Numerous accidents have been reported this (Thursday) morning along Interstate 80, both east and westbound. No injuries have been reported. In most cases, vehicles – especially semi tractor-trailers, spun out, or in the case of semi’s, at least partially jackknifed.

DOT Snow plow cam on I-80 near Atlantic. (6-a.m.)

In some cases, both lanes or a single lane was blocked or partially blocked in several locations. Highway 92 eastbound near Treynor was blocked on the right should, due to an accident. Tow bans are being implemented for Pottawattamie, Cass and Mills Counties. If your vehicle enters the ditch or median, it will not be towed until weather conditions improve.

Road conditions as of 6:48-a.m.

Visibility is limited in the area. I-80 from Highway 25 west to Highway 48 is completely snow covered. I-80 from Highway 48 west was partially covered as of 6:45-a.m.

Other roads are also completely or partially covered with snow. For the latest road conditions, go to 511ia.org or call 5-1-1.

Interstate 80 westbound in Cass County is currently blocked by a jackknifed semi tractor trailer. Marne and Atlantic Fire were dispatched to the scene just before 6-a.m. at the 54 mile marker. Unknown is any injuries at this time.  The 49-mile marker was also blocked in both lanes westbound. (update 6:15)

Also, as of 6:09-a.m., I-80 westbound at the 64 mile marker was blocked in one lane on the bridge.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:37 a.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — As the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign accelerates, governors, public health directors and committees advising them are holding key discussions behind closed doors, including debates about who should be eligible for the shots and how best to distribute them. A review by The Associated Press finds that advisory committees created to help determine how to prioritize vaccine doses have been holding private meetings in at least 13 states that are home to more than 70 million people. In at least 15 other states, such meetings are open to the public. But even in those states, governors and health officials can modify or override committee recommendations with little or no public explanation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state lawmaker wore jeans on the floor of the Iowa House to draw attention to Republicans’ refusal to mandate masks in the chamber even as they ban members from wearing jeans. Democratic Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames wore jeans Tuesday during House debate, and when the chief clerk asked her to change, she declined. Neither the House nor the Senate allow members or staff on the floor of the chambers to wear jeans or T-shirts, and men must wear a jacket and tie. Republican leaders have encouraged members to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but have refused to require face coverings. Five people associated with the House have now tested positive for the virus.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former official of a large grain warehouse in Iowa has been sentenced to three months in prison for his role in a scheme to blend lower value oats into soybeans and then sell the mixture as soybeans to unsuspecting buyers. The U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release that 60-year-old Calvin Diehl of Aberdeen, South Dakota, was also fined $7,500 in addition to the prison term. He pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Diehl was the assisted general manager at the Sioux Center grain cooperative.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A commission created by former President Donald Trump that promoted “patriotic” education and downplayed slavery’s role in history has disbanded, but lawmakers in Republican states are now pressing for similar action. Several proposals are pending in state legislatures that would put new limits on how race and slavery is taught in the classroom. They include bills in Arkansas, Iowa and Mississippi that would ban schools from using a New York Times project that examines slavery’s legacy. Supporters say they’re countering what they call indoctrination. But the moves are worrying opponents who say students are harmed by efforts to whitewash crucial parts of the nation’s history.

The Atlantic School Board and Collective Bargaining Unit officials representing the Non-Certified Union Staff presented their initial bargaining proposals during an approximately 15-minute long session Wednesday afternoon, at the Middle School Media Center.  Superintendent Steve Barber told KJAN News the Union proposed an increase of 40-cents per person plus anyone eligible for STEP movement.

They also would like to have a 75-cent raise added to the wait time for bus drivers, for activity trips, as well as a 25-cent raise for Food Service, in addition to the 40-cent raise. They would also prefer some who have insurance through the school, for the school to pay a portion of the premium. Barber that the latter was “Not in the scope of negotiations,” but it was included nonetheless.

As for the District, it proposes those eligible employees move a step on the salary schedule, and increase the hourly wage by 10-cents, which comes out to a 1.61% increase, and a cost to the District of slightly more than $50,000, plus the duration of a one-year contract.

The next step is a closed session for continued negotiations on Feb. 17th, and hopefully a mutual agreement. If they are unable to come to a compromise, both sides would enter into mediation and as a last resort, arbitration. Barber said “We’re hoping we don’t need to do that.”