A traffic stop for speeding and stop sign violations in Red Oak early this (Saturday) morning, turned into a pursuit that ended in Fremont County with a Mills County man taken into custody. Authorities say 22-year old Rocky Alan James Runyon, of Hastings, was charged with eluding (an Aggravated misdemeanor), Driving While Revoked (Serious Misdemeanor), and numerous traffic offenses.

Officials say the chase began when officers with the Red Oak Police Department tried to stop a 1993 Ford F-150 pickup near the intersection of 200th Street and G Avenue at around 2:40-a.m., but the vehicle fled westbound on G Avenue.

The chase continued as far west as Hastings, in Mills County, and ended on Highway 59 in Fremont County, after deputies there were able to deploy stop sticks at the intersection of Highway 59 and 120th Street. After the sticks were deployed and deflated the vehicles’ tires, the pickup slowed considerably. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies were then able to use a rolling roadblock to ease the vehicle to a halt. Runyon was taken into custody without further incident.

Agencies assisting Red Oak Police in the pursuit and apprehension of Runyon, include: the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit; Deputies with the Fremont, Cass, Mills and Page County Sheriff’s Departments.

A traffic stop late Friday night in Villisca resulted in the arrest of two men on drug and/or alcohol charges. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies pulled over a 2005 Ford Fusion at around 11:25-p.m., and as the result of an investigation conducted with the assistance of the K9 “Rex” and his partner, arrested 20-year old Darryk James Leu, of Malvern, for Unlawful Possession of Prescription Medications. A passenger in the car, 21-year old Cody Benjamin Johnson, of Stanton, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Open Container as a passenger.

Both men were brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond, each.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska and Iowa residents are being reminded to set their clocks back an hour before going to sleep Saturday. Standard time returns this weekend at 2 a.m. Sunday. The change means most Americans will get an extra hour of rest, but those working overnight shifts might toil an hour longer. It also means some will forget to change their clocks, and show up early for church or other events on Sunday.

Daylight Saving Time returns to Nebraska and Iowa in March. Not everyone in the United States makes the switch from standard time. The exceptions are Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say Iowa’s system for teaching career and technical training could be on the brink of a major overhaul, but they add it’s too early to tell how much the potential changes could cost and who should pay for them. Career and technical education, once known as vocational education, is essentially skilled training for work that will require more than a high school diploma. The terms encapsulate numerous fields and industries.

An education task force released a report recently that offers recommendations to expand the way such training is offered in the state. Officials, including Gov. Terry Branstad, have announced plans to counter a shortage in skilled labor with a renowned focus on training opportunities. Officials say such education efforts can’t be broken down yet into costs.

Many Iowans have fun at Halloween by creating scary haunted attractions in their front yards, often involving an impromptu cemetery, headstones and skeletons to frighten trick-or-treaters. Liz Dorland, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross chapter in Council Bluffs, suggests you keep your scary display age-appropriate. “With Halloween, there are always some added dangers we’re not necessarily used to and things that could spook a child to run into a street,” Dorland says. “Make sure you are paying attention to what may be overly frightening.”

Dorland offers a few tips for those who will be staying at home, manning the candy dish and waiting for the doorbell to ring. “Make sure the outdoor lights are on, sweep all the leaves from the sidewalks and the steps, clear the front porch of any obstacles the trick-or-treaters might get hung up on,” Dorland says. “Don’t forget to restrain your pets. Sometimes dogs may rush the door. That might scare some of the children and frighten them to run into the street.”

Parents need to take a few minutes to talk to their kids about safety before heading out the door to trick-or-treat. Dorland says it’s especially important for older children who won’t be accompanied by an adult.  “Plan the route with the children so they know it, they know the safe areas and the homes that should be visited,” she says. “They also know how to get back home so we don’t have any lost trick-or-treaters.” A few other tips: Make sure kids only trick-or-treat at homes where the porch light is on, and tell them to accept treats only at the door, never go inside. Take along a flashlight. Only use battery-operated candles inside jack-o-lanterns instead of real candles where the flame could be a hazard. And if you’ll be on the road, take it slow as there will be plenty of pedestrians.

(Radio Iowa)