COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa— Family, friends and co-workers of a Iowa Department of Transportation worker from Neola who was killed on the job last Thursday, will honor 36-year-old Matthew Dickerson, later this week. Funeral services for Matt Dickerson will be held 10-a.m. Thursday, May 23rd, at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home in Council Bluffs. The Iowa State Patrol says Dickerson was hit and killed last week while working on Interstate 80, northeast of Council Bluffs.

According to troopers, a UPS driver from Pennsylvania hit Dickerson while trying to pass a semi in a construction zone. In a statement posted online, the Iowa DOT says it was “heartbroken and shocked” by Dickerson’s death.

Matthew Dickerson

Officials say it’s a reminder of the risks workers face, and they urge all drivers to prioritize safety on the roads, especially in work zones.

FORT DODGE, Iowa [KCCI] – An Eagle Grove man is facing felony homicide charges six months after police say he blew through a stop sign in rural Webster County, slamming into another car, killing a 13-year-old passenger. 38-year-old Logan A. Christensen, of Eagle Grove, is charged with homicide by vehicle – operating under the influence, a Class B felony; serious injury by vehicle – OWI, a Class C felony; and failure to obey a stop sign, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to court documents, around 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2023, Christensen was driving a 2015 Dodge Ram when he failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of 110th Street and Union Avenue in far northeast Webster County. A 2014 Toyota Camry driven by Sara Sanga, of Hardy, was northbound on Union Avenue when Christensen’s truck struck the passenger side, landing both vehicles in the ditch, where the Camry hit a utility pole and rolled. The driver of the vehicle, Sara Sanga, sustained serious injuries and was taken to a Des Moines hospital by air ambulance. Sanga’s 13-year-old son, Kyle Hilbert, died at the scene.

A search warrant application shows the Iowa State Patrol troopers on the scene observed Christensen have slurred, mumbled speech, and an odor of alcohol coming from both Christensen and the inside of his vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, a blood sample showed Christensen’s blood alcohol content was .041%, below the legal limit of .08% to drive a motor vehicle. However, Christensen’s sample also tested positive for both cocaine and THC, the psychoactive component in the cannabis plant.

Court records show charges were filed on April 18 and Christensen posted $30,000 cash bail on May 10. It is not clear when, exactly, Christensen was arrested. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 5. According to court records, Christensen told Iowa State Patrol troopers at the scene that he had two “Captain and Cokes” earlier in the day and that he was driving to pick up his daughter. Christensen has two previous OWI convictions, one from 2004 and one from 2013, records show.

(Radio Iowa) – As Waterloo residents work to revitalize old industrial areas, concerns are mounting about the safety of those sites, like the Chamberlain ammunition plant which was abandoned some 40 years. Residents want to tear it down and put affordable housing in its place, but the E-P-A has said the soil is toxic. Margo Collins-Draine, who’s lived in the neighborhood since the late ’60s, wants to see more help from the agency beyond just a warning sign. “They’re coming in and they’re giving consultations, but they’re not putting their money where their mouth is,” Collins-Draine says. “They need to do more as far as funding sources to help the city out.”

Collins-Draine says Chamberlain and other factories left Waterloo nearly 50 years ago, and the city was left with few options. “HUD didn’t come in, EPA didn’t come in. Nothing was ever treated. The groundwater wasn’t treated,” she says. “Most of them were along either the Cedar River or tributaries to the Cedar River, so there’s contamination.”

The E-P-A named the Chamberlain compound a “brownfield” site several years ago, preventing any immediate development of the property. The site is currently fenced off without signage indicating the danger.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests. On Sunday, 19-year-old Trevor Brant, of Glenwood, was arrested on two-counts each of; Criminal Mischief; Burglary in the 3rd Degree, and Assault. Brant was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $12,000 cash-only bond.

And, on Saturday, Glenwood Police arrested 34-year-old Salman Elias, of Lincoln, NE, for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.  Elias posted bond and was released.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports five recent arrests. Two people were arrested on drug charges: 28-year-old Blake Alan McDole, of Creston, was arrested Friday for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense. McDole was later released on a $1,300 bond. And, 19-year-old Zai Land Amarion Glover, of Johnston, was arrested Sunday night for PCS/Marijuana – 1st offense.  Glover was released on a $1,000 bond.

Two people were arrested on an OWI charge this past week, in Creston: 71-year-old Charles Thomas Franklin Brown, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense at around 1:47-a.m., Saturday. And, 38-year-old Dulce Estrella Pantoja, of Lenox, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Bonds for both individuals was set at $1,000.

And, last Thursday evening, Creston Police arrested 40-year-old Abel Olivera Martinez, of Creston, at his residence. Martinez was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault [on a] Resident Household Member. He was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $1,000 bond.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – A Dubuque Police Officer was arrested late last week on assault and harassment charges. KCRG reports 27-year-old Tyler Breitbach was arrested on multiple domestic abuse charges on Friday morning. Breitbach, of Peosta, is facing two counts of domestic assault and one count of third-degree harassment.

Court documents show a woman Breitbach had dated and lived with reported that he assaulted her twice in the summer of 2023. In the first incident, the woman described that in June 2023, the two were driving home on Swiss Valley Road, when Breitbach had “gotten upset and swung his arm out at her, striking her in the face with an open hand causing pain and leaving injury.”

