For the first time this season, parts of Iowa are under a Freeze Warning and residents in the far northwestern counties will need to take precautions if they hope to save their flowers and garden vegetables. Meteorologist Mike Fuhs, at the National Weather Service bureau in Sioux Falls, says the Freeze Warning runs from midnight tonight (Monday) through 9 A-M on Tuesday.  “In Lyon County, up in the far northwest corner, we are expecting temperatures to dip down to 32-degrees or less,” Fuhs says. “In the Frost Advisory counties, we are expecting a bit more mild temperatures with readings dropping down into the 33- to 34-degree range.”

Neighboring Osceola and Sioux counties are the ones under the Frost Advisory. Iowans in those areas who have still have blooming flowers, tomatoes on the vine or other tender vegetation, should cover those plants tonight with sheets, blanket or styrofoam cones. “This is the type of a freeze and frost that should -not- get down to the 20-to-25-degree range which would just kill everything,” Fuhs says. “Staying in the upper 20s and lower 30s, if you cover your vegetation up, it’s possible it will survive until the next freeze.”

While parts of central Iowa saw highs on Sunday in the 80s, Fuhs says that weather is gone for now, as a mostly-chilly week is ahead. “We’re looking at near-normal to just below-normal temperatures,” Fuhs says. “They will modify a little bit so we’re not expecting any more in the way of frost and freeze for the rest of the week but by the same token, it will have a difficult time warming up. Our warmest day of the week will probably be Thursday when temperatures get up into the upper 60s.”

Parts of central and southern Iowa may see highs in the low 70s on Thursday. Tonight’s first freeze for northwest Iowa is right on schedule, he says, as it usually arrives within the first ten days of October.

(Radio Iowa)

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 49-year old Robert Michael Madison, Sr., of Lorimor, was arrested Friday night, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Madison, Sr. was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for sex offender registration violation.  He was later released on $2,000 bond.

LEIGHTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a year-old infant has drowned in a central Iowa farm pond. The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and medics were sent around 3 p.m. Sunday to a residence about 4 miles west-southwest of Leighton. The office says in a news release that family members were performing CPR on the infant when medics arrived. The child was pronounced dead later at Mahaska Health Partnership Hospital in Oskaloosa.

An autopsy has been ordered. The infant’s name and other details about the incident haven’t been released.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) released a report on several arrests that took place recently. Officials say 19-year old Jonathan Allen Johnson, of Carson, was arrested Saturday evening for Driving While Revoked. 30-year old Joey Lee Ranney, Jr., of Council Bluffs, was arrested Sunday afternoon, for Driving While Barred. Ranney was also cited for speeding and failure to provide proof of insurance.

At around 6:15-p.m. Sunday, 34-year old Jacob Canon Somers, of Glenwood, was arrested for Driving While License Revoked.  46-year old Peter Eugene Jeffrey, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order/Contempt of Court. And, an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, 46-year old Shawn Leon Sweet, of Council Bluffs, was charged with Serious Assault causing injury, after he allegedly assaulted a 50-year old male inmate. The incident was captured on a surveillance system.

A report of a party in Carson where persons under age were present, resulted in three people being cited into court for Minor in Possession. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says Deputies were dispatched at around 12:45-a.m. Sunday, to a location at the corner of North and Commercial Streets. Inside a home at 111 North Street in Carson, there were open beer cans discovered all over the interior.  22-year old Lucas Tanner Freeman, of Carson, was taken into custody for contributing alcohol to minors. Authorities say 20-year old Dustin Ryan Smith, of Oakland, 19-year old Karley Renae Appley, of Hancock, 19-year old Morgan Cecilia Gentile-Turner, of Oakland, and a 17-year old female from Carson were cited for Minor In Possession. The 17-year old was referred to Juvenile Court for consuming alcohol, and then turned over to her parents.

Three people including two from Nebraska and one from Iowa, were arrested Sunday at around 2:40-a.m., following a pursuit in Pottawattamie County. The Sheriff’s Office says A deputy on uniformed patrol saw a black Buick Lucerne with Wisconsin license plates turn off Pioneer Trail onto Bluebird Lane and pull into a driveway. The deputy waited for the vehicle to leave before following it east on Pioneer Trail, where it suddenly turned onto 220th Street and made quick accelerating turns onto Wildflower Avenue, Green Valley Avenue, and Chesnut Road. When the vehicle then turned west on Pioneer, a traffic stop was attempted. A pursuit ensued, which ended when the vehicle left the road on the Highway 370 off ramp and Interstate 29. The vehicle was later determined to have been stolen at around 12:50-a.m. from the Motel 6 parking lot in Council Bluffs. A laptop computer valued at $700 was also recovered from the stolen vehicle, which was valued at $8,500.

