Officer killed in accident after shift at Rock County jail

JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) - A correctional officer died in a car accident that happened on his way home from a shift at the Rock County jail. The county sheriff's office says 44-year-old Dale Bryant, of Evansville, crossed the centerline on Highway 14 between Janesville and Evansville at 3 p.m. Saturday.
He crashed head-on with a semi-tractor pulling a milk trailer. The driver of the truck and his wife were uninjured. Highway 14 was closed for six hours while the Wisconsin State Patrol investigated. The sheriff's office says Bryant was not wearing a seat belt, but the couple was wearing their belts.

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National speed limit pushed as gas saver

WASHINGTON -- An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.

Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, asked Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to look into what speed limit would provide optimum gasoline efficiency given current technology. He said he wants to know if the administration might support efforts in Congress to require a lower speed limit.

Congress in 1974 set a national 55 mph speed limit because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was repealed in 1995 when crude oil dipped to $17 a barrel and gasoline cost $1.10 a gallon.

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Iowa 80 Museum Visitors Center grand opening set for July 10

The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum will celebrate the opening of its new Museum Visitors Center with a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, during the Walcott Truckers Jamboree.

The public is welcome. Everyone attending the ribbon cutting is invited to tour the museum. Refreshments will be provided.

The Museum Visitors Center adds 5,000 square feet to the existing structure, bringing the total to approximately 20,000 square feet. The addition includes a movie theater, more truck display space, restrooms and a gift store.

“This museum was a dream of my father’s,” said Delia Moon Meier. “We are very excited that we have been able to expand the museum. Visitors will be amazed. It is an honor for us to share trucking’s history with the general public.”

Now the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum can house a total of 45 trucks for display at any given time. A sidewalk has also been constructed from the truck parking area to the museum so professional drivers can easily visit. While there is no set admission fee to the museum, donations are requested.

Four-hour parking limit in Virginia county

Dennis Sullivan was minutes away from being out of hours on Monday, June 30, when he pulled in to get his scale ticket at the Pilot Travel Center in New Kent, VA.

His plan was to stop and take his 10-hour break at the truck stop before heading back home to Marquand, MO, for the July Fourth holiday weekend. However, he said a sign he saw posted at the truck stop stopped him in his tracks.

“There were signs posted everywhere that said there was a four-hour maximum on parking because of a county ordinance that limits the number of hours trucks can park there.”

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Paving projects closing multiple roads this year

FAIRFIELD COUNTY - Residents along Duffy Road and Delmont Road can expect to see orange barrels and construction equipment this summer as projects to pave and widen roads in the city and county get underway.

But county officials are assuring residents the projects shouldn't cause too many delays.

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OSHA investigates 'Ax Men'

In 11 years as a logger, Stump Branch Logging owner Melvin Lardy of Banks has never seen an Occupational Health and Safety Administration inspector.

So, when one suddenly showed up after the airing of "Ax Men," the History Channel's television series featuring Stump Branch and three other Northwest Oregon logging companies, he was a little suspicious.

Since the series first aired in March, OSHA inspectors have also paid visits to the logging operations of Astoria's J.M. Browning Logging and Pihl Logging of Vernonia - two other companies featured on the national reality TV show. So far, inspectors have steered clear of a fourth company, Gustafson Logging of Astoria.

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Negotiations In Cement Truck Driver Strike On Hold Until Monday

A cement truck driver strike that has stalled work at construction sites throughout the city could go on for at least another week.

Negotiations between the union and the Association of New York City Concrete Producers are not expected to resume until Monday.

More than 400 drivers from Local 282 walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

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Area police host event encouraging safe driving

GRUNDY COUNTY -- A lot of motorists heading west on Interstate 80 Thursday got some face time with a state trooper.

But instead of giving them a ticket, Trooper Mark Dorencz offered brats, burgers, beverages, maps and other goodies.

Dorencz also had literature and safety tips for visitors to the rest area between Minooka and Morris as part of an effort to promote safe driving over the Independence Day weekend.

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Pell City, Alabama officer hurt in wreck dies

A Pell City police officer injured last month when a tractor-trailer hit his patrol car died Friday.

Greg Surles, 29, died Friday morning at University Hospital, said hospital spokesman Troy Goodman.

Surles, a six-year veteran of the Pell City Police Department, had become the center of a community fundraising effort after his accident on June 18. Friends had staged a benefit walk, a blood drive was planned and police from other towns had offered to fill in so his fellow officers could visit him in the hospital.

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