CHELSEA, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – Two adults and three children were injured in a crash on Highway 30 in Tama County on Thursday morning. The crash happened on Highway 30 eastbound at V Avenue near Chelsea at around 10:40 a.m. The Tama County Sheriff’s Office said a semi-truck was turning south onto V Avenue and a passenger car did not see the truck slowing down and rear-ended it. All five people in the car–two adults and three children (ages 9, 11 and 12)–were taken to the hospital. The adults had minor injuries, while their children had facial injuries, with one of them suffering a skull fracture. The children were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, according to the sheriff’s office. The driver of the semi-truck was not injured. The sheriff’s office said the crash was weather-related.
POMEROY, Iowa (KTIV) – Two people are still recovering and one person has been charged after a shooting in a Northwest Iowa town. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office says 22-year-old Nicholas Benedict is facing multiple charges for a shooting in Pomeroy, including willful injury, going armed with intent, and reckless use of a firearm. On Tuesday, two people were sent to the hospital after a shooting in a Pomeroy apartment. Pomeroy is located in Calhoun County and is just north of Rockwell City. It has a population of just over 500. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office said on Dec. 31 that they believed the shooting started as a fight inside the apartment that escalated into “an exchange of gunfire involving multiple individuals.” The two sent to the hospital because of this shooting are still recovering from their gunshot wounds. Both are expected to survive. Court documents show Benedict is accused of firing a gun and seriously injuring another person. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the apartment where this happened was located on Cayuga Street and two people involved in the shooting were taken into custody from a home in Manson, a town located just east of Pomeroy. Only Benedict has been charged for the shooting and he is being held in the Carroll County Jail on a $29,000 bond. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison. Authorities are still investigating the shooting and say they will provide further updates as more information becomes available. In a previous news release, authorities said they had accounted for everyone involved in the shooting and there was no threat to the public.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa-native Peggy Whitson is set to command another commercial spaceflight. Axiom Mission 4 will take Whitson and a crew of international partners to space to dock with the International Space Station. The crew is made up of Whitson; Shubhanshu Shukla, of India; Sławosz Uznański, of Poland; and Tibor Kapu, of Hungary. The mission will mark the first time India, Poland and Hungary will execute a mission on the International Space Station. Axiom Space’s website says the crew members are still pending approval by NASA, and international partners, to fly to the International Space Station. Whitson said the mission is not only an advancement of scientific knowledge, but also a fostering of international collaboration. ”Our previous missions set the stage and with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars,” Whitson said in the post. Axiom Space said its goal is to redefine the pathway to low-Earth orbit and to elevate national space programs across the world. Axiom Space is also building the first commercial space station, which it expects to launch in 2026. The company completed its first private mission to the International Space Station in 2022. Axiom Mission 4 will mark Whitson’s second time as commander of a commercial human spaceflight mission. An exact date for the launch has not been set, but Axiom Space’s website says it’s expected to launch no earlier than Spring 2025. Once it does launch, it’s expected to be docked at the International Space Station for up to 14 days. Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, has spent more time in outer space than any American, and any woman worldwide. She grew up on a farm in Beaconsfield, a town in Ringgold County, Iowa, with a population of just 32 people. She said she applied to be an astronaut with NASA for 10 years before she was finally accepted.
FORT ATKINSON, Iowa (KCRG) – An employee of the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office is facing charges of theft and sales tax evasion, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday. While the sheriff’s office is conducting an internal investigation, it has also requested an investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Investigators have not released details about the alleged criminal misconduct yet. However, the employee in question, Makenz Kriener, 33, of Fort Atkinson, was charged with D Felony Sales Tax Evasion and Simple Misdemeanor Theft 5th. The investigation remains ongoing. No additional details have been released at this time.
