In an update to our story Sunday morning about a collision between a Red Oak Police cruiser and a compact car, an Iowa State Patrol investigation resulted in a citation being issued to Red Oak Reserve Police Officer Collin Weaver. Weaver was cited for Failure to Signal when required.

The accident happened at around 3:45-p.m. Saturday on Highway 34 at the intersection with Eastern Avenue, in Red Oak. Officials say Officer Weaver was traveling east on Highway 34 near the intersection with Eastern Avenue, when he saw a vehicle going in the opposite direction traveling in excess of the posted speed limit. When he attempted to initiate a U-turn to stop the speeding vehicle, his 2011 Ford Crown Victoria was hit by a 2000 Ford Focus driven by Cheyenne Hilgerson, of Red Oak, as she was traveling east on Highway 34. The car is registered to Angela Booker, of Red Oak.

Authorities said Reserve Officer Weaver’s vision may have been partially obstructed by the prisoner cage in the rear of his vehicle. Officials say Hilgerson hit the brakes in an attempt to avoid the collision, but was unable to do so in time. The car hit the left rear of the police cruiser, causing a total of $7,000 damage. Following the collision, the patrol car spun and came to rest in the westbound lane of Highway 34.

Officer Weaver, Hilgerson and two others in her vehicle, Brian Wickham, of Red Oak, and Mack Ellison, of Stanton,  were transported to the Montgomery County Hospital, for treatment of minor injuries and complaints of pain.

Cass County is among the 99 counties in Iowa that are expected to participate in the annual tornado drill this Wednesday, March 25th. Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon says as in the past, outdoor warning sirens will be activated in cities throughout Cass County at or near 10:15 a.m., NOAA weather radios will sound an alert and Cass County residents, businesses and schools will be asked to respond as they would to an actual severe weather event.

New this year, is Cass County’s mass notification system, which will transmit a voice message warning to every landline telephone and an emergency text will be sent to all subscribers to the Cass Emergency Notification System. Kennon says “My hope is that we can get more subscribers to the county mass notification system. You can’t receive local emergency warning texts unless you register your cell phone. Subscribing is quick, easy and free.”

To register, residents can click on a link found on the kjan.com homepage (or  http://entry.inspironlogistics.com/cass_ia/wens.cfm) and sign up. You’ll enter your cell phone, e-mail and/or pager number, city and zip code. There are also links to register on the Cass County website homepage www.casscountyiowa.us, the Cass Co EMA Facebook page www.facebook.com/CassCoEMA, and the Cass Co Sheriffs Facebook page www.facebook.com/casscountysheriff.

The annual State wide tornado drill is the highlight of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division and the National Weather Service’s Severe Weather Awareness Week that runs from March 23rd through March 27th, 2015. Severe Weather Awareness Week is an annual event to remind Iowans that severe weather is part of living in our state and that understanding the risks and how to respond to them can save lives.

ISU Theatre’s spring musical, Les Misérables, based on the French novel by Victor Hugo, opens April 10th at 7:30 p.m. in Fisher Theater. Universally beloved as one of the world’s most popular musicals, Les Misérables is a passionate story of redemption, sacrifice, and love, and it is filled with some of musical theatre’s most powerful and iconic songs, including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” and “Do You Hear the People Sing.” ISU Theatre’s production features students of Iowa State as well as children from Boone, Ankeny, and Ames.

Area students taking part in the production include: Angela Burg (assistant stage manager), a senior in Performing Arts from Bridgewater; Austin Farwell, a senior in Performing Arts from Council Bluffs; Sam Johnson, a senior in Music, from Atlantic; and Samantha Koontz, a senior in Performing Arts, from Lewis.

Sam Johnson, from Atlantic

Samantha Koontz, from Lewis.