In a second incident, documents say the woman was visiting an ex-boyfriend in July 2023. The woman says Breitbach arrived, and when she opened the door, he “used an extended arm to push her to the side and into the wall as he barged his way past her,” which she says forced her back into the wall, causing pain.

According to a report from the Telegraph Herald, City of Dubuque Public Information Officer Randy Gehl said the report came to light during the city’s annual review of harassment and reporting policies. The documents show Breitbach was interviewed in April 2024, and denied any physical contact with the woman, saying the relationship was “toxic but never physical.”

DUBUQUE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a man was found dead underneath a tractor Sunday evening. The sheriff’s office says emergency crews responded to the area of Wente Road and Pape Road north of Dyersville at 8:14 p.m. for a report of a tractor rollover with a person trapped. When crews arrived, they found a 61-year-old man dead underneath the tractor. The man has not been identified.

The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office says more information will be released after family members are notified. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Dyersville Police Department, New Vienna-Luxemburg Fire Department, and Bi-County EMS responded to the scene.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy reports his officers are teaming-up with Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB), to ensure drivers are buckled-up as they travel roads in Montgomery County. The “Click It or Ticket” traffic safety campaign is underway now through June 1st.

Authorities note, that as of May 18th, there had been 56 fatalities on Iowa’s roads that involved a vehicle with seat belts. HALF of the motorists in those accidents were NOT wearing their seat belts. The Red Oak Police Department wants to remind everyone of these simple things:

• Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing safety issues on the roadway today. Be attentive and put the phone down.
• When you wear your seat belt, as a front-seat passenger in a vehicle, your risk of fatal injury is reduced by 45-percent. Seat belts save lives!

Chief Rhamy and the Red Oak P-D would like to remind you to “Click It or Ticket” during this public safety campaign and each time you get behind the wheel.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s spring turkey hunting season wrapped up with a record harvest of just more than 16-thousand birds, topping the record set last season by around 12-hundred. D-N-R Wildlife Research Biologist Jim Coffey says the records are one good thing to come from the dry weather. “We’ve had three good years of back to back hatches, and then just some exceptional weather that just made for good turkey hunting conditions,” he says. The weather allowed more young turkeys to survive after hatching. “Typically cold wet weather is not good for ground nesting birds so drought conditions we tend to see a bump up in production,” Coffey says. “It can be too dry as you get farther west that can have an impact, but we kind of hit the sweet spot the last few years.”

He says more hunters chase the elusive wild turkeys. “So success rate right now will probably be about the same and that 25 percent category, but we did see an increase in license sales as well. And that’s usually an indication of people noticing more birds on the landscape or more game to chase,” he says. “And so we always usually see a little bit of an uptick in hunter numbers when we see an uptick in populations.” Coffey says bagging a wild turkey is one of the tougher challenges. “They can be very difficult, they’re very weary they’ve got great eyesight and great hearing and they don’t give you a lot of room for error if you’re a new inexperienced hunter and even a seasoned hunter that Turkey is a difficult query to get after,” Coffey says.

Coffey says the turkey numbers could be strong again next season. “This year with extreme rain we’re having will probably you know speculating see a downturn in the population. But we have to remember that it’s usually the two year old birds are what carry the numbers,” he says. “And so next year is birds will really be the ones that were hatched last year and 2023. So we should have good turkey numbers for another year or two depending on how the weather lays out the next couple of years.”

Coffey says wild turkeys won’t be the same as the ones you buy at the grocery store. “They’re a little drier because they don’t have the fat that a domestic bird does. And of course domestic birds are bred for that delicious taste and that moist moisture content,” Coffey says. “We have to remember that most domestic birds are less than six months old. And most of the males that we’re harvesting in the field of the wild, they’re probably two years old. So kind of think of a fit athlete. The muscle is a little tighter, a little more structure to it, and not as much fat in it.”

Hunters report taking turkeys in all 99 counties — with a high of 649 birds bagged in Clayton County to a low of three in Osceola County.

(Radio Iowa) – We’re just past the halfway point for Iowa’s tornado season, and while twisters can strike during any month of the year, April, May and June are considered the three prime months for tornadic activity. Meteorologist Mike Fowle, at the National Weather Service in Johnston, says it’s been a very active season so far.  “Our preliminary numbers suggest we have seen 43 tornadoes,” Fowle says. “Interestingly enough, all of those have occurred in the month of April. We are still investigating some reports back from our previous events, say from April 26th, we’re still investigating so it’s possible we could still add a tornado or two from some of these events.” While the tornado tally doesn’t set an Iowa record, Fowle says it -is- an impressive number.

“For 43 tornadoes for a month, that’s pretty darn high,” Fowle says. “We go back generally to about 1950 and forward as our more accurate trend of record, so that would have been the fourth highest number of tornadoes we’ve seen in any month, the highest being May of 2004 with 57.” We do live in tornado alley and some years they’re plentiful, while we’re spared in others. “In 2023, we had a total for the whole year in the state of Iowa of 72, while in 2022, we only had 42 for the entire year, so we obviously surpassed that in one month this year,” Fowle says, “and then if we go back even just one more year to 2021, we had a total of 114 tornadoes.”

The bulk of the 2021 tornadoes occurred on December 15th of that year, in a highly unusual late year outbreak. There were 63 tornadoes in Iowa that day, along with the first-ever December derecho anywhere in the U-S.