COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Iowa Congressman David Young has announced that the Second Annual Iowa Senior Wellness and Security Expo will take place this Saturday, July 29th at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs (2700 College Road). The Expo, which runs from 9-a.m. to 1-p.m.,  connects Iowa seniors, their families and caretakers with a variety of services and resources available to them. The event features a one-stop-shop with representatives from over 30 local, regional, state and federal organizations and agencies dedicated to serving seniors.

In addition to the representatives from agencies and organizations, attendees will also have access to programs and resources at each of the Expos, including:

• Free health screenings from health care professionals
• Free and safe disposal of unwanted or expired prescription drugs by pharmaceutical professionals
• Caseworkers with federal, state and local agencies and organizations to answer questions and help seniors and their loved ones cut through government agency and program red tape
• Presentations by professionals on how seniors can protect themselves and their savings from ever-growing identity and financial threats from scammers and frauds
• Presentations on steps seniors can take to ensure continued independent living in their homes and communities.

The event is free and open Iowa seniors and the public. Iowans with questions regarding the Expo should contact Congressman Young’s Council Bluffs Constituent Services Office at: (712) 325-1404.

Iowa State University’s Armstrong Research and Demonstration farm will feature a variety of agricultural topics at a field day August 17th. The field day will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon, with lunch following. Registration begins at 9 a.m. There is no charge for attending the field day.

Mark Licht, ISU Extension assistant professor and cropping systems specialist, will begin the program speaking about yield response to delayed corn and soybean planting dates. Tim Youngquist, ISU STRIPS project farmer liaison, will feature the soil, water and wildlife benefits of row crops integrated with prairie strips. A high-tech cattle feed bunk that measures individual feed intake will be demonstrated by Garland Dahlke, ISU assistant scientist.    

The Armstrong Research Farm is located 13 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, one-half mile south on 525th Street, and three-quarters of a mile east on Hitchcock Avenue.

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson reports 19-year old Jerry Carr, III, of Atlantic, was arrested Wednesday on a Cass County warrant. Carr was taken into custody for Probation Violation, and booked into the Cass County Jail.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Court records say an Iowa woman accused of trying to flush her newborn down a toilet and then leaving it for dead in a trash can intends to change her plea. The records say a plea hearing is scheduled Aug. 11 in a Johnson County courtroom in Iowa City for 24-year-old Ashley Hautzenrader. She’s already pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and child endangerment. The records don’t say how she’ll plead and to what charges.

Authorities have said Hautzenrader gave birth May 8 last year in a bathroom at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Police say Hautzenrader tried to flush the baby down a toilet and then put it in a pillowcase and left it in the trash. The child was soon found alive.

A traffic stop in Pottawattamie County Wednesday morning resulted in the arrest of a woman from Florida on a warrant, and drug charges. The Sheriff’s Office reports Deputy Brian Miller stopped a 2017 Nissan Altima for speeding at around 10:25-a.m. on Interstate 80 at mile marker 7. While speaking with the driver, 30-year old Brittany Leigh Davis, of Chipley, FL., the Deputy detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A probable cause search was conducted, which resulted in the discovery of three separate containers of marijuana on the rear seat. The combined weight of the marijuana amounted to 248 grams. A records check on Davis showed she was wanted on a Florida warrant for being a Fugitive from Justice, related to fraud. She was taken into custody and booked into the Pott. County Jail.

Also on Wednesday, a visitor to the Pott. County Jail, 28-year old Melissa Kay Casson, of Underwood, was arrested at around 2:55-p.m., when it was learned the woman had a valid arrest warrant for Burglary in the 3rd degree/motor vehicle related. Casson was turned over to corrections department staff without incident.

And, at around 4:45-a.m. today (Thursday), 23-year old Matthew Lewis Andersen, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, following an accident investigation. Andersen was found unconscious in a 1999 Mazda Protege that was involved in an accident near 240th and Chestnut Street in Treynor. Andersen was checked out by Treynor Rescue personnel, but he refused treatment. A Field Sobriety Test was conducted, and Andersen consented to a Preliminary Breath Test. The test results came back as .181, or a little more than twice the legal limit for intoxication. Andersen was transported to the Pott. County Jail and refused to comply with a request for sample of his blood or urine.

In addition to the OWI charge, Andersen was cited for Failure to have insurance and Failure to Maintain Control.

Two people were arrested on separate charges Tuesday, in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 56-year old Richard James Gardner, of Pacific Junction, was arrested at around 10:45-a.m., Tuesday, on a warrant for Assault. His bond was set at $1,000. And, at around 1:15-p.m. Tuesday, deputies in Mills County arrested 25-year old Danielle Renee Davenport, of Glenwood, on a warrant for Driving Under Suspension.

