(Glenwood, Iowa) – A man and a woman from Pottawattamie County face drug charges in Mills County, following an extended investigation into the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics in Mills County. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports during the investigation, undercover deputies conducted a controlled purchase of more than one-half pound of methamphetamine from 66-year-old Jackie Lee Ward, Jr., and 59-year-old Vicky Kay Delezene. Both suspects are from Council Bluffs.

After the meth was delivered, Ward and Delezene were taken into custody without incident and were transported to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, where they were charged with Delivery of Meth and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. Their bonds were set at $30,000 each.

Ward & Delezene (Mills CO. S/O photo)

A vehicle used in the commission of the delivery, along with related U-S currency, were seized during the investigation.

(Thurman, Iowa) –  The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Page County was arrested Monday, following a call about a disturbance in Thurman. Upon further investigation, Deputies discovered that 31-year-old Ashley McClarnon, of Clarinda, had allegedly entered a residence in Thurman, uninvited, causing a disturbance, while several small children were present. McClarnon then broke a window in the residence, causing damage.

Ashley McClarnon (Fremont CO S/O photo)

McClarnon was placed under arrest for:
1 count Criminal Mischief 5th Degree (Simple Misdemeanor)
3 counts of Child Endangerment, (Aggravated Misdemeanor)

She was being held without bond pending an initial appearance with the Fremont County Magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa health care providers are now vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11 for COVID-19. UnityPoint Health started to give the Pfizer vaccine to that age group today (Monday). Eric Haugen is a pediatrician with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.  Haugen says, “This is something that will make it easier and safer for children to go to school, to be part of events that they like to participate in.”

He says with the holiday season coming up, kids who are vaccinated will be less likely to spread coronavirus to family members with whom they gather. Doctors say getting the vaccine to this age group will make schools safer, while some parents will feel more confident about letting their kids go to sleepovers and sporting events again. Sara Schutte, a pediatrician with MercyOne in Ankeny, says young kids are often anxious to get shots — so it takes a bit more coaxing and more nurses on the ground to help them through it. “But kids do very well, in general,” Schutte says. “They’re more anxious about getting vaccines of any kind and then by the time we get it done, they actually are not quite as bad as they thought.”

Meanwhile, Haugen says he’s heard from a lot from parents, many are excited about the vaccine, some are hesitant. He points to a study that enrolled thousands of 5 to 11-year-olds to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective. The study found -no- serious side effects. Nationwide, more than 83-hundred children have been hospitalized because of COVID.

(reporting by Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University research has found adults who spent a higher amount of time sitting during the early months of the pandemic were more likely to have higher symptoms of depression. I-S-U kinesiology professor Jacob Meyer says a follow-up survey this fall found those effects lingered among study participants who tended to be inactive for longer periods of the day. “Being a little bit more conscious of how much we sit and when we have to sit and when we don’t have to sit might be really important to our on-going mental health,” Meyer says.

Meyer is director of I-S-U’s Wellbeing and Exercise Laboratory. He led the research team that surveyed three-thousand adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia during April, May and June of last year, then did a follow-up survey this year. Meyer’s team asked study participants to keep track of how much time they spent exercising versus sitting and whether they’d experienced changes in feeling stressed, lonely, anxious or depressed. They were also asked if they were no longer enjoying things that used to bring joy or pleasure.

Jacob Meyer (ISU photo)

“That’s one piece that we can really not be aware of,” Meyer says. “As we’re not aware of it, it means we don’t necessarily know that our behavior could have actually have a really important impact on it if we don’t know that it’s there in the first place.”  Meyer says moving benefits our physical and mental health.

“The acute effects of exercise, as soon as someone starts moving, are really powerful and in particular are really powerful for people who have high levels of depression or anxiety,” Meyer says, “and so as soon as someone starts moving, even if it’s just getting up and going for a walk, their neurobiology changes and the way that they feel
starts to improve.”

Meyer joined the I-S-U faculty in 2017 and his research focuses on developing new treatment approaches that incorporate exercise in the treatment of depression.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three arrests occurred over the weekend. On Saturday, 21-year-old Brandon Mayberry, of Council Bluffs was arrested for OWI 1st offense. His cash/surety bond was set at $1,000. And, 28-year-old Regina Fencl, of Glenwood was arrested for OWI 1st Offense. Her bond was also set at $1,000.

On Sunday, Glenwood Police arrested 24-year-old Brian Muhia, of Bellevue, NE, for a Probation Violation, with bond set at $5,000.