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Concerned about Gambling? Have the Conversation: March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month

News

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Governor Branstad will sign a proclamation this Friday, March 4th, marking March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month. While gambling is harmless entertainment for most Iowans, gambling can lead to personal and financial problems for others. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), 294,000 adult Iowans experienced a problem related to their gambling in the past year.

During Problem Gambling Awareness Month, Iowans are encouraged to have the conversation about gambling with those they care about. “We know the majority of Iowans who gamble do so because it’s fun and they don’t have any problems as a result of it,” said Eric Preuss of the of the IDPH Office of Problem Gambling Treatment and Prevention. “But for those with a gambling problem, many suffer in silence because they don’t know why they developed a problem, what gambling addiction is, or where to get help.”

1-800-bets-off

Have a conversation about how gambling affects your life if you or someone you know shows symptoms of problem gambling, including:

  • Thinking a lot about gambling, such as past gambling experiences, future gambling ventures, or ways of getting money for gambling
  • Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or with larger bets in order to get the same feeling of excitement
  • Repeatedly trying to cut down or stop your gambling without success
  • Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling
  • Gambling to run away from problems or to get relief from feeling depressed, anxious, or bad about yourself
  • After losing money gambling, often returning another day in order to win back your losses
  • Lying to family members, friends, or others in order to hide your gambling from them
  • Losing or almost losing a significant relationship, job, or an educational or career opportunity because of gambling
  • Relying on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling

The Office of Problem Gambling Treatment and Prevention works to reduce the harm caused by problem gambling by funding a range of services for Iowans. These services include outpatient counseling for problem gamblers, concerned persons and family; recovery support services; financial counseling, including budgeting and debt reduction plans; and state-wide information and referral services through 1-800-BETS OFF and www.1800betsoff.org. In addition, the program funds targeted prevention and education services for schools, community groups, casino employees, and other at-risk groups.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-BETS OFF or go to www.1800BETSOFF.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 1st

Trading Post

March 1st, 2016 by Jim Field

FOR SALE:  Sanyo refrigerator, 18” by 18”, 36 “ tall, works good, call 712-764-5321. $25.00. SOLD!!

WANTED:  Used Clothes Dryer, Electric. Older style OK. (712)590-7001.

EARL WIECHMANN, 91, of Atlantic (Svcs. 3/5/16)

Obituaries

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

EARL WIECHMANN, 91, of Atlantic, died Sun., Feb. 28th, at Atlantic Specialty Care. Funeral services for EARL WIECHMANN will be held 10:30-a.m. Sat., March 5th, at Zion Lutheran Church, in Atlantic. Roland Funeral Services in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Open visitation will be held Thursday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and Friday from 8:00 am until the family visitation.

Visitation with the family is from 6-until 8-pm Friday, March 4th, at the funeral home.

Burial will be in the Atlantic Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Cass County 4-H Endowment, Atlantic FFA Alumni or Zion Lutheran Church.

EARL WIECHMANN is survived by:

His children: Alan (Carolyn) Wiechmann, of Parker, CO; Gary (Connie) Wiechmann, of Lewis; Pat (Brent) Stuetelberg, of Sun City, AZ; and Scott (Anita) Wiechmann, of Stilwell, KS.

7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Girls State Basketball Tournament – Schedule for Tue., March 1st 2016

Sports

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

(At Wells Fargo Area in Des Moines)

Class 2-A Quarterfinals
10:00-a.m. Iowa City Regina (24-0) vs. Manson-NW Webster (2-04)

Class 3-A Quarterfinals
11:45-a.m. Pocahontas Area (24-0) vs. Mount Vernon (16-8)
1:30-p.m. Cherokee (22-2) vs. Osage (21-13)
3:15-p.m. Center Point-Urbana (23-1) vs. Mid-Prairie (16-8)
5:00-p.m. Nevada (21-3) vs. Sioux Center (20-4)

Class 4-A Quarterfinals
6:45-p.m. Western Dubuque (24-0) vs. Mason City (15-8)
8:30-p.m. Ballard (22-1) vs. Keokuk (21-2)

R.E.M therapist/counselor in Council Bluffs arrested on a sex charge

News

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

A report in the Daily NonPareil says a Treynor man employed by REM Iowa Community Services in Council Bluffs faces charges of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, an aggravated misdemeanor. 54-year old Michael E. Krauth was arrested late Friday morning on a warrant, at REM Iowa’s Council Bluffs office.

