MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the names of five people killed in a fiery Mason City crash. Police in Mason City say an officer discovered the accident scene around 2:40 a.m. Monday after officials noticed that power had been knocked out to hundreds of customers. Officials say the accident apparently caused the short-lived outage.

Today (Tuesday) the Mason City Police Department identified the driver as 20-year-old Zachary Hartley. His four passengers were identified as 17-year-old Donte Foster, 18-year-old Roderick Lewis, 14-year-old Sydney Alcorn and 19-year-old Alex Wiebke. All of them lived in Mason City.

The crash cause is being investigated. Mason City sits about 109 miles (176 kilometers) north of Des Moines.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) – Officials of a city more than 50 miles northwest of Waterloo have asked residents to stay at least 100 yards away from a bridge that partially collapsed. Charles City police chief Hugh Anderson tells the Charles City Press there’s a possibility of falling debris near the Charley Western Bridge or that it could collapse completely.

An archway of the bridge on the Cedar River pulled away from the structure Saturday morning, and part of it collapsed. Charles City Administrator Steve Diers says the river is closed to activities.

Earlier this month, City Council voted in favor of an evaluation of both the Charley Western and the Main Street bridges. Charles City Engineer John Fallis says officials are examining how to move forward with the evaluation.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is reintroducing legislation that would ban packer ownership of livestock. Grassley, a Republican, says he’s seeing more consolidation and “vertical integration” in the livestock industry which will ultimately hurt farmers and consumers. “When four companies control 76% of all the slaughter, there’s not much competition,” Grassley says, “and particularly that competition is even lessened when farmers are up against these packers that own livestock and can butcher their own.”

In the past few decades, large poultry and pork packers have concentrated operations and Grassley says the beef industry is also showing signs of going the same direction.  “I want farmers to have as much competition as they can to get the highest price for the cattle,” Grassley says. “I think it’s compromised when cattle are owned by packers. They can manipulate the market easier. It shows up in lower prices for farmers.”

A report from the U-S-D-A says the amount of cattle traded on the cash market dropped from 52-percent in 2005 to 21-percent in 2015. Grassley says that trend shows how packers are gaining far too much power to control the marketplace. Grassley says, “You’ve heard me say, quoting some president of some company, ‘Why do we own livestock? Well, when prices are high, we kill our own. When prices are low, we buy from the farmer.'”

Grassley has offered packer ownership bans at least twice before in recent years and he’s hoping this Congress will be more receptive to his concerns.

(Radio Iowa)

A Public Hearing is set to take place in Atlantic Wednesday morning, with regard to funds for a certain aspect of the ethanol plant infrastructure project. The hearing, which will be held in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, beginning at 8:30-a.m., is “To consider a proposal to incur non-current debt in the form of an internal advance from the general Capital Projects Fund in an amount not to exceed $300,000 for the purpose of paying economic development related costs for public infrastructure improvements to portions of Echo, Buck Creek and Glacier Roads and a graywater pipeline from the City of Atlantic to the Elite Octane site incurred prior to the issuance of general obligation bonds in the last half of 2017.”

Afterward, the Board will vote on approving a Resolution to Incur Noncurrent Debt. The Supervisors will also act on approving a Supplemental Agreement (Between Cass County and Snyder & Associates Engineers) for Additional Services pertaining to the “Elite Octane” Road Paving Project, to include turning lanes on North Olive Street (South of FSC) at the intersection with Echo Road.

The Board will also hear reports from Cass County Sanitarian Mike Stringham (Guthrie County Health Dept.), and Micha Lee, with Cass County Conservation.

The Harlan Police Department has issued a brief report on arrests. Last Friday (April 7th), 49-year old Patsy Ann Maria Nuzum, of Harlan, was arrested following a call about a disturbance in the 2100 block of Lincoln Avenue.  Nuzum was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with Public Intoxication, and Disorderly Conduct.

Last Thursday, 39-year old Kari Jean Elizabeth Nordby, of Harlan, was arrested following a call about a possible intoxicated person in the 1000 block of Chatburn Avenue.  Nordby was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with Public Intoxication.

