The National Weather Service in Des Moines reports a potential winter storm may impact the state Saturday night into Sunday night. Officials say “At this time, confidence is increasing that this system will impact central and southern Iowa with the potential for moderate snowfall and strong winds.”  If you have travel plans from Saturday night through Sunday night, please monitor the weather forecast very closely. This system, according to the Weather Service, may cause significant travel impacts during this time period. Have alternate travel plans in place, and if you must travel, have a full tank of gas in your vehicle, and keep a winter weather survival kit in your vehicle.

The kit should include: A cell phone charger; 1st aid kit; jumper cables; a spare tire; road flares; sand or kitty litter for traction; a tow rope; blankets; snow shovel and brush; a flashlight; hats, mittens and snow boots; water and snacks.

If you must drive during a storm, take the following precautions:

• Slow down!Even if the roads just look wet they could still be slick. More than 6,000 fatalities occur on the roadways each year due to weather conditions.
• Make sure your vehicle is completely clear of ice or snow before starting the trip. Flying snow from cars causes accidents.
• Let someone know where you are going and what route you will take. If something happens, this person will know where to start a search.
• If you are driving and begin to skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas and turn your wheels in the direction you want the front of the car to go. If you have an anti-lock braking system (ABS), apply steady pressure to the brake pedal. Never pump the brakes on an ABS equipped vehicle.
• If you are having trouble seeing due to weather conditions, pull over to the side of the road and stop your car until visibility improves. Turn off your lights and use your parking break when stopped so that another car won’t mistakenly follow your tail/brake lights and end up hitting you.

If your car gets stuck during a storm:

• Stay in the vehicle!If you leave your vehicle, you will become disoriented quickly in wind-driven snow and cold.
• Run the motor about 10 minutes each hour for heat. While running the motor, open the window a little for fresh air to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Clear snow from the exhaust pipe to avoid gas poisoning.
• Be visible to rescuers.Turn on the dome light at night when running the engine.
• Tie a bright colored cloth, preferably red, to your antenna or door.
• After snow stops falling, raise the hood to indicate you need help.

A man arrested at around 3:25-a.m. today (Thursday) in Red Oak on an OWI/1st offense charge, also faces a felony charge of Introducing Contraband into a Correctional Facility. 24-year old Austin Wayne Hale, of Red Oak, was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

A van traveling the wrong direction on Interstate 29 late Wednesday night collided head-on with another van, resulting in two persons dead and three more injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened at around 10:55-p.m. on I-29 in Monona County. A 2016 Dodge Caravan driven by 40-year old Angela Bender, of Omaha, was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes, when it collided with a 2012 Dodge Caravan in the northbound left lane. The driver of the second van, was identified as 51-year old Caroline Klimper, of Fort Morgan, CO. After the impact, Bender’s van entered the median and came to rest on the inside shoulder of southbound I-29.  The other van crossed both lanes of I-29 northbound and entered the east ditch. Both drivers died in the crash. Bender was not wearing a seat belt. Klimper was buckled-in to her vehicle.

One of the passengers, 32-year old William Wiley, of Phoenix, AZ., who was not wearing a seat belt, was flown by Mercy Air Care to Mercy Hospital. Two other passengers, 52-year old Preston Klimper, and 21-year old Mikayla Klimper, both of Ft. Morgan, CO., were transported by Burgess EMS to Burgess Hospital. Preston Klimper was buckled-in to the van, but Mikayla was not wearing her seat belt.

The accident remains under investigation.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies, early this (Thursday) morning, arrested a Union County man in Red Oak, on a Criminal Mischief charge. 50-year old Jeffry John Lusk, of Creston, was arrested near a pizza restaurant in the 2400 block of N. Broadway Avenue at around 1:45a.m. He was charged with Criminal Mischief/vandalism in the 4th Degree. Damage from the incident was more than $200 but less than $500. Lusk was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

Police in Council Bluffs late Wednesday night, responded to a report of shots fired. Officers were called at around 11:40-p.m. to the 1800 block of South 10th Street. Upon their arrival, officers were informed an unknown suspect had fired four shots and then left in a red van. A witness also mentioned the red van had a white passenger door. No one was injured during the incident. The case was being investigated by Council Bluffs Police Detectives. If anyone has any information that would be helpful in this case, please contact the Criminal Investigations Division at (712)328-4765 or, to remain anonymous, (712)328-STOP.

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

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A man who operated a western Iowa dog business where carcasses and dozens of malnourished dogs were found has taken a plea deal. Pottawattamie County court records say Dustin Young entered guilty pleas Tuesday to 12 counts of animal neglect after prosecutors dismissed 28 more. The dogs and carcasses were discovered in May at Young Gunz Kennel southeast of Hancock. Officials said the inside of the business was covered in animal urine and feces, and there was no food or water for the dogs.

