The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a burglary occurred sometime Friday in Red Oak.

At about 5:15 PM, the sheriff’s office received a report from 52-year-old Marlin Peterson of rural Red Oak, who says someone had broken into his residence on Friday between 7 AM and 5 PM and took some of his personal belongings.  The loss was estimated at about $1,000.

Anyone with information should contact Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-432-1001.

Daily polls track the progress of the ups and downs in the presidential race in Iowa — but a poll taken a couple of months ago shows optimism for one of the most popular hunting seasons opening today (Saturday). D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz  conducts the annual roadside pheasant survey — and after five years of lagging numbers — he says the bird population was up 17 to 20-percent. Things may even be a little better than the poll indicated, as Bogenschutz says they depend on the morning dew to push the birds out where they can be counted.

“You know for good dew, you need good soil moisture and that wasn’t very abundant in Iowa this August, so the counts maybe didn’t capture everything that was out there,” Bogenschutz explained. “They are what they are and we’ve been hearing some things anecdotally, people running the combines have been seeing a few birds out there where they didn’t see any last year, so I think we’ve got a good first step toward bouncing the numbers back.” While the dew provides some margin for error in the pheasant poll, Bogenschutz can usually get a pretty good idea from it of how many ringnecks hunters will bag.

He says they can look at the numbers and make an estimate of the harvest. “This year I’m estimating we’ll probably harvest somewhere between 150 and 200-thousand birds — compared to only a hundred thousand last year — so a little bump up compared to last year, a good start,” Bogenschutz says. Another factor in favor of the hunters is the progress of the harvest, with is over 90-percent complete for corn and soybeans. “For the opener that’s going to be a plus for the hunters that are out there, all those standing crops won’t be available to hide the birds, so that might actually improve (the hunt) success wise,” he explained.

Birds trying to stay alive and away from hunters usually have some standing corn or beans to use for a getaway. “You know in a normal year only 50-percent of the corn usually’s out by the opener and this year it’s essentially all out,” Bogenschutz says, “and that will help hunters in finding birds.” Bird populations have been down the last five years due in part to bad weather.

(Radio Iowa)

Plastic tubes filled with luminous chemicals are popular with Iowa trick-or-treaters but they’re also the subject of hundreds of calls to the Poison Control Center every fall. Spokeswoman Joan McVoy says while the glow sticks do help make children more visible in the dark, but they can also cause problems. “They’re plastic and little kids love to chew on them because it’s soft and kind of like a teething ring and they break it open because it’s not that hide,” McVoy says. “Inside, there’s a chemical that gets in their mouth and the parents panic and call us because their child’s mouth is now glowing in the dark.”

Last year, glow sticks were the subject of 282 calls to the poison center’s hotline. Parents who realize their kid has managed to munch through a glow stick need to act — and quickly.  “It that happens, give us a call,” McVoy says. “The nurse is going to be able to tell you whether it’s going to be a problem or not. If it gets in the eyes, it may also cause some burning and stinging and the nurse will tell you what you’re supposed to do.” While getting that glow stick goo certainly isn’t good for you, it’s probably not going to be fatal to your child.

“It’s poisonous because it can make them sick and cause some symptoms,” McVoy says. “It’s not something that we would send them to an emergency room, but a parent should give us a call and we’ll give them instructions.” The Regional Poison Center number is 800-222-1222.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Officials with the Nishna Valley Trails group are inviting the public to attend an open meeting of the Nishna Valley Trails association, in support of the future development of the T-Bone Trail and other recreational trails in Atlantic and Cass County. The meeting will take place on Monday, October 29 th , 2012 beginning at 6:00 p.m., at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, off 14 th street in Atlantic. The agenda will include a report on conversations with the railroad, updates on trail development efforts, and mapping a vision for the future. For further information, contact Ed or Myra Kail at 712-243-4265.

An Audubon County Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol early this (Friday) morning, likely saved the lives of a Brayton family, when he alerted them to a fire. Deputy Jason Rokke told KJAN News he was rolling through Brayton at around 4-a.m. in his Ford Crown Victoria cruiser, with the window partially down when there was a sudden departure from the routine. He said it was just a normal night when he smelled smoke. The deputy checked nearby houses and found smoke pouring out of attic vents at 307 Reynolds Street, in Brayton. Rokke woke up the residences’ two adults and two children, who were able to escape the home safely.

The deputy said the residents of the home were not aware there was a problem, and were surprised twice by what was going on. He said they were surprised someone was knocking on their door, and more surprised to learn the home was on fire. That surprise quickly turned to relief, when they escaped the home without injury. It’s not clear what caused the blaze, but since it started in the attic, the deputy thinks it may have been electrical-related. Firefighters remained on the scene for about two-hours. The amount of damage to the home is unknown.

The 27-year old Rokke is a 2004 graduate of the Belmond-Klemme High School , and a 2008 graduate of Simpson College. He says he’s glad he was able to live up to the role of a law enforcement officer, which is “To protect and serve.” He said he told the dispatcher “It was one for the books,” and that he was happy the wind was in the right direction, which enabled him to smell the smoke, notify the family. Rokke says “It felt pretty good to do that.”

Rokke has worked for the Sheriff’s Department for the past year and a-half. It’s his first full-time job in law enforcement. Previously, he had served as a security guard for a Des Moines Insurance Company.

An Audubon County Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol early this (Friday) morning, likely saved the lives of a Brayton family, when he alerted them to a fire. Sheriff Todd Johnson says Deputy Jason Rokke was patrolling the Brayton area at around 4-a.m., when he smelled smoke. The deputy checked nearby houses and found smoke pouring out of attic vents at 307 Reynolds Street, in Brayton. Rokke woke up the residences’ two adults and two children, who were able to escape the home safely.

Firefighters remained on the scene for about two-hours. The amount of damage to the home is unknown. The 27-year old Rokke has served with the Sheriff’s Department for about a year. Johnson says he came from Des Moines, where he studied Criminal Justice. Rokke went through the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy soon after being hired by the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department.

(9-a.m. news) – updated 9:56-a.m.

Bail reduction hearings are scheduled for Monday, in the case of two Nebraska people facing arson charges in Atlantic.  Twenty-seven-year-old William Kautter (KAH’-tur) has been charged with arson and six counts of attempted murder. His wife, 29-year-old Elizabeth Kautter, has been charged only with arson.  Prosecutors say the two are responsible for a fire on Dec. 14, 2010, that damaged a home in Atlantic. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says three adults and three children escaped without injury.     Investigators say gasoline was splashed across the front door and porch of the house and then set aflame. The couples’ attorneys declined to comment on Friday.

Officials with the Obama campaign have announced  First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Iowa, where she will speak to grassroots supporters in Iowa City and Sioux City, Monday. With early voting underway in Iowa, the First Lady will speak about what’s at stake in this election for Iowans and ask them to help organize their communities and get out the vote between now and Election Day. Early vote ends on November 5th in Iowa.

The events featuring Mrs. Obama are free and open to the public. Tickets are required due to limited space, and will be available to the public starting on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available for the Sioux City event at the  Sioux City Convention Center beginning today (Friday, Oct. 26th)  from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM, and will continue if tickets are still available on Saturday, October 27, from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM and on Sunday, October 28, from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM.

The tickets can be found at Organizing for America – Sioux City at 520 14^th Street, and at 4106 Morningside Avenue, in Sioux City. Tickets will also be available online at http://OFA.BO/FLOTUS-SC.