In addition to the April 10, 7:30 p.m. performance, other performances are scheduled for April 11, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on Sunday, April 12 and April 19 at 2 p.m. Admission is $24 for seniors and adults and $16 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office in Ames (located in the ground floor of Stephens Auditorium at Lincolnway and Beach Avenue) 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the door in Fisher Theater, although advance purchase is strongly suggested.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report a woman from Malvern was arrested Saturday morning. 42-year old Carrie Darlene Dejarnett was taken into custody on Warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. Her bond was set at $2,000.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs man is currently in first place in voting for the chance to do his dream job by spending two weeks in Norway as a photographer. The Daily Nonpareil reports that voters have put 35-year-old Jeremiah Knutson in first place on DreamJobbing.com, which works with companies to place people from across the United States in their dream jobs. Past positions include a week as a producer for CBS television and backup singer for Michael Bolton.

The winner of the competition will travel Norway taking photos and maintain a journal about the adventure. As of Saturday, Knutson has 3,051 votes. The trip would also be an opportunity for Knutson, who is of Norwegian heritage, to visit relatives and explore his history. The organization was created by three people with ties to reality television shows.

Two people were arrested recently in Fremont County on drug & child endangerment charges. The Sheriff’s Department says 31-year old Lacey Jo Smalley, of Clarinda, was arrested Saturday for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Child Endangerment. On Friday, deputies arrested 38-year old Michael Shawn Beltran, of Bellevue, NE., for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Driving Under Suspension, and Child Endangerment.

With Ric Hanson.

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Lead paint on window frame/sill

A few recent incidents are serving as a reminder that childhood lead poisoning continues to be a serious concern in Iowa. Kevin Officer, with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), says one Iowa toddler was recently hospitalized with unusually high blood-lead levels. Health inspectors found several lead-based paint hazards in the child’s home, which was built more than a century ago.

“One the issues he had was he was actually picking at the paint and putting it in his mouth,” Officer says. In another recent case, a toddler was treated for lead poisoning after biting around windows in a rental home built in the early 1900s. Officer says children could be at higher risk for lead poisoning if they live in homes built before 1960. Seven years ago, Iowa passed a law requiring kids be tested for lead poisoning before they enter grade school.

“There has been, since about 2008, much more awareness of lead poisoning and the need to have kids under the age of six tested,” Officer says. Lead poisoning is a more widespread problem in Iowa, compared to other states, because Iowa has a lot of older homes in rural communities. “In Iowa, we have a lot of rental properties and those properties aren’t always maintained as well over the years,” Officer says. “Those are a lot of the ones where we do see problems with renters who come and go and the maintenance isn’t always up to where it should be to maintain that paint.”

An Iowa law that took effect in 2011 requires contractors and landlords to be “lead certified” to do work in homes and child-occupied facilities built prior to 1978. More information about lead screening and the proper method for lead paint removal is posted on the IDPH website.: www.idph.state.ia.us/LPP/Default.aspx

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Creston report the arrest Saturday afternoon of a man on a Union County warrant for Domestic Abuse by Strangulation, and False Imprisonment. 55-year old Michael Alan Fry, of Creston, was arrested at around 1:15-p.m. and later released on $5,000 bond.

40-year old Dwain Michael Ripperger, of Afton, was arrested early Sunday morning by Creston Police, for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Ripperger was later released on $1,000 bond.

Sunday afternoon, 18-year old Brandon Lane Barrett, of Afton, was arrested at the Union County Jail on warrants for Theft in the 2nd Degree, Conspiracy to Commit a non-forcible felony, and Burglary in the 3rd degree. Barrett was being held in the jail on $5 ,000 bond.

Also arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on Sunday, was 52-year old Louis Michael Bender, of Creston, who was charged with Driving While Suspended. Bender was subsequently released on $300 bond.

On Friday, 57-year old James Matthew Portwood, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County LEC on two warrants for Theft in the 3rd Degree. He was later released on a bond of unknown amount.  And on Saturday, 22-year old Trevor James Perrigo, of Creston, was arrested on a charge of Public Intoxication. He was later released on $300 bond.

Creston Police said also, a resident reported that someone had taken a pair of “Beats by Dre” headphones. The item was taken from 401 S. Vine Street sometime between January and February. The loss was estimated at $500.

The 7:05-a.m. Newscast w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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