And on Wednesday, April 5th, 47-year old Tammy J. Zuniga, of Villisca, was arrested for Theft in the 4th degree, following an investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Legislature has sent the governor a bill that would let police officers stop and ticket drivers who were texting while driving. The legislation approved Monday by the House would take effect July 1 if Gov. Terry Branstad were to sign it as expected. He’s already expressed support for tougher regulations. The Senate passed the measure last month.

The bill would allow officers to pull over drivers specifically for texting. It’s a secondary offense under current law, which means an officer must have another reason to make a traffic stop. Current law bars drivers from using cellphones or other hand-held communication devices to write, send or read text messages while driving. The bill would expand those rules to include use of social media, games and internet sites.

Police in Glenwood are asking for your help in finding a stolen vehicle. Authorities say a lavender 1996 Toyota Camry was taken from Glenwood Monday, sometime between 4-a.m. and 7:50-a.m.  The car has Iowa License plate DZX 531.  Anyone with information on the vehicle’s location, is asked to contact the Glenwood Police Dept. at 712-527-4844.

In other business, the Glenwood P-D reports 23-year old Rocky Runyon, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear (in court) on a Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense, charge. His bond was set at $1,000.  And, on April 5th, 40-year old Travis Handley, of Glenwood, was arrested for possession of drug Paraphernalia, with bond set at $300 cash or surety.

Red Oak Police responding this (Tuesday) morning to a reported incident of assault and an intoxicated female, arrested 23-year old Ashley Nicole Woodman, of Red Oak. Woodman was taken into custody at around 7:15-a.m. after officers found she was very intoxicated and had allegedly assaulted a male at a residence in the 1000 block of Corning Street, in Red Oak.

As Woodman was being placed into custody, she allegedly resisted and began to fight with officers. She was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault and Interference with Official Acts.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – An Omaha mortuary and its insurers have sued a Pennsylvania company, alleging that it didn’t properly rebuild a cremation machine blamed for a fire that injured four people. The Jan. 26, 2016, blaze heavily damaged the Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler funeral chapel. The lawsuit was filed last month by Heafey’s corporate entity and Cincinnati Casualty Co. and Cincinnati Indemnity Co. They seek a jury trial and at least $5.75 million from Matthews International Corp., which is based in Pittsburgh.

The bodies and cremains of deceased people that had been in the burning structure later were taken to other mortuaries owned by the company. Co-owner Bill Cutler said Tuesday that the rebuilding is expected to be completed in September.

Restoration work on the 100-year old barn at the Leet/Hassler Farmstead in Manning, has begun. “Save the Farm” efforts were announced this spring, and more than $10,000 has been raised towards the project. Kerkhoff Kraftsmen from Carroll, who have experience in renovating and repurposing old barns, started the work in mid-March. Electricity has been added to the hay loft, the floor has been repaired, and the south wall has been stabilized. They will sand the floor and clean the rafters and floor next. New steps will be added to the hay loft, which can then be used for dances, weddings, and photo opportunities. Estimated cost of this phase is $16,000.

LeRoy Dammann, who oversees the maintenance at the Heritage-Hausbarn Park, and Dr. Rexanne Struve, DVM, are in charge of the “Save the Farm” project. Additional funds will be needed for repairing the foundation on the scale house, replacing the roof on the Arts and Crafts Style Home, and working on other buildings on the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Park also includes the 1660s German Hausbarn and the 1913 Trinity Church.

The Heritage-Hausbarn Park will host a 100th birthday party for the Leet/Hassler Farmstead Saturday, May 13. Admission to the grounds will be free from 9 am – noon. Breakfast will be served from 9 – 10:30 am, with a free will offering. Old-time games, horse-drawn wagon rides, and other activities for the entire family will begin at 10 am.

When completed, the hay loft at the Leet/Hassler Farmstead will be available for barn dances, weddings, receptions, meetings, and as a unique photo site.