A head-on collision between a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and a 1991 Ford F-150 pickup has resulted in at least one fatality. The Iowa State Patrol reports the fiery crash happened at around 6:36-p.m. Friday on U-S Highway 122, near the Mason City Airport. Authorities say the van was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of Highway 122, at the same time the pickup was traveling in the same lane. The vehicles collided in the left lane of westbound 122.

The names of the victims were being withheld, pending notification of family. The accident remains under investigation.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Des Moines police said Friday, that an Omaha man faces multiple charges after he traveled to Des Moines to have sex with an underage girl. Officers investigated a vehicle parked after hours at Ewing Park in Des Moines, at around 1:30-a.m., Friday. Authoriites say officers found 21-year-old Rodrigo Adolpho Amaya having sex with a 15-year-old female. Amaya jumped out of the car after being confronted by police and took off, leading officers on a short pursuit that ended near SE 35th and Evergreen when he struck a curb, police said.

Officials say Amaya met the underage girl on social media and traveled to Des Moines to meet and have sex with her. Police said the sex was consensual, but because the teen is under age, Amaya has been charged with third-degree sexual abuse, along with eluding, harassment of a public official and trespassing. He’s currently being held in the Polk County Jail.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Iowa Judicial Branch lost one of its Justices Friday night to a sudden heart attack. Officials have confirmed 66-year old Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady died in Des Moines. In a statement, the Iowa Judicial Branch wrote “He was a wonderful individual and exceptional judge, respected and beloved by his fellow jurists. His passing is a great loss to the court and the state he so loyally served. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Becky and his family.” Cady and his wife have two children and four grandchildren. His family said in a statement also, “Tonight, the state lost a great man, husband, father, grandfather and jurist.”

Justice Cady was well known for his opinion in Varnum v. Brien, the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. He also supported an increase of technology in the court system. His career started in 1978 when he was a law clerk in District 2. He spent years as an associate judge, district court judge, Iowa Court of Appeals judge before he became chief justice in 2011.

Cady was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Drake University. He spent more than 30 years as an adjunct faculty member at Buena Vista University and served as a member of its President’s Advisory Council.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

FORT DODGE, Iowa – Multiple media outlets reported overnight that Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady, who served on the state’s top court for more than a decade, died Friday of a heart attack. He was 66. “Tonight, the state lost a great man, husband, father, grandfather, and jurist,” his family said in a statement. Cady, born in Rapid City, S.D., but living in Fort Dodge, was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 1998 by then-Gov. Terry Branstad. Cady is survived by his wife, two children and four grandchildren.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A supervisor in the Iowa public defender’s office has resigned his side job as a police officer after critics said it created a conflict of interest. Mike Adams, supervisor of the special defense unit, resigned last month from the Colfax Police Department, where he worked as a reserve officer. His resignation comes after The Associated Press reported on concerns about Adams’ work as an officer in a jurisdiction where his office represents low-income criminal defendants.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Organizers of a new statewide bicycle ride are changing the date of their planned event so it doesn’t conflict with an annual ride that dates to the 1970s. Organizers of Iowa’s Ride announced Friday on the group’s Facebook page that the ride would be held from July 12 to July 18, a week earlier than previously planned. The change means the ride won’t overlap with the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, or RAGBRAI, scheduled for July 19 to July 25.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kamala Harris faces a challenge as she reorients her campaign to focus almost exclusively on Iowa, which holds the first-in-the-nation caucus in February. The people who come to see her walk away impressed. But that’s not translating into a groundswell of support. Her aides say a top-three finish in Iowa is necessary to keep her bid alive, and they project confidence she can again rise to the top. They note polling shows only about a third of Iowans are committed to a candidate.

ALBIA, Iowa (AP) — A south-central Iowa woman convicted in September of killing her husband has been sentenced to life in prison. The Daily Iowegian reports that 47-year-old Barbara Pasa, of Centerville, received the mandatory life sentence on Friday. The badly burned body of Tim Pasa was found in a bed on May 5, 2018, and investigators determined the fire at the Centerville home was started intentionally. An autopsy determined his death was related to an injection of an anesthetic, propofol.

