Connections Area Agency on Aging works every day to Build Strong Support for older Iowans and their Family Caregivers. In appreciation of National Caregiver Month Connections Area Agency on Aging is hosting a virtual event on November 8th featuring author and speaker Miekka Zanders speaking on Dementia Communication. The event takes place via Zoom from 2-until 3-p.m. on November 8th.

Miekka Zanders is a social worker and nursing home administrator with a special interest in dementia care and quality of life. Over the past 11 years, Miekka has worked with residents, team members and families across the continuum of care to improve understanding and communication for those with dementia. She has presented on dementia communication at the Nebraska Health Care Association conference and American Health Care Association national conference. Miekka authored the highly reviewed book, Being with Dementia: A Soulful Approach.

To register for the event email Alisha Frady at  afrady@connectionsaaa.org or call  800-432-9209. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for the presentation.

Connections Area Agency is one of six Area Agencies on Aging in Iowa, and part of a nationwide network. With a mission of enhancing the quality of life for elders in 20 counties through education, planning and coordination of services, Connections Area Agency on Aging is the premier agency for assisting elders, caregivers, and their families to access the information and services needed for independence and life transitions. Offices are located in Council Bluffs, Creston and Sioux City. For more information, contact Connections AAA at 800-432-9209 or at www.connectionsaaa.org

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report two arrests. Last Friday, 50-year-0ld Martin Evans, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant. He has since posted a $300 cash bond and was released. And, on Saturday, Glenwood Police arrested 36-year-old Heather Meister, of Glenwood, for Domestic Abuse Assault. She posted a $1,000 cash-only bond, and was released.

(Radio Iowa) – A semi driver died early this (Monday) morning in a crash at a construction zone on Interstate-80 near the DeSoto exit. The wreck happened at the point near DeSoto where eastbound I-80 lanes shift to the left in a construction zone. It’s the same area where two people were killed in a semi crash in August. A spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol says during the August wreck and today’s (Monday’s) crash, the gas tanks of both semis hit the concrete guard rail.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene at about 2 a.m. today (Monday). Traffic on eastbound I-80 was rerouted into Adel for about three hours as the semi fire was doused and the wreckage removed from the interstate.

(Creston, Iowa) – The driver of a car that struck a deer on the road Sunday night in Union County, was injured and transported to the hospital in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, 67-year-old Dean Bruce Mensching, of Creston, was traveling north on Green Valley Road south of 140th Street, when a deer crossed the road. Mensching’s 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis collided with the animal, causing $3,000 damage to the car. Both the driver and passenger airbags in the vehicle deployed upon impact. The accident happened at around 7:12-p.m., Sunday.

Dean Mensching complained of neck pain, and was transported by EMS ambulance to the Greater Regional Medical Center.

(Radio Iowa) – There has been at least an area of moderate drought somewhere in Iowa for the past 172 weeks. This is the longest period of moderate drought in Iowa since the U-S Drought Monitor was launched in 1999. Thursday’s Drought Monitor shows Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi as the only states with at least 95 percent of the state in moderate drought. State climatologist Justin Glisan says widespread rain last week is by no means a drought buster, but it will allow for some improvement in this week’s drought map.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – [Updated 10:30-a.m. 10/16/23] The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet at 9-a.m. this Tuesday (Oct. 17th), in the courthouse basement meeting room, in Atlantic. On their light agenda for the day, is a monthly report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber.

The Board will also receive a weekly update from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken.

(Radio Iowa) – The Transportation Commission has approved moving ahead with plans to use federal money to install more electric car chargers along the interstate highway system. The D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says the next step is to get documents ready. “So these are the application itself that applicants will fill out as they’re seeking this funding, and also supporting information they need, that details, the program requirements and expectations,” he says. He says they will get input on the applications and then hope send them out by mid-November, and get applications back by early next year. “And then we expect it’ll take us probably a couple of months to review those applications and actually identify award winners, ” Anderson says. He says they expect to get a lot of interest.

“There are some other states that are a little further along in the process and they definitely have received a lot of interest in applications for their program, and their funding as well,” he says. Iowa’s allocation of the federal funding is a little more than 50 million dollars. “We’re still determining exactly how much we will make available in this first round. I expect it’ll be more like two years of the funding, so maybe not quite 20 million dollars. But that’s still to be determined,” Anderson says. “But certainly a significant amount of funding will be available in this first round.” He says the cost of putting in the charges is expected to vary significantly from site to site, as there are very specific power requirements for proper power levels to charge vehicles in a timely manner. And he says there’s also requirements that these be operational and reliable chargers.

