The Cass County Sheriff’s Office wants the public to be aware of a scam that is circulating wherein someone calls the victim, claiming to be from a computer place, tells you there is something wrong with your computer, and asks you to log them on to fix it. Once you do that, the caller locks your computer and says you need to make a payment to them to unlock your computer. This is a scam! Do not allow individuals to log onto your computer unless you have sought them out for computer help yourself. If you receive a call like this, hang up.

The first extreme heat wave of the summer is forecast for Iowa this week, with highs in the 90s and the heat indexes in the 100s. With events like RAGBRAI and the State Softball Tournament occurring this week, The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans even young and healthy individuals can have a heat-related illness if they are active during hot weather.

“After a week of mild temperatures and relatively low humidity, this wave of heat will be a big adjustment for many. People suffer heat-related illness when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn’t enough,” said IPDH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. “In such cases, a person’s body temperature rises rapidly. Especially when the humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, preventing the body from releasing heat quickly.”

Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, the people are at greatest risk include:

People age 65 or older
Infants and young children
Overweight individuals
People who are performing manual labor or exercising outdoors
People who have a chronic illness, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as those for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation.

To protect your health when temperatures and humidity are high, remember to keep cool and use common sense. The following tips are important:

Increase fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. The best way to tell you are well-hydrated is if your urine is light yellow. If it gets dark, stop and rehydrate by drinking water immediately.
If experiencing a lot of sweating, replace salt and minerals by eating foods like bananas and salty crackers, or drink rehydrating beverages that contain salts such as sports drinks, and special rehydration fluids.
Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing and wear sunscreen.
Wear hats that shade your face such as sun hats, visors, etc.
Keep in the shade or air conditioned areas as much as possible.
Work slowly if you are not used to working or exercising in heat and humidity. Stop immediately if you get dizzy, nauseated, or feel weak. Go into an air conditioned space and drink cool liquids.
Use a buddy system. Watch others for heat-induced illness, since some people may not realize that they are suffering heat-related illnesses and can become confused or lose consciousness.
For more information about preventing heat-related illness, visit http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp.

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…HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT TUESDAY…

A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7-P.M. TUESDAY FOR THE REST OF WESTERN IOWA.

* TEMPERATURE…HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE IN THE 90S TO AROUND 100 DEGREES.

* TIMING…HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL PEAK BETWEEN ABOUT 103 AND 110 DEGREES AT MOST LOCATIONS BETWEEN 4 PM AND 6 PM…THEN SLOWLY DECREASE OVERNIGHT. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL AGAIN TOP OUT FROM 105 TO 110 DEGREES TUESDAY.

* IMPACTS…THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. THE YOUNG AND ELDERLY ARE ESPECIALLY AT RISK TO THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY…CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND
NEIGHBORS IF THEY DO NOT HAVE AIR-CONDITIONING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM AND STAY OUT OF THE SUN. CHILDREN AND PETS SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN VEHICLES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE DURING WARM OR HOT WEATHER WHEN CAR INTERIORS CAN REACH LETHAL TEMPERATURES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

Sioux City wrapped up its commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the crash of United Airlines Flight 232 Sunday. A gathering at the Mid American Museum of Aviation and Transportation honored the 112 people who lost their lives in the 1989 crash, and a garden of reflection was dedicated in their honor. Captain Al Haynes, the pilot who guided in the stricken D-C-10 airliner and helped 184 people survive, was greeted with a standing ovation by a crowd of several hundred.

United Flight 232 with visible tail damage. Photo taken just before the plane landed, cartwheeled and exploded in Sioux City, in 1989.

“We are very grateful and very appreciative of everything that took place in Sioux City,” Haynes says. “And I don’t know how we can possibly explain to you — everybody’s tried — how much has come out of Sioux City. The way pilots are trained, the way flight attendants are trained, the way fire departments are trained, the communications services…that all came out of 232 and what all of you did.”

Jerry Schemmel survived the crash and went on to have a successful sportscasting career with Denver sports teams. Schemmel noted that everyone has a different way of coping, and while many moved forward, others were not able to. “But the world needs to know that out of this terrible tragedy there has also come great triumph for many of us,” Schemmel says. “There are endless stories of survivors and family members of those who have died who have picked up the pieces, who have dusted themselves off, who have moved on and refused to allow the crash of flight 232 and its aftermath to dictate their lives and take away their dreams. Fortunately, there are many more of those stories than the others.”

