(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC) said Friday (Today), they have been flooded with incomplete accidental 911 calls occurring from cellular devices. Authorities says it is believed that the cause of these calls is the Emergency SOS features on cell phones, and the newest operating systems as well as 911 features on smartwatches and other devices that people DON”T know they are activating.

In order to prevent accidental 9-1-1 calls, consider the following tips:

#1 If you accidentally call 911 please stay on the line and answer the 911 dispatcher’s questions. If you hang-up we will do everything possible to get in touch with you. Please answer that call back. We must assume that all calls are for emergencies, and there are occasions where people do call 911 and cannot relay their emergency because of criminal conduct or medical issues.

#2 Be familiar with your device(s). One common 911 accidental dials happen when cell phone user put their phone into a cup holder, purse, or pocket. That’s because the side button on the phone pushes on the edges.

• Do you know how your device is programmed to dial 911? Are those settings appropriate for your life?
• Are you using your device or storing it in a way that increases the likelihood of an accidental 911 call?
• Can you change the settings to reduce the chance of dialing 911 accidentally?

Remember, accidentally dialing 911 can tie up emergency resources and divert attention from genuine emergencies. Please carry your phone carefully. Make sure your phone is securely placed in your pocket, bag, or purse to minimize accidental pressure on the screen or buttons.

(Radio Iowa) – As Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy reaches the 10-year mark, the state’s Ag secretary says there are signs of momentum for conservation, even if the state is far from the mark on water quality. The most recent data shows an uptick in cover crops on Iowa farmland, nearly three-million acres, but that’s only about a quarter of what is recommended in the strategy, according to Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig. “We need to think of multi-decades here in terms of the work that needs to be done,” Naig says.  He says conservation is accelerating as we head into the strategy’s second decade. “What we’re seeing now is more partners that are coming into this effort that hadn’t been doing this kind of work before,” he says.

The Nutrient Reduction Strategy takes a voluntary approach to reduce nitrates from farm runoff into lakes and rivers. Iowa State University data shows a rise in cover crops and areas draining into nitrate removal structures, but Alicia Vasto at the Iowa Environmental Council says the scale of change is small and has yet to show in overall water quality. Vasto faults the strategy for not setting specific benchmarks over the last decade. “We still need policy from the state level to actually implement a structure that is going to help us see water quality improvement on a broad scale,” Vasto says.

Meanwhile, Naig points to programs like “Batch and Build” in Polk County as a sign of positive momentum. The county has scaled up construction of farm conservation projects by planning and funding dozens of at a time.

DES MOINES – State Treasurer Roby Smith has announced an auction to sell contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes. “Each year, financial institutions turn over contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes to my office as unclaimed property,” said Smith. “While it is heartbreaking to have to auction the cherished contents of these safe deposit boxes, we have tried for years to reunite them with their rightful owner without any success, and we just don’t have the space to continue to hold on to them. The items in this sale are some that have been held for over 10 years.” Proceeds from the auction stay in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt for the rightful owners to claim.

Prior to any auction, the Treasurer’s Office actively searches for the owner. “We send out mailings, publish names in newspapers, stay active on social media and participate in events like the Iowa State Fair, to encourage people to search their name. Through these efforts, we find thousands of people each year,” Smith stated. “If an owner comes forward before the auction, we will return the item rather than sell it.”

The first auction will begin on Tuesday, May 30th, hosted by Lone Star Auctioneers, which specializes in selling unclaimed safe deposit box contents from state unclaimed property programs. The auction website link is IowaUnclaimedProperty.org. Bidding is open to anyone registered and approved on Lone Star Auctioneers with a valid U.S. mailing address. “Using an online auction allows a larger audience from across the country to participate and helps us secure the highest bid possible for the owners,” concluded Smith.

Every year, millions of dollars in abandoned property are turned over to the State Treasurer’s Office. Unclaimed property refers to money and other assets held by financial institutions, businesses and organizations that have lost contact with the owner for a specific period of time. In addition to abandoned safe deposit box contents, other common forms of unclaimed property include dormant checking and saving accounts, uncashed checks, lost stocks, life insurance policies and utility deposits.

(Radio Iowa) – A crash in eastern Iowa early this (Friday) morning killed a truck driver and several of the cattle he’d been hauling. Davenport police say a semi with a livestock trailer lost control about 3 A-M and overturned on an Interstate 80 off-ramp to I-74, killing the semi’s driver and releasing about 40 head of cattle. Moments later, there were two more crashes when another semi and a car ran into the cattle that were on the highway.

That second semi’s driver was okay but the driver of the car was hurt. Law officers from all around the Quad Cities were called in to help wrangle the remaining cows. I-80 westbound was closed for two-and-a-half hours.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report a man was arrested late Thursday afternoon, following a traffic stop at Highway 34 and New York Avenue. Officials say 31-year-old Larkin Ethan Orsburn, of Muenster, TX, was arrested at around 4:30-p.m., for OWI/2nd offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana. His bond at the Union County Jail was set at $3,000.

AMES, Iowa – May 26, 2023 – Life provides us endless learning opportunities, and traveling around our beautiful state can be quite educational, not to mention fun. To help you navigate the highways and byways, one of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s most popular publications, the printed version of the 2023-2024 Iowa Transportation Map, is now available.

You can pick up a copy of the 2023-2024 Iowa Transportation Map at Iowa DOT’s driver’s license service centers, county treasurer’s offices, all six Iowa DOT district offices, Iowa’s welcome centers, and the state’s rest areas.

The electronic version to view, print and download is available at www.iowadot.gov/maps along with a mobile app version and a link to order the map.

The map shows all highways, airports, rail lines, lakes, rivers, and major county roads. Detail maps are shown for the state’s 16 largest cities that identify highways, major streets, and city boundaries. The map information also includes a chart to find mileage between select Iowa cities; and an index listing the cities shown on the map, along with their populations and map location.

Because the transportation system is always changing, the Iowa DOT makes several hundred changes to the map with each printing. While the map is printed every two years, the online and mobile app versions are updated annually.

(Radio Iowa) – Ceremonies are planned across the state Monday for Memorial Day. Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman, Karl Lettow, says they are hosting two pubic events. “Our official state of Iowa Memorial Day ceremony is out at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. That’ll be at 8:30. That’s the Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter right off I-80. Governor Reynolds will be speaking, and our keynote speaker is going to be the Adjutant General for the Iowa National Guard, Major General Stephen Osborn,” Lettow says. The other event is a ceremony at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, where the Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg will speak. Lettow says volunteers have put up flags throughout the cemetery and the ceremony itself will be traditional. He says it is important to take this time to remember those who sacrificed for our country.

“A country that forgets why Memorial Day is important. is a country that runs the risk of having to relearn all of those lessons,” he says. Lettow says the Veterans Cemetery is a great place to honor Iowans. “What people have done for us, for us to be able to live the way that we do is beyond most of the common person’s imagination,” Lettow says. “And, you know, there’s no better place for us put our heroes than the black soil of Iowa. And we’re a state that has has done this better than they do and most other places to be honest. And we’re really, really fortunate to have a facility out there.” He hopes everyone will take time to attend a ceremony Monday to remember and be grateful.

“For the Iowans and all the other Americans that have gone before, to make sure that we have this way of life,” Lettow says. Both of the ceremonies will be streamed Monday on the Department’s Facebook page.

(Radio Iowa) – Summer doesn’t officially arrive until June 21st, but for most Iowans, the holiday weekend ahead is the real start of the season. Meredith Mitts, at Triple-A Iowa, says the motor club is predicting more than 37-million Americans will be taking trips over the next several days to celebrate Memorial Day. “That makes this the third-busiest Memorial Day weekend that we’ve had since we started tracking in about 2000,” Mitts says. “This is about 11% higher than what we saw last year, but it still brings us just under those pre-pandemic numbers. In 2019, we had 42.8-million travelers. This year, we’re only anticipating 42.3 million.”

Gasoline prices are holding steady nationwide, but pump prices have risen in Iowa in recent weeks. The statewide average is now three-43 a gallon, though that’s low compared to the statewide average a year ago at four-22. “Some of the reasons we might be seeing those higher prices in Iowa specifically is more people are finally starting to travel,” Mitts says. “The weather’s turning nicer, the growing season, the planting season that’s happening right now. There’s lots of big vehicles out there that are using fuels.”

Iowa’s average price for gas is 14-cents lower than the national average. Triple-A’s Nick Chabarria says whether it’s by car or by plane, Iowans are joining the throng in traveling again, as the figures are approaching pre-pandemic highs. “I’m seeing travel tick up in really all aspects, airfare bookings, hotel bookings, even international trips are on the rise,” Chabarria says. “We’ve been seeing folks making up for lost time during the COVID years and we think that’s going to continue.”

Chabarria says airfares have jumped 20 to 30-percent over this time last year, but he says you can still find last-minute deals. He says some of the most popular summer destinations are the beaches, the West Coast, Las Vegas, and national parks.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman from rural Stanton was arrested Thursday, on an assault charge. Deputies responded to a physical domestic abuse call in the 2300 block of L Avenue, in Stanton. An investigation resulted in the arrest for 24-year-old Emily Joann Bass, for Domestic Abuse/Simple Assault. Bass was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – Next Wednesday is the first day low income Iowa parents may apply for state-funded accounts to cover a child’s private school expenses. The New York based company hired to run the program will check Iowa income tax returns to verify eligibility. Odyssey C-E-O Joseph Connor says if a parent did not file a tax return, they’ll be asked to upload some other evidence of their income.

“A recent pay stub for both parents or guardians from their employer and a letter from each employer verifying annual income for the employee,” he says. The governor and most Republicans in the legislature voted this spring to make about 76-hundred dollars available to low income parents who enroll their child in a private K-through-12 school. Odyssey, the company managing the program, will first make tuition payments directly to private schools. If money’s left over, it must be used on approved expenses like books, software or tutoring available through Odyssey’s website.

The company has been holding online workshops for interested parents this week, with one scheduled for tomorrow and another on Tuesday. Today’s (Friday’s) will start at noon and will be conducted in Spanish. Applications for the state-funded Education Savings Accounts must be filed online. In the program’s first year, the money may be used for private school students in a household at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty line.

That’s about 90-thousand dollars for a family of four. In three years, all parents — regardless of income — can seek the state money to cover private school expenses, however private schools are not required to accept students.