Creston Police are investigating an incident of vandalism that was reported this (Tuesday) morning. Officials say a woman told police someone shot the windshield of her car with a BB gun twice, while the vehicle was parked behind the Elms Club, at 108 N. Elm, in Creston. The incident happened sometime between 10-p.m. Monday and 1:50-a.m. today (Tuesday). Damage was estimated at $300.

Auditions for the Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre’s original musical production of “Alladin and His Magic Lamp” will be held Monday, July 6th, beginning at 1-p.m. in the Atlantic High School Auditorium. According to Melissa Ehrman Johnson, Atlantic Children’s Theatre Group Vice President/Secretary, two professionals from the PFCT will direct the production, which requires up to 81 local young people to play one of numerous roles, including Alladin, Harmonia, the Sultan, Princess Serena, and more.

Auditions are open to any area youth that has completed the 1st through 9th grades. No preparation is required. Rehearsals will be held from 1-to 5:15-p.m. throughout the remainder of next week, with performances scheduled for 7-p.m. Friday, July 10th, and 2-p.m. Saturday, July 11th, at the Atlantic High School.

Independence Day is a time of celebration with family and friends, food, and fireworks, but the Fourth of July holiday weekend is one of the deadliest on the nation’s roadways, of crashes involving alcohol. Extra law enforcement officers will be present on Iowa roadways during a Special Traffic Enforcement Program (or, STEP), July 1st through the 7th, watching for impaired drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports in 2013, the most recent year in which data is available, 512 people were killed, nationwide in motor vehicle crashes over the Fourth of July holiday (5 p.m. July 3–6 a.m. July 8). One hundred and ninety-nine of those deaths, or 39 percent, occurred in crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

More than 20 percent of the impaired drivers involved in those fatal crashes had a BAC of .15 or higher and the incidence of impaired driving was over three times higher at night than during the day. Twenty-seven percent of motorcycle operators involved in fatal crashes had BACs of .08 or higher. During that same time period, six people were killed on Iowa roadways. Half of those fatal crashes were alcohol related.

The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau says “If you have been drinking, don’t risk it; make a plan before the celebration begins. There is always another way home; arrange for a ride or call a taxi and remember: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”