May 23, 2012

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Bettendorf police say texting involved in I-74 accident

May 18, 2012 By

Police say this wreck was a result of texting and driving.

The driver hurt earlier this week in an eastern Iowa car wreck was texting. Bettendorf police say 24-year-old Jennifer DeClerck of Moline, Illinois, admitted to texting on her cell phone just before the crash on Interstate 74.

At last report, DeClerck was in fair condition at a Davenport hospital. She’d been airlifted there with serious injuries. The crash was spectacular. DeClerck lost control of her vehicle. It then went into a ditch, hit the side of an on-ramp, went airborne, hit a tree and ended in a ditch on the other side of the on-ramp.

Both northbound lanes of the interstate were closed to traffic for about 25 minutes while firefighters extricated her from the car.

By Phil Roberts, Davenport

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News

Former funeral home in Atlantic heavily damaged by fire

May 18, 2012 By

A former funeral home in Atlantic burned today.

A large house that had been a mortuary for decades in southwest Iowa was heavily damaged by fire early this morning.

The former Hockenberry-Mullen Funeral Home in Atlantic was vacant but investigators say there may’ve been people inside, either youth or vagrants.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees says it was a challenging blaze to fight. “The top story was fully engulfed when we got here,” Chief McNees says.

“We got it under control, got it knocked down. Difficult to access. We’re not sending anybody in. We’ve got a lot of bowed walls with the roof collapsed. Getting it totally out and under control will take us a while.” As yet, fire crews have not been able to gain entry to the sprawling two-story structure.

“I have absolutely no idea what may’ve caused this,” McNees says. “Rumor is, people have been in and out of here off and on, maybe staying in here but that’s undetermined. I don’t know what’s going to be left.”

The call was dispatched shortly after 3 A.M. Witnesses say the flames started on the upper floor in an area that served as an apartment above the garage. The flames quickly engulfed the upper floor as embers and thick smoke filled the air.

Firefighters doused a house across the street with water to prevent that structure from catching fire. A neighbor who lives nearly a block to the north said she could see embers flying by her house.

Story and photos by Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News

Victim identified in fatal Scott County accident

May 18, 2012 By

A motorist killed Thursday morning in an eastern Iowa car crash has been identified. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office says 40-year-old Kristine Witcraft of Bettendorf was killed in the single-car accident north of Davenport in rural Scott County.

Witcraft was driving a mini-van when she lost control on a gravel road. The van rolled and ended up on its side in the roadway. Deputies say Witcraft was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown out. She died at the scene.

By Phil Roberts, Davenport

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News

Bill waiting for governor’s approval would crack down on “storm chasers”

May 18, 2012 By

A bill awaiting Governor Branstad’s review would establish new requirements in hopes of cracking down on so-called “storm chasers.” Consumer complaints about contractors who ride into town after a tornado or other disaster, but provide substandard or no repairs at all prompted legislators to draft the bill.

Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says if the bill becomes law, contractors will have to provide a written document to the home owner, spelling out how the deal may be cancelled. “It requires contractors to provide notice to the person that is receiving the repair, the residential homeowner, prior to them entering into a contract,” McCoy says.

The lettering on that document is to be “at least 10 points” high and in “bold” which means it can’t be tiny, unreadable type at the bottom of the page. Contractors could also get into trouble for misleading marketing to home owners. McCoy says there are some common tricks.

“Misrepresenting themselves as a negotiator or an adjuster on a claim,” McCoy says. If the bill becomes law, it would be illegal for a contractor to offer a rebate or reduction on the cost of repairs that’s equal to the homeowner’s insurance deductible.

The bill also stipulates a homeowner who receives notice from their insurance company that the repairs are not covered by their home owner’s policy have three days to notify the contractor they want to cancel the work.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News, Politics & Government, Weather Tagged With: , ,

Buffalo break away, roam around northwest Iowa

May 18, 2012 By

Authorities in northwest Iowa have been spending much of this week helping round up some large animals that escaped from a ranch. About 200 buffalo broke out of their pen at a ranch in Sibley on Sunday. Chief Deputy Kevin Wollmuth, with the Osceola County Sheriff’s office, says they’ve proven hard to catch.

“They’re a lot faster than many people think,” Wollmuth said. Ranch hands have trying to corral the herd on horses and ATVs.

“If neighbors happen to spot one, they just have to call the sheriff’s office and we’ll contact the owners to let them know where they’re at,” Wollmuth said.

Most of the herd has been corralled, but a few buffalo are still on the loose. It’s not exactly clear how the animals broke out of the pen, but Wollmuth does not believe it’s a case of vandalism.

“Nobody really knows for sure, but they think it was probably a gate problem,” Wollmuth said. “It’s still under investigation, but it’s definitely something that had to do with the gate.” The buffalo have been spotted in five counties — Lyon, Osceola, Sioux and O’Brien counties in Iowa and Nobles County in Minnesota.

There have been no injuries, but Wollmuth is warning motorists to be careful while driving in the area.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Featured Story, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Human Interest, News

State issues another warning about dangers of passing a stopped school bus

May 17, 2012 By

D.O.T. illustration of proper bus safety.

Iowa motorists are being warned about the deadly risks, and the increased fines, if they pass a stopped school bus.

In north-central Iowa, the West Fork school district reports three instances of drivers passing stopped school buses near Rockwell in the past week.

Iowa State Patrol safety education officer Mark Domino says it’s illegal to pass in either direction while the school bus has its stop signal arm extended. Domino says there have been three bus-related fatalities in his district in the last two years, one of which resulted in Iowa lawmakers creating “Kadyn’s Law.”

He says when people see the flashing lights on a bus, they need to slow down and be prepared to stop. He says if a motorist hits a child, it’s going to be an ever-lasting, bad memory. Domino says drivers need to be aware when they are following or approaching a school bus and be ready to stop when the bus makes a stop to pick up a child.

Domino says people have so many things going on in the car like talking on cell phones, texting, drinking and eating, but drivers need to concentrate on the road. Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Kadyn Halverson of rural Kensett. She was hit by a motorist while crossing the road to board her school bus.

Kadyn’s Law was signed into law by Governor Branstad in March. It mandates fines of at least $250 and the possibility of jail time of up to 30 days for first time offenders. A second offense within five years would carry a fine of no less than $315 and the possibility of one year behind bars.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Education, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News

Investigators still looking for cause of explosion at Mason City plant

May 17, 2012 By

A Mason City biodiesel plant will remain closed for now after an explosion on Tuesday night. The blast at Soy Energy did cause some damage but no injuries have been reported.

President and general manager Jeff Oestmann says they’re grateful that nobody was injured in the fire. He says they’re still investigating the exact cause, but they do know it originated in a tank inside a restricted area. Oestmann says they’ve called together a team of experts to investigate what may have caused the incident and they are working proactively with local officials and the fire department to determine the cause.

He says after the investigation is complete and the tank is repaired that the plant should be back up and running. Soy Energy, which employs 40 people, produces biodiesel from soybeans and corn stillage.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News
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