wheeler, of Des Moines, suffering from a gunshot wound. There were also two children in the home. Wheeler later died at a hospital.

Police say a 25-year old woman and her 27-year old male friend were in the home. They discovered what was believed to be intentional damage to the man’s tire. Wheeler, who was prohibited from having contact with the woman under a court order, arrived at the home and forced his way in. Once inside, he allegedly begin to physically assault the male resident.

The assault stopped briefly and then began again. That’s when the man, who legally possessed a handgun, fired one shot at Wheeler, causing fatal injuries. The Polk County Attorney’s Office determined the shooting was lawful self-defense, and no charges will be filed.

The City of Atlantic’s Community Protection Committee is set to meet 5:30-p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 14th) in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda is a review of changes to the right-of-way tree ordinance. The changes reflect policy with regard to dead, diseased and dying trees, and returning the Forester’s responsibilities to the Street Superintendent instead of the Parks and Rec Director. The Forester will have the sole determination about tree health and prioritization of dead tree removal. They will be responsible for removing all dead, diseased, or dangerous trees, broken and decayed tree limbs within the public right-of-way when necessary, to protect the safety of the public. The proposed changes will be forwarded to the City Attorney for review before being recommended to the City Council.

And, the CPC will continue with discussions held during their meeting late last month, with regard to changes to the Fireworks Ordinance. The discussion focused on persons violating the ordinance with regard to when the hours of use for fireworks on private property, which are currently Noon-to 10-p.m. July 2nd and 3rd, and from Noon-to 11-p.m. July 4th. Fireworks are also currently allowed from 6-p.m. New Year’s Eve until 12:15-a.m. New Year’s Day.

Any decisions on changing the Ordinance are not expected until next Spring.