(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who enjoy the thrill of finding great deals at yard sales need to be wary of the potential dangers when purchasing items second-hand. Consumer protection expert Michelle Reinen says you should take special care with toys that might be unsafe, in addition to things like old cribs and used car seats.

Reinen says, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls products annually that could cause injury and death.” You can look up your potential purchase in an online database at Safer Products-dot-gov to see if a recall has been issued. For Iowans who might be planning to hold a garage sale, there’s always a risk of scammers trying to trick you. Reinen says there have been recent reports of people passing counterfeit bills at rummage sales.

“If you’re selling a $2 item and you’re handed a $100 bill, maybe that’s something you need to analyze a little more closely and see if you can get the $2 out of them, rather than being at risk with that $100 bill in your hand,” she says. If you think you’re being scammed, Reinen says to call local law enforcement and file a report.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report seven recent arrests:

On Monday (May 13th), at around 8-a.m., Mills County Deputies arrested 41-year-old Jennifer Lynne Kugland, of Council Bluffs, on a warrant for Harassment int eh 1st degree. Kugland taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail, held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

There were two arrests Sunday, in Mills County: 50-year-old Jeffery Scott Leytham, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for  Possession of Controlled Substance and Driving Under Suspension (Bond $1,300); and, 48-year-old Jason Vaughn Young, of Silver City, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear (Bond: $2,000).

Early Saturday morning, Mills County Deputies arrested Jose Manuel Maldonado-Santamaria, of Bellevue, NE, for OWI/1st Offense, and Interference with Official Acts (Bond: $1,000).

Last Friday, 52-year-old Scott Michael Hardman, of Malvern, was arrested for DUS (Bond $300); and 36-year-old Joshua Michael Brizendine, Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation (Bond $10,000).

And, finally, on May 9th: 23-year-old Alberto Lopez Velazquez (No known address), was arrested for Harassment 3rd, Operating Without Certificate of Title, No Valid Drivers License, Provide Proof Financial Liability and Operate Without Registration/Plate (Bond $300).

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Jill Ozuna reports the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors may be attending an Informational meeting to learn more about the proposed CO2 pipelines. They meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 14th, from 7-until 8-p.m., at the Stanton Viking Center.

Ozuna says “There is a possibility that there will be a quorum. No official county business will be acted upon during that time.”

(Radio Iowa) – The resolution of a disagreement between Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate means five million dollars in state gambling taxes will be used to complete renovations of the Lucas State Office Building. The building, which opened in 1952, is east of the Iowa Capitol. Republican Representative Jacob Bossman of Sioux City says the original plan House Republicans developed for spending gambling taxes did not include funding for the Lucas Building upgrades, while Senate Republicans suggested spending 10 million dollars on the building.

“We originally weren’t funding that project,” Bossman says, “but are acknowledging this money is necessary to complete the DHHS merger and allow everybody to be housed under one roof.”

In 2022, lawmakers approved the governor’s plan to merge the Departments of Human Services and Public Health — but the agencies were housed in two different state office buildings. The Department of Health and Human Services is the largest agency in state government, with over five-thousand employees. The Lucas building has six floors of office space and is named for Iowa’s first territorial governor, Robert Lucas.

(Radio Iowa) – The governor has another week to sign or veto the remaining bills passed by the 2024 Iowa legislature. She’s already approved a billion dollar tax cut AND the state spending plans for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. The nearly nine BILLION dollar state budget is four-point-two percent higher than the current year’s spending level. The budget for the state’s court system includes a five percent salary increase for Iowa judges.

The governor has signed bills that divert 10 million dollars from Iowa’s Area Education Agencies to set up a new division in the Iowa Department of Education to oversee the A-E-As. As many as 62 new state employees will be hired for the Division of Special Education.

The budget for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources includes a quarter of a million dollars to address accessibility issues at state parks.

(Radio Iowa) – A residential health care program in northeast Iowa that’s offered help for girls and young women experiencing mental health crises for more than 150 years is transitioning away from those services this week. The program at Bremwood in Waverly is run by Lutheran Services of Iowa, which is shifting the focus away from residential care. Lutheran Services of Iowa C-E-O Renee Hardman says one of the big reasons programs like this are shuttering is due to obsolete care models.

Hardman says, “Residential care, the way it has traditionally been provided, probably is a bit outdated given the needs and demands of what these young women need.” Like many mental health care providers, she says staffing and wage difficulty has prompted them to make tough decisions. “It’s a combination of the acuity level of the girl, the 60 percent turnover in trying to recruit and retain staff that are paid at wages that, quite frankly, they could make more at a Walmart or McDonald’s,” she says, “but you can only pay so much based on what you’re reimbursed for.”

Fifteen young women and 50 staff will be affected by the transition. L-S-I hasn’t yet determined the next step for the campus.