A man and a woman from Union County were injured in a collision that occurred Sunday afternoon, in Creston. Creston Police say 27-year old Aaron Michael Spencer, and 53-year old Jodie Lynn Sheren, both of Creston, suffered minor injuries, and were transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, after their vehicles collided at the intersection of W. Adams Street and Highway 25. The accident happened at around 4:45-p.m.

Officials say Spencer was driving on the wrong side of the road due to sleep apnea. He was on his way home when he fell asleep at the wheel and at one point had pulled over to the side of the road. The man did not remember the two blocks prior to driving. His northbound 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix went around a vehicle stopped at the traffic light and began to continue in the southbound lane. He failed to stop at the light. A 2013 GMC Acadia, driven by Sheren, who was traveling west on Adams Street and had the green light and began to turn left, when the vehicles collided. Damage from the crash amounted to $8,000. Spencer was cited for Driving on the wrong side of a two-way highway, and Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device.

And, there were no injuries reported after vehicles driven by 28-year old Nathan Eugene Myers, of Corning and 83-year old Martha Mcauley, of Creston, collided at around 5:40-p.m. Friday, at the intersection of N. Maple and W. Howard Streets. The accident happened after Mcauley stopped at the intersection, and then continued south on Maple Street. Police say due to her vision possibly being obstructed by a Catholic Church that is close to the intersection, the woman didn’t see Myers’ 1997 Ford pickup approaching. The pickup collided with Mcauley’s 2008 Chevy Impala resulting in $4,000 damage altogether. Mcauley was cited for Unsafe starting of a stopped vehicle.

The Creston Police Department today (Monday) reports several recent arrests. Just before 8-p.m. Sunday, Officers arrested 31-year old Thomas Dollen, of Creston, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Dollen was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for Lascivious Acts with a Child. Dollen was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing. And, 23-year old Michael Cox, of Creston, was arrested at his home at around 7:30-p.m. Sunday, for Theft in the 5th Degree. Cox was released from custody on a Promise to Appear later, in court.

Saturday evening, 38-year old Lewis Levy, of Arispe, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant charging him with Dominion/Control of a Firearm/Offensive weapon by a Felon. Levy was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Last Thursday, 34-year old Joseph “JD” Gaiser, and  25-year old Amanda Steinbach-Sluyter, both of Creston, were arrested at their home. Each was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault. They were later released on $300 bond, each.

Officials with the Sac City Police Department said today (Monday), the Department has filed charges on a Sac City woman, following a search warrant on Sunday June 5th. On that date at around 11:10- p.m., the Sac City Police Department executed a search warrant at 108 North 13th Street. A search warrant was applied for and granted to search for evidence in an alleged dependent adult abuse report.

Officers located evidence inside the residence to support dependent adult abuse by a caretaker as well as illegal narcotic activity. As a result of the search warrant, the Sac City Police Department has charged 56 year old Lori Vazquez with: dependent adult abuse-otherwise intentionally or knowingly; possession of a controlled substance-marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; and, for violating the Sac City Code of Ordinances by having a number of animals in one dwelling. Vazquez was given summons to appear on all charges.

The marijuana was taken to the Carroll Police Department Marijuana Testing Laboratory for official testing.

The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party is widely known for his high-volume speeches, but he’s under doctor’s orders to try to protect his voice. For the past few years, Kaufmann has been the master of ceremonies and chief cheerleader at innumerable Republican Party events, including a Donald Trump rally in Cedar Rapids in June. Years of these exhortations took a toll, though. Kaufmann developed a deep, non-cancerous nodule in his throat. He had surgery on one of his vocal cords last December. “It was probably the three hardest days of my life when the doctor said I couldn’t talk,” Kaufmann said. Kaufmann admits he lasted just a day a half before tossing aside the marker and wipe-erase board he was using to communicate with his family. For several months after surgery, Kaufmann went to a speech therapist.

“If I’ve heard the phrase once, I’ve heard it a dozen times: ‘Breathe from your stomach,'” Kaufmann said last week. “I’ll be honest. I don’t even know what that means…I think I’m just going to lower my noise level just a little bit.” Julie Andrews, the soprano who reached vocal heights in memorable roles on stage and screen, underwent surgery two decades ago to remove nodules from her vocal cords — and was unable to sing afterwards.Kaufmann says he’s never been able to sing, so that’s not a concern. He’s stopped going to the speech therapist and has adopted this approach to his vocal health:

“I’m going to just lower it down, keep my fingers crossed and make sure everybody can hear me.” But after his return to a rigorous schedule of speaking engagements, Kaufmann’s doctor warns the nodule may be coming back. “But some people have said my kind of scratchy voice is kind of sultry and it’s good for engaging voters, so I’m going to do with that.” Kaufmann earns a paycheck with his voice. Kaufmann teaches history and government classes at Muscatine Community College. He’s also a livestock farmer and a member of the Cedar County Board of Supervisors.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Officials say the former Sears store in the Mall of the Bluffs will become the new home of the Council Bluffs Post Office. The Daily Nonpareil reports that maintenance concerns at the current post office building are prompting the move.

The former Sears building site will offer the same services, including three retail windows, nearly 900 post office boxes and several parcel lockers. Carriers also will work from the new location. Work on the new location is expected to be finished in late first quarter 2018.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci’s explicit tirade about his coworkers is seen as the latest example of an increasing use of vulgarities in public life. Perhaps we should have seen this coming when MSNBC anchorman Brian Williams was forced to apologize after a voter used the F-word during live coverage of the 2016 Iowa caucus, but etiquette experts point to a rash of examples, including from the president.

Diane Gottsman, who advises businesses on etiquette and protocol, says it’s clear there’s been a spike in cursing in public life, but that doesn’t make it acceptable. “It’s my politics not to talk politics, not to take one side or the other, but I think that it certainly paints a picture,” she states. Gottsman, the author of “Modern Etiquette for a Better Life,” says it’d be naive to think cursing won’t continue to happen, but it’s important in the workplace and public settings for people to focus on strengthening their ability to control their emotions and think intelligently.

Research on what cursing says about an individual’s intellect or trustworthiness is inconclusive. A 2017 study demonstrated a correlation between cursing and honesty, but other research has found those who cuss regularly are more narcissistic and less conscientious. Gottsman maintains the current political climate contributes to the spike in the public use of vulgarities, but says that’s no reason to go along with it.

“I don’t want to hear the profanity,” she stresses. “I think that we all have our own personal judgments. We need to make our decisions based on good judgment, responsible thinking and weighing both sides of the story.” Gottsman says Scaramucci’s rant (published in The New Yorker magazine) definitely paints a picture. She observes, however, that saying a curse word doesn’t make you a bad person – it’s simply not advisable when there are plenty of other ways to indicate anger, surprise or frustration.

(By Kevin Patrick Allen/Iowa News Service)