Taken into custody, was 21-year old Jennifer Kayla Palmisano, of Papillion, NE., 22-year old Michael Aaron Whisenand, of Omaha, and 20-year old Amanda Dawn Kessler, of Atlantic. Kessler, who suffered a minor injury during the incident, was charged with Theft in the 3rd Degree. Palmisano was charged with Eluding and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Whisenand was charged with Theft in the 3rd degree. Both Whisenand and Kessler were determined to be under the influence at the time of their arrest. All three suspects face charges of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Interference with Official Acts. Palmisano was also charged with being a Fugitive from Justice, as she had felony warrants for her arrest out of Sarpy County, NE.

(Oct. 9, 2017) — During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood to support cancer patients and others. Mary Alice Donofrio gave blood for the first time in memory of her mother who received several blood transfusions while being treated for breast cancer. “I had no idea what to expect, but the experience was very easy and quite rewarding. Ever since then, I try and give blood as often as I can, and every time it gives me a good feeling in my heart. It is so nice to know that taking just an hour or so out of my day can help save the lives of others.”

According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 1.7 million new cases of cancer are expected in the U.S. this year. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, with nearly 253,000 women expected to be diagnosed in 2017. Cancer patients may need blood products during chemotherapy, surgery or treatment for complications.  Please check redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS for current blood donation center days and hours.

Some upcoming blood donation opportunities Oct. 16-31:

 Adair County:  Greenfield

10/19/2017: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Nodaway Valley High School, 410 NW 2nd St.

10/20/2017: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Greenfield Rehabilitation & Health Center, 615 SE Kent St.

Adams County: Corning

10/25/2017: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., Southwest Valley High School – Corning Campus, 904 8th St.

Cass County: Atlantic
10/24/2017: 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Atlantic High School, 1201 East 14th St.

10/30/2017: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Cass County Memorial Hospital, 1501 E. 10th St.

Pottawattamie County:

Council Bluffs – 10/31/2017: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Iowa Western Community College, 2700 College Road

Underwood – 10/18/2017: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Underwood High School, 629 North St.

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a computer or mobile device. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

The annual Iowa Summit on Justice & Disparities opens Tuesday at the F-F-A Enrichment Center in Ankeny. Iowa N-A-A-C-P Betty Andrews started the summit after becoming concerned about the number of African Americans in Iowa prisons. “At that time African Americans were 13-point-six times more likely to be incarcerated or caught up in the criminal justice system,”Andrews says. The first summit was five years ago.”At that time we were number one in the nation for this disparity. We are now at 11 times — which is still really high — but we are dropping,” she says.

Andrews says the summit tries to bring a lot of different people together. “The audience is pretty diverse…it is advocates, it is criminal justice professionals, it’s politicians, it’s people who have been incarcerated, the community at large,” Andrews says. “and anyone who is interested in addressing disparities in our state.” She says the goal is to bring people together to come up with solutions. “It’s not about pointing fingers, it’s about everyone coming together and working together to bring about change,” according to Andrews. “And when we are addressing these disparities, we are also addressing issues for people who are not of color for all. And it makes things better for all.”

Andrews says the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for children who were brought the country illegally is one of the things they will discuss. “We do have a panel this year that is dedicated to DACA. And we are really excited to bring that so that pople can have an honest conversation about how the recent changes in the executive order will affect Iowans.”

The conference runs from 8:00 A-M to 4:30 P-M. To find out more about the summit and speakers — got to the website: www.IowaJusticeSummit.org

AMES, Iowa (AP) – The second of four finalists to be Iowa State University’s next president is senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Georgia, Athens.

The Iowa Board of Regents says Pamela Whitten will visit the Ames campus Tuesday and meet with staff, students and community members. Her curriculum vitae and interview schedule are available on Iowa State’s presidential search website, presidentsearch.iastate.edu. The first finalist, Sonny Ramaswamy, is visiting the campus Monday. He’s director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

The regents are scheduled to meet Oct. 23 to choose the next president.

Iowa’s refugee resettlement agencies are expecting fewer arrivals and facing more uncertainty as the Trump administration continues to lower the cap on refugee arrivals. Carly Ross is director of the Des Moines field office for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. She says in past years, when she was notified that a refugee family would be traveling to the U.S., she could expect that family to arrive in two to three months. “But at this point, we are not as clear on those timeframes when we receive the notification,” Ross said. “We don’t know if they will be traveling within that same timeframe, two to three months, or if it could be even longer.”

That leaves refugees in Iowa with a lot of questions about when they’ll be reunited with their family members who are still overseas. According to Ross, one refugee family in Des Moines still has two teenage girls living in Malaysia.  “And they’re really fearful for those two girls’ safety, so they’re constantly just asking for updates about when they might be able to come to the U.S. and at this point, we just can’t give them very firm answers,” Ross said.

The Trump administration will admit 45,000 refugee arrivals this fiscal year — the lowest cap since the program’s start in 1980. The Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, recently criticized the State Department for failing to consult Congress on its refugee plan.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio)