(Tiffin, Iowa) – A crash early this (Friday) morning in eastern Iowa claimed the life of a semi tractor-trailer driver. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2022 Freightliner semi was traveling west on Interstate 80 south of Tiffin/west of Coralville, when it left the road at around 4:30-a.m. The semi entered the north ditch and struck a tree before catching fire. The name of the driver was being withheld, pending notification of family.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Tiffin Fire, Johnson County Communications(JComm) & Sheriff’s Office, Oxford Fire, and the Iowa DOT.

(Radio Iowa) – The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad is bringing its 25th annual Holiday Train program through northeastern Iowa today (Friday). Railroad spokesman Terry Cunha Says the train visits 191 communities across North America over the course of four weeks, spreading holiday cheer and raising donations to help people struggling with food insecurity. “Guests are able to watch a free, live performance by a talented musician, and all it costs is a donation to your local food bank,” Cunha says, “All we ask is anyone who comes and participates in these free, live musical performances is to bring a non-perishable food item that is donated to your local food bank and supports those in need during the holiday season.”

The Holiday Train. (Canadian Pacific photo)

Cunha says the festive six-car train has intricate displays inside and out. “It’s a train that’s lit up full of decorations and lights that help bring some excitement to the holiday season for those in attendance,” he says, “and then one of the train doors slides open and the musical act comes out and they sing some of their hits and also several Christmas carols that those in the audience would definitely know very well.”

Cunha says the Holiday Train’s focus has always been to work with local food banks in the communities they operate in. “Over the course of our 25-year history, we’ve been able to raise over $25-and-a-half million to local food banks and also raise over five million pounds of food, which is extremely important just to help address food insecurity,” he says, “but more importantly during the holiday seasons just a positive way to give back to the communities in which we operate.”

The Holiday Train will make stops today (Friday) in Ossian, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is calling for a change that would let 18, 19 and 20 year olds with a commercial driver’s license be cross-country truckers — to address a national shortage of interstate truck drivers. Federal regulations currently require truckers who travel from state-to-state to be at least 21 years old. “Having more truckers on the road will improve supply chain efficiency, translated to lower prices for good and services,” Hinson says. “It will also provide critical career opportunities for 18 to 20 year olds not interested in a four year degree.”

Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia issue commercial driver’s licenses to people under the age of 21, but they are not allowed to cross state borders. “An 18 year old truck driver is permitted to drive 300 miles from let’s say a project in Sioux City all the way back to Dubuque County, but according to current regulations that same driver is not allowed to drive the truck the three miles across the Julien Dubuque Bridge for a project cross the state line in Illinois,” Hinson says. “That doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Hinson has introduced a bill called the “Reciprocity, Efficiency and Age Limitation” or REAL Act in the U-S House to let 18, 19 and 20 years drive cross-country if they have a commercial driver’s license. Hinson. a Republican from Marion, is visiting the Semi-Driving program at North Iowa Community College today (Friday) to discuss her idea with trucking industry leaders.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – A pilot working with a critical-care helicopter service in Iowa has returned to work after a bird crashed through the windshield and struck him in the head last month. KCAU-TV in Sioux City reports Troy McCormick, of Wings Air Rescue in Sioux City, was flying toward a hospital in Storm Lake on Nov. 23 when the incident took place.

The bird smashed through the windscreen and hit McCormick on the side of the head before disintegrating inside the helicopter. A fellow crew member quickly canceled their mission and diverted the helicopter to Storm Lake airport with McCormick dazed but uninjured, and covered in blood and feathers. .”

McCormick believes he was hit by a duck, but he’s not sure. McCormick has been flying since 2001 and joined Wings Air Rescue roughly a year ago. He considers the incident a freak accident.

Wednesday (Dec. 6) was McCormick’s first day back to work since the incident. He said he was excited to be back in the sky continuing to save lives — and he hopes to avoid any birds.

(Atlanta, GA) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report 230 people have been sickened and three people have died, from cantaloupe recalled for salmonella contamination. Eight cases of the illness are reported in Iowa, seven in Nebraska, 14 people in Missouri are sick from the bacteria. Minnesota reports the most cases, at 20. Wisconsin has 18, Illinois reports 11 cases, and South Dakota has one reported case.  The CDC says it is concerned about the outbreak because the illnesses are severe, and people in long-term care facilities and childcare centers have gotten sick. They warn you should not eat pre-cut cantaloupes if you don’t know whether Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupes were used.

some of the recalled cantaloupe product.

The pre-cut fruit was sold in several stores, including Kwik Trip and Aldi stores in Iowa, and Trader Joe’s. See additional details HERE.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.