(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump has used an appearance in Sioux City to tout two Iowa Republicans who are seeking reelection this year — and to hint that HE will run again for president in 2024.

During remarks outdoors to a crowd gathered at the Sioux City Airport, Trump called Senator Chuck Grassley courageous and Kim Reynolds a great governor.

Reynolds joined Trump on stage and spoke for a minute.

Trump invited Grassley on stage, too.

As Trump’s plane landed in Sioux City, Mike Franken — Grassley’s Democratic opponent — was rallying with a crowd in Des Moines.

Franken described his campaign’s gathering as “second fiddle” to Trump’s, but Franken told his crowd Trump and Grassley no longer appeal to a winning majority of Iowa voters.

Democratic candidate for governor Deidre DeJear says Reynolds and Trump are focused on dangerous rhetoric rather than solutions to problems.

DeJear made her comments while campaigning last (Thursday) night in Indianola.

(Cass County, Iowa) – Firefighters from Marne and Atlantic were dispatched to a report of a semi tractor-trailer fire this morning, on Interstate 80 near mile marker 54. The incident occurred at around 3:25-a.m. on I-80 westbound. The tractor and trailers were said to be separated and in the north ditch.

No other details were immediately available.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. On Tuesday (11/1), 38-year-old Alicia Marie Biekna, of Lincoln, NE., was arrested at around 1:13-a.m. on I-29, for Theft in the 2nd Degree and Possession of a Controlled Substance ($6,000 bond). And there were two separate arrests Monday, in Mills County:

54-year-old Richard James Linfor, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for OWI (Bond $1,000). And, 49-year-old Brian Jay Anderson, of Omaha, was arrested at the Douglas County, NE., Jail, on a warrant for Violation of Probation (Bond $20,000).

And, one person was transported to the hospital following a collision Tuesday afternoon at Highway 34 and 188th Street, in Mills County. Authorities say a 2005 Peterbilt semi driven by 34-year-old Joshua Adams, of Paris, KY, was westbound on Highway 34 at around 1:08-p.m., at the same time a 2011 Acura driven by 41-year-old Elena Detricxhe, of Kansas City, KS, was traveling north on 188th Street.

The woman said she pulled into the intersection, when the semi ran a red light and struck her vehicle. Adams told authorities he was watching the intersection as he was approaching, and the light was still green. He checked his mirror and when he looked back forward, the light changed as he entered the intersection and collided with the car.

Two witness confirmed the semi ran a red light, while another said the car ran the light as the westbound light had turned yellow, just as the semi was entering the intersection. Two passengers in the semi left the scene in order to avoid Adams getting into trouble for being in the vehicle with him. They were later located at returned to the scene. All the passengers in the semi were checked out by rescue but did not want treatment and were cleared.

The driver of the Acura was transported by Glenwood Rescue to the UNMC in Omaha.

(Radio Iowa) – The state’s top election official says there’s “zero evidence” Iowa’s vote counting systems could be hacked or infiltrated. Secretary of State Paul Pate says every ballot is a paper ballot and none of the ballot tabulators poll workers will use next Tuesday are connected to the internet.

“And we have our unsung heroes, the bipartisan teams of poll workers — your friends and neighbors — that give us that transparency and consistency across all 99 counties, so that we can feel confident in our election process,” Pate said today as he hosted a news conference with federal and state officials who are monitoring election-related threats.

Pate referred to a situation in Arizona, where armed people were observing voters putting their absentee ballots at drop boxes. “Because of what people are seeing on the news and reports from other states, there’s something I’d like to address — voters we’ve got your back,” Pate said. “You will be able to cast your vote safely and if anyone tries to impede that process in any way, our friends in law enforcement will deal with them. We have these guys on speed dial.”

Paul Pate. (RI photo)

Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said voter intimidation hasn’t “traditionally” been a problem in Iowa. “In the past, I believe there was one report maybe out of western Iowa of a potential case of either a voter or poll worker intimidation and what we actually found out it was actually a false narrative being spread on social media to discourage people from going to that particular polling place,” Bayens said, “and so, in reality, there was no truth to it.”

About 10,000 Iowans will be working at precinct sites around the state next Tuesday and Pate is urging voters to treat them with respect. “It’s a very important job they’re doing because they care about elections,” Pate said. “These are your friends and neighbors, the people you go to church with, the people whose kids and grandkids go to the same schools as your kids and grandkids. Our election officials are made up of bipartisan teams in every polling place and they deserve a lot of credit for the job that they’re doing.”

The day after the election, Pate will order a hand count of ballots cast in a randomly selected precinct in each Iowa county. Two statewide races will be identified as the subject of the recounts. Pate said these post-election audits in the past have clearly shown Iowans that the vote tallies announced on Election Night are accurate. “Come election day when we put those tallies up, we need them to believe in it,” Pate said. “They can’t have a doubt because if they do, our republic has fallen and with that, whether it’s the Chinese or the Russians or the North Koreans, they just won the war without firing a single bullet.”

Pate hosted today’s news conference in the State of Iowa’s Emergency Operations Center. State officials will gather there next Tuesday to monitor and respond to any election-related threats.