(Atlantic, Iowa) – September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Healthy Cass County is hosting a free suicide prevention training Monday, September 12, 2022, from noon – 1:00 PM. CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means), focuses on how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center says “Reducing
access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.”

The training will be presented by Gina Moulas, who works for Veterans Affairs (VA) in Suicide Prevention as a Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator. Gina is an active
participant in Healthy Cass County. People who visited the Cass County Fair may recognize Gina. Others may have seen her sharing coloring books and other mental health resources at
Produce in the Park. The CALM suicide prevention training is open to the public. To join the meting virtually, contact Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or 712-249-5870.

The meeting will also be broadcast at the Atlantic Public Library meeting room. Anyone is welcome to attend. Food is allowed in the meeting room, and attendees are welcome to bring
their lunch. Additional information from the VA on suicide prevention, including resources on lethal means, can be found at https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/index.asp. For more information on free mental health trainings and programing available to businesses, schools, churches, and other community groups, contact Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or 712-249-5870.

Additional events will be planned for Suicide Awareness Month. Follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty for information, tips, and connection points throughout the
month, as we focus on this important topic.

Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the health and well-being of all people in Cass County. Healthy Cass County meets on the second Monday
of the month from noon-1:00 PM. All people are welcome. Contact Brigham Hoegh for more information.

(Radio Iowa) –  The Democratic candidates in Iowa’s first and second congressional districts say the line to maintaining a Democratic majority in the U.S. House runs through Iowa. Liz Mathis of Hiawatha, the Democrat running in Iowa’s second congressional district, and fellow Democrat Christina Bohannan, the first district candidate, rallied with supporters at a “county line” fundraiser near Lisbon this weekend. Bohannan is from Iowa City. “We are standing on the line between two of the most competitive congressional districts in this country, so this is ground zero for this election in every way that matters,” Bohannan said.

Mathis told the crowd it’s go time. “We’ve got to get out the vote,” Mathis said. “In this district, district number two, we have only now 2700 or so more active Democratic voter registrations than Republican.” This spring, Mathis and Bohannan were among a dozen candidates national Democrats identified as top prospects for defeating Republican incumbents. Mathis is challenging first-term Republican Ashley Hinson of Marion and Bohanann is challenging Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa, who’s also in her first term in the U.S.

Election Day is 64 days away.

(Radio Iowa) – Three of the Iowa Democrats running for federal office say President Biden’s speech last week highlighted the dangers of extremism in American politics. Mike Franken, the Democrat running against Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, says President Biden’s speech last week as the first inning of the push to November’s election. “He’s tried to be conciliatory. He’s tried to do what he can to give many outs to the the segment of the Republican Party which has gone adrift and he’s had it. I agree with him. Stop it. Let’s go,” Franken said, to applause. “We know what we have to do. The polls and the majority of Iowans are firmly with us.”

Bohannan says a lot of Democrats, Republicans and independents agree on what government needs to do. “The problem is that extreme politics are getting in our way,” Bohannan said. Mathis told reporters voters want the campaign focused on solutions. “The things that resonate with the people in our districts are those things around lower prices, reproductive rights, making sure that people cool their jets,” Mathis said, “making sure that they are stopping the culture wars, the MAGA Republicans are stopping all the trash talk and we are able to get along and get things done.”

Mathis, Bohannan and Franken made their comments at a campaign event near Lisbon this weekend. Election Day is 64 days away.

Police in Red Oak, Sunday, arrested a man for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. Authorities say 39-year-old David Allan Minard, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:35-p.m. in the 200 block of Maple Street, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. His bond was set at $300.

Two separate crashes Sunday night in eastern Iowa’s Muscatine and Cedar Counties, left three people dead and one injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports a crash at around 8:16-p.m. in Muscatine County resulted in the deaths of a woman and a man from Muscatine.

Authorities say 49-year-old Rachel Kay Shoppa and 50-year-old Alexander Justin Shoppa, died when the 2011 Cadillac Escalade SUV they were in, went out of control eastbound on Iowa Highway 22,and ran off the right side of the road. Both occupants were ejected from the vehicle. Authorities are not certain who was driving. The crash remains under investigation.

And, at around 9:22-p.m., Sunday, two motorcycles collided near Lowden in Cedar County, resulting in the death of one person and minor injuries to another. The Patrol reports both cycles were eastbound on Old Lincoln Highway, when they left the road. One of the cycles, a 1987 Harley Davidson, struck a traffic sign. The driver suffered fatal injuries. The driver of the second motorcycle, a 2004 Harley, suffered minor injuries and was transported by a Clinton County Sheriff’s Deputy to the hospital. No names were released.

The crash remains under investigation.

(Kent, Iowa) – A collision Sunday afternoon northwest of Kent, in Union County, resulted in four people reporting pain, but only one was transported to the hospital. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, a 2015 Nissan Altima driven by 20-year-old Lillian G. Watkins, of Creston, was southbound on Highway 25 at around 3-p.m., when Watkins attempted to make a U-turn and proceed northbound.

A 2005 Chrysler Town & Country van, driven by 60-year-old Alan D. Lawson, of Mount City, MO., was southbound on Highway 25 behind the Nissan. Lawson attempted to pass the car as the car veered right of the roadway to begin the left U-turn.

The car was struck broadside on the driver’s side, causing a total of $10,000 damage. Both drivers and a passenger in the Nissan complained of injuries. A passenger in the van, was also injured, and transported to the hospital. An investigation determined Watkins made an unsafe turn or failure to give a signal. No citations were issued.