Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County today (Thursday), released more information on an alleged abduction attempt in Menlo, Wednesday. Authorities say at 11:51 am, the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a possible child abduction attempt in Menlo.  An 11 year old female child said she was walking near Panora St. and 4th St. when a vehicle approached her and asked for directions to Omaha.

When the young female approached the vehicle, a white male wearing a black ski mask and a Green Bay Packers ball cap exited the passenger side of the vehicle and grabbed the victim by her shoulder. The victim reacted appropriately and put up a fight and was able to run to a neighboring house where 911 was called.

The vehicle was described as a white 2000’s model SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Tahoe, with rust near the passenger wheel wells. The Stuart Police Department responded initially due to the sheriff’s office being occupied with Wednesday’s other arrest. Later in the afternoon, the sheriff’s office conducted a multi-hour investigation into the incident reviewing surveillance cameras around town and interviewing numerous witnesses. The vehicle is no longer believed to be in the Guthrie County area.

Information regarding the situation has been passed on to law enforcement state wide. If anyone in the Menlo area has additional information about the vehicle or its occupants, authorities want to speak with you. Call the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office at (641)747-2214. The sheriff’s office does believe this is a valid report and urges parental caution when children are traveling alone in the public.

State officials confirm two Japanese automakers are considering Iowa as a possible location for a major new manufacturing plant. Iowa is among 11 states trying to lure the joint venture by Toyota and Mazda. The one-point-six billion dollar plant would employ up to four-thousand workers. Tina Hoffman, communications director for the Iowa Economic Development Authority, says it would be a huge boost for Iowa to land such a facility.

Hoffman says, “This is a fabulous opportunity for our state and it’s one that we are doing our best to really put our best food forward and show all the reasons why that facility could be really important to Iowa’s economy and better yet, to really benefit the company if they were to locate here.” One of several factors in Iowa’s favor is the fact many manufacturing plants are already in Iowa that create a host of parts and components for the automotive industry. “Certainly, having those supply chain companies all right here and in place is a benefit to the company,” Hoffman says. “It will be something that we tout along the way.”

Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer is John Deere, best known for its agricultural equipment. Over the decades, Iowa has been home to several automakers, including the Velie Motors Corporation in the Quad Cities, which was in operation from 1908 to 1928. There was also a parts and body production plant for Ford’s Model T in Des Moines during the same time frame, which closed in 1932. “You don’t have to look in history to see that Iowa is a manufacturing state,” Hoffman says. “While we don’t manufacture cars, we certainly manufacture many, many other products. In fact, the largest sector of our economy is advanced manufacturing so a facility like that would be right at home here in the state.”

Iowa’s unemployment rate is among the nation’s lowest, which could be interpreted as a negative for trying to land a plant that would need a skilled workforce of four-thousand, but on that element, Hoffman remains upbeat. “Our employees are hard workers, they know how to manufacture great products,” Hoffman says. “This plant would be right at home here in Iowa.”

Reports say Toyota/Mazda hopes to have the plant operating by 2021. No potential locations for the plant in Iowa are being released.

(Radio Iowa)

Someone who purchased a Powerball ticket at Wings America in Avoca, has won a $1-million prize. Officials with the Iowa Lottery say the ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball. Wings America will receive a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket at one of its locations.

Another Iowa ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. It was purchased at Kum & Go, 1200 N. Walnut St. in Colfax. The winning numbers in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing were: 12-30-36-47-62 and Powerball 9. The Power Play® number was 4.   

No one won Wednesday’s jackpot, so the big prize grows to an estimated $356 million annuity ($224 million lump-sum option) for Saturday’s drawing.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says one person was arrested Wednesday evening, and a non-injury accident took place Wednesday morning. 21-year old John Terrance Wigley, of Ft. Dodge, was arrested Wednesday at the Webster County Jail, on an outstanding Audubon County warrant for Violation of Probation. Wigley was being held in the jail on $1,000 bond.

And, an accident happened at around 10:30-a.m. Wednesday about three miles east of Audubon. Officials say a 2001 Chevy Blazer driven by 54-year old Darvin Joseph Wittrock, of Audubon, was traveling east on 200th Street at the same time a 2001 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 17-year old Aaron Robert Gust, of Audubon, was traveling west. The vehicles sideswiped each other at the crest of a hill, causing damage to both vehicles’ left front tires. Afterward, the SUV came to rest in the south ditch, while the pickup stopped on the eastbound lane of the road. The accident remains under investigation.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a man on an assault charge, Wednesday. 40-year old Charles F. Hamlin, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Assault without causing serious injury, in connection with an incident involving a man from LaVista, NE., who was an acquaintance.

The Sheriff’s Office said also, 42-year old Robert Lee Robinson, Jr., of Underwood, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, on a warrant for Failure to Appear in Court. The warrant was with regard to a Domestic Abuse Assault.

A woman visiting the Pott. County Jail, 34-year old Misty Lee Petterson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, on a warrant for 5th degree theft. 24-year old Kenzie Marie Annin, of Council Bluffs, was also arrested at the Jail, on a warrant for Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card/fraud.

Wednesday evening, a Pott. County Deputy temporarily took into custody 39-year old Nathaniel Niles Sorensen, of Oakland, for Driving While Revoked. Soresen was cited at the scene of a traffic stop and then released.  A traffic stop at around 3-a.m. today (Thursday), in Pott. County, resulted in the arrest of 40-year old Aaron Daniel Jerome, of Council Bluffs, for OWI/1st offense.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Director Mark Lowe unveiled three potential designs for Iowa’s new license plate Thursday morning at the Iowa State Fair. “The designs represent elements of what makes us Iowans,” Gov. Reynolds said. “We are patriotic. We are forward thinking. We take pride in our state’s natural beauty. And we embrace contributions from both the rural and urban areas of our state.”

“License plates offer Iowans the opportunity to display the spirit of our state wherever they go,” Lt. Gov. Gregg said. “Each of the three designs represents the state of Iowa in its own unique way.”

The designs were created by Iowa DOT graphic artists with input from the governor’s office and several state agencies.       The new plate will replace the county standard plate which currently carries a blue and white city and country design. Right now, there will be no change to collegiate plates or other specialty plates that do not include this design. The city and country plate design has been in place since 1998 and accounts for about 4.2 million of the 4.4 million plates in circulation.

Once a design is chosen, the new plate will be available sometime in 2018. Plates with the new designs will be issued to vehicle owners whenever they add or change vehicles and obtain new county standard plates and whenever they replace lost or stolen county standard plates. In addition, Iowans who currently have county standard plates will receive replacement plates with the new design when their current plate reaches the end of its 10-year replacement cycle. Vehicle owners who want a new plate sooner may purchase a set from their local county treasurer’s office for $5.

Iowans can cast a vote for their favorite design at the DOT’s booth (number 762-764) in the Varied Industries Building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds or online at iowadot.gov/StateFair/PickAPlate.aspx. Voting will be open Aug. 10-20.