The Girl Scout Cookie Program® is back for another exciting year, beginning February 1st! Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa girls will once again learn about entrepreneurship as they have fun developing essential skills like money management, public speaking, and decision making, which set them up for a lifetime of success.The GSCI is comprised of14,000 girls and adults from Central/Western Iowa, NE Nebraska and SE South Dakota. Nine in ten Girl Scouts say the cookie program has built their entrepreneurship skills and their interest in pursuing entrepreneurship as a career path—so every cookie purchase is an investment in the world-changing business leaders of tomorrow. What’s more, each and every purchase stays local to power amazing experiences and leadership opportunities for girls in communities across Iowa.

This year’s refreshed cookie packaging (with the same great taste!) continues to emphasize what the cookie program is all about, and the updated images feature current Girl Scouts taking part in a diverse range of experiences available to members—from adventure-packed camping and canoeing, to exploring space science and designing robots, to taking action to improve their communities. Every purchase of Girl Scout Cookies makes experiences like these possible for girls in your local community. Beth Shelton, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, says “When you buy delicious Girl Scout Cookies, you are helping girls not only discover their inner leadership potential but also use their earnings to power amazing experiences for themselves and their troop. Many girls put the money toward impactful community projects right in their own backyards, from supporting animal shelters and food banks to working with local and state legislators to change laws.”

And with one of two lemon cookies available nationwide this year, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa is celebrating the Lemonades® cookie, a tasty way to support young female entrepreneurs. Lemonades, alongside classics such as the Thin Mints®, Caramel deLites®, and Peanut Butter Patties® varieties, are savory slices of shortbread with lemon-flavored icing. New Year’s resolutions keeping you away from cookies? No problem! Customers can donate through the Joy Project program to send a taste of home to members of the Iowa Military as well as local food banks.

Cookie Varieties available include: Caramel Chocolate Chip, Girl Scout S’mores™, Thanks-a-Lots, Lemonades, Shortbreads, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel deLites, and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Price: $4 per package (Caramel Chocolate Chip are $5 per package); When: February 1 – March 29, 2020. Customers can place orders starting on February 1, and booth sales will begin on February 7.

How to Find Cookies: Visit the booth sale locator at girlscoutsiowa.org/findcookies or download the convenient Cookie Finder app on your iPhone or Android phone to find Cookie Booths near you. To find cookie varieties available locally or learn more about the history of Girl Scout cookies and the Girl Scout Cookie Program, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org. To join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join and www.girlscouts.org/volunteer.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A northeast Iowa man has been sent to federal prison for receiving child pornography. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Derek Clemens, of Evansdale, was given nine years and ordered to pay $3,000 restitution to a victim in one of the videos. Clemens must serve 10 years of supervised release after he leaves custody and register as a sex offender. He’d pleaded guilty. Authorities found child porn on a cellphone and a memory card for a tablet computer after Clemens was caught using the phone to photograph women using a restroom at an Elk Run Heights truck stop in October 2018.

The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund recently donated two,  eight-section book organizers to the Washington Elementary School Library, in Atlantic. Fund spokesperson and Trevor’s mom Melanie Petty, said “Reading was an important part of Trevor’s life and if we can help out our schools libraries to make reading more accessible and fun for children then that makes us happy!”

Pictured: Janice Dickerson & Grant Petty (Photo courtesy Melanie Petty)

All funds raised at the Annual TFred Memorial Golf Tournament are donated back to things that were important to Trevor.  Since losing Trevor in 2009 the Fund has been able to give back over $200,000.00 thanks to its supporters.  Petty says they “Are already in the beginning planning stages for the next tournament which will be held on August, 8th.” She adds, that they “Look forward to a great day of golf, fellowship and raising funds in his memory.”

(Radio Iowa) — A Dubuque man will spend more than eleven years in prison for randomly firing a pistol at a group that was holding a party. Sentencing documents say 34-year-old Norris Culver Junior fired several shots from a .45 caliber handgun at a duplex across from his house in May of last year. There were several people at the duplex — including three young kids — celebrating at a graduation party. Three of the bullets hit the duplex — but missed all of the graduation party people. Culver pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He has multiple felony convictions dating back to when he was 18. He was still on supervised release at the time of his Dubuque arrest for illegally transporting four aliens into Texas.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A development group that wants to build a $225 million casino and hotel at the Des Moines airport says the project would help pay for a planned new terminal. Highview Development Group presented the plan to the Des Moines Airport Authority board on Tuesday. The complex would include a 350-room hotel connected to the airport by a skywalk. There also would be a fountain, rock garden, restaurant and wedding and banquet facilities.

The airport board tabled discussion of the proposal until its February meeting. Officials have been seeking $194 million from various sources to cover the $500 million airport project.