Thunderstorm winds or possibly a tornado caused a Union Pacific Train to derail early this (Thursday) morning, in Crawford County. Emergency Management Coordinator Greg Miller told KJAN News some of the train’s container cars derailed between 2-and 2:25-a.m., about a mile and a half west of Westside. None of the cars were toppled over, though. The train was carrying some hazardous material, but as of the latest report, nothing was leaking, and no injuries were reported.

Miller said the train’s engineers swore a tornado caused the damage, as several of the containers inside the rail cars were sucked out of those cars. He said winds gusted up to 75-miles per hour for a short time. All the crossings are open in area towns, but power lines were down in several communities. Charter Oak, Dow City and Denison all reported scattered power outages. Winds just southwest of Denison at the airport, peaked at 87-mph at around 2:15-a.m.  A few minutes earlier, winds were gusting to near 60-mph in the same area.

The National Weather Service says Arcadia, in Carroll County, was hit with near 60-mph winds and quarter-sized hail at around 2:30-a.m. Miller said the town was hit pretty hard.  Elsewhere, a resident of Audubon County who lives about 7-to 8-miles east of Exira off 280^th Street, reports a solid wood corn crib that’s stood the test of time for over 50-years, was blown over sometime between 2:25-and 2:45-a.m. today.  And, a little southwest of Minden, in Dallas County, half-dollar size hail was reported at around 2:35-a.m.

Police in Red Oak, Wednesday night arrested a man on a Montgomery County warrant for 3rd Degree Harassment. 39-year old Richard Allen Straw, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:50-p.m. in the 200 block of W. Washington Avenue. Straw was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 cash bond.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responding to a report of a person trying to break into a home late Tuesday night ended-up arresting a man on a trio of charges. Richard Alexander, of Corning, was taken into custody for Public Intoxication, Criminal Mischief, and Domestic Abuse.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a fist fight in a field late Tuesday evening resulted in an arrest. Deputies were notified of the incident just before 8-p.m. Upon further investigation, Jose Huerta of Prescott was placed under arrest for Interference With Official Acts.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 1:40 a.m. CDT

Iowa artists who want to work on a grand scale are urged to apply for the opportunity to paint a large mural highlighting conservation and water quality efforts in Iowa. The mural will be created during the Iowa State Fair in August. Dustin Vande Hoef, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, explains the goal of the project:

“We really want to showcase all of the aspects of Iowa agriculture,” Vande Hoef says. “Certainly, the livestock production, the beef and pork and dairy, the turkey production, the eggs as well, but also, the corn and soybeans as well as the specialty crops like grapes.”

The mural should serve as a visual representation of the commitment by Iowa farmers to protecting the land and improving water quality. It will be created on a six-panel, eight-by-24-foot wall in the Agricultural Building during the state fair.

Vande Hoef says, “We see it as an opportunity to highlight Iowa agriculture and the conservation and water quality efforts that are underway on our farms, in our rural small towns and in our cities.” At least a portion of the mural must be painted during the state fair, which runs August 11th through the 21st, including at least two hours each day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Artists need to apply by July 1st. In addition to being seen by perhaps hundreds of thousands of fairgoers, there’s cash compensation, too.

“The ag groups have provided $1,500 to support the artist and an additional $500 to purchase supplies, so we want to encourage artists to apply,” Vande Hoef says. “We have all of the information on our website at IowaAgriculture.gov under ‘Hot Topics.'” Besides the state ag department, the project is being sponsored by: the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Turkey Federation, Iowa Egg Council, Iowa Beef Industry Council, Midwest Dairy Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Soybean Association.

(Radio Iowa)

Forbes magazine is out with its list of the richest residents in each state and an agri-businessman from Adel is listed as Iowa’s richest person. Seventy-four-year-old Harry Stine is the founder of Stine Seed. He started experimenting with corn and soybean genetics in the 1960s and got patents on key soybean genetics in the 1990s. Forbes pegs Stine’s net worth at three-point-six billion dollars. The magazine’s website says Stine drives a Ford F-150 pick-up and lives in a small home near the Stine Seed headquarters.

Investment guru Warren Buffet is the richest person in Nebraska. South Dakota’s richest resident is a banker. The part-owner of Cargill is the richest person in Minnesota. Wisconsin’s richest person founded the Menard’s chain of home improvement stores. The richest person in Illinois is a hedge fund manager and Missouri’s richest person owns the St. Louis Rams, but recently struck a deal to move the team to Los Angeles.

(Radio Iowa)

A traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Fremont County resulted in the arrest of two men on charges of Harboring a Runaway. At around 3:15-p.m., a deputy with the Fremont County K9 Unit stopped a black 1999 Honda Accord for a registration violation near the 15-mile marker of southbound Interstate 29 near the Percival exit.

During the investigation, it was determined that a 15-year old female located in the vehicle was listed as a missing juvenile out of Granite Falls, MN. Deputies arrested 20-year old Tyjuan Brown and 18-year old Caleb Smith, both of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Harboring a Runaway, an aggravated misdemeanor. Smith was also charged with Possession of Marijuana 2nd Offense. Both men were being held at the Fremont County Jail on $2,000 bond.

Caleb Smith

Tyjuan Brown

The Fremont County K9 and the Iowa Department of Transportation assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

Police in Council Bluffs Wednesday afternoon released still frame images of an Isuzu Rodeo believed to have been involved in an accident that sent six people to the hospital Tuesday evening, one of them critically.

Possible suspect vehicle involved in the crash

The accident happened in the 3400 block of Veterans Memorial Highway (VMH) at around 6:22-p.m. Authorities say 29-year old Anna Sanchez, of Omaha,  was driving a 2004 Ford Explorer was eastbound on the VMH, approaching 35th Street, when the suspect vehicle, a red Isuzu Rodeo with a spare tire on the back, pulled out in front of her. To avoid striking the SUV, Sanchez tried to swerve around the vehicle. He SUV began rotating clockwise and entered the south ditch before it rolled over and came to rest on its roof.

There were a total of eight accident victims, all of whom are from Omaha. One of the victims, 16-year old Rosa Sanchez, suffered critical injuries. Seven-year old Gendri Ramirez Sanchez suffered a non-life threatening injury. Both were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The driver, and three other passengers ages three, 15 and 17, suffered minor injuries ranging from a bumps and bruises to a broken arm.

The Council Bluffs Police Traffic Unit is conducting an investigation into the crash. Anyone with information regarding the Isuzu Rodeo is asked to contact police at 712‐328‐4948 or 712‐328‐STOP.