Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer says last Thursday, August13th, the Page County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of a reckless driver west of Highway 71, on 280th Street. Deputies  located and stopped the vehicle after a second call. It was observed turning onto P Avenue from 280th street. During the investigation, 49-year old Deborah Gail Taplin, of Bellevue, IA, was arrested for OWI 2nd Offense and Interference with Official Acts. Taplin was transported to the Page County Jail where she was held on $2,300 bond, pending further court proceeding

Last Wednesday, Page County Deputies arrested 50-year old John David Stone, of rural Braddyville. He was arrested in Clarinda for Driving while barred, and transported to the Page County Jail. Stone’s bond was set at $1,000, pending further court proceedings.

Audubon County Emergency Management Director Philip Mennenoh reports Audubon County has applied for and received a disaster declaration from the governor’s office which enables people of Audubon County whose property has sustained significant storm damage from the Aug. 10th derecho weather event, are now eligible for FEMA individual assistance.  The assistance comes only after meeting a list of qualifying conditions.

The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $43,440 for a family of three. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.

Note:  FEMA assistance does not cover insurable claims.

Mennenoh says “The Audubon County Emergency Manager’s office is thankful that no one located in the county was injured in the derecho weather event.  If any resident who sustained damage to their car or home and meets the FEMA Individual Assistance Program requirements and need assistance please go to the Iowa Department of Human Services website. Please note the 45 day deadline.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, say an Iowa man has been killed in a crash in Lincoln. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the crash happened Sunday morning at the Interstate 80 on-ramp from North 27th Street, killing 24-year-old Conner Altenhofen, of Chariton, Iowa. Police say the crash happened when Altenhofen lost control of the car he was driving. The car went into a ditch and rolled several times before coming to rest upside down.

Police say Altenhofen died at the scene. His passenger, a 34-year-old Lincoln woman, suffered minor injuries to her face. Police say the woman told investigators that she and Altenhofen had been drinking before the crash.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a fatality accident happened late Sunday night, between Dallas Center and Grimes, in Dallas County. The Patrol says a vehicle was southbound on W. Avenue at a high rate of speed when it crossed Highway 44 and went out of control before entering the west ditch and crashing into a tree and bursting into flames.

According to media reports, Iowa State Troopers along with Dallas and Polk County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call of a vehicle on fire at the same location at around 11:48 p.m. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The name of the driver has not yet been released.

(Radio Iowa) – While top Congressional Democrats are calling for a “Day of Action” tomorrow (Tuesday) at U-S Post offices, accusing President Trump of trying to sabotage the election, Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says there’s no need for alarm. Grassley says concerns about the mail being significantly slowed are unfounded and the postal service is in no immediate danger of shutting down. “I know that the postal service is not running out of money until next year,” Grassley says. “That gets us through the election.”

Reports say Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering calling House members back from recess to address the postal service. Grassley says a recent university study found a pandemic-era campaign to use absentee ballots for the November election would only boost mail volume by two-percent. “So I don’t think that there’s anything to worry about,” Grassley says, “and I think Pelosi is putting together the meeting at the House of Representatives for political purposes.”

Speaker Pelosi calls the postal service “election central” during the pandemic, adding, “Americans should not have to choose between their health and their vote.” Grassley says the election process is not being threatened. “Vote by mail, absentee ballot, if you want to, or vote by going to the polls personally,” Grassley says. “And one thing, if you go to the polls personally, you will know that your ballots will be counted.”

He sites the mishandling of absentee ballots in New York that caused “tons and tons” of ballots to not be counted. Republicans say changes being made at the postal service are designed to thwart voter fraud. Democrats propose legislation that would forbid any changes to U-S-P-S operations that were in place as of January.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump announced outside the White House this (Monday) morning he has OK’d federal assistance to help Iowa recover from last week’s derecho. “I just approved an emergency declaration for Iowa who had an incredible wind storm like probably they’ve never seen before,” Trump said. “It really did a lot of damage.”

Trump spoke with reporters before heading to campaign events scheduled in Minnesota and Wisconsin today (Monday) and hinted he may make a surprise visit to Iowa. “If we can get it in, we’re going to do that, but the very important thing is that we approved the emergency declaration for Iowa, so they’re in good shape,” Trump said. “They’re working as we speak. Also, FEMA is in Iowa now, full force, and helping them greatly.”

The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency tweeted early this (Monday) morning that he was headed to Iowa to meet with Governor Reynolds, but he did not say where the meeting will take place. Reynolds has tweeted she was visiting Marshalltown and Tama early this (Monday) morning, but has not released a public schedule for the day. The governor’s request for federal help indicated storm-related losses are estimated at this point to be nearly four-billion dollars.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a man was arrested this weekend at the Des Moines International Airport after a loaded handgun was found in his carry-on bag. The Des Moines Register reports that the incident happened Sunday. Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in a news release that nine bullets were found in the gun, including a round in the chamber. The man was arrested by Des Moines police and faces a weapons charge. Farbstein says it was the third loaded firearm found by TSA agents in Des Moines this year. Twelve loaded guns were found at the airport last year,

A hay bale on the road in Union County over the weekend, was struck by an SUV, causing the vehicles’ air bags to deploy. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports a pickup driven by 20-year old Dalten Bierle, of Creston, was traveling south on Highway 25 at around 11:45-a.m. Sunday, when a bale fell off a large utility trailer being pulled by the pickup, and landed in the northbound lane. The bale was struck by a 2010 GMC SUV driven by 48-year old Melinda Kay Eslinger, of Greenfield.

Eslinger complained of pain and possible injury after her vehicles’ air bags went off, but was not transported to the hospital. There were no citations issued.