Two Iowa communities have made the list of cities nationwide that are considered “most secure.” Out of 114 metro areas, Omaha-Council Bluffs ranks number-six while Des Moines is 20th. Mark Toohey is a spokesman for Farmers Insurance and says their list is comprised of cities with populations of at least a half-million. Toohey says the Omaha area ranked 8th last year, so the metro has moved up two notches. Des Moines fell one position, from 19th, but is in the Top 20 for the fourth year in a row. He says the rankings are based on a series of different criteria.

Categories include: economic stability, crime statistics, the risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, air quality and environmental hazards. Toohey says other factors are considered as well. It’s a combination of multiple elements, like: the weather, the crime, motor vehicle fatalities, employment rates and life expectancy. The top “most secure” cities on the list include: Bethesda, Maryland at number one, followed by Grand Rapids, Michigan; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Austin, Texas; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(Radio Iowa)

On Friday night, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested 22-year old Danielle Rene Bammer of Villisca for Domestic Assault/simple following an incident in the 100 block of W. 4th Street in Villisca. Bammer was transported to the Montgomery County Jail where she was held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

ONAWA, Iowa (AP) — An Onawa mother has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the drowning death of her young son. Ashley Cameron received the sentence Friday in Monona County District Court. The 25-year-old was convicted in May of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in death for the drowning of 15-month-old Markis Dahms.

Prosecutors say Cameron drowned her son after she held his head under a running faucet. Cameron told investigators she was cleaning him after the child had vomited in the bathtub. She says she repeated that process as he vomited several more times.

Cameron testified that she’d left Markis in the tub to get some items and found him face down in the water. Her attorney suggested that the boy may have had a seizure.

An Audubon man was arrested Thursday on an assault charge. According to the Audubon P-D, 19-year old Kaz Ryan Cozad was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault. Cozad was transported to the Audubon County Sheriffs Office to appear before a magistrate.

The Atlantic Police Department reports an accident at 502 Chestnut Street in Atlantic on Thursday. Rodney Christensen of Atlantic was backing out of a parking stall and stopped in the roadway when he saw Killy Buliche of Atlantic approaching. Christensen was waiting for the car to go around him and instead Buliche ran into the back of Christensen’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Damage to Buliche’s vehicle was estimated at $2,850. Damage to Christensen’s vehicle was estimated at $1,550. Buliche was cited for having an expired driver’s license.

The Atlantic Police Department also reports the arrest of 42-year old Gregory Jennings of Atlantic on Thursday. Jennings was arrested on a Cass County warrant for felon in possession of a firearm.

On June 27, 2013, 25-year old Bryan R. Dunn, formerly from Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge James E. Gritzner to 37 months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to mailing threatening communications, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Dunn was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund.

On July 7, 2012, Dunn deposited for mailing a letter threatening to injure an Assistant Scott County Attorney.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Iowa State Fair, once again this year, will feature some unusual new food items.

The fair, scheduled for August 8-18 in Des Moines, will include 200 food stands and 57 foods on-a-stick. Fair spokesperson Lori Chappel says one of the new additions this year is the Shrimp Corndog.

“It is three large, fresh shrimp dipped in corndog batter and then it’s deep fried and comes with a jalapeno glaze. It looks very much like a corndog, but when you bite into it, you’re going to get delicious shrimp instead,” Chappel says. If fairgoers are looking for a healthier option, they can try a Smoothie On-a-Stick.

“It’s just that – a strawberry smoothie that’s simply frozen and put on a stick. So, it’s very mobile. Of course, on a hot August day you might want to eat it rather quickly, but it’s one of our healthier options,” Chappel says.

Some of the other new food items that will be available at the State Fair include Bacon Wrapped Riblet On-a-stick, Fried Brownie On-a-stick, and a Sweet Corn Corndog, which is a hot dog dipped in batter enriched with fried sweet corn.

More new 2013 fair foods will be announced in early July.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that six Iowa water systems have been awarded fluoride certificates by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Dental Association (ADA). Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in the water to an optimal level for preventing tooth decay. The award recognizes communities that maintained a consistent level of optimally fluoridated water throughout 2012.

