(Radio Iowa) — The state of Iowa will use a U-S Department of Justice grant to try a new approach to dealing with the impact of opioid addiction. Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) director, Dale Woolery, says the one-point-seven million dollars will be used in three counties. “This pilot will allow for law enforcement and prosecutors to do an early diversion of those individuals directly to treatment — thereby bypassing directly the criminal justice system,” Woolery explains. “But there will be case management care coordinators the individual’s progression through treatment.”

Woolery says they hope to reduce opioid misuse and the number of overdose deaths.  “It’s really about having another option to try to get help for those who need it if they can be better served in treatment than the criminal justice system,” he says. Woolery says Black Hawk, Story, and Jones counties were chosen for the pilot program that may also include other substances. “In addition to opioid addiction, we have a fairly high amount of meth addiction, and other substance use disorders. So, it won’t be exclusive to opioids,” Woolery says.

But Woolery says opioid abuse often began with legal prescriptions and developed into a more serious problem. He says that has created the need to look at different ways to address the situation. “The opioid epidemic has opened our eyes and I think it has taught us some valuable lessons and better ways. We’ve been learning form the opioid epidemic — which is what we should do,” according to Woolery. He says the three counties are a good fit for the pilot program. It just happened to be the right time for them. This is not an approach that everybody will want to do. These communities were interested in doing it — so that’s why these three  communities were chosen for this application,” Woolery says.

He says they provide a mixture that will give a good look at how the program might work in different settings. “We have rural, we have urban, we have college settings. We think that will be good because one key part of this project will be to evaluate how it’s working,” Woolery says. “Do we want to do more of this? Do we want to do less of this? Do we want to do it differently since it is really the first of its kind in the state of Iowa.”

He says the funding will also pay for additional prescription drug take-back receptacles, training, and data collection.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (Oct. 7, 2019) — During Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to give blood or platelets to provide hope and healing to patients fighting cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and more than 268,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Many patients with cancer need multiple blood product transfusions. Cancer patients undergoing surgery and chemotherapy may require red blood cell or platelet transfusions. In fact, more than half of all platelets collected by the Red Cross are used by patients with cancer. Donors of all blood types, especially platelet donors and those with type O blood, are needed to ensure a stable supply for cancer patients and others this fall. Appointments can be made by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

As a thank-you, those who come to give blood or platelets during the month of October will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of five $500 gift cards redeemable at hundreds of merchants, courtesy of Tango Card. Terms apply; see rcblood.org/game.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities Oct. 16-31:

Carroll – 10/23/2019: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Central Church, 24336 Hwy 30

Manning – 10/18/2019: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., IKM Manning High School, 209 10th Street

Atlantic – 10/22/2019: 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Atlantic High School, 1201 East 14th Street; 10/29/2019: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Cass County Memorial Hospital, 1501 E. 10th Street

Sidney – 10/18/2019: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Sidney United Faith Church, 1975 US Hwy 275

Dunlap – 10/16/2019: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Boyer Valley High School, 1102 Iowa Ave.

Woodbine – 10/29/2019: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Woodbine High School, 501 Weare St

Pacific Junction – 10/26/2019: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Loess Hills Harley-Davidson Inc., 57408 190th St

Red Oak – 10/28/2019: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Montgomery County Hospital, 2301 Eastern Ave

Shenandoah – 10/28/2019: 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Elks Lodge, 701 S. Fremont St., Hwy 59

Underwood – 10/29/2019: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Underwood High School, 629 North Street

How to donate blood: Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device 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 in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), 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, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man slain in Des Moines over the weekend. The Des Moines Police Department identified the man as 43-year-old James Moss Jr. He’d been found injured at a home early Saturday morning and was pronounced dead later at a hospital.

Police say they’re still looking for a person who was at the home at or near the time Moss was attacked. Another person at the home then has been interviewed and released.

Police in Council Bluffs were dispatched at around 3:23-a.m. today (Monday), to 2008 5th Ave in reference to a burglary call. Upon their arrival Officers made contact with the victim, who said she woke up to two unknown male parties leaving the residence through the back porch. The victim said also, due to it being dark she could only tell that the parties were wearing dark clothing and mask. The woman also stated as they were leaving the residence, the suspects possibly displayed a handgun.

This is an ongoing investigation and if anybody has any information in reference to the crime please call the Council Bluffs Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

(Radio Iowa) — Visitors from as far away as Australia are expected to head for southwest Iowa’s Madison County this coming weekend during the 50th annual Covered Bridge Festival. Heather Riley, executive director of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, says there will be guided tours of the historic wooden bridges, arts and crafts, a photo contest, live music, festival food and more. “Typically, we look for about 20,000 people over the weekend,” Riley says. “We have a 5K, there’s a quilt show, the car show is on Sunday as well as our parade. We have two stages of entertainment.”

While there were once a few dozen covered bridges in Madison County, there are now just six, which includes one bridge that fell victim to an arson fire in 2017. “We’re going to do a ribbon-cutting and a rededication of Cedar Bridge which is now fully rebuilt and back,” Riley says. “That’s a $720,000 project and lots of donations by Iowans and from people across the country who enjoy our covered bridges, too.”

Cedar Bridge damaged by arson. (Credit Sarah Boden IPR)

Originally built in the 1883, the Cedar Bridge rose to fame in the early 1990s after James Waller’s novel, “The Bridges of Madison County,” was published and then adapted for film. Cedar Bridge is on the cover of the book. Madison County is considered the Covered Bridge Capital of Iowa, with the largest collection of covered bridges in one area in the western half of the Mississippi Valley.  “I think at one time there was some discussion about maybe tearing down these covered bridges and thankfully, some enlightened soul decided, ‘No, these are actually pretty special,’ so the Covered Bridge Festival began in 1970 as a way to preserve them,” Riley says. “The book was written 20 years after that which drew even more attention to our community.”

The county seat, Winterset, is also home to the John Wayne Birthplace Museum and the Iowa Quilt Museum. The festival runs Friday and Saturday (October 12-13)

More info at: www.madisoncounty.com/covered-bridge-festival/