(Radio Iowa) – There are only a few shopping days are left until Christmas, and many Iowans are avoiding the crowds — and COVID-19 — by doing their holiday shopping online, but that course of action brings another whole set of risks. Consumer protection specialist Tricia Collins says Iowans doing last-minute shopping need to be especially careful when clicking on random ads in their social media feeds, as they may look very tempting. “You want to watch out for offers that appear to be too good to be true, because in most cases, they may be,” Collins says, “and you also want to keep your eye out for fake websites or online marketplace pages.”

Collins says many of the complaints agencies get each holiday season are about fake websites and bogus ads on places like Facebook. One way to avoid trouble, she says, is to do your research. “A lot of time crooks will use fake websites and social media messages to trick you into thinking it’s the real business,” Collins says, “and then you may download some malware or they try to gather your personal and financial information.”

She says your best defense is to shop around and don’t buy something on a whim from an unknown source. “You want to verify that the website you’re looking at is legitimate before you place an order or provide any information,” Collins says. “Look for the company’s name, where they’re located, their contact information.” It’s smart to double-check before you double-click as those supposed sale prices might not be a deal at all.

(Radio Iowa) – Nine months into the pandemic and many Iowa families are still being pushed into homelessness. Waypoint Services, a Cedar Rapids-based provider, is seeing the need grow sharply among Iowans who never experienced homelessness before. Housing services director J’nae Peterman says area shelters and other providers are also struggling to meet the demand for rent assistance and transitional housing.  “Within a month-and-a-half time period, we served the amount of people that we typically serve in a full year,” Peterman says. “That’s typically around 3,000 people and that’s what we’re seeing in less than two months.”

Some families were able to avoid homelessness by continuing to live in buildings that were damaged by the derecho in August, but winter weather is forcing some of them out. “People were living in their units as long as they can but as it gets colder, they can’t keep them warm and they do need to leave, unfortunately,” Peterman says. “Shelters are completely at their max capacity and doing the best that they can.”

People facing homelessness or eviction anywhere in Iowa can call Waypoint’s hotline at 1-833-739-0065 or get free legal advice from Iowa Legal Aid at iowalegalaid.org.

(By Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – A man serving a life sentence for a kidnapping in Black Hawk County has died. The Iowa Department of Corrections says 58-year-old Dale Dean Viers died Sunday from likely complications related to COVID-19 and other preexisting medical conditions at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Viers has been serving his sentence at the Iowa State Penitentiary. He was convicted of kidnapping a girl from a Waterloo street in 1994 and abusing her. The Department of Corrections website reports 13 inmates have died of COVID.

Red Oak Police say three people were arrested, Monday. 69-year old Bernard Lee Binns, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:40-p.m. on a Public Intoxication charge. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond. And, at around 7:40-p.m., 23-year old Matthew Marlin Williams, and 22-year old Kayla Marie Williams, both of Red Oak, were arrested on charges of Domestic Abuse Assault. Both were being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowans are heading into the holiday with few restrictions on gathering or social activities as Gov. Kim Reynolds places the responsibility on them to gather in small groups to avoid a post-holiday virus surge. Deaths, however, continue to trend upward in the state and a significant number of people remain hospitalized. With fewer coronavirus tests in the past few days the Monday report for Iowa shows 600 additional virus cases and no additional deaths. The state, however, reported 138 deaths on Sunday after listing none in the prior two days, the result of a new method of reporting deaths that can cause data update delays. Iowa has had 3,589 deaths from the virus. On Monday 644 people were hospitalized.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Davenport authorities are trying to determine the cause of a fire that killed one person. The victim was found Sunday afternoon on the second floor of an apartment building. The Quad-City Times reports that firefighters encountered smoke in the main hallway and sprinklers activated in the apartment. The sprinklers had put out the fire, which was contained to the apartment. Firefighters found the victim dead inside the apartment. The name of the victim has not been released.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — The University of Northern Iowa has received a $2 million donation to build an artificial turf football field. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier on Monday reported the donation from Doug and Ann Goschke. Construction on the outdoor practice facility is set to start in the spring. Head Football Coach Mark Farley says the new facility will allow the team to practice safely in all weather conditions late into fall and in early spring. The couple gave the money to honor Doug’s late sister, Junean Goschke. She graduated from what’s now known as the University of Northern Iowa in 1966.

The Coronavirus pandemic has pulled the plug on ice-skating for this Winter, in Atlantic. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen told the Parks Board Monday evening, that the tarp for the basketball court is ready to go, but the Board voted to cancel unrolling the tarp and filling it up with water, waiting for Mother Nature to freeze it.

They cited the unknowns with the COVID-19 proclamation and lack of use in past Winters as reasons why there will be no ice skating this year. Rasmussen said if there was no pandemic, they would have had the tarp rolled out already. But with the threat of another proclamation extending the current public health emergency, they would have had to spend time draining the tarp and putting it back into storage.

On bright note, Rasmussen said he checked with a major sporting goods store and looked into purchasing four kayaks and three or four canoes, as well as life jackets, which could be rented out to persons wanting to use them at the Schildberg Quarry lakes for fishing, or other such activities. The equipment would cost roughly $5,000, and hopefully be offset through the use of grants and donations. Rasmussen is in the process of researching grants, and will come back to board when he has more solid backing through those types of funds.