Anderson says the idea of the program is to get a start on building the infrastructure so those with electric cars can feel confident in traveling away from home. “What we hear often referred to is range anxiety. So that impacts not only owners of electric vehicles, and how willing they are to make longer distance trips with your vehicles. But it’s also a factor in people deciding whether to buy electric vehicles,” Anderson says.

It’s not known how many chargers may be installed in the first round as the price can vary quite a bit depending on what is needed to get them up and running at each site.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, Sunday evening, released a report with details on three recent arrests:

On Oct. 10th, 31-year-old Jasmine Danise Vance, of Pahrump, NV, was arrested on a drug charge following a traffic stop for speeding on eastbound Interstate 80 in Adair County. An Iowa State Patrol Trooper pulled Vance over at around 11:21-a.m., and while interacting with her, became suspicious that criminal activity was taking place. A K9 search on the perimeter of vehicle resulted in the animal “alerting” to the presence of narcotics. A Probable Cause search of the 2023 KIA Soul was conducted, which yielded a plastic bag inside a bag positioned on the front passenger seat, that contained a crystalline substance resembling methamphetamine. Jasmine Vance was subsequently taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine. She was transported to the Adair County Jail and held on a $1,000 cash-only bond.

Separately, 36-year-old Alex Jordan Kolthoff, of Lenox, was arrested Oct. 10th in Greenfield, on Adair County warrants for two counts of Harassment in the 2nd Degree, and, for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, Kolthoff was released later that evening on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

And, on Oct. 9th, 27-year-old Arty Iwo, of Ottumwa, was arrested after an Adair Police Officer traveling north on 5th Street in Adair at around 6:53-p.m., witnessed a 2023 Toyota Tacoma pickup traveling southbound. The vehicle crossed the center line of the road and the driver quickly corrected. Officer Sawyer Ocheltree turned his patrol vehicle around and observed the pickup drive onto the I-80 off-ramp, heading in the wrong direction onto I-80. The pickup nearly struck a vehicle exiting the interstate and then turned around at the bottom of the ramp.

Officer Ocheltree got behind the pickup and initiated a traffic stop, and questioned the driver – identified as Iwo – who told him his GPS told him to turn there. When asked for his license, Iwo said he didn’t have one. A records check determined the license was revoked for OWI test failure. Arty Iwo was placed under arrest for Driving While Revoked, and released the following day, on his Own Recognizance (ROR).

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds celebrated passage of new state laws with a crowd a supporters this weekend. She listed the state funded Education Savings Accounts for private school students she approved in January as well as the six week abortion ban she signed this summer.

“We ended gender transition surgery for minors,” Reynolds said, “and we got porn out of the classroom and the libraries.” The law prohibits schools from giving students access to books that contain graphic depictions or descriptions of sex acts. Starting January 1st, educators face sanctions if they violate the law. Reynolds held her annual campaign fundraiser at the state fairgrounds Saturday.

The keynote speaker was Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, who has become an advocate for banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. Early last year, Governor Reynolds signed a bill that bans transgender students from participating in girl’s and women’s sports in Iowa universities, colleges and K-through-12 schools.

Progress Iowa, a liberal advocacy group, criticized Reynolds last Wednesday on National Coming Out Day, saying she has signed laws that harm L-G-B-T-Q Iowans.

(Radio Iowa) – Three of the four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U-S House will support Ohio Representative Jim Jordan for House Speaker. During a weekend fundraiser for Governor Reynolds, Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant said he would proudly support Jordan so the House can take action on important things that are happening in the world right now. Jordan is the second nominee after previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted 12 days ago.

On Saturday Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion said it’s time for the House to select a speaker and get back to work so she’s supporting Jordan. The Des Moines Register reports Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Le Claire backed Jordan during a private meeting of House Republicans late last week, but Miller-Meeks warns Jordan has to pick up support from about 55 House Republicans before he’d win a vote for speaker on the House floor.

Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull has not indicated who he has supported or will support to replace House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.