DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three Republican presidential candidates, each claiming to be the truly conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, are launching bus tours today (Tuesday) through this early nominating state. Just a week before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich prepared to rumble through small towns aboard their campaign buses. They’re looking for supporters one at a time and hoping to become a roadblock for Romney, who is looking stronger than expected. Romney returns to Iowa on Tuesday after a quick stop in his long-established stronghold of New Hampshire.

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann will continue her 99 county bus tour today (Tuesday, December 27th), visiting with voters in nine towns throughout Iowa. The Minnesota Congresswoman will be in Atlantic Tuesday evening at the Pizza Ranch Restaurant, beginning at 7:10 p.m.  Other stops include Council Bluffs, Harlan, Glenwood, Sidney, Shenandoah, Red Oak and Hamlin.

Bachman events, time and locations…

An investigation into a strange odor in Red Oak Monday morning led to the arrest of 5 people on drug charges. Police in Red Oak Police arrived at 1660 E Summit, and after an investigation, arrested 19-year old Timothy Gene Humphrey, of Omaha, 18- year old Ashley Ann Wood and 19-year old Jodi Michelle Booher, both of Shenandoah, 24-year old Madison Christina Parson, and 20-year old Brett Michael Donnelly, both of Red Oak, for gathering where a controlled substance was being used.

Humphrey was also charged with possession of a controlled substance. All five persons were brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on 1,000 dollars bond each. Red Oak Police was assisted in their investigation by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some people, advocacy groups and Iowa school districts have been seeking innovative ways to battle bullying of students. A website being launched this month, http://ReportBullyingIowa.com, will take reports from students and parents and forward the reports to school districts. The website is run by the Eychaner Foundation, a Des Moines nonprofit group that says it wants to promote tolerance and nondiscrimination.

Iowa law requires school districts to report bullying cases to the Iowa Department of Education. But last year, more than half of Iowa school districts didn’t report any bullying. Foundation executive director Michael Bowser told The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/tVCWsa ) there are many reasons for why reports aren’t being made, but he says the website could make it easier to report bullying.

Officials with the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa (GSGI) say persons wanting to order and receive a wide variety of Girl Scout cookies won’t have to wait much longer, especially with the advent of a new ordering system. According to the GSGI, from the very first day of the program, girls will have packages of cookies ON HAND to sell door to door, at Cookie Booths, and to family and friends. Girl scouts will exchange cookies and payments in one easy step! No more taking orders, waiting weeks, and then returning for the delivery and collecting money.  The “Cookies Now!” program condenses all that work into one simple step. The Cookie Program will run January 13^th through March 4^th, 2012, in both Iowa and Nebraska.

In years past, the Scouts took orders, ordered the cookies from the supplier, then handed out cookies and collected payment about three to five weeks later. Officials say since the Girl Scouts, along with their parents and troop leaders, develop their sales plans, the direct sales also allow the girls to cultivate skills they can use: goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics. They will have to decide whether to go door-to-door or set up cookie booths at public locations such as grocery stores. They will have to keep track of their sales and the money collected.

Officials with the The Boy Scouts of America, Mid-America Council say the  6,375 Boy Scouts in the M-A-C sold nearly $3.5 million worth of popcorn during a recent fundraiser. Of that total, $1.2 million benefited individual Scouts, helping send them to camp, buy supplies for Scouting and participate in activities. The Mid-America Council netted more than $1 million that will be used to help offset the cost of operating camps, and to provide training for Scouts and leaders. This year’s campaign also contributed more than $122,000 worth of popcorn in support of local military families. And, the popcorn campaign is helping send 192 Mid-America Council Scouts to college through a scholarship program.

The Mid-America Council serves 33,701 youth in 58 counties in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. It’s supported by 9,585 volunteers, is headquartered in Omaha, with a satellite service center in Sioux City, Iowa.

A  western Iowa man was flown to an Omaha hospital after the vehicle he was driving went out of control and rolled over two-separate times Sunday near Underwood, in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says 33-year old Justin D. Alstadt, of Council Bluffs, was attempting to flee from officers, when the 1999 Chevy Silverado pickup he was driving left the road near 270th Street and Pinoak Road at around 9:10-p.m., Sunday. The truck rolled over once before coming to rest on its wheels. Alstadt was flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries. Officials say he was not wearing a seat belt.

Alstadt was being pulled over on suspicion of having a broken taillight and driving 20 mph over the 30 mph speed limit on Highway 191, in Neola. The trooper who tried to stop him didn’t know at the time, that the Council Bluffs Police Department had issued a warrant for Alstadt’s arrest in connection with a domestic incident which allegedly took place earlier that day.  When Alstadt sped away from the trooper, his pickup reached speeds of 70 mph, sometimes on gravel roads. At one point, officials say the Chevy rolled over, but then landed on its wheels. Amazingly enough, Alstadt took off again, but the chase came to an end when the pickup went out of control and rolled over for a second, and final time.

Officials say alcohol was likely a factor in the crash, as troopers reportedly detected an odor of booze in the the vehicle Alstadt was driving. Charges are currently pending.