Three People Killed On I-29 During Weekend Traffic Accident
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Three people are dead and two others are injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate Highway 29 in western Iowa.
The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa State Patrol is
investigating the cause of the Sunday crash in Harrison County north of Omaha, Nebraska.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, 80-year-old Rock Valley resident Richard Van Zee drove off the road, across the median and hit two vehicles traveling south near Little Sioux.
His car sideswiped one vehicle and then hit a pickup truck.
Van Zee and 77-year-old Mary Ann Van Zee were killed in the crash.
Knightstown, Indiana resident Elizabeth Cobbs, 65, was in the back seat of the pickup and also died. The driver of the pickup and another passenger were injured.
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Des Moines Couple Injured After Patio Deck Collapses From Home
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man and woman were injured when their elevated deck collapsed at their home in northeast Des Moines while they were grilling food.
The Des Moines Register reports the incident occurred just after 5 p.m. Monday. Des Moines Police Sgt. Tina Kalar says rotted wood may have allowed the deck to fall away from the house.
The 72-year-old woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of burns from the grill’s contents. Her 69-year-old husband was treated at an urgent care center.
Midwest Economy Show Signs Of Growth
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A monthly survey report suggests economic conditions in nine Midwest and Plains states took a leap forward last month.
The report released Tuesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index jumped to 61.1 in August, compared with 57.0 in July. It’s the 21st straight month that the index remained above growth neutral 50.0. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the region’s manufacturing growth of 3.1 percent over the past 12 months
exceeds the U.S. growth rate of 2.6 percent.
The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Environmental Advocates To Protest Pipeline
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – About two dozen environmental demonstrators are undertaking a 100-mile march in Iowa to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
The Des Moines Register reports that they began their eight-day trek Saturday in Des Moines.
Advocacy groups Bold Iowa and Indigenous Iowa organized the march to show unity against the $3.8 billion, four-state pipeline.
Protesters plan to walk 10-15 miles (16-24 kilometers) a day,
completing the march Saturday in Fort Dodge.
Native American Coalition of the Quad Cities President Regina Tsosie told the newspaper that the pipeline could break and poison the water. She also says it has desecrated sacred sites.
Protesters have pushed back against the pipeline for years. But a
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study of the pipeline released last week says it poses no significant environmental threats.
Mollie Tibbetts Father Doesn’t Want Daughter’s Death To Become Political Issue
BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) – The father of slain Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts says his daughter’s death should not be used to promote political agendas.
A Mexican farmworker suspected of being in the U.S. illegally has
been charged in Tibbetts’ death.
Rob Tibbetts in a Saturday opinion piece in The Des Moines Register spoke out against using “Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist.” He says she’s not a pawn to be used for debate and referenced Donald Trump Jr.
The president’s son in an opinion piece published Friday said media outlets, Democrats and others haven’t focused enough on the suspect’s immigration status. He called for more border security.
The body of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts was found Aug. 21.
Authorities believe she was abducted while out running July 18.
Local Political Science Professor Analyzes Political Campaigns
(Le Mars) — Although political campaigns have already been active, it is often thought that Labor Day is when those political campaigns get kicked into high gear until election day scheduled for November 6th. Dr. Jeff Taylor of Dordt College in Sioux Center is a political science professor, and often serves as a political analyst. KLEM news spoke with Taylor about the
political campaigns. Studies show that many times voters will cast thier vote based only on name recognition. With that in mind, we asked Taylor to comment on why political candidates would ever choose to use the name of their opponent in their own political paid advertisement?
However, the Dordt political science professor says if the opponent is well financed, and is perceived as a threat, then candidates take on a different strategy.
Another common political strategy is to go negative on your opponent. Many people don’t seem to like the strategy, but according to Taylor, it does work on occasion.
Taylor offers a better explanation as to why negative ads work for political candidates.
Taylor believes the trend for campaigns from now until the election will be expensive and more negative. Especially if polls indicate a tight close race.
