TOLEDO, Iowa (AP) — A former executive director of the Tama County day care has been accused of using thousands of its dollars to buy things for herself. County court records say 46-year-old Kristine Daniel is charged with ongoing criminal conduct and money laundering. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 8.

A news release from the state auditor’s office say auditors have identified nearly $279,000 in improper and unsupported spending, undeposited collections and forgone grant revenue involved in the finances of the day care, Kids’ Corner. The audit covered December 2009 through May 31, 2016, the time period Daniel worked for Kids’ Corner.

A criminal complaint says a search of Daniel’s residence in June 2016 recovered evidence that she’d used county credit cards to buy personal items and sell some online.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Some southeast Iowa high school students may be banned from graduating next month after a senior prank that officials say crossed the line and became criminal. The Fort Madison Police Department says 19 Fort Madison High School seniors broke into the school Sunday. School officials on Monday discovered the school covered in toilet paper, Vaseline and posters, some featuring obscenities. Students also threw water balloons inside the building, tied the front doors shut with rope and burned toilet paper rolls outside.

The students were identified through video surveillance and given 13-day out-of-school suspensions. School Board President Tim Wondra says students were warned in advance that a “senior prank” would result in losing permission to attend graduation. Some parents say they’ll appeal the suspension decision to the board.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were injured during a collision Wednesday evening, west of Glenwood. Officials say 29-year old Christopher Brammer, of Glenwood, was driving a 1999 Ford and merging onto the westbound Highway 34 turning lane at Hillman Road. 18-year old Emily Chase, of Glenwood, was driving a 2000 Chrysler eastbound on Highway 34 in the left lane at the intersection with HIllman, when Brammer failed to yield and turned left, into her vehicle. The accident happened at around 6:38-p.m.

Brammer was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital for treatment. Chase was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Mercy Hospital. Authorities cited Brammer for Failure to Yield Upon Entering a Through Highway.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports U-S Highway 44 between US Highway 30 and Iowa Highway 191 (2 miles west of the Portsmouth area), has alternating lane closures due to a crash. No other details were immediately available.

A special investigation by the State Auditor has found a former University of Northern Iowa professor put school money into his own account. The special investigation was requested by U-N-I over concerns about money handled by Samuel Lankford, who worked in the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services. The audit found he improperly deposited three checks worth nearly 15-thousand dollars into his personal bank account from a report he did for the Artic Winter Games in 2014.

The audit says the money should have gone to the university. The report says it is not possible to determine if there were other improper deposits to Lankford’s account because proper records were not available for review. Lankford resigned in July of 2015. The results of the report have been turned over to the U-N-I Department of Public Safety, the D-C-I and Black Hawk County Attorney’s office.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa – High blood pressure poses a significant risk for stroke, but low blood pressure also causes problems – and that’s why it’s important to know your numbers.  The American Heart Association says most people who’ve had a first stroke also had high blood pressure. For Tinika Raymond, new-student orientation coordinator and academic advisor with Des Moines Area Community College, hypertension runs in the family. But when her 21-year-old son experienced dizziness and nausea that led to stroke, it was due to low blood pressure and other complications. As an African-American, she’s particularly aware of the risks.
“It’s been impacting African-Americans at a higher rate than any other race,” says Raymond. “So that’s why I think it’s important for us to get the word out and pay attention to your body, know your body, know your numbers.”

Two numbers represent blood pressure. The new guideline for normal blood pressure is below 120 over 80, which means numbers that stay over that average for any length of time qualify as high blood pressure.
Hypertension damages arteries throughout the body and elevates the risk for stroke. A stroke can threaten your ability to think, move and function, affect language, vision and even cause paralysis or death. Raymond says when it runs in families, earlier detection is better. “If you go to the doctor and find out what it is, sometimes they can get ahead of it and if they can detect it, soon enough then there’s medication and other ways to treat whatever the symptoms are,” says Raymond.

Raymond notes you can’t control race or age when it comes to high blood pressure, but medication combined with more walking, reduced sodium and fewer carbohydrates help her control the numbers. “So the lifestyle could be the exercise and the diet or it could be stress-related,” says Raymond. “So we have to pay attention to the environment which we’re in.” The American Heart Association says managing blood pressure is a lifelong commitment which may require those afflicted to learn how to monitor blood pressure at home.

(Iowa News Service)