An accident Saturday night in southeast Iowa’s Lee County has claimed a man’s life. The Iowa State Patrol reports 64-year old Randy R. Carter, of Fort Madison, died when the 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle he was riding, was struck by a 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup. The accident happened at around 8:45-p.m. near Business Highway U-S 61 and the 61 ramps. Authorities say Carter was stopped at mailboxes on the west side of the two-lane (divided) highway, and attempted to cross both lanes to enter a private driver located on the east side of the Highway. In doing so, Carter failed to yield to the southbound pickup driven by 29-year old Jonathan W. Witt, of Burlington, IA.

The pickup struck the cycle, and came to rest partially in the median. The motorcycle came to rest in the median. Carter died at the scene of the crash. Witt was not hurt in the collision.

Red Oak Police say three people were cited Saturday night for alcohol-related offenses.  19-year old Jose’ Alfredo Clarence Portales and 18-year old Dylan Michael Kopiasz, both of Red Oak, were cited for Possession/consumption of alcohol under the legal age. And, 21-year old Jennifer Nicole Gibson, of Red Oak, was cited for Providing/permitting minors to consume alcohol. The citations were handed out at around 9:30-p.m. Saturday, at an apartment located in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street, in Red Oak. All three offenders were released at the scene.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An elections worker with the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office says a petition seeking to add a conservative candidate for attorney general to the November ballot appears to have fallen short of the 1,500 signatures needed. Elections assistant Wes Hicok says the group turned in pages of signatures ahead of the 5 p.m. Saturday deadline, with a formal review of the paperwork taking place Monday. The effort aimed to put attorney Patrick Anderson, of Des Moines, on the ballot.

PLEASANT HILL, Iowa (AP) — A Pleasant Hill man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his girlfriend’s father. The Des Moines Register reports that 27-year-old Ricky St. John was sentenced Friday. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the November death of 46-year-old Timothy Neal. St. John had been charged with first-degree murder in the case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The wife of a former Democratic Iowa congressman has died just eight days after her husband. A spokesman for the family says Darlene “Dody” Boswell died early Saturday morning at a Des Moines hospital following a prolonged illness. She was 82. Her husband, former Rep. Leonard Boswell died Aug. 17. A joint funeral service for the couple was held Saturday. Dody Boswell taught elementary school for 37 years.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Burlington business owners say they’ve seen lighter traffic, but plenty of support, in the wake of a fire in the downtown shopping district. Doreen Roy owns two businesses in the city. Roy tells The Hawk Eye that she’s cautiously optimistic after a blaze destroyed two historic buildings downtown at the Tama Complex earlier this month. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Roy says there’s fewer shoppers downtown but she’s had locals check in on her businesses.

A group of Iowa conservatives appeared to fall short of the necessary signatures Saturday to add an attorney general candidate to the November ballot, an effort fueled by the arrest of a Mexican man in the slaying of missing college student Mollie Tibbetts.

Petition organizers supporting Des Moines attorney Patrick Anderson’s non-party candidacy were tasked with collecting 1,500 valid signatures of registered voters from at least 10 counties. “On a cursory look, it appears that they have not met the minimum threshold,” elections assistant Wes Hicok said of the signatures the secretary of state’s office received before the 5 p.m. Saturday deadline. A formal review of the paperwork will take place Monday, he said.

Dozens of people across the state collected the signatures, but they didn’t start the campaign until Wednesday — the day after Tibbetts’ body was found in a cornfield and Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who is believed to be living in the country illegally, was charged in her killing.

George Anderson, Patrick Anderson’s son and an organizer of the effort, said that prompted his father to try to challenge Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat currently running unopposed for his 10th term. “This has to do with the upholding of immigration law,” he said. “I’m not sure the current attorney general is committed to that.”

Miller entered the national debate over U.S. immigration policy in June when he joined 20 other Democratic attorneys general in calling for the federal government to stop separating children from their parents when they enter the country illegally.

The 11th-hour effort could face more than the challenge of whether it collected enough signatures. State law doesn’t allow non-party candidates to use any part of the Republican, Democratic or Libertarian party names — the only three parties currently recognized in Iowa. Anderson’s effort plans to list “GOP” beside his name. GOP is short for “Grand Old Party” and is used interchangeably with “Republican.”

George Anderson acknowledged that would likely draw objections but said he believed it would be a dispute the group could win.

A teenager driving in northeast Iowa’s Butler County, Saturday morning, rolled the vehicle he was driving while trying to control an animal. The Iowa State Patrol reports 17-year old Nicholas Grill, of Parkersburg, was driving a 2004 Chevy Malibu on Iowa Highway 57 at around 9:15-a.m., when he turned around inside the car, to control an unrestrained cat.

The car dropped off onto the right shoulder of the road, and when Grill over-corrected, the vehicle entered a ditch and rolled once, coming to rest upright. Grill, who was not wearing a seat belt, was transported by Parkersburg EMS to the Grundy County Memorial Hospital. There was no report on his condition, or the condition of the cat.

The Aplington P-D, Aplington EMS, along with Parkerburg Fire and EMS, assisted the State Patrol at the scene.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Burlington business owners say they’ve seen lighter traffic, but plenty of support, in the wake of a fire in the downtown shopping district. Doreen Roy owns a home good store, Red Screen Door, and a clothing store, Gypsi, in the city. Roy told The Hawk Eye that she’s cautiously optimistic after a blaze destroyed two historic buildings downtown at the Tama Complex earlier this month. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“I would say traffic is relatively light most days,” Roy said, noting that her businesses are taking a hit because of the lack of easy access after the fire. It’s unclear how long it’ll take for fencing to secure the Tama building after the fire, she said.
But she’s had locals check in on her businesses, Roy said.

“We’re lucky we’re still here,” said Chris Murphy, owner of Burlington by the Book.
Murphy closed his shop for two days after the fire. He keeps a sign outside his business thanking emergency responders for battling the blaze. The damage could’ve been worse and spread, he said. Murphy has also been visited by well-wishers, he said. “I’m getting a lot of support, and there are days when people will come down and say, ‘Are you OK,'” Murphy said.

Cody and Greg Flietner, owners of Big River Popcorn, were planning on moving their business into the Tama Complex before it burned down. Now the Flietners are considering another location downtown that may attract more foot traffic.
“We’re not going to let something like this stop us from growing downtown,” Greg Flietner said.