The manager of the Iowa Gambling Treatment and Prevention Program warns, for many people, placing a few small bets on the NCAA Basketball Tournament can lead to gambling addiction. March is designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Eric Preuss says up to two-percent of the state’s adult population — or roughly 43,000 Iowans — have a gambling disorder. “We also know that 16-percent, approximately 369,000 Iowans, are at risk for developing a gambling disorder — meaning they’ve experienced in the past year at least one sign or symptom of a gambling disorder,” Preuss said. People with a gambling disorder can impact a lot of lives, according to Preuss.

“Although the percentage of Iowans with an actual gambling disorder is relatively low, almost one in five adult Iowans, around 18-percent, have said they are negatively or have been negatively affected by the gambling behavior of someone they know,” Preuss said. The Iowa Department of Public Health offers services to counter problem gambling — primarily through the 1-800-BETS-OFF hotline and the website: www.1800BETSOFF.org.
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“The department funds 10 problem gambling treatment programs that cover all 99 counties in the state of Iowa,” Preuss said. “Over 600 Iowans receive help each year with treatment services.” March was selected as National Problem Gambling Awareness Month because of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The FBI estimates that more than $2.5 billion is wagered illegally each year on “March Madness.”

(Radio Iowa)

Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a reported assault in progress over the weekend say a Riverton woman was arrested for Domestic Abuse/3rd offense. 49-year old Linda Rene Mees was being held without bond in the Fremont County Jail.

Authorities say when deputies, assisted by Troopers with the Iowa State Patrol arrived at Mees’ home in Riverton on Sunday, they saw several items broken in the house, and a male occupant of the home advised Mees had spit on him, in addition to breaking the items.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa drivers will stay out of the fast lane for now, after lawmakers did not advance a bill that would have boosted the speed limit on interstate highways, bringing it in line with many nearby states. The bill sought to raise the speed limit on interstate highways to 75 miles per hour.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Since announcing his plan to explore running for president, Jeb Bush has courted high-dollar donors and delivered weighty speeches. This weekend, he was at a pizza restaurant in Iowa for some traditional “retail” politicking. The former Florida governor arrived in Cedar Rapids behind schedule on Saturday night, a sign as strong as any that he’s running for president. With his open-collared shirt coming untucked, Bush took questions for more than 30 minutes.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have canceled an Amber Alert after a hearing-impaired 9-year-old eastern Iowa girl was found. Captain Gary Kramer with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said that Brianna Crane was dropped off with law enforcement around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Then Davenport Police arrested the 48-year-old man suspected of taking the girl around 9:30 yesterday morning.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — A pair of Iowa sisters in their 80s who were always close in life died on the same day earlier this year. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 84-year-old Roseanna Van Syoc and 87-year-old Erna Galbraith died within hours of each other on February 28th.

The Griswold School Board will meet in a regularly scheduled session Monday evening in the Central Office at the Middle School/High School Building. During their meeting, which begins at 5:45-p.m., the Board will hold the second reading of Board Policies 210 through 212, and receive an update on the Fully Automated Timing (FAT) System for the Track.

In other business, the Griswold School Board will review and act on Lawn mowing and Sports lighting bids, and on approving the 2015-16 Budget.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors will meet Monday evening in the Council’s Chambers, at City Hall. Action items on their agenda include: An update on the Buck Creek Dog Park. Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring is expected to ask the Board to approve a contract with Snyder and Associates Engineers for a layout and surveying of the area; Herring will also provide an update on the Kiddie Korral project at Sunnyside Park, along with the projected cost of a cement sidewalk & service drive, and engineering contract; Herring will also give an update on the Camblin Shelter refurbishment project.

The Board is also expected to hear from Herring with regard to a donation from the Kiwanis for playground equipment at the Little League field, as well as Summer Recreation Programs and Swimming Pool recommendations, along with a Nishna Valley YMCA contract. And the Board will discuss a project proposal from Girl Scouts Cadette Troop 40116.

Parks and Rec Director Herring reminds the public Sunnyside Park is still open to anyone wanting to use it for lunch and other recreational activities, but the gates will probably not be open to vehicle traffic until later this month. Herring says also, Tennis practice starts March 16th.

