The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday) issued a warning to the public about not believing advertisements or telemarketer claims that debt relief is an easy fix which will result in smaller payments and lower debt. All consumer advisories are available to the public at www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov under “Protecting Consumers.” The email address is consumer@iowa.gov.

The Sheriff’s Office cited a Consumer Advisory Bulletin issued by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, which stated “Debt Relief Scams are more of  a headache, than a relief. ” You can read more about those types of scams, in the bulletin below…

Got debt?  If you’re making payments on a mortgage, a car, an education or credit card bills, you’re in good company.  While manageable debt doesn’t keep most people up at night, getting behind on monthly bills and mounting debt can be overwhelming. But, when advertisements or telemarketers claim there are easy fixes that will result in smaller payments and lower debt, don’t believe them!  Debt relief can be complicated, in certain cases can’t happen without you declaring bankruptcy, and the consequences can impact your credit rating and your finances for many years.

If you’re behind on your bills, start a conversation with your creditors before you talk to anyone offering debt relief.  Ask if you can work out a payment plan. If the answer is no or you can’t seem to reach an agreeable payment plan, call an expert for help. Non-profit credit counseling services will seek reasonable solutions based on your circumstances.  Credit counseling services have trained counselors who work on your behalf with creditors.  These non-profit agencies may charge small fees, but will charge much less than for-profit debt relief companies.  You can find National Foundation for Credit Counseling local member agencies at www.nfcc.org, or call 1-800-388-2227.

For-profit debt relief companies may claim that there are simple solutions for everyone, and often charge pricey advance and hidden fees that don’t go toward reducing your debt.  Those fees can include initial fees, monthly service fees, and a closing fee.  Some firms may do little or nothing but collect fees.  (For-profit debt relief companies that sell their services over the telephone may no longer charge a fee before they settle or reduce a consumer’s credit card or other unsecured debt, but this federal rule does not apply to debt relief agreements made through the Internet or in-person.)

When contacting anyone who provides debt relief services, ask questions up front before agreeing to any services.  Ask about all fees and costs, and request a written copy of the fees they charge.  Don’t do business with anyone who tells you to stop communicating with your creditors.  It’s not only bad advice—it’s illegal to give that advice.

Stopping payments to creditors can increase your debt amount, can hurt your legal standing, and can negatively affect your long-term financial situation.  A debt relief service must explain the consequences of stopping payments to creditors.  Those consequences could include losing your home if it’s a mortgage, increased debt because of penalties and interest, significant damage to your credit rating, exposure to debt collectors, and legal trouble.

If you are considering bankruptcy, do so carefully.  Bankruptcy, depending on the type, can eliminate unsecured debts and stop foreclosures, repossessions, utility shut-offs, certain debt collections and garnishments.  But bankruptcy can also result in unintended and long-term consequences.  You should consult with a lawyer to talk about bankruptcy options.  You’ll find a basic bankruptcy information sheet at www.justice.gov/ust.

To file a complaint or for more information, contact the Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, Hoover Bldg., Des Moines, IA 50319.  Call 515-281-5926, or (toll-free) 888-777-4590.  The website is: www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials with the National Weather Service in Des Moines say it appears that central Iowa will not get a break in the action. We will still see light snow or flurries over mainly Eastern Iowa today from the Tuesday system. After a brief break over the weekend another storm system will be taking shape and will affect the upper Midwest and Northern plains beginning Sunday night and ending early Tuesday. This system will have the potential to produce moderate to even locally heavy snowfall and it passes Iowa but it is too early to determine exactly where the heaviest snow will fall.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Wednesday night of a man wanted on a Red Oak P.D. warrant for Threat of Terrorism. 53-year old Ronald Lee Hall, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 9-p.m.   Additional details on the circumstances surrounding the warrant are currently not available. Hall’s bond was set at $5,000.

The Red Oak P.D. reports also, the arrest at around 11-p.m. Wednesday, of 23-year old Jacob Loran Johnson, of Red Oak. Johnson faces a Driving While Revoked charge. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

A traffic stop Wednesday night in Montgomery County resulted in the arrest of a Pottawattamie County woman on drug, and other charges. Sheriff’s officials say 52-year old Julie Ann Vore, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 8-p.m. in Red Oak. Vore faces Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Driving While Suspended, charges. She was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on an undisclosed bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

A report from the Center for Rural Affairs finds those giant wind turbines that dot the farmland skyline are helping power distant cities, not rural homes. Johnathan Hladik, the center’s energy policy advocate, says major power lines are -not- connected to the areas where the wind power is generated. Hladik says, “We’re finding that all of the important, big transmission lines that can move a lot of capacity, the kind of capacity we need, are far away from the rural areas that are home to all of our wind turbines.”

Iowa ranks third in the nation for wind energy production, behind Texas and California. Under the old model of generation, power plants were located close to the population areas they serve. Now, utilities are finding it difficult to locate new plants in heavily-populated areas. Hladik says the study found only a few miles of the modern, major power lines are located close to the wind turbines. “Only 6% of the lines 400 kilovolts and above are located in the top ten states for wind energy potential and most of those states are in the upper Midwest and the Great Plains areas,” Hladik says. “But even more importantly, less than 1% of the lines over 600 kilovolts are located in these areas. That’s only nine miles.”

Hladik says making a more efficient use of infrastructure now in place is a critical first step, and to make major improvements, it will take some creative partnerships. “It’s not only the job of individual utilities and public utility commissions in each state to recognize the problem and to recognize what we need to do to tap our wind resources, but the onus also falls on states working together, on regional collaboratives,” he says. The utilities need to come up with plans to move more power over a more efficient energy grid, he says, to insure a clean energy future and more jobs. The Center for Rural Affairs is based in Lyons, Nebraska. Learn more about the report at: www.cfra.org

(Radio Iowa)

The Red Oak Police Department reports that two juveniles were arrested for theft on Wednesday. Seventeen-year old Amithist Chyane Clemmons and 13-year old Faith Leeann Clemmons of Red Oak were arrested Wednesday for Theft/5th Degree. No bond was set and both girls were released to their parents.