(9-a.m. News)

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education, is rolling out Concussion Management Guidelines for Iowa Schools. The guidelines expand recommendations currently available through a community-based model for concussion management called REAP. REAP stands for Remove/Reduce, Educate, Adjust/Accommodate and Pace.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates as many as 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year; however, when concussions are properly recognized and managed within the first few weeks after injury, most individuals recover without lingering symptoms.

The guidelines bring health care providers, school nurses, coaches, teachers and parents together to work as a team to manage a concussion. In the past, concussion was often viewed only through the lens of participation in school sports. The guidelines recognize that concussion can affect a student in the classroom and at home and all parts of a student’s life should be taken into consideration and addressed by the student’s concussion management team.

Governor Reynolds will sign a proclamation regarding concussion awareness Thursday, August 3. To learn more about Iowa’s concussion management guidelines, REAP and brain injuries, including concussions, visit https://www.idph.iowa.gov/brain-injuries.

DES MOINES – An invasive beetle that kills ash trees, the emerald ash borer (EAB), has been confirmed in Ringgold County, making it the 52nd county in Iowa where this highly destructive insect has been found. The recent EAB infestation was discovered by a tree service that reported suspect ash trees to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Insect larvae were collected from this rural site west of Tingley, and positively identified as EAB.

EAB-infested ash trees can include branch dieback in the upper crown, water sprouts along the trunk and main branches, vertical bark splits, D-shaped emergence holes, S-shaped tunneling under loose bark, as well as woodpecker damage. EAB is difficult to detect in newly-infested trees.

All ash tree species are susceptible to attack by EAB. The larval stage of this insect kills ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and nutrients throughout the tree.

Mike Kintner with the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship EAB & Gypsy Moth Coordinator, says “We are already up to 13 new counties confirmed with EAB this year. As we continue to track EAB’s spread across the state, people are encouraged to report suspect trees in counties that have not yet been declared positive.”

EAB is native to Asia and was first identified in the U.S. in 2002 and in Iowa in 2010 in Allamakee County. Much of the pests’ spread can be attributed to humans inadvertently transporting it to new areas under the bark of firewood, logs and tree debris.  At this calendar date, the treatment window for soil-applied preventive treatment measures (soil injection, soil drench or granular application) and basal bark sprays has ended.

Trunk injections can be done now through the end of August if a landowner is interested in protecting a valuable and healthy ash tree within 15 miles of a known infestation. Good ground moisture is essential for systemic insecticide movement in a tree. Full details are available in Iowa State University Extension and Outreach publication PM2084:   https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/13114

To learn more about EAB and view maps of its distribution, please visit www.IowaTreePests.com.

While there’s several thousand bicyclists pedaling across northern Iowa this week, Iowans can expect to see a big influx in motorcycle traffic in the next few weeks as the big Sturgis Festival is coming up. Twenty-five motorcyclists have died on Iowa’s roads so far this year and Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A, is offering a reminder. “With three to four months remaining in the riding season, we’re urging all motorists to stay alert and check twice for motorcycles before changing lanes, turning, backing up, or pulling into traffic,” White says. “Of course, avoid all distractions that take your mind and eyes off of the roadway.”

Strengthening the state’s texting-while-driving law may help to prevent crashes, as well. Iowa’s new primary texting law became effective July 1st. White reminds motorists to never tailgate a motorcyclist. Give them extra space as they may need to make sudden lane changes to avoid potholes or road debris. She says motorcyclists need to be cautious and courteous, too.    

“Riders should always consider wearing clothing that makes them stand out in traffic, such as a reflective vest,” White says. “We also encourage riders to take a basic rider course if they’re a new driver or an experienced rider course if they have several years of experience. Both provide excellent defensive driving skills.”

Even more two-wheelers will be on the road soon. “We’re reminding all motorists, with the upcoming Sturgis Rally in South Dakota being held August 4th through the 13th, we do anticipate we’ll see an increase in motorcycle traffic during those two weeks, the week before and following the Sturgis Rally,” White says. “Keep in mind, remember to share the road safely with all motorists, including motorcyclists.”

The 25 motorcycle deaths on Iowa roads this year is tracking much lower than last year at this time, as 60 motorcyclists were killed in Iowa during all of 2016.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have arrested a suspect in the Sioux City stabbing death of a Nebraska man. Sioux City television station KTIV reports that the 29-year-old suspect was found and taken into custody around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday in Sioux City. Online court records don’t show that he’s been formally charged.

Police say 36-year-old Vincent Walker was confronted late Sunday afternoon and then assaulted by several people. He died later at a Sioux City hospital. Authorities say Walker lived in Winnebago, Nebraska.