Governor Terry E. Branstad today (Tuesday) announced three appointments to Iowa’s STEM Advisory Council.Among those whose appointments went into effect on Monday and are not subject to Iowa Senate Confirmation, was Barbara Crittenden, of Creston. The other appointees include: Kelsey Tyrrell, of Des Moines, and Scott Montgomery, of Coralville.

An Adair County man suffered possible, unknown injuries, following an accident in the Creston Hospital’s parking lot. The crash happened at around 11:30-p.m., Friday. Creston Police say 65-year old Alen J. Weese, of Orient, was backing a 2006 Chevy Silverado pickup truck out of a parking stall near the Greater Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room entrance, when he accidentally stepped on the gas too hard.

The pickup backed around the parking lot and hit a 2000 Ford Expedition. The pickup continued in the same direction and proceeded to hit a 2014 Jeep Cherokee as well as a 1998 Oldsmobile Regency. The pickup didn’t stop until it hit the GRMC building.

Weese was transported by ambulance to the hospital. Damage from the accident totaled $23,500, which included $2,000 damage done to a glass window on the hospital’s Emergency Room Door. No citations were issued.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports 28-year old Nathan Andrew Wilcoxsen, of Coin, was arrested Sunday afternoon. Wilcoxsen was taken into custody at his home on a Page County Warrant for Failure to appear on two counts of Theft in the 5th Degree.  He posted bond and was released pending further court proceedings.

Nathan Wilcoxsen (Photo submitted by Page County S/O)

Officials with Diamond Vogel Paint and Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) have announced the recipients of the 2017 Paint Iowa Beautiful program awards. April is designated at “Keep Iowa Beautiful” month. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of 91 public service projects throughout Iowa. The program is administered through Keep Iowa Beautiful, with paint provided by Diamond Vogel Paint Company.

Among the recipients of paint for their projects, is:

• The Bedford House/Garland Hotel, in Bedford – for a brick wall, restroom & ceiling tile.
• The French Icarian Colony Foundation, in Corning – For a communal dining hall.
• The Denison Chamber and Development Council, in Denison – For Park playground and picnic tables.
• Farragut Hometown Pride, in Farragut – For main street buildings.
• The Adair County Historical Society, in Greenfield – For Historic buildings.
• Crossroads of Western Iowa, in Logan – For residential homes.
• The City of Malvern – For a pool bathhouse mural.
• Main Street Manning – For 5 commercial buildings.
• In Onawa – Monona County Extension, for Community garden beds, and for the Onawa Community and Recreation Center.
• The Guthrie County Historical Foundation, in Panora – For the Caboose; and, P.E.T.S in Panora, for a Pet rescue building.
• Sac City: Chamber Main Street – For their offices; Hometown Pride Committee – For two residences.
• The Tabor Historical Society
• City of Villisca – For the City Hall interior.
• Winterset Art Center – For the historic Main Street building.
• Woodbine Main Street – For a school house.

In the 14-year partnership with KIB, Diamond Vogel Paint has awarded over 8,922 gallons of paint for 676 community projects, in Iowa.

BUSSEY, Iowa (AP) – A southern Iowa teacher has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. Knoxville radio station KNIA reports 61-year-old Alan Stewart, of Oskaloosa, is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee. Online jail records say Stewart remained in Marion County custody Tuesday.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says Stewart had sexual contact with a student during 2015. Stewart is listed as an industrial arts and physical education teacher at the Twin Cedars Community School District high school in Bussey. The district says Stewart has been placed on administrative leave.

Today (Tuesday) is Diabetes Alert Day and Iowans are being urged to take a simple, online survey to determine if they might be headed down a hazardous path. Katie Jones, program manager at the Iowa Department of Public Health, says it only takes a minute to complete the test. Jones says, “This is really to see if you’re at risk for a condition called prediabetes which is basically where blood glucose levels or blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be considered diabetes.”

The website is: Do I Have Prediabetes-dot-org. Jones says about one in every three Iowans are prediabetic and most of them don’t know it. “The test asks things like your age, because age is a big risk factor,” Jones says. “Simply getting older increases your risk. It also asks things like family history of diabetes, things like that.”

About one in 12 Iowans have diabetes and one in four have it and don’t know it. By knowing your risk level, Jones says Iowans can make a few key lifestyle changes to stave off type 2 diabetes. “The good news is, if you do have prediabetes, you can take steps to help prevent developing type 2 diabetes and even getting rid of prediabetes,” Jones says. “The National Diabetes Prevention Program can help you actually curb that progression.”

People with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and other serious complications. Prediabetes can often be reversed through modest weight loss — 5 to 7 percent of body weight — and making small changes to increase healthy eating and moderate physical activity.

(Radio Iowa)

Two Iowa Republican lawmakers say the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare is not over despite the failed attempt to push a bill through the U-S House. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he expects work to continue on the effort, even as the president moves to work on tax cuts. “I think what the White House is basically saying is that they’re going to work on something else to get passed first — but starting this very day there’s got to be work on health care reform — because you can’t just let Obamacare just fall of its own weight,” Grassley says.

First District Representative Rod Blum, a Republican, refused to vote for the bill in the House before it was pulled from a vote. Blum agrees with Grassley’s assessment. “The president is going to move on to other things, he wants speaker Ryan and the leadership in the House…to continue to work on this, continue to debate it, continue to research it, and once we come to an agreement, he’s more than likely to get behind what we agree to,” Blum says.

He says he expects another alternative to eventually be worked out. “It’s not dead, it’s not going away, we’re going to continue to work on it in the House,” Blum says. “And I’m convinced what we needed was more time.” Blum says he is optimistic that with more time they will come up with a proposal that will work.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s deputies in Pottawattamie County, Monday morning, arrested a man wanted on a warrant for 2nd Degree Theft. 33-year old James Dale Bascue, of Treynor, was taken into custody without incident at his residence in Treynor, and brought to the Pott. County Jail.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports 30-year old Cory Laird, of Creston, was arrested Monday afternoon at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Laird was taken into custody on a Union County warrant on a charge of Failure to Appear for a Debtor’s Exam. He was later released from the Jail on a $475 bond.