Iowa computer users may be a bit skittish after Russian hackers made international news last week by breaking into the database of a Midwestern securities firm. They reportedly stole one-point-two billion user names and passwords belonging to some 500-million email addresses. Information security expert Mike Masino says Iowans can do something fairly simple to keep their computers safe.

“Honestly, changing your passwords at regular intervals and not using the same log-ins for different sites, that’s your best case scenario,” Masino says. “It’s just a numbers game.” The hacking of Milwaukee-based Hold Securities is said to be the largest-ever security breach. Still, Masino says the big score by Russian hackers isn’t that unusual.

“To be completely honest, this kind of stuff goes on all the time,” Masino says. “I think the thing that’s making this news is the size of the data store that was discovered. It was so many accounts.” The billion-plus stolen passwords and user names reportedly came from more than 420-thousand websites. Masino emphasizes, change your passwords frequently to stay on the safe side.

“If they steal billions of user names and passwords, it’s going to take them a while to go through that list and exploit all those,” Masino says. “If you change your password every two or three months, you’ve just reduced their window that they have to use your information down to that amount of time.” Other tips to stay safe from hackers: update your anti-virus software routinely, don’t click on links you didn’t expect to receive, and keep close tabs on the privacy settings on your social media pages.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak report a local man was arrested early this (Thursday) morning on drug charges. 21-year old Jesse Patrick Beaman, of Red Oak, was arrested following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 48 and 215th Street, at around 12:30-a.m.

Beaman was found to allegedly be in possession of methamphetamine and prescription pills. He was also wanted on a valid warrant out of Indianola. Beaman was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Authorities in Montgomery County say only minor injuries were reported following an accident that happened just before 1-p.m., Wednesday. Officials say a 2004 Freightliner semi owned by Ramco Transportation of Roselle, IL and driven by 44-year old Artur Jakala, of Roselle, was traveling west on Highway 34, when for reasons unknown, the vehicle crossed the center line of the road.

The left, side-view mirrors of Jakala’s semi hit the mirrors of a 1997 Freightliner semi tow truck,  passing in the opposite direction. The driver of the tow truck was identified as 46-year old Kenneth Darnold, of Emerson. A 2008 Chrysler Sebring driven by 53-year old Tamera Hawley, of Mount Ayr, and owned by the Mount Ayr Record News, was traveling behind Darnold’s semi, when parts that flew off the semi’s during the collision punched through the grill of the car, causing damage to the air conditioning condenser. Authorities say Jakala suffered lacerations from the broken mirror, but refused medical attention.

Damage from the crash amounted to $400. Jakala was cited for Failure to Yield half the roadway.

(Originally aired during the 5-p.m. 8/13 & overnight 8/13-14 Newscasts)

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – A 44-year-old northwest Iowa man has pleaded not guilty to a charge that he killed his mother. Jonathan Neunaber, of Akron, made his plea to the murder charge on Wednesday in Plymouth County District Court in Le Mars.

County Attorney Darin Raymond has said Neunaber admitted to causing the death of 80-year-old Esther Grace Neunaber. Her body was found July 9th at her Akron home with the body of her 83-year-old husband, Donald.  The cause of Donald Neunaber’s death has yet to be determined. Authorities have said the couple died violently.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and Democratic challenger Jack Hatch are set to face off in their first debate. Branstad and Hatch are scheduled to meet 4-p.m. today (Thursday) at the Iowa State Fair. This will be the first of three debates in the race.

Branstad is running for an unprecedented sixth non-consecutive term and has been touting a record of job creation and tax cuts. Hatch, a longtime state lawmaker, says he could do more to boost incomes and improve services, such as education and health care.

Thus far, Branstad has looked stronger in the race. He remains popular in the polls and had more than $4 million in his campaign account in mid-July. Hatch had less than $200,000 at that time and had loaned personal funds to the campaign.

The Iowa State Patrol has released information about a couple of crashes that occurred Sunday, on Interstate 80 in Cass and Pottawattamie Counties. The first happened in Cass County at around 11:30-a.m., Sunday, near the Elk Horn exit.

Officials say a Recreational Vehicle driven by 33-year old William DeWitt, of Sioux Falls, SD, and a 2012 VW Routan van driven by 19-year old Stevan Dedovic, of Hoffman Estates, IL, were both traveling westbound on I-80, when the van slowed for traffic that had stopped ahead for a backup that was taking place in the construction zone. The RV rear-ended the van, but both vehicles were able to drive from the scene. Damage from the crash amounted to $4,500. Both drivers refused medical attention. DeWitt was cited for Failure to Stop within the assured clear distance.

The second accident happened at around about 75-minutes later, about one-half mile west of the Walnut exit. The Patrol says a 2007 tractor-trailer driven by 49-year old Angela Briggs, of Alger, MI., was traveling eastbound on I-80 and had slowed for traffic ahead that was stopped due to road construction. A 2001 Chevy Venture van driven by 32-year old Jessica Alvarado, of Gilboa, OH., was also eastbound and slowing for the stopped traffic ahead, when she was rear-ended by a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup, that was pulling a trailer. The pickup was driven by 33-year old Jeremy Mangas, of Gilboa, OH.

The impact pushed Alvarado’s van onto the shoulder of the interstate. The pickup and trailer continued forward, and struck the rear of the semi. No injuries were reported. Damaged from the crash amounted to $20,500. Mangas was cited for Failure to Stop in an Assured Distance.

