Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Officials with the Obama for America campaign announced Tuesday, that President Bill Clinton will hold campaign events in Council Bluffs, Mason City and Waterloo on Wednesday, October 31st. The event will be held in Council Bluffs, at the Mid-America Center at 1 Arena Way. No ticket is necessary. Doors will open to the general public beginning at 9:15-a.m., with Clinton scheduled to speak shortly afterward.

While in Iowa, the President will fire up supporters and urge them to help get out the vote for President Obama and Vice President Biden. He will also lay out what the Obama campaign says is the “Clear choice facing Iowans in this election between moving forward with an economy built to last, and returning to top down economics that failed middle-class American families in the past.”

The Page County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a tree stand. A tree stand is comprised of a platform, seat, or other  devices for the purpose of hunting deer or other game animals from an elevated position. Sheriff’s officials say a Clarinda man reported Monday, that the tree stand was taken from property he has permission to hunt on. It was set in-place in July on the property, located in the Harlan Township, Section 22, and not discovered missing, until late Monday morning. The loss was estimated at $150. The incident remains under investigation.

No injuries were reported after a vehicle driven by a Shenandoah Police officer struck a car while the officer was on patrol early Tuesday morning. According to the Page County Sheriff’s Office, Officer Ethan Johnson was traveling through the parking lot of the Essex Post Office at around 1:35-a.m., and checking the license plate on a vehicle parked in the lot, when the 2012 Chevy Impala he was driving side-swiped another vehicle that was also parked, and unoccupied.

The Impala Police Cruiser, owned by the City of Shenandoah sustained damage to the front passenger door and front fender.  The parked vehicle Officer Johnson struck was a 1990 Olds cutlass owned by Jerry Meyer of Shenandoah.  Meyer’s vehicle sustained damage to the rear end. A dollar amount of the damage amounts was not immediately available.

Iowans who are hosting Halloween costume parties can expect to see a lot of super heroes, zombies and cartoon characters. Veronica Dietrick, who works at a costume shop in West Des Moines, says a particular Sesame Street character is very popular this year. “We’ve sold a lot of Big Bird costumes, in fact, we’ve sold out of them and had to re-order them,” Dietrick says. Her store is also selling a lot of political masks, both in the likenesses of President Obama and Mitt Romney. Jeremy Lubash, who helps manage a costume shop in Omaha-Council Bluffs, says women are snapping up a particular type of disguise this season.

A new type of monster outfit incorporates a mini dress with a fuzzy monster hood with googly eyeballs on top — they’ve been a big hit, Lubash says. For kids who will be trick-or-treating and for many adults, Lubash says their costume choices are all about what’s on the big screen this year. “The Avengers has been extremely popular for us, Black Widow for the women and girls and Thor has been the biggest one out of all the male characters in the movie,” he says, while Batman and Catwoman are both big sellers. A poll finds nearly 70-percent of all adults will take part in some type of Halloween festivity this year. A survey from the National Retail Federation found the popularity of Halloween is growing annually, with consumer spending this year expected to pass eight-billion dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Most teachers’ aides hire by Iowa’s public schools aren’t required by state law to undergo background checks and even when districts do run checks, the process is often less rigorous as the one required for licensed educators.  The Des Moines Register  says federal checks were added as part of the teacher licensing process in 2002. Iowa law was changed in 2007 to require state and national checks on those licensed by the state.  But most teacher aides aren’t licensed.

Experts and parents say the case of a woman who spent time in an Indiana prison on manslaughter charges and was hired as a teacher aide in Iowa shows there are gaps in the system.  Rep. Josh Byrnes of Osage says the issue may surface in the upcoming legislative session.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest today (Tuesday), of a Cass County man. 55-year old Devin Allen McDermott, of Atlantic, was arrested at around 10:30-a.m., on an outstanding Audubon County warrant charging him with Theft in the 5th degree, and Trespassing. The charges are the result of an investigation into the April 14th theft of scrap metal from property near 330th Street and Jay Avenue. McDermott was being held in the Audubon County Jail on $300 bond. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office assisted Audubon County authorities, in conducting the investigation.

An Historic Landmark in Shelby County has been purchased by Myrtue Medical Center. In a board of trustees meeting this (Tuesday) morning, Myrtue Medical Center approved to purchase Mickel’s Family Restaurant. Following a closed session by the hospital board of trustees, Myrtue Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Barry Jacobsen told the board he had a conversation with the owner of the restaurant Sue Kobold.

Jacobsen said he was contacted by Kobold about 3 months ago, with regard to her desire to sell the restaurant. He said following discussions, an agreement was reached that was contingent on the board’s approval. The purchase price would be $375,000. $175,000 would be paid at closing, one hundred thousand on July 15th, 2013 and $100,000 July 15th, 2014.

Jacobsen said there is another contingency before the Hospital can go through the process, and that is the conducting of a phase 1 environmental assessment at Myrtue’s expense with the results showing no contamination. Jacobsen says the property would be used for further expansion of the hospital. More specifically, the physicians clinic, lab and emergency room.

He said they would obviously work with Sue Kobold on the details of the purchase agreement and anything she wants to do on closing the restaurant down.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)