(Williams, Iowa) – A multi-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in northern Iowa claimed one life and resulted in the road closed and traffic being detoured around the crash. The accident took place at around 2:40-p.m. on southbound Interstate 35 near mile marker 147, in Hamilton County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2019 Ford Fiesta driven by 68-year-old Reed Peterson, of Mason City, was traveling north on I-35, when for reasons unknown, the car crossed the median and hit the rear trailer tires of a 2000 Volvo semi, driven by 37-year-old Serghei Gornostali, of Bartlett, IL.

Following the impact the car was struck by a 2021 Freightliner semi, driven by a 29-year-old from Kentucky. The impact from that collision dislodged the engine from the car.

A 2016 GMC Yukon driven by 23-year-old Caleb Jacobsen, of Dows (IA), struck the engine block before the SUV struck the Freightliner. The SUV and Freightliner semi then traveled together into the west ditch. The car stopped on the inside lane of the Interstate.

The Patrol says Reed Peterson died at the scene. The other drivers were treated and released.

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Wednesday) is the first anniversary of the deadly tornado that hit the town of Greenfield in southwest Iowa. The storm killed five people and left 35 injured. A prayer service is part of the remembrance with a ringing of the bells and a minute of silence at 3:42, which is the time the tornado entered the town last year. There will also be a commemorative program in the town square to share stories and reflections from the community.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s largest zoo is launching what’s described as a “transformative” project, one of the most comprehensive expansion and renovation efforts in the facility’s 60-year history. Blank Park Zoo spokesman Alex Payne says ground is being broken in Des Moines this week on the first of two big additions, expanding the lion habitat. It will be three times bigger than the current area, offering guests three different viewing experiences, each featuring floor-to-ceiling glass for unobstructed and accessible views of the lion pride. Tigers will also move into the new habitat, and Payne says the goal is to be a successful breeding facility for both lions and tigers. The 18-million dollar plan also calls for the zoo to break ground later this year on what’s to be called the “Wild Iowa” habitat, featuring native Iowa creatures like otters, bobcats and bald eagles.

(Radio Iowa) – The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage of the Catholic Church will enter Iowa today (Wednesday) on its way back to the West Coast. Davenport Diocese Deacon Ryan Burchett says the Pilgrimage is heading back from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. Burchett says the Pilgrimage will make a unique entrance into Iowa as the Bishop from the Diocese of Peoria will be bringing the Blessed Sacrament across the Mississippi River on a boat to Davenport Bishop Dennis Walsh in Burlington. It will leave Burlington on Friday and make a loop east towards Riverside and Mount Pleasant, Iowa City, and then eventually end up in Davenport on Friday. The next leg takes the Eucharistic Pilgrimage to Dubuque on Friday and then into Des Moines on Tuesday of next week. You can see the full schedule of events at eucharisticpilgrimage.org.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says two men were arrested on separate warrants, Tuesday. At around 7:50-p.m., Deputies arrested 49-year-old Jason William McCollum, of Villisca, on an active Adams County warrant for Failure To Appear on an original charge of Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. He was arrested in Red Oak and transported to the Montgomery/Adams County line, where he was transported by Adams County Deputies to the jail in Corning and held without bond.

And, at around 8:30-p.m., Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 36-year-old Andrew Travis Gaunt, of Red Oak, on an active warrant out of Page County, for Violation of Probation. Gaunt was arrested in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street, in Red Oak, and transported to the Montgomery/Page County line, where he was picked-up by Page County Deputies and transported to the Page County Jail in Clarinda and held on a $10,000 bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 45-year-old Nichole Lavonne O’Briant, of Villisca, was arrested at around 1-a.m. today (Wednesday), following a traffic stop in Villisca. O’Briant was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $1,000.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two men were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 70-year-old Randal Joe Barr, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1100 block of N. 5th Street at around 7-p.m., for Public Intoxication. Barr was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond. Earlier in the day Tuesday, 29-year-old Nikolus Brenton Schooling, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1900 block of N. Broadway Street, on a valid Montgomery County warrant for Violation of Probation. Schooling was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has released a handbook to help law enforcement and local officials better respond to animal welfare complaints. IDALS will host an informative webinar on the handbook Wednesday, May 28, to give an overview of the tool, which provides agency-specific, and species-specific, guidelines. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the department’s animal health staff developed the handbook so that partners across the state have the tools to respond with IDALS to animal welfare complaints.

