In large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 9-inch square pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
(Nancy Tuttle, Winterset)
Jim Field speaks with Amy Schmidt, Communications Director for Character Counts in Iowa, about Character Counts Week.
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With game one of the World Series this week in Kansas City, and Royals fans everywhere eager to buy a ticket after a 28 year World Series absence, Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska. South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa is alerting fans to look out for fraudulent sellers when shopping online for expensive and hard-to-get tickets.
BBB warns that sellers of game tickets on secondary ticket websites may be fraudulent. “The most common ways secondary-ticket sellers scam baseball fans is by delivering counterfeit tickets or simply not sending the tickets,” said BBB President Jim Hegarty. “Even if the tickets do arrive, they are sometimes not for the seats the seller advertised – which can mean the fan is stuck with seats that aren’t next to each other, or not in the sections they bargained for.”
The secondary-ticket market for sporting events, which includes tickets bought and sold by professional brokers, speculators and season-ticket holders, is a $10-billion-a-year industry, with online sales accounting for one-third of transactions, according to StubHub.com.
“World Series tickets are extremely tough for the average fan to find and purchase at a reasonable price, and that’s driving buyers to the Internet and the secondary-ticket market,” added Hegarty. “Fans must balance their passion for their team with awareness that not all online ticket sellers will deliver on their promises, and a bad transaction could leave them at home on the couch instead of at the big game.”
Fans should also be skeptical of the hundreds of online auctions, online classifieds, and bulletin boards using person-to-person sales. The World Series is big business for the hosting cities, and where there is big money to be made, scams always follow. To avoid problems like this, BBB advises ticket seekers to check out the company’s Business Review at bbb.org to find out about the company.
BBB offers the following advice for fans seeking tickets:
. Before buying from an online ticket broker, see if there is a BBB seal on the website and click on it to make sure it is real. BBB’s dynamic seal will take you directly to the BBB Business Review on the company at bbb.org.
. Make sure the website has a secure payment processing system, usually denoted by “https://” at the start of its website address or URL or a small closed lock icon at the bottom of the screen.
. If you buy tickets through an online auction site, choose a seller with a long history of satisfied customers. Scammers can hijack old accounts, so make sure the seller has recently sold other tickets.
. Ticket buyers also should be wary of sellers who try to lure buyers from a legitimate site to another site for a “private” transaction. Scammers often want to conduct their business on sites with names that mimic well-known companies but actually are fakes.
. If you are buying tickets through an online classified ad site, never pay the seller by wire transfer. You will have no way to get your money back if the tickets do not arrive or are counterfeit.
. Always use a credit card so you have some recourse; do not use cash.
. Know the difference between a ticket broker (legitimate and accredited reseller) and a ticket scalper (unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller).
. Check the ticket broker’s refund policy. Only buy from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction.
. Be careful buying tickets from someone on the street. When you get to the gate and find out your tickets aren’t real, the seller will be long gone.
. Check the location of the seats ahead of time. Always ask for section, row and seat number to avoid obstructed view seats or seats that do not exist. Also, feel free to ask questions to make certain you get all the answers you need to feel comfortable with your ticket purchase.
If you believe you have purchased a counterfeit ticket, immediately report it to the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) hotline at 630-510-4594 and file a complaint with BBB at bbbinc.org.
Class 1-A (7:00 pm)
Class 2-A (7:00 pm)
Two adults and a juvenile were arrested late Monday night in Red Oak, for “Breach of Peace.” According to Red Oak Police, 32-year old Melissa Marie Rinabarger, 19-year-old Brandon Michael Borgmyer, and 16-year-old Tyler Austin Sowers, all of Red Oak, were arrested in the 2000 Block of North 8th Street.
Rinabarger and Borgmyer were being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $300 cash bond, while Sowers was released to his parents.
The Atlantic Parks and Recreations Departments Board of Directors wants to get the ball rolling on hiring an assistant to Parks Director Roger Herring. Herring’s five-year contract with the City expires in May, 2016. In September, Herring asked the Board to start looking for someone to succeed him. He said the assistant would learn the Operations aspect of the department, which would allow Herring to work on other, important aspects of the job, such as grant-writing.
Herring said contrary to rumors, a candidate has not been singled-out for the position. He says while he has people in mind, “It’s not a done deal,” and the position is open to the public. The final say on hiring is with the Parks Board. There currently no timeline in-place for hiring the assistant, a fact Parks and Rec Board members Charlene Bean pointed out needs to be corrected quickly.
She said they need to have someone on board as soon as possible. Beane said “There are too many things that are pending…[several] projects that need a force behind them. Grants that need to be written. If we’ve got money to hire somebody, I think we ought to do it ASAP.” Herring said he can “Work with anything,” as far as a timeline is concerned. Board President Stuart Dusenberry said they should have someone in place by no later than the end of May, 2015, so that person can become familiarized with the busy summer activities and responsibilities.
If the Board chooses to have someone in the assistant director’s position by January 1st, they will have to amend their current budget, which Interim City Administrator John Lund said could be taken up during an upcoming City Council work session. Afterward, if the Council is comfortable with the numbers presented during the meeting, the Parks Board can assemble a job description and present before the Council during a regular meeting prior to the end of the year.
Lund said his “Gut reactions is ….the money will be there,” and based on the response of the Personnel and Finance Committee, thinks the chances are the Council will favor the idea to amend the budget and move forward.
A woman from Nebraska was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning on a drug charge, in Fremont County. The Sheriff’s Office says 51-year old Pamela Leners, of Omaha, was arrested in Sidney, following a narcotics investigation. Leners faces a Delivery of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine charge. She was being held in the Fremont County Jail on $50,000 bond.
A Red Oak woman was arrested Monday afternoon on a charge of Public Intoxication. Police in Red Oak say 44-year old Shelby Joann Olivares was taken into custody in the 500 block of East Market Street, at around 2-p.m. Her bond was set at $300.
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