A program designed to teach students about the dangers and costs of driving impaired and distracted, was held Wednesday afternoon, in front of the Griswold High School. “Every 15 Minutes,” also stresses the importance of wearing seat belts, and it takes students through the process, legal and emotional, following a mock crash caused by an impaired or distracted driver. Judi Nelson, event coordinator and an emergency room nurse, says the program which started in the mid-1990’s, has resulted in a reduction in the number of deaths from drunk or impaired driving. She said while the number of alcohol related deaths is down, the number of other, preventable fatalities involving motor vehicles is up.

That’s because there’s more than just alcohol involved. In addition to the use of prescription and non-prescription drugs by both adults and young adults, the use of mobile devices such as cell phones, for texting and calling, has proven to be a factor in crashes resulting in deaths. The two-day “Every 15 Minutes” program began Wednesday morning, with students being removed from their classrooms in 10-to 15-minute intervals, from 8:30-a.m. until 1-p.m. They are dressed to become, the “Living dead,” and have their faces painted white to look like a skeleton. During the afternoon, there was a Mock Collision, on the north side of the Griswold School grounds, and a mock trial for the driver.

The students attended a retreat Wednesday night, where they engaged in activities and heard personal experiences from parents and teens who lost a loved one or close friend to a crash involving an impaired or distracted driver. Personal testimonies were heard from Nina McNeese and Julia Peltzer. McNeese lost her two pre-school age boys when a young driver was texting and driving, and hit their vehicle head-on, near Red Oak. There was also a Parent retreat with the some of the same speakers.

This (Thursday) morning, a Memorial/Mock Funeral Assembly was held in the Griswold School Auditorium. Local law enforcement, emergency personnel, legal services and others were involved in making the event as real as possible for spectators and those involved.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report 24-year old Colton Brian Edward Fricke, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 11:30-p.m. Wednesday. Fricke was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance, after the Mills County Sheriff’s Dept. K9 unit checked on a vehicle at the Foot Hills Park, outside of Glenwood. Upon investigation and searching the vehicle, THC wax was located. THC Wax is derived from marijuana plants but can have up to eight times the concentration of THC compared to the buds people typically smoke. Fricke was taken into custody and transported to the Mills County Jail, where his bond was set at $1,000.

And, no injuries were reported following a rollover accident Wednesday afternoon, in Mills County. Authorities say 66-year old Randall Barber, of Glenwood, was driving a 2011 Jeep northbound on 295th Street at around 4:10-p.m., when his SUV began to slide on the gravel as he was rounding a curve to the west. The vehicle entered the north ditch and rolled onto its roof. No citations were issued.

(9-a.m. News)

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says a man who was serving a sentence in the Pott. County Jail, was served Wednesday afternoon, with a warrant for Violation of Probation. The warrant was read to 20-year old Trent Brian O’Neal, of Council Bluffs, before he was returned to his cell by Corrections Staff.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Students at several high schools across Iowa plan to join Friday’s national walkout to protest gun violence and seek safer schools. The event marks the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High shooting in Colorado. Many of the Iowa teens were on break last month and couldn’t join national walkouts.

In Des Moines, East High School students plan to start their demonstration with speeches outside school around 10:30 a.m. and then walk over to the Capitol to talk to lawmakers about their stances on guns.
Students in Johnston, Pella, Urbandale, Waukee and West Des Moines have said they’ll be leaving their classrooms Friday, too.

Police in Creston report a man from Polk County was arrested on a drug charge, Wednesday afternoon. 19-year old Aldreias Jerome Campbell, Jr., of Des Moines, was arrested a little after Noon, Wednesday, on the Southwestern Community College campus, for Possession of Marijuana. Campbell, Jr. was later released from the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.