The Iowa Department of Public Health has won a three-year grant of nearly eight million dollars for a program to help people overcome substance abuse. Kevin Gabbert is the project director for what’s called Access to Recovery or A-T-R. “Because every person in the recovery is different, a key component to our program is choice,” Gabbert explains. “And so with A-T-R, the individual receiving the service chooses what services they want to be involved in from a variety of our providers.”

Gabbert says providing support services to those in recovery can be key to helping them succeed. “Basic things like transportation — so gas cards and bus passes. Child care so an individual can go to treatment services in the evening or go to a 12-step meeting. Some of those basic things that might have been barriers otherwise if they had not had access to A-T-R,” Gabbert says.

The program has been running since 2010, but its grant money was running out. “There was a new grant application process that was initiated in 2014. We applied and were one of six grantees out of 30 applicants,” Gabbert says. Gabbert says they’ve seen success with the percentage of individuals not using alcohol or drugs six months after admission increasing from over 73 percent (73.3) to over 82 percent (82.3) from 2010 to this year. He says they expect to serve seven-thousand people with the new grant.

Individuals can come to us from a variety of different referral sources. It could be from the Department of Corrections, it could be from a primary care provider, it could be from the Department of Human Services, the list just goes on and on,” Gabbert says. “Individuals can just walk into one of our care coordination providers which we have across the state.”

For more information about Access to Recovery, visit the Iowa Department of Public Health’s website.

(Radio Iowa)

Residents of Pottawattamie County will have a chance to voice their opinion on the sale of three bond issues, next month. The Daily NonPareil reports the Pott. County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, set August 12th as the date for the hearing on the sale of bonds, which amount to $429,200, for vehicles for two departments, plus safety equipment for the Sheriff’s Department.

Two of the bond issues would fund vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department, along with equipment such as protective vests and AED mobile units, all totaling $319,000. The remaining $110,000 would fund two vehicles for the Planning and Maintenance departments. If the county goes ahead with the issuance of the three bonds following the public hearing, they would be offered with the issuance of $1.5 million in bonds voters approved this year for a new veterans affairs building.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man missing from a Sioux City work release facility since July 12 is back in jail after he was located in a Sioux City apartment. The Sioux City Journal reports Dexter James-Lloyd No Ear was taken into custody without incident after authorities found him Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Fuller says the 25-year-old No Ear was staying with a woman he knew at the apartment. He was located as authorities checked out known acquaintances. He is in the Woodbury County Jail. No Ear was placed on escape status July 12 when he failed to return to a work release program. He was serving a 30-year sentence for convictions of assault on a peace officer and other charges.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DONNELLSON, Iowa (AP) — A 70-year-old West Burlington woman has died after being run over by a car on the grounds of the Lee County Speedway in southeast Iowa. Police were called to the track located in Donnellson on Saturday night after a woman was reportedly struck by a vehicle in the pit area. Lee County Medical Examiner officials say Chon Cha Mathias died as a result of the car accident.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — An evenly divided Burlington City Council failed to pass a resolution censuring one of its own members for cursing and storming out of a meeting earlier this month. Four members agreed to the censure Councilman Tim Scott on Friday, but when it came to a vote Monday two said they accepted his apology and voted no, two voted yes and Scott abstained. The vote lacked a majority to pass. At a July 7 meeting Scott, irritated about an incident involving teens shooting fireworks on July 4, cursed and threw papers at Councilwoman Becky Anderson.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new national report on the well-being of children ranks Iowa third in the nation, up four places from last year. The Kids Counts report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation says Iowa ranks first among all states in health, third in economic well-being and seventh in the family and community category. Iowa is 13th in education. It says Iowa has made some of the biggest improvements among states.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is returning to Iowa for fundraisers this weekend. The Democratic governor, who is considering running for president, is scheduled to attend a fundraiser on Saturday morning and another early Saturday afternoon for two Iowa state Senate candidates. O’Malley was in Iowa last month, when he headlined the Democratic Party’s state convention in Des Moines. Iowa holds the first presidential caucus of the 2016 election cycle.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A federal official says 122 children who entered the country illegally were sent to Iowa in the first half of the year. According to a report Tuesday in the Omaha World Herald, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Kenneth Wolfe said the children were placed with relatives or sponsors.

Gov. Terry Branstad has been opposed to hosting any immigrant children in Iowa. Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers said Tuesday the state hasn’t been notified about the children entering Iowa. On Monday, Branstad said such children should be returned to their home countries. He contends federal officials must improve border security.

More than 57,000 youths, mostly from Central America, have crossed into the U.S. illegally since October.