ATLANTIC, IA- September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month and Cass County Health System’s Senior Life Solutions team is working to raise awareness. On August 30, 2019, the Cass County Board of Supervisors proclaimed September to be Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month for all of Cass County. Karmen Roland, RN, Program Director of Senior Life Solutions, says “We are very fortunate to have the support of the supervisors on this proclamation. Mental health is a vital part of everyone’s overall health. The more that we can talk about it, the more we can encourage loved ones to seek help, then the healthier our communities and families can be. This proclamation recognizes that mental health conditions are real and prevalent in our communities, and that all of us have a role to play in promoting mental wellness and preventing suicide.”

Senior Life Solutions provides life-changing care through an intensive outpatient group counseling program designed to meet the unique needs of older adults typically age 65 and older struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions often related to aging. Anyone can make a referral to Senior Life Solutions. Call 712-250-8100 for more information.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 129 deaths by suicide occur per day on average, and there are an estimated 1,400,000 attempted suicides per year.  Talk of suicide should never be dismissed. If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You can also connect with the Crisis Text Line, a global not-for-profit organization providing free crisis intervention via SMS message, by texting 741741.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 27-year old Dakota Ray Nordstrom, who was convicted of Domestic Abuse Assault 3rd or Subsequent Offense, and other crimes in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Residential Facility as required, Saturday night.

Dakota Ray Nordstrom

Nordstrom is a white male, height 6’2″, and weighs 200 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on July 12, 2019. Persons with information on Nordstrom’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:55 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police responding to a report of gunshots found the body of a man. Police responded to the report at 3.46 p.m. Saturday and found a dead man. Police didn’t release his name but say he’s a 45-year-old Des Moines resident. Police say it’s the city’s 10th homicide of the year.

HOLLAND, Iowa (AP) — Businesses partnering with the state to provide real-world student learning opportunities are expected to boost career education for rural Iowa school districts. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the state is using the recently unveiled Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning to help students build job skills. Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise says it’s designed as a virtual workspace.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Morningside College has announced its first doctoral program, a doctor of nursing practice. The Sioux City Journal reports that the 30-credit program will be launched this fall. It will be delivered online and is designed for working nurses seeking advancement in their field. Jackie Barber, dean of the Morningside College Nylen School of Nursing, says the program is designed for nurses who want to take their career to the next level.

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Developers are pitching the idea of creating a $100 million entertainment district in the Des Moines suburb of Waukee. Television station KCCI reports that developers have scouted an area of 27 acres in Waukee for a concert venue, bars and restaurants. The developers hope to have a site plan approved this year, as early as October.

Police in Red Oak, Saturday afternoon, arrested 25-year old Trent Thomas Brammer, of Shenandoah. He was taken into custody at around 3-p.m. in the 300 block of E. Elm Street, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Brammer was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on a $300 bond Saturday afternoon.

HOLLAND, Iowa (AP) — Businesses partnering with the state to provide real-world student learning opportunities are expected to boost career education for rural Iowa school districts. The state is using the recently unveiled Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning to help students build job skills, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.
Businesses, nonprofits and governmental organizations can post real-world tasks on a project board that students can then complete under the supervision of teachers. Teachers can also use it to connect students to job shadow, internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

“Really, it’s designed as a virtual space,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise. Wise said the program will broaden access to learning that hasn’t been available for some students, especially those in rural areas. Stacy Ascher, who coordinates credit course offerings at the outreach center, said it’s a huge resource that will help students in northeastern Iowa. Credit course offerings are in manufacturing, health care and agricultural fields as well as the liberal arts.

Ascher is already organizing some work-based learning for students at the center. Freshmen in all participating districts do manufacturing work site tours, where they learn about a variety of jobs at the business on and off the factory floor. Ascher said students in the area do between 250 and 300 job shadows each year and an average of 100 internships.

Wise said such learning opportunities can spark interest among young people in a way classroom lessons do not. “One of the biggest challenges I see in too many places is a lack of student engagement,” he said.

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Developers are pitching the idea of creating a $100 million entertainment district in the Des Moines suburb of Waukee. Television station KCCI reports that developers have scouted an area of 27 acres in Waukee for a concert venue, bars and restaurants. The developers hope to have a site plan approved this year, as early as October.

Waukee resident Caleb Short says people who live west of Des Moines “don’t want to drive all the way downtown” for entertainment.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Morningside College has announced its first doctoral program, a doctor of nursing practice. The Sioux City Journal reports that the 30-credit program will be launched this fall. It will be delivered online and is designed for working nurses seeking advancement in their field.

Jackie Barber, dean of the Morningside College Nylen School of Nursing, says the program is designed for nurses who want to take their career to the next level. The program is entirely online and is taken over an 18-month period. Barber says offering it online will give working nurses the flexibility to complete the coursework and studies on their own schedules.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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OTTUMWA– The Iowa Department of Corrections said Saturday, 44-year old Eddie Lee Ward, who was convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree in Wapello County, failed to report back to the Ottumwa Residential Facility as required Friday night.  Ward is a black male, height 6’1″. He weighs 239 pounds. Ward was admitted to the work release facility on June 10, 2019. Persons with information on Ward’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Eddie Ward

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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