The Iowa Department of Transportation and the Nebraska Department of Roads will open the new bridge carrying U.S. 34 over the Missouri River, linking Iowa and Nebraska, after 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office.

Completion of the $61 million dollar bridge project not only allows for ease of travel between Iowa and Nebraska for motorists, but it supports future economic development between the states…

VILLISCA – Ammonia that got released from an agricultural cooperative in Villisca earlier this week is contained and is being recovered. The recovered solution of water and ammonia will be land applied to crop fields.

An unknown amount of anhydrous ammonia was released into a city storm sewer intake and then flowed into a small unnamed tributary of the West Nodaway River. The ammonia is believed to have originated at the United Farmers Mercantile Co-op in Villisca and to have occurred sometime between 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. It was reported to the DNR by a citizen.

Under instruction from the DNR, the coop constructed a dam on the tributary and is pumping it to be land applied. By Friday afternoon, approximately 44,000 gallons of the solution had been recovered. The coop is also flushing the tributary from the storm sewer to remove the contamination.

Although the incident is still under investigation by the DNR, it appears that soil at the cooperative had been contaminated with anhydrous ammonia and came in contact with water when a water line broke. Anhydrous ammonia is in vapor form until it comes in contact with water and becomes soluble. When the water line was being repaired, the ammonia-mixed water got pumped to a city storm sewer that eventually empties into the unnamed tributary of the West Nodaway River.

DNR field office staff is continuing to monitor the clean up.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of two health insurers providing coverage to low-income Iowa residents through a state program is withdrawing its services. The Iowa Department of Human Services announced Friday that CoOportunity Health will soon no longer be an insurance option for those enrolled the Iowa Health and Wellness Program, the modified Medicaid expansion offered in the state as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

Under the federally funded program, some people are enrolled in a state-run health plan and others get premiums covered for private insurance. About 112,000 people are in the program, with roughly 26,000 on private insurance. CoOpportunity covered 9,700 people. State officials say they will get similar benefits from a different carrier. CoOpportunity spokeswoman Leigh McGivern says it was too costly for the insurer to continue coverage.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa economic development officials have approved incentives for three companies that promise to create 281 jobs and spend $39 million to locate new facilities or expand in Iowa. The Iowa Economic Development Authority on Friday says it approved tax credits for TrinityRail Maintenance Services which plans to build a new railroad car maintenance facility in Sioux City. The company promises to create 250 new jobs.

Mrs. Clark’s Foods is expanding in Ankeny by adding a $7.3 million warehouse and refrigeration facility. It also received tax benefits for 13 new jobs. The company makes fruit and vegetable juices, salad dressings and other sauces.

Dubuque insurance consulting firm Kunkel and Associates is getting $128,000 in loans for a building expansion project that will create 18 jobs.

A complaint about suspicious activity early this (Friday) morning in the City of Brooks, led to the arrest of one person on drug charges. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says 29-year old Joshua Cooney was arrested on charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Cooney was transported to the Adams County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

(12-p.m. News)

Two people were arrested late this week on sexual abuse charges, in Adams County. At around 7:30-p.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s office received a report from authorities in Missouri, with regard to the possible sexual abuse of a child. At around 8:15-a.m. today (Friday), Adams County deputies arrested 20-year old Brandon Pafford, of Nodaway, on felony charges of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree and Lascivious Acts with a Child. Pafford was transported to the Adams County Jail in Corning and held pending an appearance before a magistrate.

And at around 10:30-a.m. today (Friday), 38-year old Carolyn Green, of Nodaway, was arrested on a felony charge of Child Endangerment, based on an investigation of the possible sexual abuse of a child within her residence. Green was also be held in the jail pending an appearance before a magistrate.

(12-p.m. News)

Police in Glenwood are investigating the theft of $20,000 worth of lawn mowers and trimmers. According to the Daily NonPareil, a worker with Jim Hughes Real Estate reported the theft Thursday in the 400 block of South Locust Street in Glenwood.

The Iowa Department of Corrections, Thursday, placed 23-year old Colton Edward Benson-Blaine on escape status after he failed to return to the Council Bluffs Work Release Facility from employment, on Wednesday.

Dept. of Corrections Images

Colton Benson-Blaine

Benson-Blaine was transferred to work release on August 6th. His sentence in Shelby County for Voluntary Manslaughter began on August 5th, 2011. Benson-Blaine is described as a white male with blonde hair and blue eyes, 6 feet one inch tall, weighs about 267 pounds and has a scar on his right wrist.

Information as to Benson-Blain’s whereabouts should be reported to the Council Bluffs Police Department or Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.

Voters in Shelby County will have the opportunity to elect five members of the County Extension Council from a slate of five candidates at the Nov. 4th general election. Mary Taggs, Shelby County Extension Educator said “The council members elected this year will be involved in bringing educational opportunities to Shelby County for the next four years.”

Extension council members are elected at large, and all voters in the county are eligible to vote for five candidates. Candidates on this year’s ballot include: Elaine Baughman, of Kirkman; Renee Hansen, of Harlan; Jo Kenkel, from Defiance; Lorie Knudsen, of Harlan; and Ellen Walsh-Rosmann, of Harlan.

Council members whose terms expire this year are: Laura Freund, Earling; Kay Goshorn, Harlan; Jo Kenkel, Defiance; Travis Lane, Shelby; Jake Schechinger, Harlan. Carryover council members whose terms continue through the end of 2016 are: Scott Burchett, Harlan; Rowly Burton, Irwin; Julie Klein, Harlan, and Michele Monson, of Irwin.

Successful candidates will take office in January 2015. Extension council members make policy, programming and budget decisions for Shelby County Extension and Outreach. For more information, visit www.extension.iastate.edu or contact Shelby County Extension & Outreach (712) 755-3104.

Rick Stewart, the independent candidate for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, did not meet the criteria for participation in Thursday’s night’s debate in Sioux City between Democratic candidate Bruce Braley and Joni Ernst, the Republican candidate. Stewart showed up anyway, with a mock-up of his living room in a cargo trailer parked outside of the auditorium at Morningside College where the debate was held. “Since a lot of Iowans didn’t have a chance to come visit me for waffles on Sunday morning, I’ve got a sofa and some chairs and some homemade cookies and I invite Iowans to come in and sit down and chat about politics in general,” Stewart said.

Stewart, who lives in Cedar Rapids, was disappointed he wasn’t allowed to participate in the debate. “I’m actually even more disappointed for the state of iowa. The voters didn’t get to see the candidates. They only got to see two of ’em,” Stewart says. “…I think most Iowans would have liked to see all of us, at least once.”

Six candidates are listed on Iowa’s 2014 General Election ballots in the race for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat. In addition to Braley, Ernst and Stewart, there are two other independent candidates on the ballot.

One is Bob Quast of Blue Grass, representing “Bob Quast for Term Limits.” The other is Ruth Smith of Lamoni, who has run before as a Democratic candidate for seats in the Iowa House and Senate but is now running as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate. The sixth candidate, Libertarian Doug Butzier, died this week in a plane crash in Dubuque. At the start of last night’s debate between Braley and Ernst, both major party candidates offered their condolences to the Butzier family.

(Radio Iowa)