w/ Ric Hanson

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The Iowa State Patrol says four people, including two from western Iowa were injured and another person was killed, during a crash Sunday afternoon in eastern Iowa’s Johnson County. The injured were identified as 50-year old Husen Jagir and 34-year old Afa Gella, both of Denison, as well as 27-year old Onkel Dide, of Ottumwa, and 38-year old Salim Gulay, of Des Moines. Jagir, Gulay and Gella were passengers in a 2003 Toyota Corolla driven by Dide. The name of the person who died in the crash was not released.

The Patrol says the Corolla was westbound on Interstate 80 at around  2:05-p.m., when it went out of control and hit the south wall of I-80 before coming to rest partially on the traveled portion of the road. The car was then hit from behind by a 2002 Ford F-250 pickup, driven by 50-year old Mark McClain, of Russell, IA.

The injured were transported by Johnson County Ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. The accident remains under investigation.

The Audubon City Council is set to meet this evening. During their 7-p.m. session at City Hall, the Council will receive a project update from the Stage Committee. They’ll also act on approving the Stipulation of the Bargaining Unit and hear from Councilman Jason Hocker, with regard to the City Clerk’s Job Description and City Organizational Design.

Members of the Elk Horn-Kimballton and Atlantic School District Boards of Education will hold separate meetings this evening. In Elk Horn, the EHK Board will gather at 5:30-p.m. for a regular session in the Family and Consumer Science Room at the High School, during which they will discuss and take action on: Summer 2014 Driver’s Education Fees; Driver’s Education Teachers; Early Retirement Applications and, Approval of a list of seniors for graduation.

In Atlantic, the Board of Education meets at 7:30-p.m. in the High School Media Center. During their meeting, the Board will hear Special Presentations from Frank Spillers, with regard to the “Scary Guy” program, and with regard to graduation credits at A.H.S.

The Board is also expected to act on General Education, Special Ed., and Amended contracts and/or Letters of Assignment, as well as approve volunteer coaching positions and any resignations. In other, Administrative matters, the Board will appoint a Board Treasurer, and  approve: A sponsor name change; Early retirement applications and resignations; A 1-to-1 Computer proposal; The 2014 Summer School program; The 1st or 2nd readings of various Board Policies, and a recommendation to adjust graduation rate credits to 48.

Discussion items include District Cost Reductions, and the Capital Projects Plan.

Slick and/or slushy roads were causing accidents this morning in the listening area. Medivac ambulance was called to the scene of a single-vehicle rollover accident near the Marne exit off Interstate 80, at around 5:35-a.m.  A Cass County Deputy reported from the scene the driver was injured, but the injuries did not appear to have been life threatening. Other accidents along I-80 involved vehicles that slid into the median or ditches.

Roadways are covered with black ice this morning. Along and south of I-80 roads were reported to be partially covered with slush and ice, with the bridges especially dangerous. North of I-80, roads were partially to mostly covered with snow/ice/and-or slush.

Use extra caution when traveling this morning.

Water safety experts are warning canoers, kayakers and boaters that Iowa’s bodies of water have been slow to warm. Certified paddling instructor Darrin Siefken, of Waverly, says even though the air temperature feels spring-like, the water can be ice cold and dangerous. “Our rivers and lakes here in northeast Iowa just thawed out within the last week. So, most of those water temperatures are only about 50 degrees…when the air temperature is in the 60s or so.”

“It’s a good opportunity to dress properly and bring along another set of clothes in a dry bag just in case you would tip over,” Siefken said. Kayaking is becoming increasingly popular in Iowa. Charles City has a world-class course built in 2011 and similar venues are under construction in Manchester and Elkader. Siefken instructs his students, before they hit the water, to let others know where they’re going and when they expect to return.

“And then make sure you follow up and tell them when you get back…it helps with today’s technology that we can get a hold of people pretty easy,” Siefken said. He warns that many rivers in Iowa are full of debris that has washed downstream and could cause navigation problems.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – At least one tornado has been reported in Iowa as powerful thunderstorms moved across the Midwest and Plains states. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in southeastern Iowa says that a tornado was spotted near the town of Lone Tree around 6 o’clock last night but that there were no injuries or damage.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – At least 386 state employees have been hired by Governor Terry Branstad’s administration without advertising the positions, but this is not a new practice in Iowa. Critics told the Des Moines Register the practice makes it easier for friends and campaign donors to land the jobs. But Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers says the unadvertised hires are allowed under state law for certain jobs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines police are investigating the apparent slaying of a 57-year-old woman on the city’s eastside. The Des Moines Register reports officers were called to a home at 2:14 p.m. Sunday after a relative found the woman unresponsive on the floor. Police didn’t identify the victim yesterday.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State University has suspended Abdel Nader from the basketball team after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving over the weekend. The Iowa State Police arrested Nader around 11:40 p.m. Saturday on suspicion that he was operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Nader is a 6-foot-6 small forward who sat out this past season after transferring to Iowa State from Northern Illinois.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A California-bound Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Omaha, Neb. after witnesses said a passenger tried to open a door midflight. The airline said the Chicago-to-Sacramento plane landed on Eppley Airfield Sunday to “have an unruly passenger removed” before continuing on to its destination. The flight with 5 crew members and 134 passengers arrived in Sacramento about two hours behind schedule.

Monique Lawler told KABC-TV after reaching her final destination in Los Angeles, that the man acted strangely during the flight, and that at one point he came out of the bathroom soaking wet. She said when he went to the back of the cabin to try to pry open the door, a flight attendant screamed for help.

Once on the ground, a doctor onboard told KCRA-TV he and two other passengers tackled the man in the back of the cabin and restrained him until air marshals escorted him off the plane. Scott Porter said the man “was going to do bad things to the plane.”

The airline had no further details about the passenger.

Authorities in Montgomery County say no injuries were reported following a collision Saturday morning, in Red Oak. Officials say a 2003 Chrysler van driven by 83-year old Paul Russell, of Red Oak, was traveling west on East Reed Street at around 8:50-a.m., when it was hit by a 2009 Chevy Impala that was headed north on North 2nd Street. The driver of the car, 23-year old Patrick Hall, of Red Oak, was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign.

Damage from the crash amounted to $3,300.