The awarded communities include:

50 Year Award (1962-2012): Council Bluffs, Greenfield, Red Oak, Shenandoah, and Tipton.

2012 Community Fluoridation Reaffirmation Award: Maquoketa

Fluoride is a natural element found in rocks, soil, and water. Fluoride’s benefits for teeth were discovered in the 1930s. Dental scientists found low tooth decay rates among people whose water supplies contained natural fluoride. In communities of 20,000 people, every $1 invested in water fluoridation results in $38 of savings in dental treatment costs.

The CDC has recognized community water fluoridation as one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th Century and recommends water fluoridation as a safe, effective, and inexpensive method of preventing tooth decay. IDPH is a strong supporter of fluoridation programs. The IDPH Division of Environmental Health monitors the fluoridation of public water supplies, assists and trains water system operators, and helps communities with fluoridation projects. To see the fluoridation status of Iowa counties and towns, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/fluoride_search.asp.

Scott Hatfield, from Winterset, is this week’s winner of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Adventure Ready Gift Card Giveaway. Hatfield won a $50 gift card generously donated by Sheels.

Hunters and anglers who purchase one of four new licenses in 2013 will be automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a $50 gift card.

To participate in the drawing, Iowans can simply purchase one of the four qualifying licenses at any license retailer or on the DNR’s website at www.iowadnr.gov. The four qualifying licenses are:

· Bonus Line License – resident and nonresident anglers can fish with one additional line (with the purchase of the annual fishing license, which allows two lines), for $12.

· Outdoor Combo License – annual resident hunting/fishing/habitat combo license for $47.

· Angler’s Special – a three-year resident fishing license for $53.

· Hunter’s Special – a three-year resident hunting license with habitat included for $86.

The DNR will draw every Monday at noon and announce the weekly winner on its website and through Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. The promotion will run through December 23, 2013.

Mills Fleet Farm is sponsoring the July 1 gift card drawing. Weekly winner announcements, gift card sponsors and complete drawing details can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/giveaway.

Iowa Congressman Tom Latham and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced Monday that they will be visiting Cass County on Monday, July 1 along with Guthrie, Montgomery, Mills, Pottawattamie, Fremont, Page, and Adams Counties on July 1st and 2nd.

Northey and Latham will tour the new Design Technology Center at the Cass County campus of Iowa Western Community College, located at 705 Walnut St. in Atlantic. The visit is scheduled to begin at 11 am.

Latham and Northey will be in the following locations on Monday, July 1st 2013:

Guthrie County at 9:00 a.m. to meet with economic development officials at Saints Center, 320 N. Fremont St in Stuart.

Montgomery County at 2:00 p.m. for a roundtable discussion with rural law enforcement officials at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center at 106 W. Coolbaugh St in Red Oak.

Mills County at 4:00 p.m. for a tour of Glenwood Resource Center at 711 S. Vine St. in Glenwood.

Latham and Northey will be in the following locations on Tuesday, July 2nd 2013:

Pottwattamie County at 7:30 a.m. for a meet and greet at Iowa Western Community College in the Reiver Room at the Student Center at 2700 College Rd. in Council Bluffs.

Fremont County at 10:15 a.m. for a flood roundtable discussion at City Hall at 1201 Main St. in Hamburg.

Page County at 12:00 p.m. for lunch and tour with Shenandoah Chamber and Industry Association. Starts at the Green Plains Renewable Energy, conference room at 4124 Airport Rd. in Shenandoah.

Adams County at 3:00 p.m. to tour New Balance Commodities at 2320 Birch Ave., in Nodaway.

Latham, a farmer and former small business owner from Clive, represents Iowa’s Third District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and also sits on the Subcommittees on Agriculture and Homeland Security. He is a champion for Iowa issues, including passage of a full five-year farm bill and pro-economic and -jobs policies for the state’s increasingly diverse economy.

Northey, a corn and soybean farmer from Spirit Lake, is serving his second term as Secretary of Agriculture. His priorities as Secretary of Agriculture are promoting the use of science and new technologies to better care for our air, soil and water, and reaching out to tell the story of Iowa agriculture.