During the past year, the Iowa Department of Transportation has been working on improving the lanes of Interstate 29/Interstate 80 east of the Missouri River in Council Bluffs. Beginning Monday, June 13th, construction crews will shift traffic overnight on westbound I-80 and northbound I-29 between 24th Street and the Missouri River bridge, according to the Iowa DOT’s District 4 Office in Atlantic.

Once traffic is shifted, a fourth lane for I-29/I-80 will be added at the 24th Street on-ramp. Traffic staying on westbound I-80 at the I-29/I-80 interchange will shift over to the new permanent westbound lanes. Motorists are urged to use caution while becoming accustomed to shifting onto these new lanes.

The Iowa DOT is in the process of reconstructing I-80, I-29 and I-480 in the Council Bluffs metropolitan area. This comprehensive interstate redesign will modernize the highway system and improve mobility and safety of approximately 18 miles of interstate. Motorists are encouraged to allow for extra travel time while this interstate improvement takes effect.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – The president of the board that governs Iowa’s three public universities says he’s backing a tuition hike that’s been criticized by Gov. Terry Branstad. Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter said Thursday that the $300 increase for undergraduate students is necessary to maintain quality.

The plan comes after lawmakers provided about $14 million less than the universities requested and would raise about $21 million in revenue. Regents are expected to vote next month. Branstad said last week that the increase was too much and noted it is coming just months before the school year begins. He called on his appointees on the nine-member board to consider the impact it will have on students and families.

A public split is unusual between Branstad and Rastetter, one of the governor’s top donors.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 25-year old Tiffany Nicole Study, of Red Oak, was arrested Thursday morning, for Driving Under Suspension. Study was taken into custody at around 4:20-a.m. near Highway 34 and 350th Street. She brought to the Mills County Jail, where her bond was set at $300.

Forecasters say a heat wave will wash over Iowa today (Thursday) that will likely last through the weekend, with steamy high temperatures in the 90s — and the heat may doom many pets. Josh Colvin, with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, expects they’ll average five calls a day alerting them to animals that are locked inside hot cars.

“If we get a call like that, first, we’re going to try to identify how critical it is,” Colvin says. “If it’s very critical, we’re going to call the police department over and make entry into the vehicle. We’re going to try to identify where the owner is, who the owner is, if we’ve got a little bit of time but it’s a hurry up and make a decision on whether we’re going to gain entry in that vehicle.” Sad but true, he says, hundreds of cats and dogs die needlessly every summer by being left inside cars.

“People are on the fence, ‘Well, I don’t want to call on my neighbor,’ because they just don’t want to do that,” Colvin says, “but if they’re really concerned that the animal is in danger, we really encourage people to call us.” Colvin says the situation can rapidly become lethal. “If we’re talking about animals in vehicles, with weather like today, tomorrow and this weekend, it can become critical very quickly, in a matter of minutes to be frank,” Colvin says. “We’ve really got to respond to those calls quickly.”

Pets should never be left unattended in a car when the temperature is more than 70 degrees, even for a few minutes. When it’s 80 degrees, the temperature inside a car can reach 99 degrees or hotter within ten minutes, and leaving windows cracked does very little to lower the temp. Colvin reminds people to act immediately if they see a distressed animal in an unattended car. Call your local law enforcement agency.

(Radio Iowa)

With temperatures expected to rise above 90 degrees for the first time this year, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to keep health in mind during the hot weather. “People suffer heat-related illness when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn’t enough,” said IPDH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. “Although people with cardiac and other medical problems are especially at risk, even young and healthy individuals can have a heat-related illness if they are very active during hot weather or the heat index is very high.”

To protect your health when temperatures and humidity are high, remember to keep cool and use common sense. The following tips are important:

• Increase fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. The best way to tell you are well-hydrated is if your urine is light yellow. If it gets dark, stop and rehydrate by drinking water immediately.
• If experiencing a lot of sweating, replace salt and minerals by eating foods like bananas and salty crackers, or drink rehydrating beverages that contain salts such as sports drinks and special rehydration fluids.
• Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing and wear sunscreen.
• Wear hats that shade your face such as sun hats, visors, etc.
• Keep in the shade or air conditioned areas as much as possible.
• Work slowly if you are not used to working or exercising in heat and humidity. Stop immediately if you get dizzy, nauseated, or feel weak. Go into an air conditioned space and drink cool liquids.
• Use a buddy system. Watch others for heat-induced illness, since some people may not realize that they are suffering heat-related illnesses, and can become confused or lose consciousness.