New information was released this (Sunday) afternoon by the Davenport Police Department, with regard to the abduction Saturday, of a 9-year old girl from Solon. Officials say at around 4:20-p.m. Saturday, the Iowa Department of Public Safety issued an AMBER Alert state-wide reference to the abduction of Brianna Crane. Shortly after 7:00-p.m., information was developed that the suspect in the AMBER Alert, 48-year old Kenneth Eugene Johns, was in Davenport.

Working throughout the night with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, information was developed around 7:00-a.m. Sunday, that the suspect was in a house in the 2600 Block of Farnam Street and believed to be armed and dangerous. Davenport Police Department’s, Emergency Service Team and Negotiators were deployed. After approximately 2½ hours of negotiating and with Johns’ dialogue becoming more threatening and violent, he was tactically taken into custody and transported to Scott County Jail, without further incident.

Johns, a stepfather to Brianna Crane, was charged with Parole Violation, and charges are pending with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office with regard to the abduction. Any further information will be released by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Department of Public Safety. For the safety of the Officers and the neighbors, the Bettendorf Police Department’s BearCat Armored vehicle was requested and deployed.

DES MOINES – Extra caution around ice is being urged by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources as warmer weather is causing conditions to deteriorate rapidly. Three men drowned Saturday after falling through the ice on a farm pond in Union County.The men have been identified as 71-year old Earl Burkhalter, 73-year old Charles Critz, and 68-year old James Oshel, all of Creston.

WHO-TV in Des Moines reports the men had gone ice fishing Saturday afternoon. Authorities responded at around 8-p.m. Saturday to a possible drowning at a farm pond, north of Creston, after the men failed to return, and a person went looking for them. They found a hole in the ice with fishing equipment still on top of the ice. Rescue crews located the bodies within 20-minutes of beginning their search. They were found about 20-feet from the shore.

Ice depths are not uniform on any body of water and there is no such thing as safe ice. Warmer weather makes the ice even more unpredictable. There are many factors that impact ice formation making some locations thinner than others. With the warm weather, ice conditions can change a lot in one day. Verify the ice thickness for yourself and test it often. If the ice does not look right, stay off it.

Johnson County, IOWA – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report the suspect in Saturday’s Amber Alert has been apprehended.

Kenneth Johns

48-year old Kenneth Johns was taken into custody at around 9:35-a.m. today (Sunday), by the Davenport Police Department’s Tactical Unit, at a residence on Farnum Street and Central Park Avenue, in Davenport. No injuries were suffered during the arrest. The subject of the Amber Alert, 9-year old Brianna Crane, of Solon, was dropped-off safely by a third party, to law enforcement at around 1:30-a.m. today.

Brianna Crane

No further information will be released at this time due to the on-going investigation.

Iowa’s population is among the nation’s oldest and some motorists continue to drive on Iowa’s roads well into their 90s, which for some, may pose a risk to themselves and others. Nick Jarmusz, at Triple-A-Iowa, says family members need to be direct with their elders when safety is clearly becoming an issue. “It’s important for families to remember that the issue isn’t necessarily driving itself,” Jarmusz says. “The issue is about mobility and independence.” Older drivers themselves can often be the best judges of when it’s time to give up the keys, knowing their personal challenges with vision, hearing, mobility, reaction times and more.

“Self-assessment is a critical part to this,” Jarmusz says. “We actually have a lot of resources on the topic for senior drivers at a website we’ve set up. The site, aaa-dot-com, includes suggestions for having that difficult talk with an older driver.  “We recommend families avoid the intervention-style or anything that can come across as overly confrontational and make elderly relatives feel like they’re being backed into a corner or being talked down to,” he says. While the conversation may be uncomfortable, it should be driven by compassion and a concern for everyone’s health and safety.

“It doesn’t have to be a binary discussion, you know, you either have your keys and are driving or you’re not,” Jarmusz says. “There’s a lot of space in between there to self-regulate or to set up parameters for when it is and is not acceptable to drive.” A national Triple-A survey found nearly 90-percent of motorists who are 65 years old and older suffer from health issues that may affect driving safely.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The future USS Omaha is now under construction in an Alabama shipyard.
The Navy says a keel laying ceremony was held for the USS Omaha last month. Austal USA is building the vessel. The USS Omaha is a littoral combat ship, which can operate in shallow and deep water. It will be roughly 420 feet long.

The future, USS Omaha’s sister-ship, (the identical) USS Independence.

The USS Omaha will be designed to deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors to fight mines and submarines.