A southwest Iowa man is dead following a crash that was discovered early this (Friday) morning, in Fremont County. The Sheriff’s Office reports the body of 55-year old Patrick Tobin, of Tabor, was found by a deputy at around 9:30-a.m.  The man was inside his vehicle, which was located in a spillway in the 1300 block of Plum Creek Road, about 3.5-miles southwest of Tabor. Tobin was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities think the accident happened sometime early this (Friday) morning. They said the vehicle was difficult to see from the road because of where it came to rest in the water. Tobin’s body was sent to the State DCI Crime Lab in Ankeny for an autopsy.

The Fremont County Coroner’s Office, Tabor Fire and Rescue and Thurman’s Fire Department assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene.

Officials in Harlan said Friday Todd Valline, of Elko, NV, has been named the executive director of the newly merged Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Valline, an Iowa native who has strong family ties in the Nevada, Iowa, area, will begin his new position on Mon., Dec. 1. He replaces Jane Nielsen who has been the interim director since January 2014.

Todd Valline, new Exec. Dir. of the Shelby Co. Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber president, Kevin Campbell, Shelby County State Bank, said, “The Executive Com- mittee was delighted by the amount of interest we had in this role. Applicants from coast to coast were interested, but Todd stood out from the very beginning. His preparation and research was noticeably ahead of the other applicants.”

Valline has over 20 years of professional marketing, sales and administration experience in multiple areas across multiple industry and also has workforce development experience. He was one of four finalists among 18 candidates in the selection process which began in September.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three, recent arrests. On Thursday, 18-year old Johnathan Robert Sibbitt, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $10,000.

And on Wednesday, 20-year old Mitchell Stephen Waller, of Glenwood,  was arrested on a warrant for Theft in the 5th degree. His bond was set at $300. That same day, 30-year old Thomas Lee Roush, of Tabor, was arrested on a warrant for Driving Under Suspension. Bondwas set at $500.

Authorities in Atlantic were looking for the driver of a vehicle that was involved in collision late this (Friday) morning, at 9th and Poplar Streets. According to dispatch reports, the accident happened at around 11:20-a.m.

One of the vehicles involved in the crash, a pickup, was flipped on its top. The driver of one of the vehicles, who left the scene, later returned to speak with police. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Atlantic Police, Medivac Ambulance and Atlantic Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.

Additional information is currently not available.

(Update to our 7-a.m. post)

A fire in a mobile home this (Friday) morning in eastern Cass County, has claimed the life of a Massena resident. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says the victim is believed to be 53-year old Bruce Allen Neumann. The State Medical Examiner is performing an autopsy to confirm the positive identity of the victim.

Massena Fire Chief Drew Williams told KJAN News a call about the fire at 208 Pine Street came in just before 1-a.m. Williams said when firefighters arrived, the home was already fully engulfed in flames. The structure was a complete loss. Crews were on the scene until about 5:30-a.m. when the flames were brought under control, but a Massena Fire Dept. grass truck was dispatched again at around 8:50-a.m. to put out some remaining hot spots.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Massena Fire crews were assisted at the scene by Cumberland Fire, Medivac Ambulance, deputies with the Cass County Sheriff Office, and Cass County Emergency Management, as well as the Cass County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

A licensed mental health counselor from Omaha who has three offices in southwest Iowa is accused of having sex with a client. According to online documents, in 2012 Amy Jo Murphy began counseling a couple at her clinic in Corning. After the couple divorced, the counseling continued for one spouse and the Iowa Board of Behavioral Science accuses Murphy of starting a romantic relationship with that client.

State regulators accuse Murphy of engaging in unethical conduct, for having “improper sexual contact” with a client. The Iowa Board of Behavioral Science has scheduled a hearing in February on this case.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The sign up period to get benefits under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul kicks off Saturday. The second enrollment period to get benefits starts Nov. 15 and runs through Feb. 15. A poorly functioning website and public confusion caused problems during the first enrollment period, but officials are hopeful things will run more smoothly this time.

Just over 29,000 people signed up for health insurance in Iowa using the federal insurance marketplace during the first enrollment period.  The health care law was designed to reduce the number of people without health insurance, both through an expansion of Medicaid and with new health care marketplaces where people can shop for private coverage and apply for government aid to pay premiums.

Flames that engulfed a home just south of Red Oak Thursday night could be seen up to a mile away. According to fire officials, the two-story structure owned by Duane Barkman, sustained an estimated $60,000 damage, but no one was hurt. .

According to Red Oak Fire Chief James Blount, the blaze at 2359 Highway 48 was reported at around 6:30 p.m. The first crews to arrive saw flames shooting from the roof on the north side of the home, prompting a call for mutual aid from Elliott, Essex and Stanton.

Efforts by firefighters kept the flames from spreading to the main portion of the house. The damage was primarily contained to an attached garage and living area. An investigation into the cause of the blaze was underway, but Blount said it did not appear to be suspicious.

With more than a month of fall left on the calendar, a winter storm is approaching Iowa that threatens to dump several inches of snow on the state tomorrow (Saturday). It’s already prompting doom-and-gloom predictions about how we may be facing one of the worst winters since the 1800s. Meteorologist Jeff Zogg, at the National Weather Service, says to relax, for now, it’s not Snowmageddon.

“Amounts will be relatively light, however, with it being our first snowfall, we’ll definitely have to be careful,” Zogg says. “We’re looking for amounts anywhere in the one-to-three inch range.” Some areas of the state could see isolated pockets of four or more inches of snow, while temperatures will remain well below normal, with highs mostly in the 20s. Strong winds blowing around the light snow may impact visibility while roads across much of Iowa will likely be quite slick. Zogg says an advisory runs from 9 A-M to 9 P-M on Saturday.

“We do have a winter weather advisory covering basically the western two-thirds of Iowa,” Zogg says. “That is just to call attention to the wintery weather we’re expecting tomorrow. Again, accumulations should be fairly light but with it being the first system of the season, we just want people to be extra-careful when they’re out and about.” A report attributed to the state climatologist indicates the last time Iowa had a cold spell this early during October and November was in 1991 — which led to the coldest November since 1880. Zogg says we don’t need to trade in our cars for dogs and sleds, not yet.

“We have heard the speculation about that, however, our official outlook right now is still calling for equal chances for temperatures for the winter season,” Zogg says. “That means there’s no strong indication it would be above, near or below normal at this time.” The long-range winter forecast for Iowa will be updated next Thursday. Keep up with the forecast at weather-dot-gov.

(Radio Iowa)

Attorneys in the case of an Oakland man charged with the first-degree murder of a rural Cass County woman have filed motions for another continuance in the case. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber and defense attorney Eric John Nelson filed their requests with the court Thursday, in the trial for 63-year old Robert A. Reynolds. Reynolds has plead not guilty to the murder charge. His trial was scheduled to begin Nov. 18th. A pre-trial conference is slated for 9:30-a.m. Monday.  If a continuance is granted by the court, it would be the sixth time the proceedings have been delayed.

Authorities say during the early morning hours of April 9th, 2014, Reynolds shot to death in his home, 64-year old Patricia Kinkade-Dorsey, a resident of rural Cass County.

During an interview with law enforcement, Reynolds allegedly admitted he and Kinkade-Dorsey had a verbal dispute inside his residence, and that he then left the area to locate a firearm which he allegedly used to fatally shoot Kinkade-Dorsey.

Three other people in the home at the time the incident occurred were not injured