Police in Creston are investigating four incidents of fraudulent debit card use and and the theft of a wedding ring. Officials say four Creston residents reported their debit cards had been stolen and used numerous times over a period spanning from June 1st through August 13th. The loss amounted to about $5,346.

And, a Creston woman reported to police Thursday, that someone stole her wedding ring from an undetermined location. The theft happened on Oct. 28th. The yellow ring with a three-stone design and attached wedding band is valued at $2,000.

Police in Creston report the arrest on Wednesday of a local man on drug charges. 38-year old Jamie Vandel, of Creston, was arrested on charges that include: Possession of Marijuana, two count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, and Violation of a Protective Order. Vandel was being held in the Union County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Vandel was arrested again on Thursday, on a Department of Corrections warrant for Parole Violation. The arrest took place at the Union County Jail, where Vandel was being held without bond on the warrant.

With the arrival of Halloween, here’s a reminder that a bag of Halloween candy isn’t all treats for the one in 13 children who suffer from food allergies. Kelly Williamson, founder of the advocacy group Food Allergy of Iowa, says there are eight common food allergies, but when it comes to candy, the main concern is around those that contain nuts.

“Or things that are processed in a plant that processes the chocolate with peanuts or almonds, that sort of thing,” she adds. “So pretty much all of your chocolate candy bars are out for kids that are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.”

To make trick-or-treating more inclusive for children with allergies, an option is to have some non-food items, such as stickers, pencils or little toys, to hand out. Those families taking part are asked to put out a pumpkin that’s painted teal, indicating the house is allergy-safe.

Williamson says she hopes this Teal Pumpkin Project will help make the holiday more fun for children with allergies who generally come home with a bag full of treats they can’t eat. “Usually end up with four or five little pieces that they can have and sometimes they just feel left out of holidays in general because eating is a big part of holidays,” she stresses. “So I think that it makes sense to offer an alternative.”

Because of the risks, it’s also suggested that children with food allergies don’t eat any candy while out trick-or-treating, but wait until they’ve returned home and have had the goodies inspected by their parents.

(Iowa News Service)

One person suffered possible, unknown injuries during a collision Thursday afternoon, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 16-year old Miranda Nicole Jones, of Red Oak, was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by private vehicle following the accident at 3rd and Coolbaugh Streets, in Red Oak.

Officials say a 2008 Chevy Impala driven by 74-year old Bette Lou Larson, of Red Oak, was traveling east on Coolbaugh Street at around 3:30-p.m., while a 1998 Dodge Neon driven by Jones was headed south on 3rd Street. Larson ran the stop sign at the intersection as Jone was getting ready to cross the intersection.

Larson was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop or Yield sign. Damage from the collision amounted to $3,200.

There was a collision Wednesday night between Joni Ernst’s campaign R-V and a deer. Ernst was traveling in the R-V with Arizona Senator John McCain and a couple of campaign staffers. The deer and the R-V collided on the highway between Bloomfield and Keosauqua. No one inside was injured. The larger-than-life photo of Ernst and the map of Iowa on the exterior of the R-V weren’t marred, but the vehicle was in the shop Thursday, for repairs.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley says he finds some of the campaign ads running against him “painful” to watch.  “And remember, about 80 percent of the TV ads you’re seeing are not being put up by Joni Ernst or Bruce Braley and they’ve being put up by groups that don’t have to identify their donors,” Braley says. “They’re being put up by people who really don’t have a long-term stake in Iowa.” According to the latest report from the Center for Responsive Politics, almost 61 million dollars has been spent by outside groups trying to influence the outcome of Iowa’s U.S. Senate race. Braley says the ads from these groups are “drowning out” the voices of regular Iowans.

“Personally it’s very painful,” Braley says. “…In 23 seconds the truth can be destroyed by somebody putting up an ad that’s false and misleading.” Braley supports efforts to require immediate disclosure of the names of those who are financing the outside groups. Braley made his comments Thursday during an appearance before the Greater Des Moines Partnership, an organization that represents 21 chambers of commerce in central Iowa. Ernst said recently she and her family have quit watching T-V because of all the negative ads.

“What people really need to do is focus on the issues that are important to them and visit with the candidate,” Ernst says. Ernst says that’s why she’s spend the past 39 days making 112 stops around the state, ensuring she’s made at least one campaign appearance in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

(Radio Iowa)