Officials with South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 Democratic Presidential Campaign say “Mayor Pete,” as he’s known, will make a stop in Atlantic on Monday, Nov. 25th. Buttigieg will be in town for a conversation about social security and long term care planning.

The event will be held from 3-until 5-PM at The Venue, 307 Walnut Street.  It will be free and open to the public.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Nov. 15, 2019 – Construction crews will open new northbound Interstate 29 lanes in Council Bluffs next week, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 construction office. To prepare for these changes, temporary, daytime and overnight lane and ramp closures are needed. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and consider an alternate route, slow down and follow detours.

Monday, November 18 Impacts

• All eastbound I-80 traffic will be consolidated into one lane between southbound I-29 and Madison Avenue (Exit 5). Expect delays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Single lane closures will be needed on westbound I-80 Express, west of the East System Interchange (Exit 4).

Tuesday, November 19 Impacts

• Alternating lane closures will be needed along northbound I-29 between U.S. 275/Iowa 92 (Exit 47) and South Expressway (Exit 49). Expect delays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• U.S. 275/Iowa 92 ramp to northbound I-29 is expected to close at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday.
  • Access to northbound I-29/westbound I-80 is expected to re-open at 6 a.m., Wednesday.
  • Access to eastbound I-80 is expected to re-open at 3 p.m., Wednesday.
• Northbound I-29 traffic will shift to new, permanent pavement and a new ramp from northbound I-29 to westbound I-80 Express lanes will be opened.

Wednesday, November 20 Impacts

• The U.S. 275/Iowa 92 ramp to eastbound I-80 remains closed and is expected to re-open at 3 p.m., Wednesday.
• Alternating lane closures will be needed along northbound I-29, south of U.S. 275/Iowa 92 (Exit 47). Expect delays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Alternating lane closures will be needed on eastbound I-80 between southbound I-29 and Madison Avenue (Exit 5). Expect delays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Eastbound I-80 ramp to Madison Avenue will be closed from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Eastbound drivers will need to use an alternate route to access Madison Avenue.
• The new ramp from northbound I-29 to eastbound I-80 will be opened.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

All dates and events may change due to weather and field conditions. Iowa DOT encourages motorists to plan ahead, avoid distractions, follow signs and use caution while becoming accustomed to new traffic patterns.

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a proclamation that will temporarily allow vehicles that transport propane and anhydrous ammonia to be oversize and overweight.

The late harvest and high demand for petroleum products throughout the Midwest have resulted in low supplies of propane as well as difficulty transporting adequate supplies of anhydrous ammonia for agricultural activities. The proclamation temporarily suspends certain provisions of Iowa Code and Iowa Administrative Code, pertaining to movement of oversize and overweight loads of propane and anhydrous ammonia.

The proclamation is effective November 16, 2019, and will expire at midnight on December 15, 2019. The proclamation language and rules can be found here. On October 3rd she signed a proclamation easing the hours of service regulations for propane transporters, and continues to be in contact with industry stakeholders and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to increase the amount of  propane in the pipelines to Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) — A report from a non-profit group shows nearly one in ten Iowa babies were born pre-term this year. That’s up from 9-point-2 percent last year and is the highest rate in a decade. Plus, the rate is much higher for babies born to black mothers. Stacey Stewart, president of the March of Dimes, says one reason for the disparity is that research shows black women often report they don’t feel as respected in health care settings.

Stewart says, “We have to make sure that the health care system is responsive to them, is meeting them where their needs are, and is responding to them in a respectful and responsive way.” The March of Dimes report gave Iowa a “C” grade. Stewart says pre-mature births are linked to a number of health issues for children.

Stewart says, “Often they face lifelong health conditions like cerebral palsy, vision problems, cognitive delays, developmental delays, and other and other health challenges that are with them for the rest of their lives.” While the state’s overall pre-term birth rate is nine-point-nine percent, it shows the rate is 33-percent higher for black women.

(Reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)