(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), said a Red Oak man was arrested Wednesday evening on a warrant for Indecent Contact with a Child. Authorities say 68-year-old Michael Joseph Silveira was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Clarinda, Iowa – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), say the organization recently helped the City of Clarinda obtain a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, which announced awards to cities last month. Southwest Iowa Families, Inc., Clinical Director Berneeta Wagoner says “One in five persons will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime, so even if you’re not the one, you’ll have a family member or be close to someone who does. With the stigma around mental illness becoming less, we’ve seen a 30% increase in the number of people seeking out mental health services per year.”

Wagoner said the agency simply did not have capacity to meet growing demand in the current building, and the CDBG dollars are a crucial piece of the funding puzzle for the long-awaited expansion project. The renovation and expansion will allow Southwest Iowa Families, Inc., to reduce overcrowding, reduce wait times for services, and allow staff to meet increased demand for mental health services in the southwest Iowa region. Clarinda City Manager Gary McClarnon first encouraged the agency to partner with the regional council of governments. The city’s agreement to act as a fiscal agent for the CDBG award opened up additional funding for the Southwest Iowa Families, Inc., expansion project that otherwise would not have been available.

SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties and brought over $53 million in grants to the region in the last two years alone. Southwest Iowa Families, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing several services to children and families including mental health, support for parents, and foster care after care services. The organization serves more than 1,000 clients from several southwest Iowa counties.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa lawmaker says legislature should act to protect the private property rights of Iowans who do not want a carbon pipeline to cut through their land. Representative Steven Hansen of Sioux City says developers stand to reap millions of dollars from these proposed pipelines. “Without federal incentives, we wouldn’t be talking about these pipelines, so there’s going to be winners and there’s going to be losers, but it should be our landowners,” Hansen says.

Hansen notes the Woodbury and Plymouth County Boards of Supervisors are opposed to the state granting eminent domain — so developers can acquire land from property owners who haven’t agreed to easements for the pipelines.  “For all the talk about different rights, I don’t know what is probably more important than the right to do what you want to with your land,” Hansen says. “And I think that’s a bipartisan agreement.”

Rep. Steve Hansen, Sioux City.

Hansen, a Democrat, says legislators shouldn’t defer to the Iowa Utilities Board on the decision for granting eminent domain for the carbon pipelines. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann has tabled his plan to require that at least 70 to 75 percent of landowners sign pipeline easements before the Utilities Board could grant developers eminent domain authority to land along the rest of the route. Kaufmann says other recent utility projects in Iowa have been successful in offering landowners enough money that eminent domain has not been used.

(Radio Iowa) – Several of the governor’s education-related proposals are advancing in the Iowa Senate. Governor Reynolds is proposing that students be required to pass a civics test in order to graduate from high school. She’s also calling for creation of state-funded accounts for low and middle income parents who send their children to private school. “There are great schools, great teachers doing great things out there,” Reynolds says, “but…if it doesn’t reflect your values, then as a parent you should have an option.”

A bill that’s cleared a Senate subcommittee also requires that lists of all the books in school libraries be posted online. Melissa Peterson, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association, says that should apply to private schools, too. “If you are going to accept taxpayer dollars to fund your educational opportunity, you ought have to adhere to rules where people can then follow up on their taxpayer dollars and know what’s happening with them,” Peterson says.

A Senate subcommittee has also advanced a “ParentsBill of Rights” that would require a student to have parental consent before borrowing a school library book that could be considered obscene.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Grant Gerlock)

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are being warned to watch out for lookalike websites when requesting a free COVID-19 test kit — from the federal government or anywhere else. Bao Vang, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, says these scam sites may ask for money in order to send you what’s supposed to be a free kit. “A real website to request a test will not ask for your payment information or insurance details,” Vang says. “The two main things is your name and address.”

If it goes beyond those two basic things, she suggests the website likely isn’t legit. “These scam sites might be asking for payment or personal information such as your Social Security number,” she says.

Vang says to look closely at the domain name and watch out for tricky sub-domains. The free COVID tests are available through the federal government and they’ll come through the U-S Mail, with no shipping cost. Sign up at: COVIDtests.gov.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel reports the Annual Atlantic Fire Department awards banquet was held Saturday, January 29th. Cappel says the A-F-D and the Iowa Firefighters Association recognize those that have dedicated 20 years and over to fire service. Locally, the Atlantic Fire Department began recognizing those that have served for 5 years and over.

In 2011 the AFD began giving out the Firefighter of the Year Award. The award is given after several areas of service are considered. Chief Cappel says “It is mandatory that the person has successfully completed the Firefighter 1 class as given by a trained instructor through the training bureau. Other considerations are: calls to service, training hours and community service hours.” For 2021, Cole Lowary was awarded the Firefighter of the Year award.

Photo’s courtesy of AFD Chief Tom Cappel.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – February is the month of romance, but love and companionship may also involve a scam. Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division, says according to the FBI, romance or confidence scams were responsible for over 23,000 reported victims losing over $605 million in 2020, compared to 12,500 victims and $203 million in losses during 2015.

A romance scam is when a swindler uses a fake identity to gain a victim’s trust and affection.  The introduction of the new romantic interest or friendship may occur online, via a dating app, social media, random text message, phone call, or email.  Usually, the romantic interest never meets in person, though numerous plans for a gathering have been made and rescheduled with excuses.  The fake identity could be that of a member of the military, someone wealthy overseas, an overseas construction worker, or one of many other fake personas.

These professionals quickly gain a victim’s trust and express many commonalities with their victim.  As the relationship evolves the scammer will continue to reel their victim in with promises and gifts of love.  After trust is established, the romantic interest develops a story about a sick child, being stranded in a foreign country, legal fees, being held against their will, or other urgent situations where large amounts of money are needed quickly.  The scammer may also ask for personal information to steal the victim’s identity or assets, or ask the victim to launder money by transferring or moving money illegally for someone else, also known as a money mule.

Sonya Sellmeyer

The senior financial exploitation law recently enacted in Iowa allows brokerage institutions to temporarily freeze an account where they fear the owner may be the victim of a scam and authorizes the IID to investigate reports of suspected financial exploitation.

Avoid being a victim by following these simple rules:

• Stop. Think. Call.  Discuss non-traditional investments or the request for money with a trusted source.
• Double check before you invest. Ensure anyone trying to sell you an investment is properly licensed as well as the investment being sold.
• Be cautious posting on social media or dating sites, and beware of online investment solicitations.  Don’t click on links in emails or text messages.
• Never give out your personal banking information or send money to someone you don’t know, especially if you haven’t met in person.
• Research the online profile and picture to see if it has been used elsewhere or on multiple online profiles.
• Beware of someone trying to isolate you from your friends and family.
• If an investment pulls at your heartstrings, walk away.

The Iowa Fraud Fighter program is a source of information to shield your savings from scammers.  You can also increase your financial literacy with the Iowa Insurance Division (IID) Save4Later free educational website.

Anyone can be a victim, knowing how to protect yourself is the first step in prevention.

By Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division