A woman who was backing-up her Smart Car in Red Oak, Tuesday night, accidentally stepped on the gas pedal too hard, causing the vehicle to reverse abruptly and end up on top of a handicapped ramp on the side of a residence in the 200 block of E. Washington Avenue. Red Oak Police say 79-year old Rose Smith, of Red Oak, wasn’t injured in the mishap, that caused $800 damage to her car and $2,000 damage to the house. No citations were issued. The accident happened at around 8:45-p.m.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the three-month window to reserve a state park campsite for a Friday arrival on Memorial Day weekend opens this Sunday, Feb. 26. More than a few campers will plan their arrival for the weekend before Memorial Day and stay through the holiday, which means their window is open now.

Todd Coffelt, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau, says “Campers can make reservations for sites three months ahead of their first night stay. And we have a flurry of reservations from campers who begin their stay prior to the Memorial Day weekend.”

Lake Wapello, Lake Keomah state parks and Fairport State Recreation Area all underwent campground renovations last year and are anxious for visitors to check things out. Red Haw State Park’s campground will be open to walk-in camping only starting on April 17 due to the final phase of its renovation. Advanced reservations will be accepted starting on June 22. And Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area’s campground #1 will be closed through June 30 for an electrical upgrade.

Most parks will have nonelectric sites available for the Memorial Day weekend. Not every campsite is available on the reservation system. Parks maintain 25 percent or more of the electric and nonelectric sites as non-reservation sites, available for walk-up camping.

Information on Iowa’s state parks is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/parks
including the link to reservations. Campers can also log on directly to http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com; enter their preferred amenities and requirements, dates and/or parks to see what sites are available and make a reservation.

Campers are encouraged to note closures when making their reservations. Some campgrounds may be closed Memorial Day. Weather will play an important role in how soon projects will be completed and a how soon campgrounds will be back online.
Closure information is current on the DNR website and reservation system. Closure information can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks-Rec-Areas/Closure-Information and on individual park webpages.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County report the arrest this (Wednesday) morning, of 43-year old Tiffany Lea Palmer, of Red Oak. Palmer was taken into custody following an incident in the 1800 block of Highway 48, north of Red Oak. She was charged with Simple Assault and was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

A little after 10-p.m., Tuesday, the Montgomery County Communications Center received a call regarding a single-vehicle, rollover accident on 270th Street, west of Coburg, Upon arrival, Deputies, assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, determined a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am, owned and operated by 19-year old Dillion Cole Baldwin, of Shenandoah, was traveling eastbound on 270th near Dogwood Avenue, when Baldwin swerved to miss a deer. The car entered the south ditch and rolled over, coming to rest on its top. Baldwin was transported by private vehicle to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, for treatment of possible/minor injuries. He was subsequently cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Damage to the car was estimated at $4,000.

And, just before 9-p.m., Tuesday, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 50-year old Shawn Allen Graham, of Villisca, for Driving While Barred, Failure to have SR-22 insurance on file, operating an ATV on a public roadway, and operating an ATV without headlights. The charges are the result of an incident that occurred at 5th Avenue and 2nd Street, in Villisca. Graham was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

Police in Red Oak this (Wednesday) morning, arrested 22-year old David Wesley Williams III, of Bellevue, Nebraska. Williams was taken into custody at around 1-a.m. at the intersection of G Avenue and Highway 34 in Red Oak, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana. He was being held at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on a $1,000 cash bond.

A woman from northwest Iowa who had been missing since Sunday evening, was found dead Tuesday morning in a local creek. On Sunday evening at about 10:30 the Kingsley Police Department was notified about the missing woman. Josh Derby advised that his mother, 57-year old Lisa Derby, of Kingsley, had been missing since about 5:00 p-m. Sunday. Family and friends had been searching for Lisa, but were unable to locate her.

Just after 8-a.m. Tuesday, the Plymouth County Communications Center received a call from a man who said he was checking an unnamed creek close to his residence and found an unresponsive female in the creek. The woman was identified as Lisa Derby.

