DES MOINES, Iowa – With an uncertain history, April 20th (more commonly known as “4/20”) has become synonymous with marijuana use and, in some circles, the date is a marijuana “holiday.”  To help keep drug-impaired drivers off the roads, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) are teaming with state, county and local law enforcement to spread the message that drug-impaired driving of any kind is dangerous and illegal.  Drivers will see extra enforcement between April 19th and April 22nd to combat impaired driving.

Like drunk driving, drug-impaired driving is illegal nationwide. According to NHTSA, between 2009 and 2018, of those drivers killed in crashes and tested for marijuana, the presence of marijuana had nearly doubled. In 2018, 46% of drivers who were killed in crashes and were tested for drugs, tested positive. This is why it’s so important to spread this lifesaving message: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Do you think driving while high isn’t dangerous? It has been proven that THC can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.

Those who plan to use marijuana on 4/20 should have a plan in place and refrain from driving.  Here are a few tips to help keep everyone safe:

•    If you have used an impairing substance such as marijuana, do not drive. Passengers should never ride with an impaired driver. If you think a driver may be impaired, do not get in the car.
•    If you are drug-impaired, pass the keys to a sober driver who can safely drive to the destination. It is never okay to drive while impaired by any substance.
•    Do you have a friend who is about to drive while impaired by drugs? Take the keys away and arrange to get them home safely. Don’t worry about offending someone — they’ll thank you later.

By working together, we can save lives and help keep America’s roadways safe. Share the lifesaving message:

IF YOU FEEL DIFFERENT, YOU DRIVE DIFFERENT.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report four arrests took place over the past week. At around 5:06-a.m. today (Monday, April 18), 51-year-old Frederick Ray Jones, of Des Moines, was arrested by the Creston K9 Unit, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Jones was transported to the Union County Jail, cited and released.

At around 12:10-a.m. Saturday, 42-year old Ronnee Colleen Abel, of Creston, was arrested at Lincoln and Manor Drive, thanks to the assistance of Creston Police K9 “Baxo.” Abel was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Poss. of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Poss. of Methamphetamine – 1st offense. Her cash or surety bond at the Union County Jail was set at $2,300.

Friday afternoon, 34-year-old Julian Albert Rex Allison, of Afton, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for Violation of Parole. He was being held in the jail without bond.

And, Thursday night, Creston Police arrested 43-year-old Robert Todd Jackson, of Creston, for Violation of a No Contact Order, and on a Union County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. He was later released from the Union County Jail.

Creston Police said also, a man residing in the 600 block of N. Birch Street reported on April 8th, someone damaged his garage door. The damage was estimated at $100.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has completed its annual review of financial audits of all the casinos. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says the audits did not turn up any issues. He says the facilities are facing an issue that has been common to most businesses. “We did hear some common themes during those presentations from the facilities many of the facilities had noted that they’re having a very difficult time finding employees in all segments of their operations,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says they’ve had to adapt to the lack of staff. “Inability to find employees has caused situations where maybe restaurants would be closed on certain days or may be closed earlier than they would like, and so we’re still seeing a lot of issues from an employment standpoint,” he says. Ohorilko says there are some areas where they cannot cut back.

“It does put a strain on certain positions like security and in other areas where compliance is and so those are things that that commission continues to monitor and the industry is really still doing a good job given the circumstances,” according to Ohorilko.

The Racing and Gaming Commission reviewed the audit reports at their meeting last week.

(Radio Iowa) – Efforts are underway to try to save the retired Navy vessel named for the five Waterloo brothers who died together in World War II when a Japanese torpedo struck the U-S-S Juneau. “The Sullivans” — a Navy destroyer — is a floating museum in the harbor at Buffalo, New York. Paul Marzello is president and CEO of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. He discovered The Sullivans was sinking last Wednesday due to a breach in the hull. “Anyone on our board of directors, any staff member, any volunteer, any veteran who’s connected to the ship knows what adversity is all about. They’ve been here in times of war. This is something that’s a blip on the screen to the them,” he said. “We will right this ship. It will not go down.”

Marzello spoke at a news conference this weekend. The vessel is listing to its side and multiple news organizations quote the U.S. Coast Guard estimate that there’s a million gallons of water inside the ship. Marzello says it’s unclear what caused the breach.  “We are taking it extremely seriously to make sure we are taking in all the measures to correct her as soon as possible,” he says. “What we will need is a bunch of hands to clean up once we do rightsize her, so that will be our next plan of attack once we figure out what the problem is.”

On Friday, efforts to pump water out were halted as diesel was discovered in Buffalo’s harbor. This weekend divers and equipment began maneuvering inside the vessel to remove contaminants like fuel and oils from inside, to prevent the materials from reaching Lake Erie. The Buffalo News reports a Navy architect and experts from a salvage company will arrive at the site today (Monday) to assess the situation. Buffalo’s mayor says efforts to save the U-S-S The Sullivans will take time.

The five Sullivan brothers died on November 13th, 1942 and the Navy destroyer named in their honor was in service in World War II and the Korean War. It was decommissioned in 1965 and in Buffalo since 1977.