Officials with ISU Extension in Cass County says they’re excited to offer “On Their Own and OK!,” a course to help youth gain the skills and confidence to stay home alone. The program will be held on Thursday, August 11 from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. The program is open to any interested youth who are entering 4-8^th grade this fall.

Topics covered throughout the day will include handling emergencies and basic first aid, safety and privacy with electronics and other appliances, daily routines and responsibilities, and dealing with siblings and friends when home alone. In addition, youth will learn the basics of healthy meals and snacks, including preparing their own meal and snack during the class! Participants will also get a workbook to help start a conversation about family rules, activities and more when home alone.

There is no charge to attend this program, and all materials are provided, but pre-registration is required and the class size is limited to 25 youth. To register, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email xcass@iastate.edu. A registration form with more course details is also available on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says a Page County man was arrested early this (Thursday) morning, on a U-S Marshall’s warrant. 68-year old Danny Gene McClain, of Clarinda, was arrested at around 1:35-a.m. on Highway 34. He was wanted on a warrant for Probation Violation. McClain was being held without bond, in the Mills County Jail.

And, 28-year old Nicole Katherine Spracklin, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday night in Mills County, for Driving While Barred. Her bond was set at $2,000.

The annual state sales tax holiday is this Friday and Saturday across the state. Iowa Department of Revenue spokesperson, Victoria Daniels, says there are limits on the tax exemption. “It applies to select clothing and footwear. And one big thing to remember is that the item has to be less than 100 dollars — not 100 dollars — it has to be less than 100 dollars in order to qualify for the exemption.”

Accessories do not qualify for the sales tax exemption. According to Daniels, “Things like jewelry, and the other thing is if it is something you wouldn’t wear normally in everyday life, then it doesn’t qualify. For example, athletic cleats, things like that that you wouldn’t just wear to school or work.”

There are some items that people often mistakenly think are included. Daniels says “Bookbags and backpacks — you know people think of it as back to school — but it really only includes clothing and footwear.” The event is often billed as the Sales Tax Weekend, but Daniels says it doesn’t last all weekend. “By law it occurs on the first Friday and Saturday of August. People sometimes think ‘oh it’s the weekend’, but Sunday is not applicable.”

Many stores offer discounts to go along with the sales tax holiday. The complete listing of the items can be found at www.tax.iowa.gov. The tax holiday begins at 12:01 a-m Friday and runs through 11:59 p-m Saturday.

(Radio Iowa)

Atlantic Specialty Care has been named winner the 2016 Governor’s Award for Quality Care in Health Care Facilities. Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds will present the award to Atlantic Specialty Care in Atlantic early this fall. The Atlantic facility was nominated by a family member of three former residents, all of whom required special care and attention due to their illnesses.

The Governor’s Award for Quality Care was established to recognize long-term care facilities that provide – in the nominator’s opinion – a high level of care to their residents. This year’s Governor’s Award recipients were selected from a field of 17 nominated facilities. Since the first awards were presented in 2001, a total of 53 awards have been presented to 46 individual facilities.