Mindi Callison, of the animal advocacy group Bailing Out Benji, called the guidebook “a phenomenal resource.” Callison said while the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a thick handbook, it’s geared towards licensees and inspectors. Callison said the plain language of IDALS handbook will make it easier for law enforcement to step in without having to look through and interpret Iowa code.

Officials who might respond to an animal welfare call have different roles. The USDA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, control the licensing, inspection and outreach for any groups transporting, researching, exhibiting or dealing animals. The agency works to ensure these individuals meet standards set by the Animal Welfare Act.

Local law enforcement, including animal control groups, and county attorneys may also be involved in animal welfare cases to respond to calls, determine the course of action and build animal abuse cases when applicable.  The handbook outlines how law enforcement should respond to and investigate an animal welfare complaint, which Callison said is an “immediate resource” that will allow authorities to respond to calls sooner.

The handbook advises local authorities to plan in advance, by identifying facilities that could house animals in the event they need to be relocated, and building relationships with local partners and veterinarians. It also encourages communities to build a response plan in the event of animal welfare complaints, to “ensure a collaborative approach to safeguarding animal welfare.” The handbook also serves as a quick reference guide for Iowa code related to animal welfare, including statutes on livestock, the mistreatment of animals, animals in commercial establishments and rescuing animals.

For several years, Iowa has placed high on the list of states with the highest number of puppy mill violations. Part of the issue, which Callison’s organization Bailing Out Benji has highlighted, is that federally licensed facilities do not have to follow the same standards as state licensed facilities. Callison said the handbook helps to clarify the role each agency plays, regardless of where a facility is licensed, which she said “will provide some clarity.”

Legislators proposed a fix to this “loophole” as Callison called it, but the bill did not advance before the close of Iowa’s legislative session. Bailing Out Benji is based in Iowa but works to expose animal cruelty situations across the country. Callison said she has not seen similar handbooks in other states but hopes the IDALS move will inspire other states to create similar guides.

Those interested in attending the webinar on the handbook can register online.

BOONE, Iowa [KCCI] – A Boone family is recovering after a fire destroyed their barn and killed six show lambs over the weekend. The fire reportedly started on the west end of the barn and quickly spread to the entire building. The cause of the fire, which took place Saturday afternoon, was still under investigation.

Heath Oakes – who owns the barn – said he suspects a pile of manure may have self-combusted and ignited old corn stalks. The flames were fanned by strong winds. The flames spread across the field and down to the road, but firefighters managed to prevent damage to a neighbor’s field.

Oakes tried to save the lambs, but the flames were too intense. Despite the loss of livestock, Oakes expressed relief that his family was unharmed.

The family still has a few lambs in a nearby barn. They have set up a GoFundMe to assist with rebuilding efforts.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has voted to create a Major Events and Tourism Fund using four million dollars in taxes paid by people in Iowa who legally bet on sports. David Adelman, a lobbyist for Iowa Tourism Industry Partners, says Iowa venues need state grants to support bids for major events. “Kind of dream projects would be things like the PGA Championship, the Pan-Am Wrestling Championship, NCAA Track and Field, the New Balance High School Boys Basketball Tournament, the National Sheriffs Association convention and the Religious Conference Management Association,” Adelman says.

About a thousand people attended that last group’s convention this past January. Last week, two-hundred thousand people were at the P-G-A Championship in South Carolina. Landing these types of events are beneficial to businesses outside the main venue. “Huge opportunities to bring people in to shop, eat at the restaurants, stay at hotels, things of that nature,” Adelman said. Bidding for big events, like major concerts, has become commonplace given the potential economic boost.

Kansas City, for example, got a 50 million dollar jolt in the local economy when Taylor Swift performed at Arrowhead Stadium. The just-concluded Iowa legislature has also voted to continue a yearly appropriation that supports regional sports authority districts in Iowa. “Last year, amateur sports brought in $23 million in state and local taxes,” Adelman says. “This is a competitive grant program that was established in 2007.”

There are 10 sports authority districts in Iowa and the 750-thousand dollars worth of grants next year will go to Convention and Visitors Bureaus in those areas.