Also, and update to the Atlantic Parks and Rec website is slowly making progress. The good news, is that shelter reservations are being incorporated into the website, and well as ways for people to donate funds for future parks department endeavors, should they want to do so. Reservations for one of the five City Park shelters (Camblin, Kiddie Korral, East and Cedar Park shelters and the downtown City Park Shelter), will available online, soon.

Rasmussen said Parks and Rec brochures will be available when they are finished, at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, and the Parks and Rec Office at Sunnyside Park. Bryant said they’ve been working on the layout and design for the brochures for the past several months.  The goal is try and promote the department, its recreational programs and more detailed information.  Local volunteer organizations who made the park amenities visibly appealing and maintained will be highlighted in the brochures, as well as various programs that may be sponsored by organizations.

The City’s Trail Network brochures are already available. They, along with Walkability information will be featured in the new brochures, also. Rasmussen said the first run printing of the brochures would probably be around 100 to 500, with the higher amount costing just a few dollars more than a lower printing run.

Montgomery County has received the first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine. Health officials said Monday the county received 300 doses from Moderna. Of the 300 doses, 200 doses went directly to Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for their staff and 100 doses went to Montgomery County Public Health for EMS providers in the county and other healthcare providers not affiliated with the hospital. All the long-term care and assisted living facilities in the county have been paired with a national pharmacy chain to receive vaccines.

Currently, the county is in Phase 1A of the distribution plan, which includes the groups listed above. After all workers included in Phase 1A are vaccinated, the county may move to Phase 1B. Included in Phase 1B are school and childcare staff, people over 65 years of age, people with underlying health conditions, and non-healthcare essential workers. Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has indicated the next round of vaccine could arrive in January. IDPH hopes the vaccine will be available to the general public by mid-spring 2021.

Montgomery County Public Health and Montgomery County Memorial Hospital encourage anyone with questions regarding the vaccine to call Montgomery County Public Health at 712-623-4893.

An Iowa National Guard sniper team recently competed against 23 other National Guard teams and 12 inter-service teams at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, Dec. 4-10, at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center in Barling, Arkansas. Spc. Aaron McAndrews, of Grimes, and Cpl. Kyle Thies, of Clarinda, are both infantrymen with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment. They scored a combined total of 504 points. Their accomplishments led them to receive the prestigious Chief’s 50 Marksmanship Badge.

(Far right) Col. Andy Bussell, Commander of the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center presented awards to Spc. Aaron M. McAndrews (Center) and Cpl. Kyle R. Thies (left) during the awards ceremony for the 2020 50th annual Winston P. Wilson Sniper Championship and the 30th Annual Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting from Dec. 4-10, 2020, at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center in Barling, Arkansas. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Israel Sanchez)

The Iowa team placed third overall in the combined competition, second in the National Winston P. Wilson Sniper Championship and first in the Silent Hunter team category. This was the first year that McAndrews and Thies competed in this national event.

The competition consists of shooting, fieldcraft, and sniper related tasks such as call for fire. Teams were challenged by running or rucking short distances, shooting with one arm tied behind their back, and were required to make positive identification on a target within close proximity to other team’s targets.

In one event, teams were required to approach their target without being detected. The Iowa team was one of the few sniper teams that were able to avoid detection. The competition was designed to facilitate, evaluate and test the development of training programs among snipers of all services. Basic marksmanship is an important skill set for military service members.

Sgt. Major Jason Nelson, the senior training non-commissioned officer said “Competitions are a great training event to test our skills. It’s about readiness and each Soldier being fully able to employ his or her weapon when it matters.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A man from Pottawattamie County was sentenced last week on a drug charge in Council Bluffs U-S District Court. 48-year old James Michael Willett, Sr., of Council Bluffs, was sentenced Dec. 15th to 135 months (11 1/4 years) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Willett was ordered to serve ten years of supervised
release to follow his prison term and pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
He pled guilty to the offense on August 04, 2020.

The Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force opened an investigation on Willett and other co-conspirators for distributing methamphetamine in the Council Bluffs metro area in 2019. On November 5, 2019, staff at a hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, contacted law enforcement after an employee observed drugs in a room where Willet had been staying. Law enforcement searched the room and located methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana.

The investigation was conducted by the Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports six arrests occurred between November 14^th and December 17^th.  Most recently, on Dec. 17th. 35-year old Payton Thomas Watzke, of Audubon, was arrested for Theft 5^th Degree. Watzke appeared before a magistrate and pled guilty.

• On Dec. 9th: 65-year old Rickie Don Bohlmann, of Audubon, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order. Bohlmann later posted bond and was released.
• On Dec. 8th 55-year old Tauna Jean Bohlmann, of Audubon, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bohlmann posted bond and was released.
• On Dec. 7th, 35-year old Shawn Leroy Schmidt, of Audubon, was arrested by Audubon Police for Driving Under Suspension. Schmidt was released on a promise to appear.
• On Nov. 18th, 47-year old Christopher Michael Green, of Audubon, was arrested for Driving While Barred. Green was transported to the Audubon County Jail to appear before a magistrate.
• And, on Nov. 14th, 28-year old Lacey Lynn Kron, of Audubon, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. She was released on a promise to appear.