(Radio Iowa)

A man from Afghanistan who’s applied for political asylum in the U.S. went to Senator Grassley’s town hall meeting in Iowa Falls Tuesday to ask for help. Zalmay Niazy has been living in Iowa Falls and he got universal applause from the partisan crowd when he announced he had “proudly” served as an interpreter for the U.S. military.

Niazy told Grassley he’d been shot twice and survived a roadside bombing, too. A man in the crowd interjected: “Not here” and Niazy concluded: “Nobody care about me.” Many in the crowd then yelled, “We do!” Niazy told Grassley he applied for political asylum two years and four months ago, but is still waiting for the paperwork to be processed.

Niazy choked back tears as Grassley promised to review his case.

Grassley’s hour-long town hall meeting had been rowdy, with partisan sniping in the crowd, but this was the rare moment of unity. The entire crowd applauded.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa’s two U.S. senators, both Republicans, held town hall meetings Tuesday and were met by large crowds ready to voice their opposition to President Trump and G-O-P priorities. Senator Joni Ernst convened a veterans forum in Maquoketa. The crowd chanted “your last term” as Ernst entered the room. The event ended about 45 minutes later. The Iowa Starting Line blog captured video of the crowd erupting in chants of “do your job” and “shame on you.”

Yesterday (Tuesday), Senator Chuck Grassley held forums in Iowa Falls and Garner. About 200 people crowded into the Iowa Falls fire station Tuesday morning for what turned out to be a rowdy town hall meeting with Senator Grassley. Chris Petersen, a farmer from Clear Lake, drew cheers when he urged Grassley not to repeal ObamaCare.

Marion Cooper of Ackley brought up Grassley’s refusal to consider President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court.

Grassley fielded commentary and questions on a wide variety of topics, from President Trump’s trade policies to the fitness of Trump’s education secretary. Don Jones of Iowa Falls asked a question about the national debt. Grassley said reducing the debt will be difficult because of President Trump’s pledge not to make changes in Social Security and Medicare, then a woman in the crowd said she gladly pays taxes for those things — and this eruption followed.

Grassley has town hall events scheduled for Thursday morning in Charles City and Friday in Parkersburg.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa State Patrol reports a man from Council Bluffs was injured Tuesday evening, during a motorcycle crash near the Interstates 29/680 interchange. 43-year old Doyle Lacefield was transported by Crescent Rescue to the UNMC in Omaha, after the 2013 Kawasaki he was riding failed to negotiate the curve as it was traveling from northbound I-29 to westbound I-680, at around 6:30-p.m. The cycle left the road and came to rest in a ditch.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s top attorney wants another lawyer to defend a new law that eliminates most collective bargaining rights for public sector workers. Attorney General Tom Miller says in a letter released Tuesday that he’s received support from public-sector unions. Miller says that to avoid a potential conflict of interest, he’ll seek outside legal counsel to represent the state in a lawsuit from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61.

GARNER, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s U.S. senators were met with overflow crowds who questioned them about President Donald Trump’s action during his first month in office and other issues. Although Republican Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst held meetings Tuesday in small towns, they drew big crowds. Grassley was in northern Iowa and Ernst was in eastern Iowa. Many of the questions focused on the president, including whether Republicans would investigate whether the Trump campaign made contact with Russian officials.

BLACKSTONE, Va. (AP) — GOP U.S. Rep. David Brat, who rode the tea party wave to a historic political upset nearly three years ago, was confronted by protesters upset about the Trump administration as he held a town hall in his district. Protesters and supporters crowded a restaurant conference room Tuesday in Blackstone where Brat took questions for about hour. Some demonstrated outside the restaurant.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A union official has filed a formal complaint challenging whether a lobbyist for a national conservative organization was registered properly for the first half of the legislative session. Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, filed the complaint Tuesday against Drew Klein of Americans for Prosperity. The complaint alleges Klein violated legislative rules by lobbying for bills without registering formally as a lobbyist. Klein says the issue is a misunderstanding.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Red Oak woman Tuesday on a warrant. At 2:20pm Deputies arrested 55-year-old Teresa Eileen Chase of Red Oak on a Warrant for Harassment 1st Degree.  She was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $2,000 bond.