A deadly stretch of highway between Blue Grass and Muscatine claims anotherlife. Five people have died in traffic wrecks on a four-mile-stretch of Highway 61over past 18 days. Since 1996, 16 people have died on the two-lane stretchof highway. The latest victim: 16-year-old Zachary Russell of Bluegrass. His 18-year-old brother, Lee — a well-known athlete at Davenport AssumptionHigh School, is critically injured. The brothers were on their way home andwaiting to turn when their car was clipped by a pick-up truck trying to passon the right shoulder. That pushed the Russell boy’s car into the path of asemi. The truck driver has not been named, but charges are pending. Recently police set up a speed trap to check the area over Memorial Dayweekend and 119 speeding tickets were issued.