According to Bluffs Police Criminal Investigation Division Sgt. Chad Meyers, Krauth is accused of victimizing a 30-year-old male resident of a REM Iowa group home in August 2015 and September 2015. Krauth was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on Monday on $10,000 bond. He has requested a public defender, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, March 10th.

Kelly Flanagan, area director for REM Iowa Community Services, said she could comment on the case.REM Iowa’s Council Bluffs operation offers services to children and adults with disabilities, including residential services and dual diagnosis services, and also offers supported living services to adults with neurological disorders and brain or spinal cord injuries.

Red Oak man arrested for Possession of Stolen Property

News

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

A Red Oak man was arrested Monday night for allegedly possessing stolen property. Red Oak Police say 41-year old Troy Alan Myers was taken into custody at around 10-p.m., after officers recovered stolen property from his residence during the execution of a search warrant. Myers was being held on $1,000 bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

L. VIRLEE “Tee” MULLENGER, 82, of Audubon (Svcs. 3/2/16)

Obituaries

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

L. VIRLEE “Tee” MULLENGER, 82, of Audubon, died Sun., Feb. 28th, at the Exira Care Center. Funeral services for VIRLEE “Tee” MULLENGER will be held 10:30-a.m. Wed., March 2nd, at the 1st United Methodist Church, in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family will be present beginning at 5-p.m. Tuesday (3/1).

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

VIRLEE MULLENGER is survived by her:

Children – Ron (Darla) Mullenger, of Hamlin; Lori (John) Bolick, of Gray, and Julie (Dean) Schmidt, of Audubon.

7 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, her sisters-in-law, other relatives and many friends.

NWS forecast for Cass & area Counties, 3/1/16

Weather

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Early This Morning: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of light snow. Breezy. North wind 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.
Today: Cloudy. Much colder. High in the upper 20s. North wind 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low in the lower 20s. North wind near 10 mph shifting to the southeast after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Breezy…warmer. High in the upper 40s. South wind 5 to 15 mph shifting to the southeast 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Cloudy. A chance of light rain through midnight… Then a chance of light rain…light freezing rain and a slight chance of light snow after midnight. Low around 30. East wind 5 to 15 mph shifting to the north 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
Thursday: Partly sunny. High in the lower 40s. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny. High around 50.

Two injured in Pott. County crash Monday night

News

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa State Patrol says two people were injured during a single-vehicle rollover accident that happened at around 9:45-p.m. Monday, in Pottawattamie County. Officials say a 2000 Buick Regal driven by 20-year old Brandon S. Angus, of Des Moines, was traveling east on Interstate 680 when the car left the road and entered the south ditch near the Neola exit.

The car slid sideways and rolled over before hitting a guard rail and coming to rest upright on an embankment. Angus, and a front seat female passenger in the car, 20-year old Mariquita Ulrich, of Des Moines, were injured and transported by Minden Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. An infant child was in a car safety seat in the back seat, and was not injured.

Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., March 1st 2016

News

March 1st, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys for a former Boone, Iowa, man accused of killing his wife opened their defense with statements by his relatives. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports lawyers for Alexander Fazzino called his mother, sister, brother and an aunt to testify yesterday in a Winneshiek County court. Fazzino contends his wife accidentally drowned in a bathtub, possibly induced by withdrawal from prescription drugs.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Council Bluffs woman accused of fatally stabbing her ex-boyfriend has been found guilty. In yesterday’s verdict, District Judge Kathleen Kilnoski found Jodie Sherman guilty of second-degree murder in the July 2014 death of Douglas Richt. Sherman was accused of stabbing Richt in the throat during an argument after he picked her up in a car. She waived her right to a jury.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state Senate may debate a bill soon to increase oversight of facilities in Iowa that provide some educational instruction, but are largely unregulated. The debate would be in response to a sex abuse investigation at a now-closed boarding school in southeast Iowa. The Senate Education Committee met yesterday to discuss the legislation, introduced after authorities announced an investigation into Midwest Academy in Keokuk.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) —Washington state’s attorney general is asking a judge to find an Iowa-based group violated disclosure laws while backing a 2013 food labeling initiative. Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued Food Democracy Action! in December 2014, alleging it concealed sources of $200,000 in contributions supporting a measure that would have required labeling of genetically modified foods in Washington. Founder David Murphy says they were simply late in filing reports, and didn’t try to hide their donors or violate the law. A hearing is set for March 25th.