Officials with the Cass County Health System, today (Tuesday), announced the arrival of the first baby of 2019. Ryleigh Lane arrived January 6th, 2019 and was welcomed by big brother Wyatt and parents Michelle and Dustin Gelner. The CCHS Obstetrics team presented the family with a 2019 embroidered baby blanket and a year’s supply of diapers.

Gelner Family

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds has asked the head of the Iowa Economic Development Authority to also take on top administrative duties of the troubled Iowa Finance Authority as she appoints new cabinet members. Debi Durham, who has led state economic development efforts for eight years, will also lead the IFA, which saw Director Dave Jamison fired last year by Reynolds for sexual misconduct. Another agency leader was fired and a third resigned after an independent audit indicated they were present at inappropriate events and didn’t report them.

Reynolds also announced several other cabinet appointments on Tuesday including naming former Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn to lead the Iowa Lottery and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephan Bayens to lead the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer today (Tuesday), released a report on recent arrests. Starmer says on Monday (1/7), 26-year old Benjamin Lee Petersen, of Audubon, was arrested for Forgery and Theft 5^th degree. And, 33-year old Jamie Carine Christianson, of Audubon, was arrested for Violation of No Contact Order. On Sunday, 30-year old Jessica Lynn Pedrin, of Audubon, was arrested for Theft 5^th and Driving with a Suspended License.

Last Saturday, 53-year old James Frederick Barratt, of Audubon, was arrested by Audubon Police, for OWI 3^rd offense and Failure to Maintain Control. And, 27-year old Tyler Lee Carter, of Audubon, was arrested on three counts of Counterfeit/Forgery and two counts of Theft in the 5^th degree. On Jan. 2nd, Audubon Police arrested 40-year old Joshua Robert Saunders, of Audubon, for Violation of No Contact Order.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa school principal suspended after concerns were raised about student-to-student bullying has resigned. Ames Community School District says Dan Fox will not return to his duties at Ames Middle School and will leave district employment effective June 30. Fox was suspended in late November. Concerns were raised by parents and students, and an online petition appeared that sought improved safety for LGBTQ students at the school. District officials have said the decision to suspend Fox wasn’t based off just one incident but rather was an effort to improve the school. He’d been hired in June last year.

Non-profit organizations in Cass and Audubon Counties are being reminded to submit their applications for funds from the separate Cass and Audubon County Community Foundations. In each county, approximately $115,000 in grant funds are available for nonprofit organizations that submit their respective county applications by no later than Feb. 1st. Only organizations providing charitable services in Cass County or Audubon County are eligible, in each respective county, only. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support, and be an IRS approved 501(c)(3) Public Charity or hosted by a fiscal sponsor. Requests for general operational funds will not be considered.

Detailed application procedures, fact sheets, and a link to the application form can be obtained online at http://omahafoundation.org/swiowa. Applications will only be accepted through the online system.

Contact any Cass or Audubon County Community Foundation board member in your respective county, for additional information. You may contact Stacey Goodman at 800-794-3458 or stacey@omahafoundation.org, or Denise Cardos at denise@omahafoundation.org, with grant application-specific questions. All completed applications will be considered at the March board meeting with notification of results in early April.

Board members of the Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Genelle Deist of Audubon; Vice Chair, Joel Hoegh of rural Brayton; Secretary/Treasurer, Barbara Johnson of Audubon; Bob Blomme of Audubon; Shelley Burr of Audubon; Steven B. Hansen of Audubon; and Joseph T. Rasmussen of Exira. Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair, Nicholas Hunt of rural Atlantic; Vice Chair, Gary Maas of Anita; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic; Royal Bierbaum of Griswold; John Curry of Massena; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic.

January 8, 2019 – Consistently, leading off New Year Resolutions for Americans is weight loss. Year after year, we recommit to eating healthier, getting more exercise and dropping the pounds. Too often, however, it’s mostly our wallets that thin down. Scammers and schemers seem to make their own resolutions involving getting as much of our money as possible. Your Better Business Bureau (BBB) examines some of the weight loss pitfalls that consumers should be aware of as they try to honor their get-healthier resolutions. The temptation is strong to try some of the many “miracle” products that claim to help you shed those extra pounds without any physical effort. But the Federal Trade Commission says that year after year weight-loss products top all of their complaints from ripped off consumers. One of the favorite methods that scammers use is the “free trial offer.” Thousands of hopeful consumers find themselves suddenly in debt to unscrupulous companies that hooked them in with these offers.

These “free” offers often have fine-print conditions that are overlooked – like the very short time period one has to return the product if not satisfied. Missing that deadline can cause you to owe over $100 to the company for a product that basically does nothing to help you lose weight. You may even have signed up for monthly shipments charged to your credit card without your knowledge. Social media has been particularly instrumental in the spreading of such scams.

Here is BBB’s advice regarding “miracle” weight loss products:

• The old saying is true: If it looks too good to be true it is. Beware of products with inflated, over-the-top claims about weight loss. Any product that claims to provide dramatic weight loss fast with little effort on your part is lying.
• Don’t fall for vague scientific claims. “Research shows” and “laboratory tested” are among these. If a study is not cited and a link provided to it, don’t believe the claim.
• Long lists of references are suspicious. They are counting on you not having the time or inclination to check out those references.
• Testimonials should be looked at skeptically. Sounds too good to be true? You know what to expect.
• Always take the time to do a search for the company online, with words like “complaints” and “reviews.”
• Check bbb.org to see if you or others have had issues with the company.

For more information about “miracle” products and free trial scams read BBB’s International Investigations Report “Subscription Traps and Deceptive Free Trials Scam Millions with Misleading Ads and Fake Celebrity Endorsements” at bbb.org/scamstudies.