(Radio Iowa) – With new online scams emerging almost daily, Iowans are being encouraged to brush up on their computer security precautions. Consumer protection advocate Michael Domke says you should consider using a password manager on your computer and phone, instead of reusing old passwords. “Humans are creatures of pattern,” Domke says. “With so many different sites and places that you go needing a password, it gets tough to remember all of them.” Domke says it’s important to keep the password you use for your personal email account or cell phone as strong as possible and never use it for other apps or websites.

One really good idea, he says, is to put your most important accounts — like your email, banking and credit card accounts — behind two-factor authentication. “There are apps and other devices that can help you do that and make a little bit stronger and help protect your information,” he says. That way, even if someone can work out your password, your information will stay safe and you can be alerted to update your password. He notes, even cursory knowledge about you could let people get past basic security questions.

“Some of those that are generalized and asked nowadays, even close friends or family might be able to get some of those,” Domke says. “So pick a question that isn’t just easy for you to answer, make it hard for somebody else to answer.” Making a password “strong” may involve having it be at least eight characters, with some upper and lower case letters, as well as numerals and symbols.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds will soon get to decide whether to approve a state law that would nullify a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling on “garbage grabs.” Last summer the court ruled that under the state’s constitution, Iowa residents have an expectation of privacy when they place their garbage in a publicly accessible area — meaning law enforcement has to get a warrant for these kind of trash searches. A bill that passed the House would restore the status quo in Iowa, according to Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison.  “The searching of abandoned garbage makes our communities safer because numerous crimes are solved each year using this essential law enforcement tool,” Holt says, “and this legislation seeks to restore that important precedent.”

A Clear Lake man who served two days in jail on a drug conviction argued the search warrant for his home was improperly obtained because it was based on evidence police found in trash bags outside his home. Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says the ruling was a big deal because the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled law enforcement doesn’t have to get a warrant to search trash bags and garbage cans in a driveway or at the curb. “Now, I’ll acknowledge that reasonable people can and do disagree as to whether Iowa citizens should have a protected liberty interest in their trash,” Wolfe says, “but our Supreme Court is the final arbiter.”

Wolfe says the legislature can’t pass a law and should propose a constitutional amendment to take away this constitutional right.  “Even one that you may think is silly or ridiculous or doesn’t make any sense or you don’t care if they look through your garbage, none of that matters,” Wolfe says. “Our Supreme Court says this is a constitutionally protected liberty right.” Holt says the legislature routinely passes bills to legislatively overturn court rulings. “There has never been an expectation of privacy for abandoned garbage sitting on a curb,” Holt says. “Let’s be clear here, we’re talking about publicly accessible areas, such as curbs and sidewalks. We’re not talking about garbage outside on your back porch and your yard. Publicly accessible area is the key and, again, this legislation is returning us to the status quo.”

The bill passed the Senate unanimously last month and was approved in the House this week on a 58 to 36 vote.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two separate arrests took place, Thursday. 21-year-old Nathan Edward Lee Richardson, of Glenwood, was arrested on a warrant for three counts, Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $30,000. And, 26-year-old Timothy James Black, of Emerson, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension ($300 bond).

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Supervisors will meet in a special session 9-a.m. Tuesday, March 29th. The Board has one action item on their agenda: a Hearing for, and Approval of a Resolution on, the  fiscal year 2023 Shelby County budget. There will also be general county business discussion, with no action to follow.