Iowans who plan to grill up some summer sausages will want to take note of a recall before taking a bite. The recall is from Johnsonville Sausage on 13-and-a-half ounce packages of Turkey Sausage with Cheddar Cheese. The Wisconsin-based company is recalling nearly 49-thousand pounds of the sausages in Iowa and 21 other states. The packages in question have a “best by” date of August 20th. The company says there’s a risk they may contain foreign material — namely, pieces of gloves. There are no reports of injury or illness. For more details, see the company website at johnsonville-dot-com.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Attorney General’s office has filed a lawsuit against a Florida-based professional fundraiser. Courtesy Health Watch, Inc. (CHW), headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, is a for profit company that raises money for various nonprofit clients including many cancer related charities. Iowa Attorney General’s office spokesman Geoff Greenwood says CHW misled Iowans they called for donations by insinuating that the caller was directly associated with the charity.

“We’re alleging that this company and its solicitors are not shooting straight with Iowans when they call for donations,” Greenwood said. He also notes they company’s employees exaggerated how much of the donation would go to the charity. “Iowans may’ve thought their whole entire donation was going to the charity when, in fact, it may have been only 10-to-30 percent,” Greenwood said. CHW is also accused of telling would-be donors that making a donation would halt future solicitation calls, when donations actually triggered an increase in additional solicitations. The lawsuit asks the court to prohibit CHW from making any more deceptive calls to Iowans and to require the company to pay civil penalties and attorney fees.

The A-G’s Office offers these tips for avoiding charity fraud and making the most of your donations….
* Ask questions. Be wary of claims that the caller is a charity worker or volunteer, that most of your donation goes to the cause, or that your donation will be used locally.
* Don’t let a sympathetic charity name fool you – some fundraisers exaggerate or fabricate their support for veterans or military families, law enforcement, fire fighters, victims of disease, and children’s causes.
* Ask phone solicitors to send written information. Be suspicious if they insist on a pledge before they’ll send you information. Check them out at the national Better Business Bureau “wise giving” site – www.give.org
* Don’t give your credit card or checking account numbers over the phone to someone you don’t know.
* Give directly to a known charity of your choice.
* Bottom line: Keep giving generously, but give wisely. Giving to a known charity you’re confident about is often the best option. If you think you have been cheated by a fundraising scheme, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, Hoover Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. Call 515-281-5926, or 888-777-4590 toll free. Online at:
www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov

(Radio Iowa)

The Clarinda Police Department reports a pyrotechnic device damaged a home on east Lincoln Street early Tuesday morning. A resident told authorities a person or persons unknown detonated a 25 shot Saturn Missile pyrotechnic device behind their residence sometime between 12:45 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Several of the projectiles from the device struck the exterior of the home. The incident remains under investigation.

And on Monday, a Clarinda resident reported that an unknown individual damaged a door and latch to a commercial washing machine at the 12^th Street Laundromat, a business owned by the resident.  Damage to the washing machine is estimated at $150.00. The incident, which is believed to have occurred sometime during the day on Sunday, August 12^th,  remains under investigation.

The Clarinda Police Department reports a traffic stop late Wednesday night resulted in the arrest of a Braddyville man. 21-year old Thomas Jeffery Engstrand was pulled over at 11:34 p.m. at 15^th & Washington Streets. During their investigation, officers discovered what is believed to be drug paraphernalia and marijuana. The incident remains under investigation and charges are pending against Engstrand. Earlier that same night, 29-year old Edward Dawayne Mayes, of Clarinda, was arrested on a warrant issued by the Page County District Court, for revocation of probation. Mayes was arrested without incident at his residence and transported to the Page County Jail, where he was being held on $1,000 bond, pending an appearance before the Page County District Court.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says also, that a Clarinda resident reported Wednesday her residence on east Main Street had been burglarized. A Bissell vacuum cleaner and a Vizio 42” flat screen television were taken from the home. The loss was estimated at $400. The theft is believed to have taken place sometime between June and August 15^th, while the residence was unoccupied. The incident remains under investigation.