Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Age eight is when the average child in Iowa begins consuming online media, and while you’re supposed to be 13 to open a Facebook account, it’s very tough to regulate. Alissa Wilkinson, a social worker in central Iowa, says parents know their children best, so it’s up to them to make the decision, but she says consistent rules about social media should be in place from the beginning. “Parents should be monitoring their kids’ usage at all times, especially under age 13,” Wilkinson says. “Electronics should be out in the common areas of the house. I don’t think kids should be left alone with their phone or their tablet in their room for an extended amount of time.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children and teens should have no more than two hours a day of total screen time and Wilkinson says parents should impose other rules, too Wilkinson says, “If they’re going to allow their kids to be online, they should know the passwords and be able to ‘follow’ their children or be ‘friends’ with their children on whatever sites they’re on so they can monitor what’s being put out there.” While Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and other social media sites grow in popularity, some children simply don’t understand the potential risks of putting the personal details of their lives online.

“Children just want to be doing what all of their friends are doing,” Wilkinson says. “They don’t realize that what they put out there is public and doesn’t go away. I encourage parents to talk with their kids and ask, before I post something online, ‘What would my grandma think of this? Would grandma not like to know this about me or know that I’m doing this?’ If the answer is ‘no,’ then don’t post it.” There may be warning signs a child is getting into trouble with too much time online.

Any time a child has a drastic change in mood or daily functioning habits, for example, if a child begins sleeping more or less than usual, becomes more irritable, stops socializing or participating in activities they usually love. School behavior is also a huge indicator. Wilkinson says moms and dads are the best examples their kids will have about proper behavior online. “Parents need to be modeling for their children what social media is about,” Wilkinson says. “If the parents spend all kinds of time online and put all of their information out there, then the kid thinks that’s okay and ‘I’m going to do it, too.'”

Studies find 73-percent of teens use social networking sites and 62-percent of children have had a negative online experience. Wilkinson is a licensed independent social worker at Compass Clinical Associates in Urbandale.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy on Monday, denied another request for the board to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I designation. Carl Olsen of Des Moines, who founded Iowans for Medical Marijuana, submitted the request. He says keeping marijuana as a Schedule I substance indicates the plant has no medicinal value. “We have 34 states that have declared (marijuana as) medicine and we have it in this crazy classification that says it’s only for substances that have no accepted medical use and treatment in the United States,” Olsen says. “These schedules were meant to be flexible because circumstances change and for (pharmacy board members) to act like 34 state laws is not a significant change in circumstances is insane.”

Last year, lawmakers passed and the governor signed a bill into law that allows the use of cannabis oil for patients with chronic epilepsy. But, parents of children with the condition say it’s nearly impossible to safely, affordably, and legally get medical cannabis in other states and bring back to Iowa. One reason Olsen wants marijuana moved to Schedule II is so cannabis oil could more easily be manufactured in Iowa. He notes the American Academies of Neurology and Pediatrics have both recommended marijuana be reclassified so it’s no longer a Schedule I drug.

“Why doesn’t the (Iowa Board of Pharmacy) listen to these medical experts?,” Olsen says. According to Olsen, board members are calling the medical marijuana issue a “political decision” and are waiting for legislators to tackle the matter. At the statehouse, three bills to reclassify marijuana failed to make it out of committee by the funnel date and are considered dead for this year.

(Radio Iowa)

Two southwest Iowa teachers are among the top educators in the state being honored today (Tuesday) by the Iowa Department of Education. The Daily NonPareil reports Ryan Higgins and Stan Winquist were invited to Des Moines for the Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon to be recognized by Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck, Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports two teens were arrested Sunday after police investigated numerous early morning reports of personal property being stolen from vehicles. The boys, ages 17 and 16, were charged with several counts of aggravated burglary from a motor vehicle and several counts of misdemeanor theft.

Both juveniles were processed and released to the custody of their parents. All reports have been submitted to Juvenile Court Services and the Page County Attorney’s Office for review and decisions regarding the filing of formal complaints.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says a man from Hastings was arrested early Sunday morning for allegedly supplying alcohol to a person under the legal age. Gary Scott Runyon was taken into custody at around 12:15-a.m., and held in the Mills County Jail on $1,000 bond.

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency is warning area residents, thatwith weather forecast to be in the upper 60’s to low 70’s this week, the Grassland Fire Danger Index will likely be an increased risk all week.

Counties in orange (Nebraska) have a Very High Fire Danger index. Those in yellow have a High Danger index.

Today (Monday’s), the Grassland FDI is in the HIGH category. If you are burning, use caution as fires can become out of control in a matter of minutes!

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Many licensed drivers in Iowa have not converted their identification to a version that is designed to help reduce identity theft and fraud. The Sioux City Journal reports two years after Iowa implemented the REAL ID program, only about 250,000 of Iowa’s 2.1 million licensed drivers have switched to identification that may be needed in the future to enter some federal buildings or board a plane.

Mark Lowe, the director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division, says he is not surprised by the low number, and that the department needs to continue its awareness campaign to increase conversion. REAL ID was adopted in 2005, in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, to help states verify the identities of people applying for driver’s licenses and cut down on identity theft.

Iowa residents are not required to get a REAL ID driver’s license.

After the weekend deaths of three ice fishermen, state officials are warning all ice anglers to be extremely careful as they venture onto frozen ponds and lakes, especially with very warm weather in the forecast. Kevin Baskins, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says there’s no such thing as “safe ice” even during the middle of winter, but conditions are more risky now with spring arriving next week.  “Ice never forms uniformly,” Baskins says. “You can have objects that are just under the surface that aren’t visible that can cause the water to be a little warmer there and that ice to be softer.”

Some bodies of water may be fed by springs or pipes that pump in water and keep the ice very thin and fragile. Ice fishing season is not officially over, even though the high temperatures this week are forecast to reach into the 50s and 60s.  Baskins says, “Certainly, as you get to the far north, there is still some fairly thick ice that’s still available as you get up into some of those northern natural lakes.”

Anyone venturing onto the ice needs to watch out for thin, clear or honeycombed ice, while dark snow and dark ice are other signs of weak spots.  “When we get to this time of year, I don’t think people realize how quickly the ice conditions can change,” Baskins says. “As we start getting these warmer temperatures, now, we even have projections of it being above freezing during the nighttime hours, this ice will go out pretty fast.”

Divers recovered the bodies of all three missing fishermen from a farm pond in Union County on Saturday. All three were from Creston and they’re identified as: 71-year-old Earl Burkhalter, 73-year-old Charles Critz and 68-year-old James Oshel. Officials say it’s possible a tile line caused water to run into the pond, creating very thin ice.

(Radio Iowa)