Firefighters from Anita are on the scene of a fully engulfed semi-tractor trailer fire. The truck is located on Interstate 80 westbound at mile marker 70. The driver was out of the vehicle and safe. Be prepared to slow down if you are approaching the area. The fire was reported at around 8:35-a.m. Firecrews reported the blaze was out at 8:49-a.m.

City crews in Red Oak worked into the wee hours of today (Sunday), clearing roadways of debris from tree limbs and power lines that fell during winds that blew up to 63 mph, Saturday night at around 9:30.

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency said all major roadways had been cleared by around 2-a.m., but there were still some large trees down on some houses and vehicles throughout town.

Authorities say if you encounter downed trees or power lines use caution and contact the proper officials. There were no other immediate reports of damage, or injuries, as of early today (Sunday).

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

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Libertarian candidate for the Iowa Legislature has been arrested and jailed on harassment charges. The Des Moines Register reports that 39-year-old Chad Roye Brewbaker, of Clive, was jailed Friday afternoon after police say he repeatedly ignored a court order to stop all communication with a woman. Brewbaker is running for the Iowa House District 43 seat, which includes the cities of Windsor Heights and Clive.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Decorah man severely injured in an attack in July has died from his injuries. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office tells the Courier that 46-year-old David Hansen was injured in an attack on July 12. He died Thursday. Officials say 18-year-old Dalton Adam and a 17-year-old boy, both of Decorah, have been charged in the attack.

ROCKWELL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Mason City man died has died after falling into a grain bin at Five Star Co-op in Rockwell. The Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened Friday morning. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 56-year-old Jeffrey Alan Sprague. Investigators say employees discovered Sprague was missing sometime after 7:30 a.m. Friday.

AUDUBON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a driver distracted by texting rammed into the back of a trooper’s patrol car. The Des Moines Register reports that the patrol reported crash Friday in a Facebook post. The patrol says the crash happened Aug. 8 when a young driver in Audubon hit the parked patrol car in a residential neighborhood near the trooper’s home. Investigators say driver had been texting and driving when the crash happened.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Libertarian candidate for the Iowa Legislature has been arrested and jailed on harassment charges. The Des Moines Register reports that 39-year-old Chad Roye Brewbaker, of Clive, was jailed Friday afternoon after police say he repeatedly ignored a court order to stop all communication with a woman. Brewbaker remained in the Polk County Jail on Saturday.

Brewbaker is running for the Iowa House District 43 seat, which includes the cities of Windsor Heights and Clive. It’s not Brewbaker’s first harassment case. Court records show that in 2009, he was convicted of third-degree harassment for harassing a female student while he was a graduate assistant at Iowa State University. In 2010, Brewbaker was given a one-year suspension from Iowa State.

Racist phone calls mocking Florida’s black Democratic gubernatorial nominee appear to be from a white supremacist podcast that has also taken credit for inflammatory robocalls in Iowa and California.

In the recorded calls, someone falsely identifying himself as Andrew Gillum speaks in a racist, old-time minstrel dialect while asking voters for their support. The calls, which according to the Gillum campaign started Friday, are said to be paid for by The Road to Power — an Idaho-based video podcast. Gillum campaign spokesman Geoff Burgan said it’s unclear how widespread the calls have been, but that he’s only heard reports of them in Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor.

Gillum’s Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, is not affiliated with the podcast behind the calls. His campaign spokesman, Stephen Lawson, called them “absolutely appalling and disgusting.”

In Iowa , anti-immigrant robocalls from The Road to Power began Tuesday — two days after the funeral of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student who authorities say was abducted and killed by a man believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

ROCKWELL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Mason City man died has died after falling into a grain bin at Five Star Co-op in Rockwell. The Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened Friday morning. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 56-year-old Jeffrey Alan Sprague.

Investigators say employees discovered Sprague was missing sometime after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Authorities searched the property. Official say the grain was removed from the bin, uncovering Sprague’s body.

Officials say the investigation will continue through the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Decorah man severely injured in an attack in July has died from his injuries. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office tells the Courier that 46-year-old David Hansen was injured in an attack on July 12. He died Thursday.
A man and a teenager have been charged.

Officials say 18-year-old Dalton Adam and a 17-year-old boy, both of Decorah, were arrested after the assault. Officials say they currently face charges of attempted murder, but those charges could be upgraded in the wake of Hansen’s death. The Associated Press generally does not name juveniles charged with crimes.

Court records say someone called 911 to report the attack, and deputies and medics found Hansen severely beaten with a bloody and swollen face.

Due to the weather, the following events or services are cancelled and/or rescheduled:  (For additional announcements as available, see the Cancellations page under Community Hub)

9/1/18 – Anita Masonic Golf Night – postponed (Reset for Sept. 15th)

Unrelated to the weather:

9/2/18 – The Marne and Buck Creek United Methodist Church services have been cancelled for today (Sunday).

AUDUBON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a driver distracted by texting rammed into the back of a trooper’s patrol car. The Des Moines Register reports that the patrol reported crash Friday in a Facebook post. The post shows a photo of the patrol car with heavy back-end damage. The patrol says the crash happened Aug. 8 when a young driver in Audubon hit the parked patrol car in a residential neighborhood near the trooper’s home. Investigators say driver had been texting and driving when the crash happened.

Photo from Post 4 in Denison, showing the accident scene in Audubon. (from the ISP Facebook page)

No one was in the parked patrol car at the time of the crash. The driver of the car that hit it was ticketed and will pay for damages.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque officials are working to update the city’s 27-year-old sexual harassment policy. The policy, which was last updated in the early 1990s, is being reviewed following the resignation of former Dubuque Fire Department Capt. Jim Abitz, the Telegraph Herald reported . Abitz had been accused of making inappropriate comments to an intern for the city. Dubuque City Council Member Kate Larson said she learned in May that the city hadn’t updated its sexual harassment policy since the early 1990s. Larson said “I was stunned to learn that our policy hasn’t been updated in so long. Things have changed so much in those years.”

She noted that current policy doesn’t mention electronic forms of sexual harassment, which weren’t prevalent in 1991. “It doesn’t cover digital communications at all,” Larson said. “We need to get it updated for the safety of our employees.” The sexual harassment policy and several other administrative policies are being reviewed this year, said Randy Peck, personnel manager for the city. He said officials have reviewed the policy periodically in the past and had determined that it didn’t need to be updated.

A study by the newspaper of area communities in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois shows Dubuque stands in stark contrast to several of its neighbors. Of the 10 communities surveyed, Dubuque has the oldest policy.
Leaders in most communities said they had updated their policies within the past three years.