DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Instead of giving her a ticket, two Iowa sheriff’s deputies treated a woman to a Christmas shopping spree after pulling her over. Jasper County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputies Rod Eilander and Nathan Popenhagen pulled the woman over for not having license plates on her truck, Des Moines television station KCCI reported Monday.

When they asked if she was ready for Christmas, she said “no.” Eilander told the station that the woman had no money, was out of gas and was on her way to borrow $10 from a friend to buy dinner for her kids. Eilander said he and Popenhagen decided to buy her children gifts. They picked up a football, a bucket of slime, earrings and a new backpack at a Walmart. Then other people at the store started taking part in the act of kindness.

“Out of nowhere, an angel walked up to us and handed her a $50 Walmart gift card,” Eilander said.
A different customer gave the woman $20, someone in the parking lot pitched in another $20, and the deputies gave her $20 for dinner. The deputies then wrapped the presents at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office while the woman went through donated clothing at the jail.

“My heart is full tonight being with the ones I love and to spread the holiday cheer to others less fortunate than me,” Eilander said.

(Radio Iowa) — Thousands of Iowans are getting new televisions, cell phones, laptops, and other high-tech gadgets as Christmas gifts. Iowa DNR Senior Environmental Specialist Susan Johnson is urging them to recycle their OLD electronics. “Many retailers will take back e-waste for recycling, regardless of whether you purchased a product from the retailer or not,” Johnson said.

It’s believed U.S. consumers who fail to recycle e-waste, annually, send over two-million tons of computers, TVs, cell phones, printers, scanners, and other such items to landfills.  “E-waste accounts for about 40-percent of the lead and 75-percent of the heavy metals found in landfills,” Johnson said.  Most electronic products contain toxic materials such as lead, cadium, arsenic and mercury. If they end up in landfills, those toxins will contaminate groundwater. While many retailers recycle e-waste, there are also regional collection centers for household hazardous waste in 93 Iowa counties.

“Not only do they take back most electronics, but other household hazardous waste too, such as stains, varnishes, and pesticides,” Johnson said. E-waste recycling habits are improving in the state. According to Johnson, Iowans recycle – on average – over six-million pounds of TVs and computers every year.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Senator Joni Ernst, a combat veteran, says one of her top legislative accomplishments this past year was a collaboration with one of the Senate’s most liberal Democrats. “That measure in the National Defense Authorization Act to raise awareness and to treat traumatic brain injury, that was done with my colleague Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts,” Ernst says.

The legislation directs the military to take steps to track, treat and prevent brain injuries among soldiers. The Pentagon is now required to include information about recognizing brain injuries in its regular training sessions for soldiers. “That’s one that was very important to me and we were able to see that through to fruition,” Ernst says.

Ernst has collaborated with other Democratic senators on military matters. In 2015, for example, Ernst and California Democrat Barbara Boxer sponsored legislation signed by President Obama that allowed female pilots from World War II to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In 2019, Ernst will for the first time be serving in a politically-divided legislative branch.

“It can be painted as very difficult and in some circumstances it will be difficult having a divided congress with Democrats taking majority in the House of Representatives,” Ernst says, “but, at the same time, there is still opportunity and a lot of the work that I do here in the United States Senate is done in a bipartisan manner.”

In August, Ernst and a Democratic senator from Delaware cosponsored legislation designed to help military veterans get college credit for their military training.

The occupants of a home in Red Oak escaped without injury early Monday morning, after a fire broke out at around 3:15-a.m. According to reports, several departments responded to the fire in the upstairs bedroom at 410 East Nuckols Avenue, in Red Oak. A functional smoke detector alerted the residents to the danger.

The second floor of the home sustained extensive fire and water damage. Red Oak fire was assisted at the scene by crews from Elliott and Stanton. Red Oak Police, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, MidAmerican Energy and Red Oak’s Water Department also provided assistance. Firefighters were on the scene for about two-and-a-half hours.

The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the homes’ residents. The cause of the fire was under investigation.