(HAWARDEN)–A driver who lost control of a sport utility vehicle two and a half miles north of Hawarden died.
According to the Sioux County Sheriff’s office, 36-year-old Steven Brandt of Hudson, South Dakota was driving north on Highway 10 when the S-U-V left the roadway.
Authorities report Brandt overcorrected and the vehicle crossed Highway 10 , struck a guardrail on a bridge over the Big Sioux River and landed on its top, sliding down the embankment near the river. Brandt was not wearing a seatbelt.
The accident was reported around eleven Sunday morning, but occurred sometime during the nighttime Saturday or during the early morning hours Sunday.
The accident investigation is continuing.
Akron man’s convicted to be heard by Supreme Court
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Two attorneys say they’ll take an Iowa case before the nation’s highest court next week that could alter how federal judges sentence convicts after appeals.
The issue is if judges can weigh a convict’s efforts at rehabilitation while an appeal is pending.
The case involves Jason Pepper who was arrested in 2003 in Akron on federal meth charges. The 31-year-old was an admitted addict who pleaded guilty, served a sentence and was released. He now lives in St. Joseph, Illinois.
Prosecutors have appealed the sentence, claiming it wasn’t tough enough.
Pepper’s attorneys tell The Des Moines Register that judges should be allowed to consider a defendant’s rehabilitation. They say Pepper is off meth, is holding down a job and has a child on the way.
The arguments are scheduled for Dec. 6.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Colorado woman faces drug charges after Clay County traffic stop
(SPENCER)–Clay County authorities say they believe eleven pounds of marijuana they seized was to be distributed in the Clay County area.
Thirty-two-year-old Steffanie Krystal Farber of Fort Collins was arrested last Tuesday night (November 23). She is charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and eight charges of failing to have drug tax stamps.
After Farber’s vehicle was stopped by a deputy sheriff, a search involving the Estherville Police K-9 unit led authorities to 11 pounds of marijuana concealed in the car.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office which is being assisted by Estherville Police, the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement and the Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force.
Volunteer youth singer to perform at Carnegie Hall
JEFFERSON, S.D. (AP) A Siouxland teen will perform at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall in February.
Elk Point-Jefferson High School junior Justin Boulware will join 200 other choir students from the U.S. and Canada on the trip, which includes a session at the Julliard School of Music.
His mother, Lori Boulware said that Justin volunteers to sing pretty much wherever he can, wherever they go in choirs, for charities and at sporting events.
Justin’s family estimates it will cost about $3,000 to allow him to participate in the program.
The school is holding a fundraiser on Saturday.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Iowa GOP: Focus on spending, jobs in Legislature
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa Republicans say state spending and jobs will take precedence over social issues such as gay marriage at the upcoming legislative session.
Although many Republicans have been strongly opposed to the legalization of gay marriage in Iowa, House Speaker-elect Kraig Paulsen says he thinks voters are most concerned about reducing the size of government and creating jobs.
Tim Albrecht, a spokesman for Gov.-elect Terry Branstad agrees, saying the Republican stressed jobs in his campaign because that’s what people care about most.
When the Legislature convenes in January, Republican leaders say they will take up the issue of a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, but they don’t expect extended discussions about the matter. Senate Democratic leader Michael Gronstal says he’ll work to block the referral of such an amendment to voters.
2 escape crashed car before train collision
MONONA, Iowa (AP) Authorities say a man and child were able to escape from their car that had rolled onto railroad tracks before the vehicle was hit by a train.
The Iowa State Patrol says a 27-year-old man and 10-year-old boy lost control of their vehicle on an icy road near Monona. Their vehicle rolled onto the train tracks in Clayton County.
Shortly after the train hit the car on Friday morning.
The two passengers of the car were taken to an area hospital. Their conditions were not available.
Authorities say the roadways were covered with ice.
An investigation is underway.
Iowa City sign continues to be vandals’ target
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) After a dozen years and at least $4,800 in repairs, an Iowa City sign welcoming all to the city continues to be a target for vandals.
The sign reads “IOWA CITY” with backlit letters on a stone facade on North Dubuque Street.
In September the letters “I” and “A” went missing. Repairs cost nearly $1,000.
The Gazette reports the theft has been ongoing.
In 2005 and 2006, the city had to repair the sign three times. That cost nearly $4,000.
Officials have suggested preventative measures, both serious and in jest.
A former city manager joked about putting poison ivy by the sign. Meanwhile the sign company says letters have been coated with a sticky substance to keep birds away that could also deter vandals.
The sign was built in 1998.
Council Bluffs sculptures drawing mixed reviews
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) Towering, spiky sculptures installed along Interstate 80 in Council Bluffs last summer are getting mixed reviews, and some wonder whether they are a distraction to motorists on the busy highway.
The artwork was created by Rochester, N.Y., artist Albert Paley, and was commissioned by the Iowa West Foundation. It includes cone shapes, cylindrical shapes and other forms.
The Des Moines Register reports that not everyone likes the sculptures.
Truck driver Tim Heath of Council Bluffs says the sculptures look like “a pile of junk.”
Maggie Tremblay, of Quebec City, Quebec, thinks the sculptures are cool but scary.
The Iowa West Foundation commissioned the $3 million set of sculptures, which are titled “Odyssey.” They were installed in August.
Older students look to college to boost job skills
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Enrollment by older students is increasing at Iowa’s community colleges, and education experts say one reason appears to be that more people are seeking jobs rather than retiring.
The Iowa Department of Education says enrollment by students 55 and older in the state’s community colleges has increased by 300 students in 2010 to 1,661. That’s a rise of 24 percent over 2009.
National enrollment statistics aren’t available, but some education researchers say they believe increased numbers of older students are enrolling in college for degrees across the country in hopes to getting good jobs.
Bryan Cook, of the American Council on Education, says he’s confident of an increase in older students enrolling in college, and he thinks it’s because they can’t retire and need the training to get new jobs.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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