Iowa AP News

(AP) A 29-year-old motorcyclist has died after his bike collided with a car in Council Bluffs.

The Iowa State Patrol says Eric Scott Jacobsen of Council Bluffs was pronounced dead at the scene of Saturday's crash on Old Railroad Highway.

Authorities say his motorcycle struck the passenger side of a Honda Civic after the car's driver failed to yield and turned left onto 205th Street.

Police say Jacobsen was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

The car's driver, 44-year-old Annette Louise Goeser of Council Bluffs, told police that she didn't see the motorcycle before she turned.

She and two teenage passengers were transported to an area hospital with injuries. Their conditions were not immediately available.

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Body found in Des Moines River is missing man DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A body found in the Des Moines River has been identified as a 29-year-old road construction worker who disappeared on Halloween.

Des Moines police have confirmed that the body found Saturday afternoon is Bradley Wayne Paullin of Winterset.

Police say there is no sign of foul play, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Paullin was last seen walking into the woods near the river after getting into an argument at a Halloween party.

Police, rescue workers and volunteers had been searching the woods. A trained search dog went through the area earlier Saturday.

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Effort helps Iowans dispose of unwanted medication DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A pilot program launched this month will help Iowans who have unused medications stashed in medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers and elsewhere around their homes safely dispose of the drugs for free and in a more environmentally friendly way.

More than 300 pharmacies across the state will take part in the IowaTakeAway program. It was initiated through legislation passed earlier this year and is being administered by the Iowa Pharmacy Association and Sharps Compliance Corp., a Houston-based company that disposes of biomedical waste, used needles and syringes and unused medications.

Kate Gainer, vice president of professional affairs for the pharmacy association, said the goal is to provide Iowans with a safe, easy way to dispose of unwanted and expired over-the-counter and prescription medications.

"Every day pharmacists are asked 'What can we do with our unused medication?'" she said. "We were able to offer pharmacies a solution right there when patients had a question."

Gainer calls the program "very easy and very practical."

Patients can take their unused medication, in the packaging it was dispensed in, to a participating pharmacy and give it to a pharmacist. The drugs then are placed into a large tamper-resistant container that, when full, is shipped to a Sharps Compliance Corp. facility in Carthage, Texas, where law enforcement witnesses its incineration.

Program administrators said proper disposal of medications protect the environment by keeping the drugs from being flushed down the toilet or dumped into a landfill, where ingredients can leach out and contaminate groundwater. They add that it also can curb abuse by keeping the drugs out of reach of unintended users.

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Florida company helps Iowa students make it home IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Florida company is offering University of Iowa students another option for getting home.

The company, University Cab Cash, is working with Iowa City-based Yellow Cab to issue debit cards to students that they can use to catch rides. Money can be added to the cards online, then riders swipe the cards to pay a fare.

The company offers the service on about 50 campus areas nationwide and launched the effort at Iowa this summer. The area near the Iowa campus has had repeated problems with late-night assaults, prompting police and some business owners to increase patrols.

University of Iowa junior Jenny Schuelke is among the 200 or so who have signed up for the program. She mentioned the program to her mother, who quickly enrolled her daughter.

"My mom always said if I ever needed a ride, she would pay for a cab. She basically wants me to be safe so she doesn't have to worry," Schuelke said. "You don't have to worry about driving. If you are out with your friends, you don't have to worry, 'How are we going to get home?' This way, everyone gets home safely."

Although the service is aimed at students, company president Jason Willoughby said it's parents who usually make arrangements.

"Parents are really the ones that purchase it," Willoughby said. "I think they see it as (being) able to isolate funds for a specific use, and that is an easy way home. ... For parents, it gives them peace of mind."

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Iowa's GOP gubernatorial hopefuls discuss views DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa voters are ready to give the Republican Party control of the governor's office, six potential GOP gubernatorial candidates said Saturday as they focused more on Democratic Gov. Chet Culver than their possible rivals from the same party.

All six potential candidates for the 2010 election spoke at the Republican Party of Iowa's big fall fundraiser, making 10-minute speeches. It the first time the rivals had met since four-term former Gov. Terry Branstad said he was exploring the notion of seeking a comeback.

"It's great to be back and I'm back and raring to go," said Branstad. "I love the Republican Party and my fervor has not waned. The fire my belly still burns bright.

He accused Culver of running up massive debt at the same time he's been on a spending spree.

"I cannot stand to see what's happening in our state today," Branstad said.

While Branstad has said he's only exploring the notion of running for governor, most expect him to seek the office and he sounded very much like a candidate.

Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, making his third bid for the GOP nomination, argued that Republicans can succeed only by hammering sharply conservative themes.

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