(Updated 9:30-p.m. w/plate info.)

A woman from Afton reported to the Union County Sheriff’s Department, Thursday, someone stole a maroon, 2001 Dodge 3500 flatbed pickup truck from behind a residence in the 600 block of East Kansas Street, between E. Kansas and E. Fillmore Streets, in Afton.

The truck, which has tool boxes on the side and one on the back, has Iowa license plate DJE 071. Attached to the truck was a 2007 Lane flat bed trailer, with Iowa license plate CM 9283. On the flatbed trailer were a child’s pink Polaris ATV and an Orange Yamaha Raptor ATV. The loss is estimated at $19,500 altogether.   Afton Police Chief John Colter says the vehicle, trailer and ATV’s were believed to have been taken sometime between 3:30- and 4:30-a.m, Thursday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Afton Police Department at 641-347-5255 or the Union County Sheriff’s Office at 641-782-7717.

(Update 2:26-p.m.)

Law enforcement and rescue personnel responded to a head-on collision this (Thursday) afternoon southeast of Cumberland, on Highway 92 (or, Richland Road). The crash near 71728 Richland Road was reported at around 1-p.m. One person, a 70-year old male, suffered from severe back pain and was being transported to CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center by LifeNet helicopter. The second victim, whom family members reported on social media, was a woman who died at the scene.

The names of the victims have not officially been released. The accident was under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol. No other information is currently available.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were injured during a three-vehicle crash that took place last Wednesday (Sept. 2nd). As we mentioned that evening in our online report, the accident happened at around 5:42-p.m. near the intersection of Highway 71 and White Pole Road (Highway 6), east of Atlantic.

Officials provided more information about the crash in their report issued Thursday (today). Authorities say a 1999 Ford Mustang owned and driven by 25-year old Garrett Lee Cooper, of Atlantic, was traveling east on White Pole Road when he slowed to make a turn. Cooper’s car was hit from behind by a 2011 Dodge pickup owned and driven by 49-year old Dennis Loy Peterson, of Adair.

The impact caused Cooper’s car to be shoved into the path of a westbound 2013 Chevy Equinox, owned and driven by 58-year old Marcia Gail Gettler, of Adair. Gettler, and a passenger in Cooper’s vehicle, 20-year old Jessica South, of Atlantic, were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance.

Damage to all three vehicles amounted to $14,000 altogether. Officials say Peterson was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

Members of the Boards of Supervisors in Cass and Adair County will gather Friday morning in Atlantic and Greenfield, respectively, to canvass the votes of Tuesday’s School Elections. In Cass County, the Supervisors will meet in their Board Room at 8:30-a.m. Their canvass of the election results is their ONLY business for the morning.

In Greenfield, the Adair County Supervisors will meet at 9-a.m. to begin their canvass and regular session. On their agenda as well, is a report from County Engineer Nick Kauffman, with regard to a Union Step Raise and/or Longevity Raise for two County Employees in the Secondary Roads Dept.

The Adair County Board will also hold a Public Hearing on an Ordinance to Establish a Policy For Construction and Reconstruction of Roadways and Bridges on the Adair County Secondary Road System, followed by the first reading of the Ordinance, and consideration for the second and third reading, and possible approval of the Ordinance.

An expert on identity theft and scams is in Omaha-Council Bluffs today (Thursday) to talk about personal security and his own adventures in crime that put his life’s story on movie screens in 2002. Frank Abagnale was 16 when he posed as an airline pilot, and by age 21, convinced people he was a doctor, a lawyer or a special agent, depending on the situation. Devorah Lanner, with A-A-R-P, says the talk by Abagnale is part of the organization’s Fraud Watch series.

Frank Abagnale

“He is perhaps one of the most famous con artists in recent history,” Lanner says. “Frank Abagnale was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, “Catch Me If You Can.” He will be sharing his knowledge and tips with the public about how we can all protect ourselves from being scammed and having our identity stolen.” While Abagnale’s exploits were depicted in the film that was set in the 1960s, he’s spent the following decades helping the authorities to outsmart crooks.

“He was a con artist from age 16 to 21 and then he was caught and agreed to cooperate with the FBI,” Lanner says. “He has now been working as a consultant for the FBI for about the last 40 years.” Abagnale is A-A-R-P’s Fraud Watch Ambassador and he will speak at Omaha’s Jewish Community Center tonight (Thursday), though the event is already sold out.

“For people who can’t attend, because we are full, you can go to our website: aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork,” Lanner says. “There are links to videos with Frank Abagnale and also an online scam and fraud quiz.”

(Radio Iowa)

As the Syrian refugee crisis continues to grow, the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) warns donors to be cautious when making donations to assist refugees in need. H. Art Taylor, president and CEO of BBB WGA says “Tragedies generate public sympathy but unfortunately also attract scam fund raising efforts.” He says they remind contributors “To be on the lookout for questionable solicitors and recommend that they focus giving efforts on charities that already have a presence in the impacted areas.”

When donating to assist in the Syrian refugee crisis, keep the following tips in mind to avoid scams….

Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. Instead, go directly to the charity’s web site.

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations from bloggers or other web sites. The public can go to Give.org to verify if a charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.
Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs.

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly.

Determine if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region.

The following organizations are collecting funds for Syrian refugee relief and meet all of the BBB Charity Standards: CARE USA; Catholic Relief Services; Church World Service; Concern Worldwide US; GlobalGiving; Helping Hand for Relief and Development; International Medical Corps; International Rescue Committee; Islamic Relief USA; Lutheran World Relief; Medical Teams International; Mennonite Central Committee; Mercy Corps; Oxfam America; Plan International USA; Save the Children; United States Fund for UNICEF; World Food Program USA; World Relief, and World Vision.