An Iowa State University graduate who was held hostage in Lebanon for more than six years has died. Thomas Sutherland died this past weekend at his home in Fort Collins, Colorado, he was 85. Sutherland was a native of Scotland who received his masters and P-H-D in animal breeding at Iowa State University. He began his teaching career at Colorado State, and was serving as the dean of the agriculture faculty at American University in Beirut, Lebanon when he was kidnapped on June 9th of 1985.

Thomas Sutherland (Image from blacktie-colorado.com)

Sutherland was held with fellow Iowa State graduate Terry Anderson, a reporter who had also been kidnapped, until they were released in 1991. Sutherland is survived by his wife Jean, who is the daughter of the late William Murray, an I-S-U professor who help create Living History Farms.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County say one person was transported to the hospital following an accident Saturday afternoon on Jesup Avenue. Gary Fichter, of Council Bluffs, was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Creighton Medical Center, after his motorcycle collided with another motorcycle.

The accident happened at around 3:25-p.m., as Bradley Osler, of Council Bluffs, was making a u-turn while driving a 2014 BMW motorcycle. Osler told deputies he made the turn after his hat blew off. In the process of the turn, his cycle was struck by Fichter’s 2007 Harley Davidson. Both drivers fell off their machines after the impact.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday), issued a report on arrests made over the past week. Today (Tuesday), 41-year old Jonathan Adam Ray, of Council Bluffs, was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34, for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His bond was set at $5,300.

Sunday evening, deputies arrested 21-year old Matthew Omar Davis, of Shenandoah, at Highway 34 & 295th Street, for Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $1,000. That same day, 56-year old Duane Kelsey Boege, of Malvern, was arrested for OWI/1st offense (bond $1,000), and 36-year old Helen Elaine Tuper, of Malvern, was arrested for Public Intoxication (Bond $300).

On Saturday, 33-year old Joshua Calvin Anderson, of Highland Ranch, CO., was arrested on Main Street in Glenwood, for Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $2,000.  And, on July 21st 51-year old Edwin Joe Isham, Jr. (no address given) was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Sex Offender Registry Violation. His bond was set at $2,000.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a central Iowa woman was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning on drug and theft charges, after authorities investigated a vehicle in the ditch off Interstate 80, at the 24 mile-marker. Authorities say 23-year old Leslie Rodriguez, of Pleasant Hill, was subsequently arrested at around 12:23-a.m., for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Theft in the 2^nd degree (for possessing a vehicle that was reported stolen).

Deputies recovered a black 2006 Acura TL at the scene, along with a half-gram of marijuana.

Cooler, more seasonable weather is in Iowa’s forecast this week as last week’s extreme high temperatures in the upper 90s are giving way to the 80s and even the upper 70s. Iowa’s crops appear to have weathered the triple-digit heat indices well, according to Brad Rippey, a meteorologist with the U-S-D-A. “It looks like the Midwest goes right back to nearly ideal temperatures,” Rippey says. “Just a little blip in this path towards what has been a pretty good crop year overal for corn and soybeans.”

There’s been fairly timely rain across much of the state throughout the growing season, he says, so there should not be fears of a crop disaster. Rippey adds, last week’s heat wave can’t be blamed on the La Nina weather pattern because it hasn’t really formed yet. “Years that we see El Nino quickly die out in the spring or early summer, it’s quite common to see mid- to late summer heat and that certainly seems to be the case,” Rippey says. “We got through the early part of the summer without extreme heat. Now, we’re looking at an expansion of heat but again, it doesn’t look like a major, summer-long event here for the Midwest.”

Looking back, Rippey says there have been three recent heat waves where crops in the region did very well: 2000, 2004 and 2014. “All three of those turned out to be reasonably good overall crop years for corn,” Rippey says. “2014, that is the existing all-time record corn yield, 171 bushels per acre.”

As rain moves in late on Wednesday and into Thursday, forecasters say parts of Iowa may see highs only in the upper-70s by the end of this week.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Powerball jackpot has soared to $422 million thanks to nearly three months without a winner of the big prize. If anyone matches the five balls and red Powerball in Wednesday night’s drawing, it will be the game’s first jackpot winner since May 7th. A jackpot winner could opt for a $422 million annuity paid out over 29 years or a $291 million lump sum. The prize would rank as the nation’s 11th largest.

The chance of winning Powerball is incredibly small, at 292.2 million to one. But players have much better odds, of about one in 25, of winning smaller prizes ranging from $1 million to $4. The big Powerball prize comes less than three weeks after a player in Indiana won a $536 million Mega Millions jackpot.

Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westring reports two people, a man and a woman, were transported to larger hospital facilities outside of Cass County, following a serious, single vehicle accident northwest of Atlantic, this morning. In an update to our earlier reports, Westring said the injured were transported by Atlantic Rescue and Medivac Ambulance to the Atlantic Airport and Cass County Memorial Hospital, following the crash that happened just before 8-a.m. on Highway 83, near the railroad bridge northwest of the Mahle Engine Components plant.

The man and women were in a four-door sedan when the crash occurred. Westring couldn’t provide any further details at this time, as the accident remains under investigation. Scanner traffic at the time rescue crews were dispatched, indicated one person was trapped in the vehicle, while another was out and complaining of back pain.

(Update 8:55-a.m.) Two LifeNet Helicopters were called to transport two victims of a single-vehicle accident to trauma centers this morning, following an accident that happened just before 8-a.m. on Highway 83, near the railroad bridge northwest of Mahle Engine Components. Scanner traffic at the time indicated one person was trapped in the vehicle, while another was out and complaining of back pain.

One of the choppers was directed to the airport for transport of a victim. The other to CCCMH. No other details are available at this time.

The Creston Police Department reports a local man was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning, on a warrant out of Adams County. 27-year old Curtiss Daniel Bird, of Creston, was arrested just before 1-a.m., and later released on a $500 bond.

And, a man from Milwaukee, WI., reported to Creston Police that while he was at the YMCA in Creston, several of his items were stolen. Those items include:  A jersey and pants, Keen Shoes, a bicycle helmet, riding Gloves, a flip Phone, $300 in cash, and bicycle glasses.  The loss was estimated at $890.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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