A few weeks ago, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office warned residents about a phone scam taking place in the area. Now Cass County authorities are saying the same thing. As we’ve warned you time and time again, these phone scams target mainly the  elderly, and they involve calls from someone claiming to be a persons grandchild. The supposed grandchild always says they are in trouble with the law, and need money wired to them right away.

Another age-old phone scam involves the caller saying you’ve won a prize, but in order to receive it, you need to wire a certain amount of money to persons out of state. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says if you receive the “grandchild in trouble”  type of calls, make certain you are sure of the caller’s identity. Before wiring money to someone who seems like they are a relative, hang up the phone and attempt to call that relative or other relatives on your own, to be sure of the situation. You can also call the law enforcement agency where the alleged “grandchild” was being held, to confirm their status.

If you receive a prize-winning-type call, keep in mind that winning a VALID prize will not require you to pay anything to anyone. Most importantly…do not give out any personal information to persons who may call you, such as social security number, bank account number, credit of debit card information. Following this simple rule, can help prevent identity theft, a loss of your hard earned money, and a bad credit rating resulting from stolen financial information.

Authorities in southwest Iowa say a rural Clarinda man was arrested recently on charges he impersonated a public official, on more than one occasion. 20-year old Ryan Joel Kaleb Christie, of Clarinda faces three-counts of Impersonating a Public Official, an aggravated misdemeanor, after an investigation was conducted into traffic stops he allegedly made on Highway 2, on January 22^nd and 29^th. 

Taylor County Sheriff’s officials say a joint investigation into Christie’s alleged activities was conducted with the assistance of the Bedford Police Department, Iowa DNR, the State Patrol and Page County Sheriff’s Office. During the investigation, authorities looked into reports a young man – later identified as Christie — had made traffic stops on Highway 2 during the early morning hours of January 22nd and 29th. Witnesses said the man claimed to be with the Sheriff’s Office or the Fire Department.

Christie was being held in the Taylor County Jail on $50,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state economic development official says Iowa is competing with Nebraska to attract a $1.2 billion data center.  Debi Durham, director of the state Partnership for Economic Progress, says Thursday she can’t name the company due to a confidentiality agreement. But she said it’s not Google, Microsoft or IBM, all of which already have operations in Iowa.
 
Durham says the company is considering two locations in Iowa and one in Nebraska. She expects the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board to hear the plan and consider incentives to attract the business at a March meeting.

Iowa has a law aimed at attracting high-tech projects that includes a potential sales tax break on electricity used at those operations. Nebraska is considering similar legislation.  The company hopes to begin construction in May.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrat Christie Vilsack is mounting a serious financial challenge to veteran Republican Rep. Steve King in western Iowa’s new 4th District, but she still faces big hurdles in the GOP-leaning district. New financial disclosures show Vilsack has raised nearly $1.2 million for her campaign, far more than the $817,000 King has raised.
 
Her challenge will be running in a district where new registration numbers show there are more than 179,000 registered Republicans, compared to about 132,000 registered Democrats. That makes it the most heavily Republican of the state’s four congressional districts.  There are 179,133 registered voters not affiliated with either party.

Vilsack is the wife of Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor now serving as U.S. agriculture secretary.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)  After leading a 16-month nationwide investigation and settlement negotiations involving the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers, Attorney General Tom Miller Wednesday announced a landmark $25 billion national joint federal-state accord over mortgage foreclosure abuses and fraud, and unacceptable nationwide mortgage servicing practices. The proposed agreement provides an estimated $40 million in direct relief to Iowa homeowners and addresses future mortgage loan servicing practices.  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general announced the settlement at a news conference at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. 

“This agreement is very significant in how it addresses the fraud that these banks committed against many homeowners across Iowa,” said Miller.  “This agreement not only provides badly needed relief to Iowa borrowers, but it also puts a stop to many of the bad behaviors that contributed to the mortgage mess throughout Iowa and across the country.  This agreement will protect homeowners and ensure they’re treated fairly.” 

Iowa’s estimated share of the settlement is $40,235,321.

• Iowa borrowers will receive an estimated $5,899,449 in benefits from loan term changes.
• Iowa borrowers who lost their home to foreclosure from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2011 and encountered servicing abuse would qualify for $7,402,512 in payments to borrowers.
• The value of refinanced loans to Iowa’s underwater borrowers would be an estimated $11,602,880.
• The state will receive a direct payment of $15,330,480. 

The unprecedented joint state-federal settlement began with a massive civil law enforcement investigation that included state attorneys general and state banking regulators across the country, and several federal agencies.  The settlement holds banks accountable for past mortgage servicing and foreclosure fraud and abuses and provides significant relief to homeowners.  With the backing of a federal court order and the oversight of an independent monitor, the settlement stops future fraud and abuse. 

Under the agreement, the five servicers have agreed to a $25 billion penalty under a joint state-national settlement structure. The settlement does not grant any immunity from criminal offenses and will not affect criminal prosecutions.  The agreement does not prevent homeowners or investors from pursuing individual, institutional or class action civil cases against the five servicers.  The pact also enables state attorneys general and federal agencies to investigate and pursue other aspects of the mortgage crisis, including securities cases.

For more information on the proposed agreement: 

www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov

www.NationalForeclosureSettlement.com

www.HUD.gov

www.DOJ.gov

Officials with the college entrance exam organization ACT have recognized the Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll as a “Legacy Red Quill” award winner. Nearly fifty high schools across the Midwest have received recognition for their achievements to better prepare students for college and career readiness. The high-achieving schools are being honored for 2011-2012 , through both the ACT’s Red Quill, and Red Quill Legacy Awards.

ACT recognizes those schools and districts with demonstrated commitment over several years through the Red Quill Legacy Award. This year’s Legacy Award winners include 17 schools in six states, all of which are experiencing sustained improvement in student achievement.

Fewer than one quarter of schools that apply are awarded the Red Quill, which recognizes schools in the Midwest that take innovative approaches to improve their curriculum, teaching practices, and academic counseling. The winners also effectively use ACT assessment data-EXPLORE, PLAN, and the ACT exam-to benefit student achievement. EXPLORE, normally an eighth grade assessment, PLAN, normally a tenth-grade assessment, and the ACT test, normally taken by eleventh and twelfth graders, all measure whether students are on track for success in college and career. 

Red Quill and Red Quill Legacy Award recipients are recognized at each of the Midwest region’s ACT State Organization Annual Conferences.