Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports that on Monday, November 24th, the Clarinda Police Department and Clarinda E-911 Communications Center will begin Operation Blessing 2014. This community project embodies the spirit of Christmas by helping to make sure every child in Clarinda receives a gift on Christmas day.

Children may be signed up for involvement in the program by calling the Clarinda Police Department at 712-542-2194. A Clarinda E-911 Communications Specialist will take the child’s name, age, sex, and address and request two gift requests per child. Names of children can be submitted beginning Monday, November 24, 2014 and will be accepted through Friday, December 19th 2014. All information concerning the child is kept strictly confidential.

People wishing to make a charitable contribution to Operation Blessing 2014 may either donate cash or purchase a requested gift item. . Gifts purchased can be dropped off at the Clarinda Police Department along with a note indicating the sex and age of the child the gift is for. Please leave the gift unwrapped. Cash contributions can be dropped off at the Clarinda Police Department or mailed to the Clarinda Police Department, 200 South 15th Street, Clarinda, Iowa 51632. Cash contributions will be used by the Clarinda Police Department to purchase gifts for the children.

Families will be contacted by the Clarinda Police Department when the gift items are ready to be picked up.

A man from Creston was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device, following an accident Saturday afternoon. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says the collision happened at around 2:35-p.m at the intersection of Highway 34 and Iris Avenue.

Authorities say a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutless driven by 39-year old Maria Dukes, of Afton, was traveling east on Highway 34, at the same time a 2012 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 50-year old Colton Dunphy, of Creston, was traveling south on Iris Avenue. When Dunphy failed to obey a traffic control device, his pickup hit the car on its left rear side, causing a total of $6,000 damage.

Dukes suffered possible, unknown injuries, and was transported by ambulance the thee Greater Regional Hospital, in Creston.

Authorities in Montgomery County say a Villisca man suffered minor cuts and abrasions to his hands Sunday evening, after the motorcycle he was driving hit a deer on eastbound Highway 34. The accident happened at around 5:25-p.m.

Officials say 50-year old Troy Don Anderson, who was not wearing a helmet, was riding a 2007 Harley Davidson when a deer appeared on the road about a mile west of Stanton. The deer and cycle collided broadside, causing Anderson to lay the bike down on its side. The man refused medical treatment. He was cited for failure to have a valid motorcycle license. Damage to the cycle was estimated at $7,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Those who served our country will be honored at Veterans Day events across Iowa on Tuesday, but a look behind the scenes shows many returning vets struggle with a myriad of issues. Attorney Todd Schmidt is an advocate for veterans at Iowa Legal Aid, which provides free legal advice and assistance for residents who can’t afford an attorney.

“We’ve had clients that have had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of their experience in Iraq or Afghanistan and that can create a lot of other issues,” says Schmidt. He says the civil legal help they offer can involve veterans benefits, consumer issues, family matters and more.

One common problem is affordable housing. Schmidt says Iowa Legal Aid is among the partners in the state now working with those who are homeless and unstably-housed through the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families program. “We do a legal assessment with each veteran to see if they have any civil legal issues,” says Schmidt. “If they do, we’re able to help them more readily than we would normally be able to as a result of this program.”

In all, Iowa is home to more than 230,000 veterans.

(Iowa News Service)

The Creston Police Department reports two incidents of theft and once incident of vandalism were investigated over the weekend, and one person was taken into custody. 34-year old Brian Lee Rhodes, of Creston, was arrested Friday at the Union County Jail on a charge of Simple Assault. Rhodes was later released on a promised to appear in court.

An elderly Creston resident reported to police on Sunday, that her cell phone had been taken sometime between 2-pm and 7-pm that day. The loss was estimated at $50. On Saturday, a resident on north Birch Street in Creston reported her basement was broken into sometime between Nov. 5th and 8th. Someone stole a toolbox with six drawers, 5 gallons of paint, a bicycle, a space heater, weed eater, an air conditioner, and a chain saw. The loss was estimated at $600.

And a resident on south Division Street in Creston reported Saturday, that someone shot out the windows of a home at 210 south Maple Street. A b-b gun is believed to be the weapon used. Damage was estimated at $125.