A fire that occurred at around 9:10-p.m. May 2nd in Page County, remains under investigation. The blaze destroyed a home owned by 61-year-old Robert Beach, Jr. The Page County Sheriff’s Office said Monday both the fire and death are being investigated as suspicious incidents.

Investigators are aware that Robert Beach purchased an AR-15 style weapon a few weeks prior to the fire. Investigators believe that was a legal transaction but would like the private citizen who sold the weapon to Robert Beach to come forward so that law enforcement can obtain the weapons identification information.

Investigators are also looking for information from the public concerning this fire to include anyone who may have been in the area between 10:00 pm on Saturday May 1, 2021 and 6:00 am Sunday May 2, 2021. If anyone has information, please contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office @ 712-542-5193.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports that at around 7:50-a.m. on June 27th they received a call of a vehicle in a ditch. Deputies located a 2015 Dodge 1500 pickup in the ditch in the 2500 block of 230th street. An investigation was conducted. The investigation shows that Brett Michael Cabbage was driving on 230th street. When Cabbage fell asleep at the wheel, his vehicle entered the ditch and came to rest on a metal culvert.

That same day (June 27), Page County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Dana Kolette Johnson. She had turned herself-in to the Page County Sheriff’s Office, where she wanted on a valid Iowa warrant for driving while barred. Johnson’s bond was set at $2,000 (cash or surety). And, Nathaniel Gene Teeters was arrested on the 27th, for Driving While Barred. He was driving a McCormick tractor in rural Clarinda, at the time of his arrest.

On June 28th, Page County Deputies arrested Joseph Larry Martin, in Clarinda. He was taken into custody on a valid Page County warrant for failure to appear on a probation violation. His cash/surety bond was set at $1,000.

The Glenwood Police Department reports three arrests. On June 23rd, 37-year-old Rodney Schoening, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/3rd offense. His cash/surety bond was set at $5,000. On the 22nd, 32-year-old Scott Wilson, of Oakland, was arrested for Vehicle Theft, with c/s bond set at $5,000.

And, on the 22nd, 36-year-old Jenna West, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Theft in the 5th. Her c/s bond was set at $300.

(Radio Iowa) – Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in Iowa is falling, although just 45-percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated. The numbers range from just over a quarter of all residents in Davis County to more than half of all residents in Johnson County. Ross McKinney, with the Association of American Medical Colleges, says the number needed for herd immunity will shift as the virus continues to circulate and mutate.

“As long as it keeps mutating, it’s going to keep changing what that magic number would be,” McKinney says. “And it’s always going to be getting worse, because the more contagious virus is going to be the one that spreads.” McKinney says unvaccinated people remain at risk for getting seriously ill or dying from the virus, especially with the new “delta variant” circulating.

“The delta variant is much more contagious,” he says. “It’s 50% more contagious than the variants that were there before and it’s about 50% more likely to put you into the hospital.” State health officials say 64-percent of adult Iowans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. McKinney says it’s unlikely Iowa will reach President Joe Biden’s goal of 70-percent by the Fourth of July, though more than a dozen other states have already reached that goal.

(By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

Interstate 29 northbound in Pottawattamie County reports a crash between I480; U-S Highway 6 and Exit 54A (G Avenue) in Council Bluffs, was blocked. Message boards in the area and State Troopers were helping direct traffic away from the scene.

Today at 2:18 PM, Google reported a 7 min delay Northbound.

The cause of a garage fire in Marne remains under investigation. The incident was reported at around 2-p.m. Monday. It took place at 54808 Chicago Road. According to Marne Fire Chief Josh Krause, they were able to quickly knock down the flames and extinguish the flames by around 2:25-p.m.

The damage was primarily contained to the garage. No injuries were reported, thanks to heat/smoke alarms giving the family time to evacuate. Firefighters from Marne, Atlantic and Walnut were on the scene.

Officials with the City of Atlantic report spraying will begin Thursday, July 1st, to reduce the mosquito population. Trucks equipped with a fogger will spray throughout the City, from 4-a.m. until 7-a.m. each day.

(Radio Iowa) – A 51-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of his neighbor in Swea City. Court documents indicate there was a verbal fight between 41-year-old Casey Tobin and his neighbor, 51-year-old Robert Dwaine Laverty, on April 3rd that eventually turned physical. The documents allege Tobin was intoxicated and he hit Laverty several times.

Eye witnesses told investigators Laverty struck back at Tobin, hitting him in the face, and Tobin fell backwards and hit his head on the curb. Tobin died three days later. Laverty has been charged with voluntary manslaughter, a Class C felony.

(Radio Iowa) – Three people from central Iowa face multiple charges after a chase involving a vehicle reported stolen from Adventureland ended in Wapello County. The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office says it received word of Mahaska County authorities pursuing a stolen vehicle on Highway 63 around 5:26 Wednesday afternoon. The car was stopped west of Ottumwa after the vehicle’s onboard computer system was shut down. Three occupants attempted to flee on foot and two women were captured without incident. The third subject, a male, was located in a bean field a couple of hours later and taken into custody.

Eighteen-year-old Rondjja Martin of Windsor Heights, 20-year-old Beyonce Davis of Clive, and 20-year-old Joseph Kelly of Des Moines were each charged with first-degree theft and interference with official acts. Kelly was also charged with ongoing criminal conduct, harassment of public officers and employees, and criminal trespass.

(Radio Iowa) – Law enforcement agencies in Carroll say a man arrested twice in one night for drunk driving should have been held in jail after the first arrest. Forty-year-old Kenneth Kayce Harris was first stopped last Tuesday, just before 9 p.m., and ticketed for having a revoked driver’s license and for not having proof of insurance. About two hours later, he was stopped again and charged with first offense O-W-I and released. Then, at about 2 a.m., the same officer saw Harris at an apartment complex, getting out of the driver’s side of a vehicle. Harris was charged with an open container violation and trespassing, as well as the list of previous violations, but released.

The arresting officer’s report said Harris was released because the Carroll County Jail was at full capacity. The county sheriff and Carroll Chief of Police say the police officer was notified that a holding cell was empty. The police chief says his officer did arrange for a responsible party to pick up Harris so he wouldn’t be driving and that person could get a citation if they let Harris drive again that night.