(Radio Iowa) – The advice has always been to avoid discussions of politics and religion at the dinner table. University of Iowa professor Michelle Williams says that may be easier said than done this Thanksgiving. “If you think about everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s hard for some of these topics not to come up, even if you’re just talking about the price of eggs, right, that can turn into a political discussion,” she says. Williams says things are different with your family. “The most important thing I think people need to remember is these are people you love, right? And one of the things we can think about is having a dialog with them instead of a debate,” she says. “We are so used to being trained in school to debate, right? I’m right. You’re wrong. I’m going to show the weaknesses in your argument.” She says the discussion doesn’t need to have a winner or loser.

“Dialog is totally different. That’s an idea of, geez, I want to know. I want to understand your perspective. I want to understand the assumptions you’re making. And we’re not necessarily going to come to a resolution. What we’re going to end up with is I will understand you better, and when you think about your family members, that’s really what you want,” Williams says. Williams says if don’t think the dialog approach will work, it may be best to avoid the subject. “I wouldn’t bring it up, but if it comes up, you can have an approach that conversation in a way that allows people to have better understanding.

Williams is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship in the U-I College of Business.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Monday night, arrested a woman on charges of Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, and Disorderly Conduct. 60-year-old Ruth Kristine Burns, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 6:10-p.m. in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 cash bond.

IOWA/NEBRASKA (KWQC) — With the biggest travel weekends of the year approaching, AAA expects to respond to more than 570,000 calls from drivers with car trouble. AAA says The Auto Club Group will launch its free ‘Tow to Go’ service beginning on Wednesday. The service aims to prevent impaired driving. The program is available in Iowa, Nebraska and other select states, offering a safe ride for would-be-impaired drivers and their vehicles.

AAA requests that the program be used as a last resort, yet it is free to those who need it. Tow to Go is active from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Monday. You can call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.

AAA spokesman Brian Ortner says “Tow to Go serves as that last line of defense in keeping impaired drivers off the road. If you plan to consume alcohol or drugs this weekend, make plans for a safe ride home first. If your plans fall through, you can call AAA, and we’ll get you to a safe place.”

Nationwide, AAA expects Thanksgiving travel to set new records with an estimated 71.7 million Americans forecast to take a road trip.

Guidelines

• Free and available to AAA members and non-members.
• Confidential local ride for one person and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.
• Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance. Tow to Go is designed as a safety net for those that did not plan ahead. Always choose a designated driver before celebrating.
• In some situations, AAA may need to make other arrangements to get an impaired individual a safe ride home.
• Tow to Go may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions

DECATUR COUNTY, Iowa [WHO-TV/ARL]— Multiple dogs described as emaciated were rescued from a “filthy” trailer in Decatur County, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa announced on Monday. According to the ARL, the Animal Welfare & Response Team were called to assist the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office in rescuing several dogs from a trailer. The ARL said when the team arrived they saw several puppies poking their heads out of broken windows on the trailer. (Photo’s below are from the ARL’s Facebook page)

One dog and four puppies were found living in “chaos” inside the trailer, the ARL said. The inside of the trailer was described as being tight and “filled with feces, trash, and destroyed furniture.”

The ARL said the dogs didn’t have access to food or water and they were emaciated — with their hipbones jutting out and their ribs visible through their fur. According to the ARL, the puppies weighed less than half of what they should for their age.

All the dogs are now under the care of the ARL and are on feeding plans to get them back to a healthy weight. Anyone who would like to donate to help can do so on the ARL’s website.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal judge has ordered Des Moines Area Community College to stop using a new school logo, finding that Drake University would likely be successful in establishing trademark infringement. KCCI reports that on Friday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, blocking DMACC from using the block letter “D” logo, even when it’s paired with the DMACC house mark. The college must stop its use of the logo within 21 days of Friday’s ruling.

In July, Drake filed a trademark lawsuit against DMACC, arguing that the community college’s new black and white block letter “D” logo was too similar to Drake’s historic “Vintage D” logo.

