A new $10 million emergency department was dedicated today (Thursday) at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System. Roughly 1,000 veterans a month arrive at the Des Moines facility needing emergency treatment. Dan Gannon chairs the Iowa Commission for Veterans Affairs. “I think it’s very positive because we feel very strongly here in Iowa about our VA hospital,” Gannon said. “We think it’s one of the best. It’s just another sign of them trying to improve their facility and…that story isn’t always being told.”

The new addition includes a designated space for infectious disease care, decontamination showers, and eight private treatment rooms. Leanne Haiwick will manage 20 emergency room nurses. “This is a larger space with private rooms. One room is a dedicated mental health observation room, so it’s a safe space for anybody who’s undergoing a mental health crisis,” Haiwick said. The Des Moines VA facility treats an average of 33 emergency patients a day.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa State University confirms a man who died in a boating accident over the weekend in Michigan worked at the school. I-S-U says 56-year-old business professor Brian Mennecke was the person found by a dive team at Haggerman Lake in Michigan. Local reports say a search began after a boat with no one on board crashed into the dock on Saturday.

The dive team found Mennecke’s body Wednesday evening and it is believed he fell out of the boat while fishing. I-S-U issued a statement saying Menecke had been with the college since 1999 and his research focused on technology issues, including the influence of social and digital media on consumer decisions.

(Radio Iowa)

(Update 5-p.m. 7/14: Chloe has been found! Thanks to everyone who looked for her)

The Stuart Police Department’s drug detection dog is missing, Officials said Thursday, that “Chloe” was being watched by a neighbor while her handler is on vacation. When the neighbor took her outside, Chloe got loose and ran away. If you the friendly black Lan, please call the Stuart Dispatch Center at 641-747-2214. Authorities say Chloe is extremely important to their department, and the community.

Chloe the drug dog

SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in northwest Iowa say they are investigating the discovery of a human skull near the Raccoon River in southern Sac County. The skull was found Monday afternoon. Sheriff Ken McClure says in a statement the state medical examiner concluded it was the skull of an adult white man.

It has been forwarded to a forensic anthropologist in Kansas City for further examination and to determine its age. McClure says his office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation will determine the next steps in the investigation based on the reports from the forensic examination.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods is offering to pay $400,000 to buy out its remaining lease on a plant it closed in 2014 in the northwest Iowa town of Cherokee. Tyson’s Wes Morris said Thursday the Springdale, Arkansas, company is offering to pay all of its remaining rent for the next four years to end its interest in the vacant building. Morris says that would give the building owner and local officials more control over marketing the plant.

It wasn’t immediately clear Thursday afternoon whether the building’s owner will accept Tyson’s offer. New York real estate investor Mark Langfan’s family owns the building. Previously, local leaders in Cherokee had criticized Tyson’s handling of the building.

Tyson says several food companies expressed interest in the plant but decided it wouldn’t work for their needs.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Two Sioux City police officers have teamed up to teach teenagers how to navigate the roads through their driving academy. The Sioux City Journal reports that Scott Hatting and Todd Ferry, who have worked at the Sioux City Police Department for more than 20 years, have started the Cruising with Cops academy.

Ferry says the instructors have experience in adverse driving conditions. According to Hatting and Ferry, students will gain experience on how to interact with law enforcement officers while learning how to drive. The driving school is not affiliated or funded by the police department. Instructors will not wear police uniforms or operate police vehicles.

The classes, which will last approximately two months and cost $500, are scheduled to start in September.

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) has awarded more than $599,920 to 27 historic preservation and country school projects in 22 communities across the state. Locally, the communities of Clarinda, Denison and Winterset have received a total of more than $14,000 for projects.

The Nodaway Valley Historical Museum in Clarinda was awarded a grant for $2,875 to restore and preserve the Page County Goldenrod Schoolhouse. The building is used throughout the year as an educational resource for area students and visitors to learn about the days of the country school. It educates over 5,000 visitors each year.

The Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts, in Denison, was awarded a grant amounting to $1,333, so the Donna Reed Museum/Archive can properly store and organize the vast collection of her personal artifacts and provide proper storage for a growing collection of items relating to the history of Denison.

And, the Madison County Historical Society, in Winterset, was awarded a DCA grant of $10,000, for a “Research Library” archive preservation project. The grant will be used to purchase archival supplies and engage a professional archivist to advise staff and train volunteers. The project will bring historically significant documents together in one location for safekeeping, making them easily accessible to researchers and preserved according to museum industry standards.

Several lowa police departments are warning players of the smartphone game Pokémon Go to be aware of their surroundings for hazards including muggers and traffic. The video game is fast-becoming one of the world’s most-downloaded apps, but Jim Hegarty, at the Better Business Bureau office in Omaha-Council Bluffs, says crooks have already found a way to rip you off.

“There’s a malware version of this,” Hegarty says. “Make sure you go to your actual app store to get the legitimate game. Do not try to download the game from a link you’ve received through an email or by text message. Those versions are the ones that contain the malware that can do all kinds of nasty stuff to you.” That “nasty stuff” may include locking up your mobile device or stealing your personal financial information. Hegarty also warns parents the game gobbles data.

“Most of the kids I see running around in our neighborhood playing the game don’t look like they’re at the age where they’re paying their own cell bill,” he says. “Parents need to be watching their data plans real carefully to make sure they’re not going to get some whopping bill.” The app is free to download but players might be tempted to click on some of the extras, which aren’t free.

“It does include in-app purchases,” Hegarty says. “If there’s a card attached to your account, you could be racking up some big charges without knowing it.” The game uses A-R, or “augmented reality,” where you switch on your phone’s camera, look at your screen and see virtual creatures which you’re trying to “catch” superimposed over the real world view.

(Radio Iowa)