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — A woman has been imprisoned for the crash deaths of a man and his 5-year-old son in northwest Iowa. Osceola County court records say 50-year-old Ann Vanderpool, of Milford, was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $314,000 in restitution. Authorities say the accident occurred June 10, 2017, on Iowa Highway 9 near Sibley. Authorities say Travis Mier, of Spirit Lake, and his son, Elliot, were fatally injured. Vanderpool also was hurt.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal jury in Iowa has found two Des Moines police officers used excessive force and committed battery when they pepper sprayed and beat a man in February 2013 in the city’s downtown area. Jurors awarded Dustin Burnikel $200,000 to cover damages including medical expenses and pain and suffering. Burnikel sued the city and officers Michael Fong and Greg Wessels.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A parolee accused of two Iowa City killings has been convicted in the first of them. Court records say a jury found Curtis Jones guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder in the June 2017 slaying of a cab driver, Ricky Lillie. Jones is also accused of killing a bail bondsman, Jonathan Wieseler, in April 2017. Jones’ trial in that case is scheduled to begin Jan. 11. Both homicides occurred just months after Jones left prison in November 2016, years early on a robbery sentence.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests that took place over the past week. Authorities say John Pace, Jr., was arrested Wednesday on an active warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, OWI 2nd Offense, Driving While Barred, two Counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

At around 8:40-p.m. on Nov. 15th, Adams County Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Apolonio Yzaguirre. During the course of the traffic stop, K9 Baxo was deployed and gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics. A probable cause search was conducted. Upon further investigation, Yzaguirre was placed under arrest for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (meth pipe), Carrying Weapons (brass knuckles), and Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person.

And, two women were arrested on warrants for Failure to Appear in court. Ashley Wood, of Shenandoah, was arrested Monday, and Shanda Kile, of Creston, was arrested last Saturday.

A traffic stop Wednesday in Taylor County resulted in the arrest of a man from Page County. Sheriff’s officials say 41-year old Ricky Peterson, of Clarinda, was pulled over in the 3200 block of Highway 148, south of Bedford. He was stopped for failing to obey a stop sign, and subsequently arrested on charges of driving while license revoked, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine,  and possession of drug paraphernalia. Peterson’s bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) — This Saturday is being touted as Small Business Saturday but the director of the Iowa office of the U-S Small Business Administration suggests don’t wait until then, and don’t limit yourself to that one day, either. Jayne Armstrong says small businesses comprise 97-to-98-percent of all businesses in the state, so she’s encouraging all Iowans to “shop small.” “Everybody can shop small businesses and support them on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and every day during the holiday season,” Armstrong says. “Small business is the backbone of our country. They’re our neighbors, our family members, our friends, and when you support your local small business community, that money stays within the community.”

Events are already underway in several Iowa locations, working with Main Street Iowa, to promote “shopping small” not just on Saturday but as often as possible. “Small businesses are doing better and the more creative small businesses, especially retailers, where they’re doing a combination of things online and in person,” Armstrong says, “that is critical to bringing in different revenue streams.”

Armstrong heard the C-E-O of Forest City-based Winnebago give a talk last week before a civic group in Des Moines. She says the recreational vehicle maker, which had revenues last fiscal year exceeding two-billion dollars, had very humble roots in northern Iowa. “Winnebago is one of SBA’s success stories,” Armstrong says. “We always forget that so many of these large corporations got their starts as a small business, around a kitchen table, in a garage and very often with SBA counseling, financing and other programs.”

Launched in 2010, “Shop Small” is a nationwide movement that celebrates small businesses every day and helps communities thrive and stay vibrant. On the web at www.sba.gov/

(Radio Iowa) — Its’ an annual tradition — but many people across the country still have questions about the proper methods for cooking and preparing turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. Iowa Turkey Federation executive director Gretta Irwin says a common mistake is not allowing enough time to properly thaw the holiday bird. She says turkeys will thaw at a rate of about five pounds each day in the refrigerator — so if you haven’t started thawing your bird you have to make adjustments.  Irwin says if the bird is not fully thawed you can still roast it, but it takes about one and a half times the normal cooking time in the oven or roaster to get the bird done. So, if your bird takes four hours thawed, it will take six hours to cook it unthawed.

Irwin says can’t cook a turkey in oil without fully thawing it — so if you don’t have time to thaw it out — you should use another option. Irwin says another consideration is how to cook the stuffing. She says she prefers to cook the stuffing by itself, and not inside the bird as a time saver. “Stuffing the bird is going to add time to the length of time it has in the oven,” Irwin explains. “Most of us want to make sure it gets done quickly and promptly and keeps the schedule moving for the day of our meal. So from that standpoint — I think it is better to go ahead and cook it outside.”

There’s a key thing to remember if you do cook the stuffing in the bird. “Just do not overstuff the turkey and test that stuffing in the center to be sure it has reach 165 degrees before you remove the turkey from the oven,” according to Irwin. “Even if the turkey is reaching 170 degrees — you need to make sure that stuffing is a 165 degrees before you remove it from the oven.”

Irwin says turkey cooking tips can be found on the Iowa Turkey Federation Facebook page or website at: www.iowaturkey.org. Look under the tab “In the Kitchen.”