Stephanie Rose chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa wrote in a 43-page ruling, that “DMACC may choose to return to its prior successful branding that served it well for 35 years, requiring only the cessation of its recently-adopted D and blue/white color scheme. This temporary burden pales in comparison to the erosion of Drake’s century-old brand identity and the confusion created by having two post-secondary institutions using nearly identical branding in the same geographic market.”

Rose wrote that the “D” logos are similar enough that there is “legitimate concern of confusion of sponsorship or affiliation as much as there is a confusion of source.” She added, “Given the incredibly close proximity, remarkable similarity of the marks including their colors, and the identical nature of the services provided by the parties within the same geographic area, Drake has established that it is likely to succeed on the merits of its case in establishing a likelihood of confusion.”

Judge Rose also addressed concerns DMACC had about the costs of removing the block D logo, saying that “Although DMACC argues it would incur costs to revise its branding, these self-inflicted harms from knowingly adopting potentially infringing marks do not outweigh the incalculable damage to Drake’s distinctive identity and reputation.”

Rose also ordered Drake to pay $25,000 because federal court rules require the petitioner to post a bond to “pay the costs and damages sustained by any party found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained.”

Drake University President Marty Martin issued a statement saying they are happy with the court’s decision and looking forward to putting the matter to rest.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A has rejected Governor Kim Reynolds’ plan to provide monthly boxes of food to low-income households with school-aged children — rather than a monthly stipend for purchasing groceries next summer. Reynolds will reapply to the Trump Administration for permission to start the project. Reynolds has said it would feed more children because the state could buy the food at wholesale prices.

“This utilizes the USDA School Program that we already have, so there’s a nutritious component to it,” Reynolds said, “which is really, really important for our kids.” During an interview with Radio Iowa a few months ago, Reynolds said many low-income families lack the transportation to get to a store that sells groceries at reasonable prices and her proposal would address that by setting up a distribution system for the boxed-up food.

“It’s the same type of mindset that we have with the programs that I have put in place,” Reynolds said, “really to use technology, to update, to be more efficient and more effective.” The U-S-D-A has notified state officials the governor’s plan does not fit the guidelines for its summer feeding initiative. The SUN Bucks program has provided low-income families with an extra 120-dollars per school aged child via a government-issued debit card. Iowa Hunger Coalition Chair Luke Elzinga says state officials are basically saying they don’t want to participate in the program, but want to spend the money.

“The state’s asking to waive 29 separate pieces of federal code,” Elzinga says. Elzinga is encouraging Iowans to lobby the governor to accept the U-S-D-A’s guidelines. John Boller is executive director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry. He says direct federal assistance to parents has reduced childhood food insecurity in states that accepted the SUN Bucks funding. “Parents should be trusted to make the best food choices for their children,” Boller says.

This past summer, Reynolds turned down 29 million dollars in summer food assistance for Iowa children who qualify for free or reduced price lunch at school. She used 900-thousand dollars of pandemic relief money instead to set up summer meal sites around the state.

(Radio Iowa) – Snow is in the forecast this week as travelers prepare to head out for Thanksgiving. Triple-A Iowa spokesman, Brian Ortner says now is a good time to be sure you are ready for whatever pops up. “Plan for the unexpected, because you never know whether you’re flying or you’re driving, just like in life, things could happen,” Ortner says. He says the weather can change quickly and now is a good time to review what your airline requires if you need to make a change.

“If your flight is delayed or your flight is canceled, make sure you know your options,” he says. “Have your information with you, have contact information with you of your you know your travel agent if you booked yourself, have the app, that customer service line, to be able to make those changes. If they would need to happen to make them happen quicker.” The same thing applies if you are out on the road and the weather changes.

“Pack those emergency kits in your car. Again. It’s part of planning. Have blankets, water, portable battery charger, phone number of your insurance company or your Roadside Service Company, just to make sure if something does happen to your vehicle, you’re ready to be prepared,” Ortner says. “And we have time before the holiday to get that routine maintenance done. That is a key factor in helping avoid those unexpected situations with your car.”

Ortner says it’s better to do the pre-planning and not have to use any of those options than it is to be scrambling and trying to come up with a plan once you are on the way.