Starting on this May Day (Monday), Triple-A members in Iowa will be able to take advantage of a new type of service. The auto club’s Gail Weinholzer says if you’re out bicycling anywhere in the state and have some type of mechanical trouble, you’ll be able to call for a tow truck. So, why is the auto club getting involved with bicycles. “We all use multiple modes of travel,” Weinholzer says. “Yes, we’re an automobile association but a lot of our members bicycle and a lot of our members would appreciate this type of service.”

The service technicians won’t change your bike tire for you if you have a flat, but they will give you and your bike a lift back to your car, home or — if necessary — to a bike shop. “While we will try and fix cars on the roadside, we will not attempt to fix bikes, but we will tow you for however long your membership is good for,” Weinholzer says. “If it’s a Classic membership, we’ll tow you up to five miles; a Plus membership, up to 100 miles; and a Premier membership, up to 200 miles.”

If your two-wheeler leaves you stranded on a bike trail, you’ll need to get to the nearest road.  “We have to be able to access you via our tow trucks and they’re not off-road vehicles,” Weinholzer says. “If you’re halfway climbing up a mountain on a mountain bike, you’re going to have to walk the bike down the hill.”

Whether riding for sport, recreation or exercise, she says it’s important for cyclists to know bicycles are considered vehicles and they’re now covered under a club membership.

(Radio Iowa)

May is National Foster Care Month and an Iowan who works to get kids into foster homes says it has a two-fold purpose. Bambi Schrader of the Iowa Kids Network says “We literally want to let people know that foster parents do provide care out of the goodness of their heart and because they want to provide a stable and safe environment for kids. And it’s kind of a thankless job — so we just want to show that we are appreciative for that. We also want to let people know that we have a need for more foster kids all the time.”

She says the need for foster parents continues to grow. “We have about 23-hundred licensed foster parents in Iowa right now…25-hundred-and-50 children just last year were placed into foster care. So, we are already at a deficit, and some of those homes already have children in them,” Schrader says. She says there are some four-thousand kids across the state who need foster care. She says they are looking for anyone who is willing to help.”We need homes of all shapes, sizes, types, varieties.”

Schrader says there are some key things that make a good foster family. “We look for families that have stability and their income doesn’t have to be that of a rich person, but it has to be stable enough so that when they bring in a child it is not going to be a deficit for them,” Schrader explains. ” Really, we just need all different the types of families who can step up for the children that we have in foster care.”

Schrader says every parents faces challenges with their own kids, and taking on foster kids is no different. “I think when you take a child who comes from trauma that has been removed from parental care due to unsafe situations — you are definitely going to have some more challenging things to go through,” Schrader says. She says they help parent deal with the challenges and determine what is causing the challenges so they can work to change that behavior.

Schrader encourages anyone interested in foster care to seek out more information. You can go to their website at www.iowakidsnet.com, or you can call 1-800-243-0756. Schrader says once you call they will let you know the requirements for being a foster parents and then will work you through the process to be able help the kids who need a home.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Results from a monthly survey of business supply managers suggest a slight improvement in the economic conditions in nine Midwest and Plains states. The Mid-America Business Conditions Index report released Monday says the overall economic index for the region rose to 61.4 in April from 60.1 in March.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the figures suggest strong growth for both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing through the third quarter of this year. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Police in Creston arrested a man on numerous charges, Sunday. 24-year old Nicholas Shields, of Creston, was arrested at around 8:40-a.m. on charges that include 4 counts of Burglary in the 3rd Degree, Theft in the 1st Degree, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Attempted Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and 1st Degree Criminal Mischief. His bond at the Union County Jail, was set at $10,000.

Creston Police also arrested 46-year old Andrew Sewell, of Stuart. Sewell was taken into custody Friday night for Public Intoxication. He was later released on a $300 bond.

And, authorities in Creston say it appears the Creston City Pound had been broken into sometime between 5-a.m. and 7:30-a.m., Saturday. Four dogs were taken from the property and the locks were cut on several kennels as well as the outside gate. There was no dollar estimate of the loss or damage.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested following a gas drive-off from the Casey’s Store in Villisca, Sunday night. 24-year old James Robert Castillo, and 20-year old Karaline Kay Overton, both of Bedford, were charged with Theft in the 5th Degree after the vehicle they were in was stopped at the intersection of Highway 71/Business Highway 2, on the east side of Clarinda at around 8:25-p.m. They were brought to the Montgomery County Jail and were held on $300 bond each.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Clarinda Police, the Page County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol.