A traffic stop Thursday morning in Pottawattamie County resulted in the arrest of a passenger in the vehicle on drug and weapon charges. Sheriff’s officials say 33-year old Kyle James Yost, who has no known address, was taken into custody for carrying a loaded Ruger handgun, a small baggie of marijuana, and a small glass multicolored drug pipe. Yost was charged with Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail.

And, Thursday afternoon, Pottawattamie County Deputies arrested on a Trespassing charge, 32-year old Jeremy Theron Harriman, of Avoca. His arrest took place following an altercation between Harriman and two other individuals in the area of an apartment complex in Avoca. Harriman admitted to authorities he wasn’t allowed in the apartment complex because of his issues involving the use of alcohol. He said he was there, because he had nowhere else to go.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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There’s a dramatic “uptick” iun number of Iowans showing up in an emergency room because of a brain injury. Geoffrey Lauer is executive director of the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa. “The Department of Public Health is reporting more than 30,000 Iowans in 2014 were seen in emergency rooms, compared with only 13,000 emergency department visits in 2009,” Lauer says, “so it’s more than doubled.”

Lauer says there’s growing public awareness about brain injuries due to the news about sports concussions and soldiers who’ve suffered brain injuries. “Awareness is good,” Lauer says. “However, we have more people surviving with long-term disabilities.” More than 90-thousand Iowans have a long-term disability because of a brain injury, according to Lauer.

Patients who’ve been treated for a “traumatic” brain injury in an Iowa hospital get a letter from the state about two months later, explaining the Brain Injury Service program. “The primary service…is resource facilitation…in which skilled brain injury professionals reach out, connect to people and help explain what’s going on both medically, cognitively and help people connect and stay connected to necessary services and supports,” Lauer says, “so they don’t get lost.”

Lauer is asking state officials to at least continue taxpayer support of that program. Lauer says the data shows case managers who work with people who’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury help those patients keep their job or stay in school, stay out jail and stay out of the psych ward. “The death rate for brain injury in Iowa has been decreasing, The Department of Public Health has been noticing a trend, which is great, because our prevention efforts have been succeeding,” Lauer says. “However, Iowans who are surviving moderate to mild brain injury as well as severe are on the uptick.”

More than three million Americans have a life-long disability due to a brain injury or stroke. Early next year, every Iowa school district will get a new “protocol” for dealing with students they suspect have suffered a concussion.

(Radio Iowa

The transportation director for the state’s largest school district is pleased with student reaction to the addition of seat belts in buses. The Des Moines School District is the lone district in the state taking part in a bus seat belt study. The trial, launched in late October, is being paid for by the Iowa Department of Education, school bus seat manufacturer SynTec and Thomas Bus Sales. Des Moines Schools transportation director Todd Liston says he’s thrilled with the student response.

“The kids haven’t had any real push back or, you know, hesitation to put the belts on,” Liston said. “The kids are hopping on the bus, sitting down, and buckling up without any real hesitation at all.” The district has two buses outfitted with lap-shoulder belts for 65 passengers. One of the bus drivers told Liston he’s now able to focus more of his attention on the road, rather than on students. “What he told me was, ‘I am definitely less distracted by the kids when they’re in their seat belts.’ Man, I thought that was just huge,” Liston said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended for the first time in 2015 that seat belts be added to school buses. But, it remains unclear if Iowa or others states will move in that direction. A big factor is the price tag: it costs about $8,000 per bus to add seat belts.

(Radio Iowa)

The Creston Police Department says three people were arrested on separate charges. Early this (Friday) morning, 22-year old Jessica Marie Larkin, of Creston, was arrested for Public Intoxication. Larkin was being held on the Union County charges in the Ringgold County Jail.

At around 5:50-p.m. Thursday, Creston Police arrested 40-year old Ealy Melvin Tucker, of Longmont, CO., for Trepassing. And, at around 11:30-a.m., Thursday, Creston Police arrested 26-year old Tyree Jermaine Millsap, of Thayer, for Driving While Suspended.

All three subjects were being held on $300 bond, each. And, Creston Police said two residents reported damage to Christmas decorations on their properties located in the 1000 block of N. Division and 900 block of N. Oak Streets. The incidents, which happened sometime between 6-a.m. and 5:30-p.m., Thursday, caused a loss of about $365 altogether.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County arrested a woman from Cass County early this (Friday) morning. 24-year old Taylor Renee Huerta, of Griswold, was taken into custody at around 1:40-a.m. in the 1200 block of Highway 71. Huerta was charged with OWI/1st offense and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $1,000.

Red Oak Police, Thursday afternoon, arrested a woman wanted on an active warrant for Probation Violation. 21-year old Cassandra Jane Rohner, of Red Oak, was a seen riding in a vehicle traveling east on Washington Street at around 3:15-p.m. Officers stopped the vehicle in the 100 block of East Nuckols Street and confirmed the warrant was valid for Rohner. She was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, and held on $5,000 bond.

West Des Moines police have identified two people killed in an accident Wednesday evening. Police say a truck driven by 36-year-old Jacob Griffiths of Urbandale struck a pillar of a bridge on Interstate 235 just before eight p-m. Witnesses stopped and pulled two children out of the truck. Griffiths died in the accident as did his six-year-old son Wyatt. A young girl who was in the truck was taken to a Des Moines hospital, where she was reported in critical condition.

One of the people who pulled the children out of the wreck was injured and treated at the scene. Police have not released any other details surrounding the accident. Des Moines television station K-C-C-I is reporting that Griffiths had a protective ordered issued against him and had just received visitation rights for the children.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former lottery computer administrator from Iowa and a friend from Texas have been charged in Wisconsin with racketeering and theft by fraud for allegedly fixing a 2007 state Megabucks game. Eddie Tipton of Iowa and Robert Rhodes of Texas were charged by the state’s attorney general in documents filed Thursday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge who was accused of insurance fraud and fired after helping expose improper influence in Gov. Terry Branstad’s administration is facing a felony charge two years later. Susan Ackerman, former administrative law judge for Iowa Workforce Development, is charged with making false certifications so that her daughter could receive state health insurance. Her supporters say her firing and prosecution are retribution for blowing the whistle in 2014 on improper pressure facing judges.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say an Iowa woman has been charged with murder in connection with the 2012 disappearance of a woman last seen alive in Omaha. Police say officers Thursday arrested 41-year-old Shanna Goylar at her home in Persia, Iowa, a city of 300 people about 35 miles northeast of Omaha. Goylar was charged with 1st degree murder in the death of Cari Farver, who was last seen Nov. 13, 2012, in Omaha. Goylar was taken to the Pottawattamie County jail awaiting extradition to Omaha.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a naturalized U.S. citizen from China who pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to steal seed corn must pay the U.S. companies that made the seed $425,000. Mo Hailong entered a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in January. In it, he admitted to the plan that would send stolen Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer seed corn to China, where scientists planned to reproduce its genetic traits. Monday’s judgment also said he must forfeit two farms.