(Radio Iowa) – The internet is making shopping easier for all sorts of products, including used cars, but Iowans are warned to pump the brakes and yield if they’re considering that online option. Lisa Schiller, at the Better Business Bureau, recommends sticking with trusted retailers for such a big purchase, and she’d steer away from social media offerings like Facebook Marketplace. “Be very, very cautious. You want to always contact the seller by phone,” Schiller says. “Speak with the sales manager on the phone. See the car. Never buy a car without making an in-person inspection.”

Buying a car online versus in-person can actually make some things easier, Schiller says, but you still need to be wary. “One of the main perks of purchasing a car online is that there’s even less emotion involved,” she says. “It’s easier to stay detached when you’re chatting with someone remotely, and this can actually help you make a purchase that is more clear-headed for you.” Schiller says to never pay for a vehicle you haven’t inspected yourself and taken for a spin.

Find a link to retailers and more tips on buying a car, including in-person at a dealership, at BBB.org.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Alzheimer’s Association is inviting Council Bluffs area residents to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s by participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®  this Saturday, Sept. 28th, 2024, at Iowa Western Community College. Registration begins at 9-a.m. with an Opening Ceremony and 2-mile Walk to follow. There is no fee to register for Walk, however, all participants are encouraged to raise critical funds that allow the Alzheimer’s Association to provide 24/7 care and support and advance research toward methods of prevention, treatment and, ultimately, a cure.

Jessica Duncan, Alzheimer’s Association Program Director, says “This is a pivotal moment in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementias, including Frontotemporal Dementia that my dad lost his life to at 58 this year. There are now treatments that can give families more valuable time with their loved one. We hope that everyone in the community can join us by starting a Walk team to help the Alzheimer’s Association raise awareness, raise funds for free care and support services and education for families facing the disease, vital research to find more treatments, and ultimately a cure.”

On Walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with a meaningful Promise Garden Ceremony that signifies solidarity in the fight against the disease. The colors of the Promise Garden flowers – purple, yellow, blue and orange – represent the different reasons why people walk to end this disease. Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – a leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Iowa, there are more than 62,000 people living with the disease and nearly 100,000 caregivers.

To register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visit alz.org/walk.

(Atlantic, Iowa) — Cass Health in Atlantic was recently awarded the honor of “Top Workplaces 2024,” by Iowa Top Workplaces. Achieving the award is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures the employee experience and its component themes, including employees feeling Respected & Supported, Enabled to Grow, and Empowered to Execute, to name a few.

Energage CEO Eric Rubino says “Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees. That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

Officials at Cass Health say their mission is to provide a superior experience to everyone that they are privileged to serve, while working towards the vision of becoming the best rural hospital in the country. The team at Cass Health, officials say, cares for patients with medical needs ranging from minor aches and pains to life-threatening emergencies, and everything in between.

Cass Health is the largest employer in Cass County and a huge economic engine for the region. Cass Health has been recognized as an Iowa Top Workplace, a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, and as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital in the country.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest Friday afternoon, of 30-year-old Patrick Riley Iiams, of Creston. Liams was arrested on charges that include: Disorderly Conduct; Assault on Persons in Certain Occupation – Intend Injury; Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree; Interference with official acts – Inflict Serious Injury; Possession of Controlled substance – Marijuana/1st offense; Possess Drug Paraphernalia; Assault on Persons in Certain Occupation – No Injury, and Possessession of a Controlled Substance/2nd Offense. Iiams was being held in the Union County jail on a $19,000.

Early Saturday morning, Creston Police arrested 32-year-old Curtis Alan Nish, of Creston, for OWI/1st Offense, and Carrying a Weapon – While Intoxicated (OWI). Nish was later released on his own recognizance. Saturday evening, 42-year-old Scott W. Lemon, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant for Probation Violation. Lemon was taken to the Union County Jail where held without bond.

Early Sunday morning, Creston Police arrested 42-year-old Mika Marie Luddington, of Creston, for OWI/2nd Offense, and Possessession of Drug Paraphernalia. Luddington was taken to the Union County Jail, where she later posted a $2,300 bond and was released.

FORT DODGE, Iowa — A Webster County woman who lived modestly and saved a small fortune by often working two jobs and amassing a small fortune until her death last Fall at the age of 80, left behind a legacy that benefits several organizations. KCCI-TV reports Bonnie Barnett was well known in Fort Dodge, but not many knew how much she was worth.

Barnett willed more than $530,000 to Iowa Central Community College, money that will be used to create an endowed scholarship in her name. The Fort Dodge Library received $130,000. There were also gifts to the local YWCA, Trinity Health Foundation, Domestic Sexual Abuse Outreach Center, Humane Society of Central Iowa, and the Boy Scouts of America Troop 8 totaled more than $1.3 million.

Iowa Central was close to Barnett’s heart — she was a student there from 1961-1962. She also worked for the dining service that served meals to the campus community.

Mark Crimmins, an attorney who is the executor of Barnett’s estate, says it seems like she saved nearly every penny she earned from working as a waitress for 30-to 40-years, saving her tips and wages and investing. She spent only what she needed to survive,

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop early this Monday morning (Sept. 23rd), in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. Red Oak Police report 45-year-old Keith Benard Johnson, Jr., of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 12:45-a.m. in the 300 block of N. Broadway Street in Red Oak, on valid Page County warrants for two-counts of Child Endangerment and OWI/1st offense. Johnson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Several Iowa cities were swamped with flood waters, but Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the flooding didn’t significantly impact unemployment numbers. “We only saw a few hundred claims total in the flooded areas at the at the peak, and it’s, you know now it’s down probably closer to one hundred or less,” Townsend says. The claim numbers didn’t go up after the initial filings. She says they’ve continued to decline pretty steadily and fairly quickly. Townsend says there was the opportunity for some to make claims that normally wouldn’t.

“When the President declares a national disaster area, then individuals who might not otherwise be qualified for unemployment, i-e because they’re self employed, would be eligible to receive benefits. And then the Feds reimburse the state trust fund for the amount of the disaster related unemployment claims,” Townsend says. “So actually, disaster related claims do not hurt our trust fund balance, because we’re going to get that money back from the feds.”

Townsend says the floodwaters did not hit any of the larger cities where there are large concentrations of workers, and that is why unemployment didn’t see the impact.