A member of the Thurman Volunteer Fire Department who had responded to the scene of a grass fire Monday afternoon, was arrested on a Child Endangerment charge. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department says 28-year old Christopher David Thurman, of Thurman, was taken into custody at around 4:50-p.m. and held without bond on the aggravated misdemeanor charge.

Authorities say deputies received a call at around 2:50-p.m. Monday, with regard to a possible child left alone at a residence in Thurman. Deputies discovered a 16-month old boy in the home, and learned from a concerned citizen, that the father was seen leaving the area in a fire truck. Neighbors heard the child screaming inside the home and notified authorities.

On  Sunday, 56-year old Edward Allen Umbreit, of Riverton, was arrested on charges of Indecent Exposure, Harassment in the 3rd Degree, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The man was taken into custody after deputies investigated a report of a suspicious man who had been seen in the woods last Friday, north of Riverton. The caller said Umbreit was standing in the woods near the roadway in the 2400 block of 330th Street, nude and allegedly making comments of a sexual nature to the person who reported the incident.

An arrest warrant was executed at Umbreit’s home Sunday, prior to his being taken into custody. He was being held without bond in the Fremont County Jail.

Two people were transported to area hospitals following two separate accidents Monday afternoon, in Fremont County. Sheriff’s officials say one of the accidents occurred at around 2:40-p.m., at the intersection of 120th Street and 310th Avenue, near Randolph. The accident happened as a pickup owned by Miller Building Supply, of Shenandoah, was westbound on 120th and was attempting to turn south onto 310th. When a pickup and trailer driven by 51-year old Monte McConahay, of Randolph, attempted to pass several vehicles stopped behind the turning pickup, both trucks collided, causing the MBS pickup to enter the south ditch.

Tabor Rescue transported the driver of the MBS truck to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, for treatment of minor injuries. Neither McConahay nor his passenger were injured in the crash. Both drivers and the passenger were wearing their seat belts.

The second accident happened at around 5:25-p.m. near 220th Street and 230th Avenue, when a pickup driven by 16-year old Anthony Kelsay, of Sidney, went out of control and entered a ditch before hitting a power pole. The mishap occurred when the teen put the vehicle in reverse. Deputies believe a medical condition caused the crash. Kelsay was transported by Percival Rescue to Grape Community Hospital in Hamburg, for treatment of unknown, possible injuries.

Deputies in Montgomery County, Monday night, arrested a Union County man on drug & Criminal Mischief charges. 19-year old Nicholas John Michael Farwell, of Creston, was taken into custody at around 9-p.m. in the 500 block of East 3rd Street, in Villisca. Farwell was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond. He’s been charged with Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Age eight is when the average child in Iowa begins consuming online media, and while you’re supposed to be 13 to open a Facebook account, it’s very tough to regulate. Alissa Wilkinson, a social worker in central Iowa, says parents know their children best, so it’s up to them to make the decision, but she says consistent rules about social media should be in place from the beginning. “Parents should be monitoring their kids’ usage at all times, especially under age 13,” Wilkinson says. “Electronics should be out in the common areas of the house. I don’t think kids should be left alone with their phone or their tablet in their room for an extended amount of time.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children and teens should have no more than two hours a day of total screen time and Wilkinson says parents should impose other rules, too Wilkinson says, “If they’re going to allow their kids to be online, they should know the passwords and be able to ‘follow’ their children or be ‘friends’ with their children on whatever sites they’re on so they can monitor what’s being put out there.” While Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and other social media sites grow in popularity, some children simply don’t understand the potential risks of putting the personal details of their lives online.

“Children just want to be doing what all of their friends are doing,” Wilkinson says. “They don’t realize that what they put out there is public and doesn’t go away. I encourage parents to talk with their kids and ask, before I post something online, ‘What would my grandma think of this? Would grandma not like to know this about me or know that I’m doing this?’ If the answer is ‘no,’ then don’t post it.” There may be warning signs a child is getting into trouble with too much time online.

Any time a child has a drastic change in mood or daily functioning habits, for example, if a child begins sleeping more or less than usual, becomes more irritable, stops socializing or participating in activities they usually love. School behavior is also a huge indicator. Wilkinson says moms and dads are the best examples their kids will have about proper behavior online. “Parents need to be modeling for their children what social media is about,” Wilkinson says. “If the parents spend all kinds of time online and put all of their information out there, then the kid thinks that’s okay and ‘I’m going to do it, too.'”

Studies find 73-percent of teens use social networking sites and 62-percent of children have had a negative online experience. Wilkinson is a licensed independent social worker at Compass Clinical Associates in Urbandale.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy on Monday, denied another request for the board to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I designation. Carl Olsen of Des Moines, who founded Iowans for Medical Marijuana, submitted the request. He says keeping marijuana as a Schedule I substance indicates the plant has no medicinal value. “We have 34 states that have declared (marijuana as) medicine and we have it in this crazy classification that says it’s only for substances that have no accepted medical use and treatment in the United States,” Olsen says. “These schedules were meant to be flexible because circumstances change and for (pharmacy board members) to act like 34 state laws is not a significant change in circumstances is insane.”

Last year, lawmakers passed and the governor signed a bill into law that allows the use of cannabis oil for patients with chronic epilepsy. But, parents of children with the condition say it’s nearly impossible to safely, affordably, and legally get medical cannabis in other states and bring back to Iowa. One reason Olsen wants marijuana moved to Schedule II is so cannabis oil could more easily be manufactured in Iowa. He notes the American Academies of Neurology and Pediatrics have both recommended marijuana be reclassified so it’s no longer a Schedule I drug.

“Why doesn’t the (Iowa Board of Pharmacy) listen to these medical experts?,” Olsen says. According to Olsen, board members are calling the medical marijuana issue a “political decision” and are waiting for legislators to tackle the matter. At the statehouse, three bills to reclassify marijuana failed to make it out of committee by the funnel date and are considered dead for this year.

(Radio Iowa)

Two southwest Iowa teachers are among the top educators in the state being honored today (Tuesday) by the Iowa Department of Education. The Daily NonPareil reports Ryan Higgins and Stan Winquist were invited to Des Moines for the Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon to be recognized by Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck, Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials.