A video produced by a reading class at the CAM Middle School has won a $500 grant award from the Iowa Department of Education. The award presented to Mrs. Venteicher’s reading class was for the second runner-up place in the “Youth in Action Healthy Iowa” contest, created by the Iowa Dept. of Education. 

The class received a flyer in January related to the theme of healthy living, and highlights how students combine school and getting fit. Mrs. Venteicher’s class exercise 20-minutes each class period, and test at the end. As a result, scores have been going up. Students also spend 20-minutes every morning during the week of Iowa assessment testing, hoping that a raised heart rate would improve test scores. 

The CAM Middle School is sending a health message to their students this week.  With the Award Prize won in Mrs. Venteicher’s Reading class, the students are being treated to a new fruit each day, during the last period of the day.  A fitness class was also created for the current school year, by Mrs. Brown, which allowed students to learn and practice fitness activities and eat healthy snacks. 

With the help of HyVee, the students are to gather each day for a social time and a time to eat a fresh fruit that many have not had in a while. That includes watermelon, Athena Canteloupe, Fresh Pineapple, Mangos and Dragon Fruit as well as fresh strawberries.

Hy-Vee is providing the fruit at cost or slightly below cost, and is assisting in the healthy living planning process.

A pre-trial hearing for an Atlantic woman facing a serious misdemeanor charge of Invasion of Privacy-Nudity, scheduled to have taken place yesterday (Monday), has instead been continued until May 21^st. According to online court records, Judge Jeffrey Larson granted a continuance Monday, in the case of 35-year old Amanda Sedina, who is accused of taking an inappropriate picture of a bathing 78-year old female resident at the Salem Lutheran Home, in Elk Horn. The incident was reported to authorities on March 22^nd. 

Sedina, who was an employee of the nursing home at the time the alleged incident occurred, entered a written plea of Not Guilty to the charge, on April 18^th. Her trial is set to take place May 30^th, in Shelby County District Court. The woman remains free on $1,000 bond, pending her court case.

The Republican leader in the Iowa Senate is in the hospital, being treated for a partially perforated bowel — a hole in his intestine. Senator Jerry Behn, of Boone, was elected the Senate’s G-O-P leader this past November. Republican Senator Nancy Boettger, of Harlan, mentioned Behn’s condition during the senate’s opening prayer this morning (Tuesday). “Good morning, Lord…We ask that you would be with and guide, protect and health or friend and colleague Jerry Behn. Give the doctor’s wisdom in how to deal with his malady,” Behn prayed. “We just pray for total and complete healing for him.” Behn, who is 58 years old, farms near Boone. Behn served a year as a Boone County Supervisor before being elected to the state senate in 1996.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department says no injuries were reported after an Atlantic Community School District bus loaded with 15 8th grade students, struck a parked pickup truck Monday afternoon. Officials say the bus, driven by Clair Acker, of Atlantic, was traveling north on Plum Street at around 1:45-p.m., when it hit a legally parked 1999 Ford F-250 pickup with a trailer attached. The truck and trailer, registered to Dean Brownlee, of Atlantic, were facing northbound near the intersection with 10th Street.

When Acker approached the intersection, the bus he was driving clipped the left front corner of the pickup, causing a total of $1,650 damage. Acker was cited for Striking an Unattended Vehicle.

An event being held in Atlantic this (Tuesday) evening is designed to help you keep your private information, private. The event is being sponsored by the Nishna Valley Credit Union for its members and the general public, at no charge. Jeff Nelson, with the NVCU, says the guest speaker is a nationally certified identity theft management specialist, and a consultant to more than 200 companies in terms of employee security. Nelson says identity theft doesn’t just affect those who are online much of the time, or to those who own credit cards. It can happen in many different ways. He says 46% of identity theft comes back to your driver’s license. Once a thief gets a hold of that information, they have access to many additional forms of information. 

Identity theft can also come in the form of fraudulent tax returns. Nelson says he’s heard unconfirmed reports of a tax return scam that affected a couple of different individuals. The incidents reportedly involved someone filing a bogus tax return before the taxpayer filed their real tax return, and the refund was sent to the scammer. The result is much time and money will be spent clearing up the matter with the Feds. 

The program being held in Atlantic this evening is the only one of its kind in the nation, which has licensed investigators, who handle incidents of identity theft for you, and work to with authorities and creditors to clear your name, if you are the target of the crime. Tonight’s seminar will include stories about identity theft from the victims’ perspective, and representatives with the Atlantic Police Department, who will speak about local incidents of identity theft, including a computer hacking incident which occurred last year at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, and how that affected some local residents’ financial transactions. Nelson said identity theft doesn’t just affect adults. It can affect children as well, when they apply for their first jobs or through other means. Tonight’s meeting takes place at the Atlantic 4-H/Community Center, beginning at 6:30-p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials have launched a public education campaign to warn teenagers and their parents about the growing problem of synthetic drugs.

Examples of synthetic drugs

Officials representing law enforcement, public health and drug control policy unveiled the campaign on Monday in Des Moines. The Speak Out Against Synthetic Drugs campaign will provide public-service messages that could help adults talk to children about synthetic drugs and the dangers they pose. On Monday the state Senate passed a bill aimed at making it tough for manufacturers of the illegal, synthetic drugs to alter ingredients to get around Iowa laws. Last year the Legislature passed a law making several chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana and “bath salts” illegal, but manufacturers keep altering the recipes with different chemicals to stay ahead of state bans.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A 13-year old girl from Adair was one of two Iowa teens who received the 2012 Prudential “Spirit of Community” youth volunteer awards Monday night during its 17th annual State Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. Hannah Jorgensen was honored for organizing a campaign to make personal care kits and sew pillowcases for families in transition from a local homeless shelter to more permanent quarters. The other Iowa honoree was 14-year old Kayla De Weerd, of Hull, who was honored for obtaining a $1,500 grant to pilot a nutrition and physical activity program at her junior high school and then gave presentations to educate others about how they could implement similar programs in their schools.

New York Giants quarterback and 2012 Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning congratulates Kayla De Weerd, 14, of Hull (center) and Hannah Jorgensen, 13, of Adair (right) on being named Iowa's top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

As State Honorees, Kayla and Hannah were among 102 top youth volunteers from across the country who received $1,000, engraved silver medallions, and all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C., this week for four days of recognition events. At last night’s ceremony, Kayla and Hannah were each personally congratulated for their outstanding volunteer service by New York Giants quarterback and 2012 Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, established in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), represent the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. To learn more, visit http://spirit.prudential.com

Home Care Aides, Certified Nursing Assistants, Direct Support Professionals, Hospice Aides, and other direct care workers, who provide hands-on, personal care and support in nursing homes, client’s homes, assisted living, group homes, hospitals, hospices, and other settings, are invited to attend the Iowa CareGivers Association’s “A Call to Leadership” program. The program is being held on May 22 from 11 am-3 pm, at the Council Bluffs Public Library. There is no charge to attend.

“A Call to Leadership” is an educational workshop especially for direct care professionals. Direct care Professionals will explore ways to become a leader both within and outside their workplace and consider how to use their natural leadership skills to be role models for their profession.

Those interested can register: 1) online at www.iowacaregivers.org where the brochure and schedule can also be found; 2) by calling 515-223-2805; or 3) by printing and completing the registration form and mailing it to the Iowa CareGivers Association, 1231 8th St., #236, West Des Moines, IA 50265.

The Iowa CareGivers Association (ICA) exists to ensure that all Iowans receive good care and support when and where they need it. ICA does that by serving the needs of those who provide most of this care and support…direct care professionals. The ICA Direct Care Professional Leadership Program is made possible by a contract with the Iowa Department of Public Health.