As Iowans enjoy more outdoor recreational opportunities and events, it’s important to remember some basic summer safety guidelines, which can be summarized with the word ‘SHADE’:

• S – Sunscreen. Put on sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher and reapply throughout the day, especially if swimming or sweating.
• H – Heat safety. Drink lots of water and other non-alcoholic, sugar-free fluids; wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing when outdoors, especially when active; and when temperatures soar, stay in the shade or air conditioning as much as possible.
• A – Animal contact. Remember to wash your hands after touching animals at places like petting zoos or county fairs. Avoid stray and wild animals; they may carry diseases like rabies.
• D – DEET.  To prevent being bitten by ticks and mosquitoes that can carry diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, use insect repellent with DEET (follow the label directions when using, especially on children).
• E – Eating outdoors. Grill all meats until thoroughly cooked and always keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

For more information about hot weather health, visit www.cdc.gov/Features/ExtremeHeat/.

Two people were injured during a single-vehicle accident Wednesday evening, near the Cass-Montgomery County line. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a 2006 Ford Freestar van driven by 15-year old Peyton David Graham, of Griswold, was traveling south on Highway 71 at around 5:40-p.m., when the teen tried to turn right onto Yankton Road. The van went out of control and entered the north ditch, where it hit an embankment.

Peyton, and his passenger, 71-year old Pamela Ewing of Griswold, were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance/Griswold Rescue. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $10,000. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by personnel with the Grant Fire Department.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two, recent arrests. Yesterday (Wednesday), 45-year old Stanley Oral Rossell, of Lewis, was arrested on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Violation of a Protective Order. Rossell was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $300 bond.

And, on Tuesday, Cass County deputies arrested 34-year old Juan Manuel Anaya Mendez, of Atlantic, on two district court warrants for Failure to Appear. Anaya Mendez was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $10,000 bond.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following two recent, separate accidents. Officials say 20-year old Adam Hoffman, of Creston, was driving a 2010 Chevy Impala southbound on Yellow Rose Avenue at around 5:20-a.m. today (Thursday), when his vehicle met a 2000 Chevy driven by 50-year old Melissa Rodden, of Murray, at the crest of a hill. Both vehicles were in the center of the road. Hoffman swerved to avoid a collision, but Rodden’s car hit the Impala on the left rear side. Damage amounted to $4,000. No citations were issued.

The other accident in Union County happened just after 7-p.m. Wednesday, when a southbound 2003 Dodge driven by 36-year old Sheri Watters, of Shannon City, failed to stop at a stop sign for the intersection of 240th and Lark Avenue. Her car hit a 1989 dump truck driven by 29-year old Trever Tucker, of Creston, as he was traveling west on 240th. Damage from the collision amounted to $8,000. Watters was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein, Wednesday, reported to the School Board, the 3^rd grade Summer School and 3^rd grade Retention for Reading, has been postponed until the Summer of 2018. He said also, of concern to the school board, is the fact there has been no funding attached to assessments. Amstein said the latest word he’s received, is that funding will be attached for those programs in the next legislative session. He wasn’t holding his breath though, says “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Amstein said also, that the “Smarter Balanced Assessment” was put off until May 2018. In November 2015, the Iowa legislature began a formal process of adopting a new state assessment to replace the current state tests in math and reading taken each year by Iowa students. Smarter Balanced Assessments were recommended by a legislatively created task force of Iowans.

He said “At this time, we don’t know what our State Assessment’s going to be. We’re kind of in limbo on what we need to prepare for, for the upcoming year.” Amstein says it’s another case of “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Smarter Balanced Assessments are designed to accurately measure how students have progressed in reaching expectations set by Iowa’s academic standards, which outline what students in kindergarten through 12th grade should know and be able to do in math, English-language arts, science, social studies and 21st century skills.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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