A traffic stop Thursday morning in Pottawattamie County resulted in the arrest of a passenger in the vehicle on drug and weapon charges. Sheriff’s officials say 33-year old Kyle James Yost, who has no known address, was taken into custody for carrying a loaded Ruger handgun, a small baggie of marijuana, and a small glass multicolored drug pipe. Yost was charged with Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail.

And, Thursday afternoon, Pottawattamie County Deputies arrested on a Trespassing charge, 32-year old Jeremy Theron Harriman, of Avoca. His arrest took place following an altercation between Harriman and two other individuals in the area of an apartment complex in Avoca. Harriman admitted to authorities he wasn’t allowed in the apartment complex because of his issues involving the use of alcohol. He said he was there, because he had nowhere else to go.

There’s a dramatic “uptick” iun number of Iowans showing up in an emergency room because of a brain injury. Geoffrey Lauer is executive director of the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa. “The Department of Public Health is reporting more than 30,000 Iowans in 2014 were seen in emergency rooms, compared with only 13,000 emergency department visits in 2009,” Lauer says, “so it’s more than doubled.”

Lauer says there’s growing public awareness about brain injuries due to the news about sports concussions and soldiers who’ve suffered brain injuries. “Awareness is good,” Lauer says. “However, we have more people surviving with long-term disabilities.” More than 90-thousand Iowans have a long-term disability because of a brain injury, according to Lauer.

Patients who’ve been treated for a “traumatic” brain injury in an Iowa hospital get a letter from the state about two months later, explaining the Brain Injury Service program. “The primary service…is resource facilitation…in which skilled brain injury professionals reach out, connect to people and help explain what’s going on both medically, cognitively and help people connect and stay connected to necessary services and supports,” Lauer says, “so they don’t get lost.”

Lauer is asking state officials to at least continue taxpayer support of that program. Lauer says the data shows case managers who work with people who’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury help those patients keep their job or stay in school, stay out jail and stay out of the psych ward. “The death rate for brain injury in Iowa has been decreasing, The Department of Public Health has been noticing a trend, which is great, because our prevention efforts have been succeeding,” Lauer says. “However, Iowans who are surviving moderate to mild brain injury as well as severe are on the uptick.”

More than three million Americans have a life-long disability due to a brain injury or stroke. Early next year, every Iowa school district will get a new “protocol” for dealing with students they suspect have suffered a concussion.

(Radio Iowa

The transportation director for the state’s largest school district is pleased with student reaction to the addition of seat belts in buses. The Des Moines School District is the lone district in the state taking part in a bus seat belt study. The trial, launched in late October, is being paid for by the Iowa Department of Education, school bus seat manufacturer SynTec and Thomas Bus Sales. Des Moines Schools transportation director Todd Liston says he’s thrilled with the student response.

“The kids haven’t had any real push back or, you know, hesitation to put the belts on,” Liston said. “The kids are hopping on the bus, sitting down, and buckling up without any real hesitation at all.” The district has two buses outfitted with lap-shoulder belts for 65 passengers. One of the bus drivers told Liston he’s now able to focus more of his attention on the road, rather than on students. “What he told me was, ‘I am definitely less distracted by the kids when they’re in their seat belts.’ Man, I thought that was just huge,” Liston said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended for the first time in 2015 that seat belts be added to school buses. But, it remains unclear if Iowa or others states will move in that direction. A big factor is the price tag: it costs about $8,000 per bus to add seat belts.

(Radio Iowa)

The Creston Police Department says three people were arrested on separate charges. Early this (Friday) morning, 22-year old Jessica Marie Larkin, of Creston, was arrested for Public Intoxication. Larkin was being held on the Union County charges in the Ringgold County Jail.

At around 5:50-p.m. Thursday, Creston Police arrested 40-year old Ealy Melvin Tucker, of Longmont, CO., for Trepassing. And, at around 11:30-a.m., Thursday, Creston Police arrested 26-year old Tyree Jermaine Millsap, of Thayer, for Driving While Suspended.

All three subjects were being held on $300 bond, each. And, Creston Police said two residents reported damage to Christmas decorations on their properties located in the 1000 block of N. Division and 900 block of N. Oak Streets. The incidents, which happened sometime between 6-a.m. and 5:30-p.m., Thursday, caused a loss of about $365 altogether.