With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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There are thousands of fans searching for tickets for the College World Series (CWS) that begins on June 14th in Omaha, Nebraska. Officials with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa is alerting consumers to look out for fraudulent sellers when shopping for tickets online. The College World Series is big business for Omaha, and where there is big money to be made, scams always follow.
BBB warns that sellers of game tickets on secondary ticket websites may be fraudulent. BBB President Jim Hegerty says “The most common ways secondary-ticket sellers scam college baseball fans is by delivering counterfeit tickets or simply not sending the tickets.” Hegarty says “Even if the tickets do arrive, they are sometimes not for the seats the seller advertised – which can mean the fan is stuck with seats that aren’t next to each other or are not in the reserved section but are located in the general admission section, which may mean long waits in line and no guarantee to get in.”
Many consumers who did not yet purchase their tickets or may be looking for reduced ticket prices may go to the Internet and the secondary-ticket market. Fans must balance their passion for their team with awareness that not all online ticket sellers will deliver on their promises, and a bad transaction could leave them at home on the couch instead of at the big game. Fans should also be skeptical of the hundreds of online auctions, online classifieds, and bulletin boards using person-to-person sales.
The secondary-ticket market for sporting events, which includes tickets bought and sold by professional brokers, speculators and season-ticket holders, is a $10-billion-a-year industry, with online sales accounting for one-third of transactions, according to StubHub.com.
To avoid problems buying tickets, the NCAA advises CWS ticket seekers to check out ticket information at ncaa.com/cws to find out the latest on available tickets, prices, and fan-to-fan ticket exchange information. The NCAA and TD Ameritrade Park have also teamed up with Ticketmaster to provide secure tickets. If fans choose not to go through Ticketmaster or the TD Ameritrade Park ticket office for ticket purchases, the BBB provides advice below for purchasing tickets online for the CWS:
. When buying from a merchant, always check with the BBB to be sure that you’re dealing with a company that has a good reputation for satisfying customers and a secure website for processing your payment.
. When buying from an individual through an online exchange don’t be lured away from the website by the seller. Even if you met the seller on the exchange website, the company may not guarantee any lost money if a transaction occurs outside their domain.
. If you buy tickets through an online auction, choose a seller with a long, continuous history of satisfied customers. Scammers can hijack old accounts, so make sure they have recently bought or sold other items.
. Pay with a credit card or through PayPal, which offer some protection and potential reimbursement. Never pay with a cashier’s check or wire money to a seller; you’ll have no way to get your money back if the tickets do not arrive.
. Many sellers will include pictures of the tickets with their posts on auction sites or bulletin boards. Scrutinize the tickets closely for any inaccuracies or alterations, and cross-check the seat assignment with the map on the venue’s Web site before you buy.
Baseball Scores:
A-H-S-T, Avoca 6, Audubon 4 (9 innings)
Atlantic 3, Glenwood 0
CAM, Anita 19, Woodbine 5 (5 innings)
Guthrie Center 6, EHK-Exira 5
Harlan 12, Shenandoah 6
Lewis Central 14, Clarinda 4 (6 innings)
Martensdale-St. Marys 2, Lenox 1
Nishnabotna 15, Clarinda Academy 0 (4-inn.) Sidney 21, Essex 3 (5-inn.) Southeast Warren/Liberty Center 4, Mount Ayr 2
Southwest Valley 15, Interstate 35, Truro 9
Stanton 10, Fremont-Mills, Tabor 6 Treynor at Logan-Magnolia — Suspended in 2nd Inning Tri-Center at Missouri Valley — Suspended Bot 2 (Tied 3-3)
Softball Scores:
A-H-S-T, Avoca 8, Audubon 5
Denison-Schleswig 2, Atlantic 0
Earlham 13, Van Meter 3
Exira-EHK 9, Charter Oak-Ute 0
Fremont-Mills 12, Stanton 5
Glenwood 6, Underwood 5
Lenox 10, Central Decatur, Leon 5
Sidney 18, Essex 13
Southeast Warren, Liberty Center 4, Mount Ayr 2
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will be in Council Bluffs and Harlan this week. The Governor and Lt. Governor will hold the 31st Annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards recognition ceremony 9-a.m. Wednesday, June 11th, at Iowa Western Community College, in Council Bluffs.
And, at 11-a.m., Wednesday, the pair are scheduled to be in Harlan for an “Iowa is working” Shelby County Town Hall meeting. The event takes place at the Therkildsen Activity Center,
A woman talking on her cell phone received a warning for unsafe backing, following a fender-bender accident Friday afternoon, in Red Oak. Authorities say a 2004 Buick Rendezvous driven by 29-year old Kimberly Dentlinger, of Elliott, was backing out of a parking stall in the 300 block of east Reed Street at around 12:42-p.m., Friday. Moments later, a 2009 Chevy Impala driven by 49-year old Karen Stanbrough, of Shenandoah also began to pull out of a parking stall.
Stanbrough’s car hit the right rear wheel well of Dentlinger’s vehicle, causing a total of $3,700 damage. Dentlinger claimed Stanbrough was on her cell phone at the time of the accident. No injuries were reported.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a couple from Pottawattamie County were arrested early this (Saturday) morning, for felony neglect/abandonment of a dependent person. 30-year old Gordon Leroy Currin III and 38-year old Misty Schalome Currin, both of Council Bluffs, were taken into custody at around 1:50-a.m. following an incident near High Street and U Avenue, in Villisca.
The pair were brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $10,000 bond, each. If convicted on the Class C Felony charge, the couple each face 10 years imprisonment and a potential fine of $1,000 to $10,000.
Authorities in Montgomery County report the arrest Friday morning of a man on a trespass charge. 29-year old Kyle WIlliam Chase, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 10:15-a.m. in the 100 block of w. Maple Street. Chase was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Kevin Costner, Dwier Brown and other stars of the baseball blockbuster “Field of Dreams” will be in Iowa this coming Father’s Day weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie. The celebration is being held outside Dyersville on the northeastern Iowa farm where the movie was filmed.
Activities will be held on Friday, Saturday and Father’s Day, including ballgames and a screening of the movie. Details about activities can be found at the movie site’s website at http://www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com/25thanniversary .
A southwest Iowa man was arrested Friday for his role in a failed, apparent suicide pact. According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, 58-year old James Allen Zing, of Thurman, for allegedly assisting or participating in a suicide attempt on Jan. 19th with his girlfriend, 47-year old Gwendolyn Nelson Melloway. The incident allegedly occurred in the 1500 block of Western Avenue in Thurman. Melloway died Jan. 21st from acute mixed drug overdose, which the State Medical Examiner ruled a suicide.
Zing’s toxicology report from Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs revealed he had “relatively low levels” of drugs in his system. His arrest followed an investigation that lasted several months.
Zing was taken to the Fremont County Jail where he is being held on a $10,000 bond. The Pottawattamie County Coroner’s Office assisted with the investigation.
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