PARKERSBURG, IA (IRN) – Two Parkersburg people are dead following a crash involving a semi. KCRG-TV reports the crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Friday on Highway 14 in Parkersburg. 75-year-old Dennis Bartels was stopped on the shoulder of the road checking the mail when he pulled out into oncoming traffic. A semi broadsided his vehicle. Both Bartels and 73-year-old Sharon Bartels were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi was not hurt.
BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A man who police arrested on drug and weapons charges after a hit and run accident Thursday in Burlington has escaped from police custody. KBUR-radio reports 21-year-old Antoine Lamont Tellis ran away from court security after the Judge increased his bond. Law enforcement was unable to locate him after his escape. He is considered armed and dangerous.
MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A large structure fire burned down a horse barn Friday evening in Madison County. KCCI-TV reports when firefighters arrived at the location near Cumming, they found a barn at the Maffitt Lake Equestrian Center engulfed in flames with smoke billowing into the sky. 29 horses were inside the barn at the time of the fire, and 28 escaped and have been found; one horse remains at large.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Another Iowan has been identified as having the Zika virus. The Iowa Department of Public Health identified the patient only as an adult female. She had recently traveled to Mexico, one of the areas where the mosquito borne illness is prevalent. All 19 Iowans diagnosed this year have traveled to known Zika-affected areas. None of the 13 women who’ve tested positive for the disease were pregnant. The virus causes birth defects.
LU VERNE, IA (IRN) – A north Iowa family suspects their dog, Sammy, of starting a fire that destroyed their kitchen. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports Mike Nilles, of Lu Verne, says he found 3-foot flames climbing up his kitchen cabinets. Nilles turned off the stove and alerted his wife. The couple then helped their 2-year-old daughter and four dogs escape. Nilles suspects their dog Sammy jumped onto the gas stove, and pushed the stove’s nob into the ignite position. Sammy’s a Weimaraner.