Month: October 2023

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a multiple vehicle accident at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday, October 20^th. A vehicle pulling a trailer was traveling southbound on Highway 61 when a second vehicle struck the rear left side of the trailer.

According to reports, the second vehicle, owned and operated by Jason Trome, of Warsaw, Illinois, was attempting to pass the trailer in the left lane when a different vehicle came speeding by. This caused Trome to merge back into the lane of the trailer, which caused them to collide.

Trome and the driver of the first vehicle, Stanley Ball of Montrose, exchanged information on scene.

Jason Trome was uninjured and left the scene. Stanley Ball complained of no injuries at the time and reported the accident that at 10:37am on Saturday, the 21^st. He went to the hospital the night of the accident complaining of chest pain and was diagnosed with three broken ribs.

There was a multiple vehicle collision on Saturday, October 21^st, that resulted in a flipped car. In the 2500 block of Highway 218, Stephanie Gould of Donnelson was driving a Chevy southbound, when the driver of a Ford pulled out from a stop sign into the path of Goulds’ vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle was identified as Fanueli Byamnobe, of Houston, Texas.

The Ford was struck by the Chevy, which caused the Ford to flip onto its driver side and end up on the southeast end of the intersection. Gould’s’ Chevy traveled south for 50 more yards before pulling off to the side, and the airbags were deployed. Gould complained of knee pain after being looked at by Lee County EMS. She was then transported to Fort Madison Hospital by a family member, and the vehicle was towed.

Byamnobe did not complain of any injuries and was assessed by Lee County EMS. His vehicle was towed and he was cited for failure to yield upon entering through highway.

Governor Kim Reynolds announced new grant awards for Iowa’s community colleges that will help expand the use of modernized infrastructure needed for programs that help individuals obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

The Iowa CDL Infrastructure Grant program is awarding nearly 5 million dollars ($4,844,092) to 10 of Iowa’s community colleges, which will support new equipment and the creation/remodeling of driver training facilities. With these new investments, the colleges’ CDL programs will be able to support an estimated total increase of 1,305 program participants in their annual class size.

“The pathway to finding a job as a truck driver, one of our most-needed occupations, runs through getting a CDL license,” said Governor Reynolds. “It’s important that we do everything we can to not only make it easier for individuals to obtain these licenses, but also to support the long-term viability of the programs that made it possible to gain that experience right here in Iowa.”

Grant funds will help support the building, purchasing, or remodeling of training infrastructure that prepares drivers for meeting CDL requirements. Funds will be administered as reimbursement, and programs must offer competency-based training courses and/or a training course that would allow someone to complete training and take the licensing exam within a 30-day window. Colleges receiving grant funds also have agreed to a 5-year tuition freeze for their CDL programs once the project from this award is complete.

“Increasing the CDL pipeline is crucial to sustaining and improving our economy. We are chronically short of drivers and Governor Reynolds’ continued investment in our community colleges should help accomplish this goal,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “This investment today will also give Iowa employers a leg up in recruiting more individuals in our state who have a CDL and are workforce ready.”

For more information on the grant program and for a list of awardees visit https://futurereadyiowa.gov/CDL