Both accidents caused traffic to be tied up for a good deal of time, while authorities sorted out what happened.

A state conservation officials says hunters stalking deer in and around the state’s largest metro areas have had success in keeping the animals in control. Bill Bunger, a wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says urban hunts have thinned the herd. “Generally speaking sure, there’s spots where access is still a little bit limited to the deer. And that’s kind of by choice of the people who live in that area. But everywhere where they have been able to put hunters has made a big difference,” Bunger says. Hunters have taken 53-hundred deer from the Des Moines and surrounding metro areas since 1997. Hunters do all their work in urban areas with bows.

“We extend the season a little bit for ’em, it starts a little bit earlier than our regular archery season,” Bunger explains. “And we run it through the gun season — because there are no conflicts with the shotgun hunters of course in town. And we run it a little longer into January as well.” There are also urban deer hunts in eastern Iowa. “Waterloo does hunt, and they’ve done it probably a year longer or so than in the Des Moines area, and they are very much successful over there,” Bunger says. He says Cedar Rapids has had hunts for a number of years and he says they’ve seen an impact with the number of roadkill deer going down.

Residents of urban areas get concerned when the deer population climbs and the animals start eating gardens, hosta and other plants. Bunger says even though the population levels for deer have come down, the cities keep a watch on them and continue the hunts each year. “Deer numbers just aren’t stagnant, so if you walk away from it, they are going to go back up over time. So, it’s just kind of an ongoing process,” Bunger explains. He says most cities have task forces that keep track of the deer population to determine where they should hunt.

“The Des Moines area in particular, they actually with the help of the Army Corps pay for an aerial survey by helicopter every year. Most of the cities as a rule just hunt every year,” Bunger says. He says the cities do look at the populations and maybe determine they’ve harvested enough deer and need to the hunting to other areas. Many of the deer taken are donated to the D-N-R’s “HUSH” or Help Us Stop Hunger program to be distributed through local food banks. Bunger says other cities allow the hunters to take home the animals for their own use.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man is accused of committing four bank robberies in Cedar Rapids. Federal prosecutors announced yesterday that 29-year-old Javon Dockery of Cedar Rapids was indicted on four counts of bank robbery and one count of possession of firearm in furtherance of a crime or violence.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge says two Iowa prison inmates must be provided nightly meals and chapel time during Ramadan and allowed the same religious accommodations as other Muslims. The inmates, Michael Williams-El and James Blair-Bey, sued prison officials in 2012 when they were at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of video-recording girls in an eastern Iowa school restroom has pleaded guilty to a sexual exploitation charge. The Quad-City Times reports that 29-year-old Ian Dishon Isabel entered the plea Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Davenport. Isabel admitted that he planted video cameras in a girls’ restroom at Hayes Elementary School, where he worked as a coordinator for the after-school Stepping Stones program.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Most coaches only get one chance to turn around a program. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is poised to revive the Hawkeyes for the third time in 12 years. Many dismissed Ferentz and the Hawkeyes after a 4-8 finish in 2012. But Iowa answered its critics with eight wins last season, including victories over Nebraska and Minnesota.

HULL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the theft of U.S. flags in the northwest Iowa city of Hull. The Sioux City Journal reports the flags were missing from homes and school property on the north side of Hull. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office says the flags were removed from poles between 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday.

The sheriff’s office didn’t say how many flags were stolen. Hull is a city of about 2,100 people. It’s about 50 miles north of Sioux City.

A Pottawattamie County man who risked his life to save two men from an icy, watery grave will be honored Friday during a special ceremony at the Iowa State Fair. Governor Terry E. Branstad will recognize Seth Thompson, of Treynor, as one of six individuals who have performed a courageous act in an attempt to save someone’s life, or those that have unselfishly assisted in an emergency situation. Thompson is slated to receive the Outstanding Service Award during the “Governor’s Lifesaving Awards & Outstanding Service Awards” ceremony which takes place at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater, beginning at 10-a.m., Friday.

The Outstanding Service Award is presented to persons who have performed a courageous act in an attempt to save an individual who was in danger of losing his or her life or to individuals who unselfishly rendered service in a time of emergency.

On December 14th, 2009 Seth Thompson was headed to work in Okoboji. It was a very cold day with a wind chill of 5 below zero, the roads were icy and the winds were making navigating the roads a challenge. During his drive Seth noticed a truck with two occupants in front of him begin to lose control on a patch of ice and then watched it roll into a creek and break through the ice coming to a stop. When it finally came to rest, it was on its top. Seth quickly stopped his vehicle and he and his passenger ran down to the truck. Seth observed that the windows in the truck had broken on impact and the cab was quickly filling with water.

When he arrived at the truck, which was near the creek bank, Seth was able to reach in the passenger window by laying down on the edge of the bank, his stomach and chest were submerged in the icy water as he felt for the passenger’s arm. Seth grabbed the arm and pulled the disoriented passenger from the truck and onto the bank. Knowing that the driver was still inside he again reached through the passenger window and just barely reached his outstretched hand. Seth grabbed the hand and pulled the second person onto the creek bank.

Both the driver and passenger of the truck, Jesus Alvarado and Joshua Allsup, were taken to the hospital and treated for their injuries and symptoms of hypothermia.