SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say what seemed to be a bag of dead puppies dumped near a bridge in northwestern Iowa has turned out to be a bag of skinned raccoon carcasses. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says the bag was found north of Sibley on April 6 and appeared to have been left near the bridge sometime last fall. But on Monday senior conservation officer Greg Harson with the Iowa Natural Resources Department said the carcasses were those of raccoons.

Osceola County Sheriff’s Lt. Seth Hofman says it’s not known whether the raccoons were trapped or hunted legally, but they were disposed of illegally.

Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Tuesday) will present the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Governor’s Cup ROTC Award for outstanding achievement to ten students from The University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Drake University, University of Dubuque, Buena Vista University, University of Northern Iowa, and Coe College. The ceremony will be held at the State Capital in the Robert D. Ray Conference Room, beginning at 10 a.m.

Among the award recipients is Cadet Captain Matthew D. Hanson, Buena Vista University Army ROTC, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Darwin Hanson, of Villisca.

The awards are presented annually by Governor Branstad to top students in ten ROTC programs at seven universities. The awards “honor the cadets for leadership, academics, and military achievement.”

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports an Adair man was arrested Monday, following a pursuit. 27-year old Dustin Allen Hansen, was arrested on a felony charge of Eluding a Police Officer, and OWI 2nd Offense. Hansen was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

On April 8th, deputies in Cass County arrested 26-year old Joseph Cornell Clark, of Barnett, MO, on a charge of False Report to Law Enforcement, as well as on two Missouri warrants. That same day, 37-year old Tricia R. Barton-Garrett, of Anita, was arrested on a charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Barton-Garrett was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was released the following day on her own recognizance. Clark was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held pending extradition to the state of Missouri.

And last Saturday, deputies in Cass County arrested 31-year old Isaac Terence Gaines, of Atlantic, on a charge of OWI 2nd Offense. Gaines was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

Today (Tuesday) is the start of the seven-and-a-half week long “Give Back Iowa Challenge.” Leah Rodenberg, of Alliant Energy, is co-chair of the effort, which is designed to get Iowa business owners to encourage their employees to volunteer.
“Participating in the Give Back Iowa Challenge will be a chance for your company to see the positive effect volunteering has on your employees, company and the community,” she says.

Angela Ten Clay of Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield is the other co-chair. “At Wellmark, we understand the impact volunteering has on employee wellness and we hope other companies will join us in participating in the challenge to boost both Iowa’s goals to be the healthiest state and a leader in volunteerism,” Ten Clay says.

Companies can sign up for the challenge online at volunteer-Iowa-dot-org (www.volunteeriowa.org). The challenge starts today (April 14th) and ends May 31st. Businesses that wind up with the highest average of volunteer hours per employee will get a congratulatory visit from the governor or lieutenant governor. Iowa currently ranks sixth among the states for the number of volunteer hours per resident.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa – With the start of garage sale season, a reminder that there may be appealing deals for products like car seats, but buying used seats could also be dangerous. Kristel Wetjen, pediatric trauma nurse coordinator at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, says it’s recommended people do not buy car seats at garage sales because their history is unknown, such as whether they’ve been involved in a crash.

“Once a car seat has been in a crash, there’s been extra stress put on that plastic and the webbing for the harnesses,” she says. “When you buy a car seat at a garage sale you have no idea if that seat has already been exposed to that, therefore making it less safe for your child in your car.”

Wetjen says some car seats being sold at garage sales could also have missing or broken parts, or may have been subject to a recall in the past. While Wetjen says you shouldn’t buy a child safety seat at a yard sale, she says it is vital for parents to have car seats for kids, as they can greatly reduce the risk of injury or death.

“Somebody being restrained in a car seat can reduce the risk of injury by 80 to 90 percent, based upon how they’re restrained,” she says. “The biggest new change from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to keep children rear-facing longer than forward-facing. That reduces the risk of injury by 500 percent.”

Wetjen also stresses the importance of proper installation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 75 percent of children are riding in car safety seats that aren’t properly installed or don’t fit correctly.

(Iowa News Service)