(Radio Iowa) – Iowans will need to reset all of their clocks this weekend as we fall back an hour, and now is the ideal time for parents to start getting their kids ready for the shift as Daylight Saving Time ends. Pediatrician Dr. Casey Freymiller says even small changes over the next few days can have big impact. “Spending a few days beforehand, adjusting little by little, 15 minutes each night, going down later, getting up a little bit later, can lead to less of a dramatic shift of a whole hour for them on Sunday,” Freymiller says, “and especially going into Monday into school again.” Freymiller says exposure to light plays a big part in a kids’ sleep schedule, and it’s important for them to have light in the morning.

“If it’s a particularly dark day, having a good sunlight exposure with an artificial lamp that’s designed to do that, that can really help wake kids up as well and set their clock,” Freymiller says. “Having less sunlight definitely makes us want to sleep, and so you definitely can notice kids being tired earlier on. Some kids, just like adults, can be affected by a little bit of the seasonal affective disorder.” Many of us have to sacrifice sleep from time to time, but Freymiller says it’s a precious commodity that’s often overlooked, especially for kids.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (photo)

“Getting good sleep is important for learning. Being able to be present and awake and alert at school to do the learning, but also to keep what we learn during the day,” he says. “It helps kids regulate their emotions, keeping them from being too high of emotions and keeping them from being way too low.” Freymiller says parents can also try small doses of melatonin to help shift a child’s sleep schedules ahead of the time change.

(Radio Iowa) – Halloween pumpkins that didn’t get smashed or eaten by squirrels pose a problem for waste haulers after the trick-or-treating is over. The Ames Resource Recovery Plant burns garbage to produce electricity and assistant superintendent Mark Peebler says mushy pumpkins don’t burn. They have collection areas outside the plant for them. “Two totes that are out there they’re marked with pumpkin labels or pictures. The pumpkins can just be dropped off in there, and then we aggregate it, and then we haul it out to our current contractor for organics and yard waste,” he says. He says they also take gourds along with the pumpkins.

“Last year we were over 23-thousand-300 pounds, so almost 12 tons of pumpkins and gourds were collected,” Peebler says. He says they get pumpkins of all sizes and some are showing their wear and tear from being Jack-o’-lanterns. “By the time we get them, they’re usually pretty shriveled up, but I would guess, anywhere from ten to 15 pounds for the average. And then you get some of those large ones that are much heavier,” he says. Waste recyclers say keeping organic food materials separate from recyclables has long been a problem. Peebler says they try to keep letting residents know the importance of keeping things separated.

“There’s constant education and outreach. I know several different local haulers offer yard waste as a subscription base to collect that material at the residence,” Peebler says. Peebler says they will keep their collection bins for the pumpkins and gourds available 24/7 through December 1st, as some people use them for Thanksgiving decorations.

The Red Oak Police Department requesting your assistance in a hit-and-run investigation. Authorities say that at around 6:30-p.m., Wednesday, Red Oak Rescue and Red Oak Police were dispatched to the 200 block of E. Joy Street, following a call about a pedestrian who had his arm run over by a pickup truck. The victim said he had slipped on the pavement and fell onto the road. After he fell, a pickup truck ran over his arm. The victim said the driver of the pickup stopped and asked if the pedestrian was OK, before leaving the scene of the incident or the arrival of law enforcement.

A witness who was driving-by, told police they saw the truck stopped, causing the other motorist to stop behind the pickup. The witness said once the truck drove-off, she saw the victim on the ground and assisted him in getting out of the street. The unidentified victim was checked out by Red Oak Rescue, but refused transport to the hospital.

The only description of the suspect vehicle is that it was a grey or silver pickup truck, unknown make or model. There was no description of the driver.

If you happen to have been in the area and witnessed the incident, or can provide Red Oak Police with any information, they would greatly appreciate it. Also, any homeowners in that particular area that has any security cameras, these can be extremely useful to us in the course of our investigation.

Please contact the Police Department at 623-6500 if you were to review the footage and find any pertinent information to the above mentioned incident.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – One person was transported to the hospital in Red Oak, early Wednesday afternoon, following a collision at the intersection of Highway 48 and Chestnut Street, in Red Oak. Authorities report a car driven by 22-year-old Tanner Burnison, of Elliott, was making a turn from Chestnut onto southbound Highway 48 at around 12:45-p.m. A pickup truck driven by 29-year-old Taylor Foster, of Renick, MO., was northbound on Highway 48 and passing another vehicle, when Foster saw Burnison’s car. Both drivers took evasive action to avoid the collision, but the left front of both vehicles collided. The car and pickup came to rest on the southbound shoulder of the road.

Burnison complained of pain and possible injury. He was transported by private vehicle to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. Damage from the collision amounted to a police-estimated $10,000 altogether. There were no citations issued.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says he was recently told the D-O-T might have information about registered Iowa voters who may not be U-S citizens — and his staff conducted a manual review of the data before it was released last week. Pate sent the list to county auditors and directed election workers to ask people on the list for proof of citizenship before their votes may be counted.

“The public expects us to address the issue because we’ve had so much pressure put on the elections process across the country about not only non-citizens, but on anything that’s not got full transparency in an election,” Pate says, “and this is the closest we could come to providing that transparency at this time.” Pate says he consulted with attorneys about the move and believes it would survive a legal challenge since none of the names of potential non-citizens have been removed from the voter registration list — giving those who have become U-S citizens in the past couple of decades the opportunity to vote.

“The role of Iowa’s commissioner of elections requires balance,” Pate says. “On one end, it’s absolutely critical that every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot and make their voices heard. On the other end, we are required to follow state and federal law and ensure that only eligible voters participate.” Late yesterday (Thursay), the U-S Supreme Court ruled Virgina may cull alleged non-citizens from that state’s voting lists. Governor Kim Reynolds says she asked Pate a while back about the issue.

“I was hearing other states were looking into it,” Reynolds says. “…I was curious how that was playing out and what we were doing.” Reynolds says the problem is Pate’s office has not been able to check the federal government’s so-called SAVE database that provides information about a person’s immigration status.

“Some states have it, but not all states have access to it,” Reynolds says. “…If we had access to the SAVE file, then our election commissioner, the secretary of state, could verify if they are a citizen or not, but they refuse to give us access to that.” Pate says it’s frustrating. “We’ve repeatedly put requests out to the folks in Washington, D.C. to have a complete list of folks who are legally here and are non-citizens,” Pate says. “To this date, they have not been cooperative in giving us that list.”

Joe Henry is Iowa political director for LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens. He says Pate’s list is an effort to intimidate Latino voters in Iowa. “He waited ’til the 11th hour to do this,” Henry says. Henry’s organization was denied a copy of the list of people whose citizenship may be challenged if they show up to vote. “To make sure that if there is concern here that they will have their naturalization papers with them. If they do that, they’ll be fine,” Henry says. “We could have helped.”

The league is now encouraging Latino voters in Iowa to cast their ballots as soon as possible, so if they are challenged, they’ll have plenty of time to prove to election officials that they are U-S citizens. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued a written statement Wednesday, accusing the U-S Justice Department of trying to pressure Iowa into letting non-citizens vote. Bird said the agency had contacted the state, but she did not offer other details about the discussion.