Schemmel says he will never forget those who died in the crash and says he keeps a list of their names with him in his daytimer. The names of the 112 people who died in the crash were read at the ceremony by the presidents of Briar Cliff University and Morningside College.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Area Ambassadors visited Tropical Sno recently, a shaved ice shack that serves flavored sno cones. Matt Mullenix and his family own Tropical Sno and explained to Ambassadors how the product is made. Tropical Sno is different from other sno cone businesses because the ice is shaved by a blade rather than crushed, allowing the ice to absorb all of the flavoring. Tropical Sno is open week nights from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Mullenix Family Pictured: Collin, Matt, Michelle, Chloe, and Chase Mullenix
Ambassadors Pictured: Pat McCurdy, Ali Krogman, Rich Perry, Nedra Perry, Debbie Leistad, Sue Muri, Dolly Bergmann, Bill Saluk, JoAnn Runyan, Kathie Hockenberry, Tammy Waters, Carol Sedden, Tara Jennerjohn, Karry Jepsen, Karl Aldag, Lucas Mosier, Donnie Drennan, Doug Harris, Keith Leonard, Steve Anderson, Gerhard Marburg, Doreen Ellsbury, Tyler Mosier, Jim Kickland, Dr. Mitch Peerbolt & David Schwab.
(Chamber photo)

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa – A big weekend is approaching for military veterans across the region who are ready to take their boots from the battlefields to the farm fields. The Midwest Conference for Farmer Veterans aims to connect vets and service members considering a career in agriculture with information and resources on everything from land access to food safety.

“For example, USDA,” says Matt Russell, state food policy project coordinator of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University. “The USDA has tremendous programs to help family farmers. “If you didn’t grow up in agriculture, you might not understand all of those resources. So, just helping them navigate that, that would be one of the services that we’re providing as well.”

The farmer veterans conference will be held this Friday and Saturday at Drake University in Des Moines, and will include a tour of a diverse farm operation. More than 40 percent of military members come from farms and small towns, so Ed Cox, chairman of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Iowa and staff attorney of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, says it’s also a vital for rural development to help veterans put down roots and grow a career in agriculture.

“So, if we can get these people that have a record of service to their country back in those rural communities, not only as farmers, but as leaders in the community, it can be a very valuable asset for those rural communities,” he says.

Cox also notes that some returning veterans are looking for a continued sense of service and purpose, and with farming, they can get that by helping to feed their communities and their country.

(Iowa News Service)

New versions of vintage toys from the 1950s and ’60s are helping to prod business leaders around the nation into building their next facility in Iowa. Tina Hoffman, spokeswoman for the Iowa Economic Development Authority, says about 25-hundred key corporate leaders across the U-S are receiving green-and-white care packages from the Hawkeye State. “We have a targeted list of prospects that we’re going out to,” Hoffman says. “One of the things that we’ve done is to send them things that are kind of different, that they’ll keep on their desk and will put Iowa at the top of their mind when they are considering their next business expansion or relocation project.”

The Viewmaster and discs.

One of the incentive gifts is a rebranded Viewmaster. It resembles a pair of binoculars but instead of being used to see far-away objects, several color photos of Iowa are pre-loaded in the devices.  “We have included with them one disc and there are about eight pictures,” Hoffman says. “It talks about everything from quality of life to business climate to commute times, all of those things that are important when you’re looking at a new business location.” While stereo-scopes were around decades earlier, the Viewmaster became a very popular toy starting in 1966, so there’s a clear, nostalgic appeal to business leaders who are in the Baby Boomer Generation.

“We also have done the Magic Eight Ball,” Hoffman says. “That’s a pretty cool thing. When you ask the Eight Ball a question, the answer always comes up, ‘Iowa.’ There are several different specific answers but ultimately, it’s always Iowa.” Each device costs about 15-dollars but Hoffman says it’s worth the price. Since January of 2011, she says the office has been working with projects that will result in more than nine-BILLION dollars in capital investment in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

The Crawford County k-9 unit has scored another hit, resulting in the arrest Sunday of three western Iowa residents on drug charges. Sheriff James R. Steinkuehler reports during a traffic stop Sunday on Highway 59, the K-9 “Bayou” alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle. During the search of the vehicle, methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia were seized. As a result of the investigation, 56 year old Laurel Borkowski, of Denison, was charged with Delivery of Methamphetamine (Enhanced Class “C” Felony), and Possession w/ Intent to Deliver less than 5 grams of Methamphetamine (Class “C” Felony). Her bond was set at $10,000. Also arrested was 50 year old Steven Dusing, of Fonda, who  was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine (Serious Misdemeanor), Possession of Marijuana (Serious Misdemeanor), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple Misdemeanor). His bond was set at $1,000.

Upon further investigation by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department, a search warrant was conducted at 218 North 20th Street in Denison. During the search of the residence, approximately 2.6 pounds of Marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a small quantity of Methamphetamine, were seized. As the result of the search warrant 22 year old Shane Sturtevant, of Denison, was charged with: Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana (Enhanced Class “D” Felony), Possession of Methamphetamine (Serious Misdemeanor), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple Misdemeanor), bond set at $5,000.

The Denison Police Department Assist the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department in the search of the residence.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a rural Red Oak man was arrested Sunday afternoon on an assault charge. Daryl L. Kruse was taken into custody at around 3:35-p.m. on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault with injury. His arrest was the result of an investigation into a reported incident of domestic violence at a residence on 230th Street.

Kruse was brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held without bond pending an appearance before a magistrate. Neither Kruse nor the alleged victim required medical treatment for their injuries.