Iowa is the first stop for Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson after Thursday night’s FOX News debate. Carson says he’s gotten a “phenomenal” response to his performance. “I think we got our message out, looking at you know what’s happened with Facebook and Twitter and you look at the social media,” Carson says. “Obviously the message got out in a very, very substantial way.”

Carson says the debate has helped him connect with voters on social media. His campaign staff told reporters he’s gotten around 24-thousand new Twitter followers since the end of the debate when he delivered an “off-the-cuff” closing statement that mentioned his surgical career. “You know, a debate stage? You’re not going to really get to know the person that well. Six minutes? I don’t think so,” he says. “When I finally got some questions, it went well.”

Republican Presidential Candidate Ben Carson

Carson will be in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines today (Saturday), for what his campaign has called “Family Festivals” featuring food and entertainment from a Christian musician. “Well, we didn’t have the strawpoll, and that normally would attract a lot of families, so this is the substitute,” Carson says. The Iowa G-O-P’s Straw Poll would have been held this Saturday in Boone, but it was cancelled after none of the candidates agreed to participate. Carson has begun airing campaign ads in Iowa.

On Sunday morning he’ll speak at a church in Osceola, and on Sunday afternoon he’ll hold another “Family Festival” outdoors in Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)

The Stuart Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a female theft suspect. A woman wearing a white “Hard Rock” shirt, is wanted for questioning with regard to repeated thefts from a local grocery store. The most recent theft occurred Friday afternoon in Stuart at Hometown Foods. The suspect left the store driving a white older model Chevrolet or GMC pickup truck with a black cover over the bed.

If anyone has information regarding the identity of this person please contact the
Stuart Police Department at 515-523-1896 or Guthrie County Dispatch at 641-747-2214.

Suspect in theft cases

Suspect’s vehicle

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

A summertime fad that’s gaining ground through social media is known as “sunburn art,” and it makes an Iowa doctor who treats skin cancer cases cringe. People deliberately place stickers on their skin, go outside and get burned, then peel off the stickers and take selfies for Facebook to show off the contrasting red and white skin. Doctor Leslie Christenson, a dermatologist in Ames, calls the practice ridiculous.

“I think it’s very sad,” Dr. Christenson says. “We know that sunburns increase your risk of subsequent skin cancer. They advance aging and we can do so much to prevent skin cancer, so it’s hard for me to watch people promote it.” Damage to the skin by the sun’s harmful rays can add up. Christenson says if you get five sunburns early in life, it can raise the risk of developing skin cancer later by 80-percent.

“We know that 1 in 5 Americans will develop a skin cancer in their lifetime,” she says. “One in 65 will develop a melanoma, which is the most agressive form of skin cancer. We can prevent a lot of these skin cancers by just protecting ourselves from the sun.” Some “sunburn artists” use sunscreen in select locations to create the patterns while others may go so far as to cut out sections of their clothing. The melanoma form of skin cancer can be fatal. Christenson isn’t recommending you stay inside, but use your head when you go out.

“We do strongly recommend that you wear sun screen, not expose yourself to sunburns, but actually wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, blocking UVA and UVB rays,” Christenson says. “Wear protective clothing and a hat but that you do enjoy being outside. Just be smart about it.”

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. Air Force Boeing 757 has made an emergency landing at the Des Moines International Airport after a windshield cracked during the flight. Airport Director of Operations Alan Graff says the plane landed safety Friday morning and all nine people on board left the jet safely.

The white unmarked jet landed around 9:30 a.m. after making a distress call seeking to divert its flight plan to land at the airport. Airport officials referred further questions to the Air Force. A public affairs officer at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. couldn’t immediately provide further details on where the flight originated, where it was going or what caused the windshield to crack.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports Wildwood Road will be closed beginning Monday, Aug. 10th, for a bridge rebuilding project. The bridge, located over Indian Creek, is in the 700 Block of Wildwood Road, between Jackson Township Sections 35-36. Construction is expected to last approximately 8 to 10 weeks.

Residents in the area and emergency responders to plan to take alternative routes until the project is completed. If you have any questions about the project, call the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.