(Radio Iowa) – The man convicted of first-degree murder in the death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts will be sentenced today (Monday). Cristhian Bahena-Rivera was found guilty by a jury on May 28th of abducting Mollie Tibbetts in her hometown of Brooklyn in 2018 and then killing her. His sentencing was delayed in July as the judge heard testimony that tried to pin the murder on another man. The judge ruled that information was speculative and contradicted Bahena-Rivera’s confession to police that he killed Tibbetts and hide her body in a cornfield.

He is scheduled to be sentenced to life in prison at 1:30 p-m today. Tibbetts’ family will have a chance to speak — and Bahena-Rivera will also be given the opportunity to make a statement.

A traffic stop at around 4:15-a.m. today (Monday, 8/30) in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. Police in Red Oak report 58-year-old Rogelio Hernandez, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Driving while Barred. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on a $2,000 bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Taylor County report 39-year-old Abraham J. Schweers, of Lenox, was arrested Sunday, in the 200 block of north Spear Street, in Lenox. Schweers was charged with domestic abuse assault and was being held at the Taylor County Jail without bond, pending an initial appearance with the magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – A man has died after his truck plunged into the Missouri River during heavy rain in Sioux City, Saturday.
Police and rescue units were dispatched to the riverfront around 10:30 p.m. where the driver of a southbound pick-up apparently lost control on Interstate 29 and went off the road and into the river.

The vehicle was fully submerged and efforts by rescuers to retrieve the truck from the water were unsuccessful during the overnight hours due to river and weather conditions. Divers were successful in recovering the truck around 11:20 a.m. Sunday and the body of the driver was found in the vehicle.

Rescue boats on Missouri River. (Photo by George Lindblad)

A positive identification has been made and the victim’s name will be released sometime during the day, on Monday.

The City of Macedonia has issued a Water Boil Order. The order was issued at around 7-p.m. Sunday, and is in effect until further notice. All residents are encouraged to boil their water or use bottled water, for consumption.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, said 50-year-old Martin Grace, of Corning, turned himself in Saturday, on an outstanding Taylor County warrant. Grace was charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, methamphetamine, a Class C felony. The warrant was issued following a continuing investigation into the distribution of narcotics in Taylor County and the surrounding area. Grace is being held on no bond until being seen by a Magistrate.

Authorities in Union County said Sunday, a Creston woman suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries during a single-vehicle accident Friday morning. 25-year-old Sarah Jane Mack was driving a 2014 Toyota Corolla eastbound on 130th Street a little before 8-a.m., and did not see the stop sign or T-intersection at Green Valley Road, due to the sun in her eyes. Her car ran the stop sign and entered a ditch and struck a tree before coming to rest at the bottom of the ditch, east of Green Valley Road.

Mack was transported by EMS Ground to the Greater Regional Medical Center. Her vehicle sustained $12,000 damage and was towed from the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – The process is underway that could lead to the construction of the first ever carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa. Iowa Utilities Board spokesman, Don Tormey says Summit Carbon Solutions is considering the pipeline. “It’s referred to as the midwest carbon express, proposed to run through several midwest states, including Iowa. The project in Iowa would be proposed to cross 30 Iowa counties,” Tormey says.

Summit Carbon Solutions is an affiliate of the Summit Agricultural Group owned by Bruce Rastetter of Alden. Tormey says the project would be classified as a hazardous liquid pipeline — and that is why it falls under the I-U-B’s jurisdiction. “The project proposes to partner with a number of ethanol plants in five states to capture carbon dioxide emissions and transport the liquified carbon dioxide to North Dakota, where it will be stored in deep underground geologic storage locations, ” according to Tormey. The first step is to set up hearings in the counties that would be impacted.

“After all the meetings have concluded, the company has to wait at least 30 days to file a petition with the I-U-B for a new pipeline permit,” he explains. “Once they file, that gets reviewed by the board and staff and there are several steps in the process. For example, setting a public hearing date, setting dates for testimony and exhibits to be filed, that sort of thing.” He says landowners will get a notice of the upcoming hearings on the pipeline. Tormey says if you can’t attend the meeting in your county you can attend one in another county, and the I-U-B will offer a virtual meeting on October 12th at 5:30 p-m.

Tormey says there are other ways you can comment on the pipeline. He says you can file written comments or objections electronically using the I-U-B open docket form on their website, or through an email to customer@IUB@iowa.gov. The first public hearing is in Hardin County at noon on September 13th. Other public hearings will be held, locally, in:

Crawford County – October 5, 6 p.m., Memorial Hall, 550 Main St, Manilla
Shelby County – October 6, noon, Therkildsen Activity Center, 706 Victoria St, Harlan
Pottawattamie County – October 6, 6 p.m., Impact Hill, 501 Oakland Ave, Oakland
Mills County – October 11, noon, Lakin Community Center, 61321 315th St, Malvern
Fremont County – October 11, 6 p.m., The Waterfalls, 907 Hartford Ave, Farragut

One person died, two others – including an 8 month old child – were injured during a collision between a train and an SUV Saturday afternoon, in Muscatine County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2020 VW Atlas SUV was traveling northbound on Columbus Street in West Liberty at around 2:07-p.m., when it entered the path of a westbound train and was struck.

The 27-year-old driver of the SUV and the 8 year old were injured. A 26-year-old passenger died in the crash. The injured were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. No names had been released as of early Sunday morning.

The accident remains under investigation.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Members of the Audubon Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special Session and Public Hearing Monday evening, on the proposed issuance of approximately $3.4-million in School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue and Refunding bonds. Superintendent Eric Trager has said approval of the bond measure is part of the process needed to finance the district’s building renovation project. Following the public hearing, the Board will take action Monday on a resolution supporting the issuance of the aforementioned bonds

The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the High School. The next regular Board meeting will be held Monday, September 20^th.