The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on drug charges this past week. On Friday, 38-year old Victor Bruce Ingram, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving Under Suspension. And, 43-year old Curtis Lee Clark, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine.

On Sunday (March 4th), 18-year old Mikala Nicole Dixson, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a charge of Simple Assault. And, last Thursday, 57-year old Henry Thomas Toogood, of Ft. Worth, TX, was arrested for Failure to have an Iowa Sales Tax Stamp and Failure to hold a Peddlers License.

Residents of Pottawattamie County have an opportunity to attend one of several listening sessions scheduled to take place throughout the County, with regard to possible county-wide trails. The Pottawattamie County Conservation Board will meet with residents to gather public input on the future of multi-use trails. Mark Shoemaker, executive director of the Pottawattamie County Conservation Board, says the meetings are to being held to discuss where the trails should be located. He says anyone attending the sessions will discuss the future of the multi-use trails and asked to offer their opinions on where the lines should be drawn as to where the trails should be. 

Shoemaker says there are some short trails already in place, in Pottawattamie County. That includes the Wabash Trace, in Council Bluffs, several trails within the Council Bluffs city limits, some short trails in Oakland and other communities. Some trails are under development in other communities within the County. The main purpose of the meetings is to eventually connect the trails to every community in Pottawattamie County.

The County-wide trail planning listening sessions will be held in  four cities across the county. They will be held March 8^th, from 7-to 9-pm at the Neola Community Center; at the Carson Community Center, March 10^th, from 9am-11am; and at the AHST High School in Avoca, March 14^th, from 7-9pm. The final session will be held March 22nd, at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Looft Hall – Room 10, from 4-to 6-pm. Shoemaker says even if a meeting will not be held in your community in Pottawattamie County, you are still welcome to attend one of the meetings elsewhere in the County. The Pottawattamie County Conservation Board is also scheduling a water trails meeting at the Botna Bend Park in Hancock on Wednesday, March 21^st.

(courtesy Joel McCall/KNOD, Harlan)

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Police in Red Oak report the arrest Sunday, of 33-year-old Kevin Duane Staley. Staley was taken into custody on charges which include two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and gathering where drugs are used. Staley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $10,000 bond. Also arrested Sunday, was a 17-year-old Red Oak male, and 21-year-old Kirstin Lynn Wilwerding, of Omaha. The pair face charges of gathering where controlled substances were used. Wilwerding faces an additional charges of unlawful possession of prescription drugs. She posted a $1,000 bond, while the teen was released to the custody of his parents.

Police in Red Oak say one person was arrested early this (Monday) morning on a couple of charges. 24-year old Richard Dean Pierce III (no address given), was taken into custody a little after 3-a.m. in the 400 block of East Washington Street. Pierce faces an aggravated misdemeanor charge of 1st Degree Harassment, and a felony charge Violation of his probation. He was being held in the Mongtomery County Jail on $7,750 bond, pending a court appearance.

This is the 5th of March and “Take 5 Iowa Day,” as parents are encouraged to take five minutes to talk with their kids about the importance of living drug free. Peter Komendowski, president of the Partnership at DrugFreeIowa.org, says studies repeatedly show teens who learn about the risks through ongoing dialog with parents are up to 50-percent less likely to ever use drugs. Komendowski says, “The whole idea behind Take 5 is really a reminder that parents and children need to connect and parents need to take a very strong, positive initiative to talk to their children.” In recent months, Iowa has seen increased reports of teenagers using new synthetic drugs and many of them are ending up in hospitals. He says it just reinforces the need for parents to set aside time to talk with their young sons and daughters about making healthy choices.

“It’s so hard to get children to talk about what their peers are saying and what’s going on at school,” Komendowski says. “Children are afraid to disclose to parents how many threats they encounter in the course of a day. We see enough children end up in emergency rooms to know that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” A study found 90-percent of parents say they talk to their kids about drugs, but only 20-percent of kids say they’d had such a talk with their parents.  “We know it’s difficult and we know it’s challenging,” Komendowski says. “We’re asking parents to dig a little deeper and try talking a little bit longer. Children really do want to engage. It’s just a strange territory for them to talk about the world of their peers with parents.” He says research shows when parents ask questions, set boundaries and monitor friends, it can reduce the odds of teenagers ever using drugs.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Saturday afternoon, lifted a water boil advisory for the northern half of Adel. Two separate water samples of the system indicate the water is now safe to drink from the tap. The boil advisory was issued on Thursday for the portion of the city north of Green Street, also known as old Highway 6, after a water main broke. The repair on the water main was completed by early Thursday evening, but since water pressure was lost during the break and repair, the boil advisory was issued until sampling could take place to ensure safety.

Police in Red Oak arrested a Red Oak man early Sunday morning, on an OWI charge. 38-year old John Ray Culbertson was taken into custody at around 1:30-a.m. in the 11-hundred block of East Corning Street, in Red Oak. Culbertson was charged with Operating a motor vehicle While Intoxicated. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on a $1,000 bond.