(Adair, Iowa) – A collision this (Thursday) morning in northwestern Adair County claimed life of a 36-year-old man from neighboring Cass County. The Iowa State Patrol reports Adam Skog, of Atlantic, died from his injuries when the 2018 Chevy Cruze he was driving, for some reason crossed the centerline of northbound White Pole Road (Highway 6), and was struck head-on, by a southbound 2003 Peterbilt semi tractor-trailer.

The accident happened at around 9:19-a.m. near the Jesse James Historical Monument southwest of Adair, just south of Interstate 80. Skog died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the semi, 30-year-old Cody Hughes, of Scranton, was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation.

Iowa chapter of C.O.P.S. encourages donors to give blood

December 29, 2022 — This January, the American Red Cross, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), and the Iowa chapter of C.O.P.S are joining forces to boost the blood supply and help save lives through a series of Blue Blood Drives.  C.O.P.S. provides resources to help families and co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty cope with the sacrifices of their loved ones. This partnership provides members a meaningful way to support the community by hosting blood drives across the nation and raising awareness about the constant need for blood.

Eligible donors are invited to make a difference through this special partnership by giving blood at various locations throughout Iowa. These locations include:

• 1/9/2023: American Legion Post 735 (207 Robins, Rd., Hiawatha, Iowa), Noon-5 p.m.
• 1/10/2023: St. Mary’s Hall (102 East Penn St., Williamsburg, Iowa), 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
• 1/10/2023: Community Reformed Church (747 B, N. 12^th St., Clinton, Iowa), 1-6 p.m.
• 1/10/2023: Quad County Admin Office (300 Crawford, Galva, Iowa), 1-6 p.m.
• 1/10/2023: First Christian Church (201 W. Monroe, Mount Ayr, Iowa), 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• 1/11/2023: Iowa City Library (123 South Linn St., Iowa City, Iowa), Noon-4 p.m.
• 1/11/2023: The Crew Center (601 Snyder Road, Woodbine, Iowa), Noon-6 p.m.
• 1/11/2023: Lewis Community Center (400 W. Main St., Lewis, Iowa), Noon-5:30 p.m.
• 1/12/2023: Berndes Center (766 N. Maple St., Monticello, Iowa), 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• 1/12/2023: Atlantic YMCA (1100 Maple St., Atlantic, Iowa), Noon-6 p.m.
• 1/12/2023: Community Center (202 W. South St. Greene, Iowa), 1-6 p.m.
• 1/13/2023: Boyd Building (303 Cherry St., Shell Rock, Iowa), Noon-5 p.m.
• 1/14/2023: St. Patrick Catholic Church (4 Valley View Dr., Council Bluffs, Iowa), 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

January is National Blood Donor Month, a time that can be challenging to collect enough blood for patients in need. Severe winter weather and seasonal illnesses can often prevent regular donors from being able to give. The traditional decline in blood donations during the winter months come as the blood supply already faces challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. Required medical treatments and emergencies don’t pause for a widespread coronavirus outbreak. “The Iowa chapter of C.O.P.S is happy to partner with the Red Cross to help keep the blood supply stable during the winter months,” said, Lieutenant Brent Kock, Patrol Division, West Des Moines Police Department. Additionally, January 9 has been dedicated as National Law Enforcement Day. For questions on the Iowa chapter for C.O.P.S., please contact Lieutenant Brent Kock at 515-222-3357.

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a computer or mobile device. To get started and learn more, visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

The American Red Cross and the National Football League (NFL) are partnering this January during National Blood Donor Month to invite football fans and blood donors to join a lifesaving team and score big for patients in need. All who come to give Jan. 1-31, 2023, will be automatically entered to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl.

About C.O.P.S.

Concerns of Police Survivors is a nationwide not-for-profit organization that has held the mission of rebuilding shattered lives for 35 years. With 55 chapters across the country, members of C.O.P.S. are always prepared to help survivors when they need it, where they need it. C.O.P.S. has a national membership comprised of more than 48,000 families who have identified themselves as survivors. Unfortunately, that membership continues to grow as an average of 140-160 officers die each year in the line of duty.

(Radio Iowa) – With new online scams emerging almost daily, Iowans are being encouraged to use a little of their extra time during the holiday break 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) – The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors has decided to choose a new county attorney rather than hold a special election. Amy Zenor resigned earlier this month after being arrested in the county courthouse and charged with public intoxication. County Supervisor Steve Clark says it would be three months before a special election could be held. “The fairest way is to let the voters decide, but at this point in time, I think I would rather appoint a new attorney, so we can have somebody on board instead of waiting,” what would it take three months,” Clark says. “…I think it’s more necessary to get someone appointed and on the job.”

The supervisors appointed an interim Dickinson County Attorney earlier this month and January 3rd is the earliest date the board could appoint someone to the job permanently. This Friday, December 30th, is the deadline for people to submit applications for the position.

(Rural Adair County, Iowa) – (Update 9:33-a.m.) A firefighter on the scene of a crash this (Thursday) morning in Adair County reported to Sheriff’s dispatchers that one person died during a collision this morning involving a semi and a car, southwest of Adair. The accident happened at around 9:23-a.m. in the 1100 block of Whitepole Road, near the Jesse James Historical Site/Monument. The roadway was blocked.

Anita Rescue and Cass EMS were requested at the scene, and a helicopter was requested to be on stand-by.  No other details are currently available.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans have answered their phones to hear a distant caller claiming to be with Microsoft and offering to “fix” our computers. A survey finds the extent to which those tech support scams are reaching us — and ripping some of us off. Mary Jo Schrade, with the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, says three in five of us have received those calls, and one in six lost money on them. Schrade says, “Tech scammers are targeting everyone, even the most active technology users like Millennials and Gen Z.” The con artists are using sophisticated schemes that have evolved from cold calls to more of them using fake pop-up ads and fraudulent websites.

“Scammers are fast-moving and innovative,” Schrade says, “so when someone encounters a pop-up that asks them to call a phone number or click on a link to resolve an issue, it’s important to be wary and use caution.” Microsoft gets 65-hundred complaints every month from people reporting they were victims of a tech support scam in which scammers use the company’s name to lure victims into paying for unnecessary or harmful “services.” Many thousands more are going unreported.

“Report the scam on the Microsoft website,” she says. “The more reports we receive, the better we get at fighting these scammers. Remember, we will never proactively contact you asking for your financial or personal information.” While you might think young people would be more tech savvy, the survey found one out of ten Millennials and one out of ten Gen Zers who encountered a scam fell for it — and lost money.

www.microsoft.com/reportascam