Thunderstorms bringing winds gusting up to 60-miles per hour may have been responsible for a power outage in Elk Horn Friday night, and an accident on Interstate 80 near Avoca. The Elk Horn Fire and Rescue Department reported on its Facebook page at around 11-p.m. Friday, a large part of the community was without power. Officials with Mid-American Energy were working to restore power to the community, and as of early this (Saturday) morning, there was only one customer in Shelby County who was reported to be without electricity.

Elk Horn Fire officials said at the time also, that there were no immediate signs of damage from the storms that passed through the area, other than a few trees branches down.

Severe storm warnings were issued at around 9-p.m., Friday, for southeastern Harrison, northern Pottawattamie and southwestern Shelby Counties. At 9:32-p.m., a 60-mile per hour gust of wind was recorded in Shelby. The Iowa Department of Transportation reported, that at about that same time, a semi jack-knifed on Interstate 80 westbound, at the Avoca exit. A detour was established and the road reopened to traffic about 90-minutes later. There were no reports of injuries.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued as well, for Audubon, Carroll, northwestern Greene and southwestern Guthrie Counties, at around 9:40-p.m. The National Weather Service said a 60-mile per hour wind gust occurred just before 11-p.m., two-miles northeast of Guthrie Center, as the storms maintained their intense winds, having moved northeast out of Cass and Audubon Counties.

The state’s Latino population grew by nearly 84 percent in the past decade. The U.S. Census Bureau has released a variety of detailed information about Latinos in Iowa. A county-by-county analysis shows 24 percent of the residents in Crawford County are Latino. Denison is the largest city in Crawford County and the Census shows 42 percent of the city’s residents are Latino.  There were other Iowa cities with a larger percentage of Latinos.

Sixty-three percent of the people living in the small, southeast Iowa community Conesville are Latinos. More than 52 percent of the residents of West Liberty are Latino. About 42 percent of the population of Columbus Junction is Latino. In northwest Iowa’s Buena Vista County — the Storm Lake area — nearly 23 percent of that county’s population is Latino according to the 2010 Census survey.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An attorney for a Sioux City man charged in a deadly fight wants to keep statements his client allegedly made to police about a previous fight out of court. Bradley Gregg is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault. He’s accused of punching Joseph McDonald, of Ida Grove, outside a bar in October 2010. McDonald was knocked out and later died. Gregg’s trial is to start Tuesday in Woodbury County District Court.

Defense attorney Michael Williams plans to use self-defense and intoxication as his defenses. Williams has asked a judge to prevent prosecutors from mentioning an alleged altercation Gregg had a week before the incident involving McDonald. The judge didn’t issue an immediate ruling on the matter.

A Corning man was killed Friday evening when the car he was driving was hit broadside by a semi, in Adams County. The Iowa State Patrol says 91-year old Harold Muschamp died at the scene of the crash, located at the intersection of Highways 34 and 148, just south of Corning.

Officials said Muschamp was traveling north on 148 and had stopped at the intersection before pulling out into the path of an eastbound semi driven by 64-year old Billie McCaughey, of Milan, MO. The accident happened at around 5:10-p.m.

After the impact, the car and semi stayed together and came to rest in the eastbound lanes of Highway 34, blocking the traveled portion of the roadway, for a little more than 4 hours. The semi driver was not injured in the crash.

AMES, Iowa – Sept. 2, 2011 – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) has set a proactive course to get traffic moving again in western Iowa just as quickly as possible now that the Missouri River flood waters are beginning to recede. A multitude of activities are underway, some are behind the scenes and others are already visible. For instance, contractors started this week removing tons of debris and power washing the sticky layer of muck from sections of Interstate 29 in Fremont and Pottawattamie counties. Yesterday, the I-29 and Hamilton Boulevard in Woodbury County was fully reopened to travel.

Because there is a lot a work ahead, the Iowa DOT will be providing regular updates to the public regarding damage assessments and progress being made to restore travel. Communications will be provided via news releases, posting of progress updates and photos on the Iowa DOT’s flood information website (http://www.iowadot.gov/floods/index.html), and by other means. The Iowa DOT is examining a wide range of options and innovative approaches to expedite the recovery process. Timetables and cost estimates will be provided when that information becomes available.

Each highway segment impacted by the flooding has unique characteristics and challenges, so the Iowa DOT’s public information efforts will frequently focus on specific sites and activities underway in those areas. Due to safety concerns and reconstruction activities involving heavy equipment, public access beyond the road closure barricades and to the damaged sites is restricted.