The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Our cars are taking a beating as this winter’s freeze-thaw cycle is leading to deep potholes on virtually all of Iowa’s roads. A spokeswoman for the state’s largest auto insurer says smacking a pothole just right may do a lot more than rattle your teeth, as it can translate to an expensive repair bill. Ann Avery, at State Farm, offers a few tips for avoiding the bumps in the road.

“Try to take roads you know well because your familiarity may help you avoid the potholes and see them coming,” Avery says. “When driving at night, travel on well-lit roads, if you have the option, as it helps you see the surface so you’ll be able to see the pothole before you get to it.” It’s also an advantage to slow down and give yourself a chance to spot the pothole and avoid it before you’re in it.

“If you’re approaching a pothole and you can’t avoid it safely, do your braking before impact. There’s likely to be less damage when the tire is rolling rather than skidding over the hole,” Avery says. “If you do hit a pothole, take a good look at your tires and your wheels. If they have any damage, if the car is handling differently, if it’s ‘pulling’ one way or another, it might be time to get your car checked by a professional.” A close encounter with a road crater can lead to wrecked tires, dented wheels and suspension trouble.

“If you do have damage from a pothole, that can cost anywhere from $300 to 700 on average,” she says. Potholes can be a bigger hazard for motorcyclists. She recommends riders try to go around the chuckholes and to do so safely, you must be able to spot them from a distance. Slow down before reaching the obstacle and make sure you have enough room before changing direction.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An April trial has been scheduled for a Council Bluffs woman accused of conspiring to steal from a Wal-Mart store. Jeri Atilano pleaded not guilty Tuesday to theft, conspiracy and ongoing criminal conduct. Her trial is set to begin April 5th. Prosecutors say Atilano worked with a Wal-Mart cashier, Keisha Kephart, in buying items that Kephart would mark down for Atilano. Kephart also would take coupons that were for other items. The bogus transactions cost Wal-Mart more than $4,000.

The Daily Nonpareil reports that Kephart pleaded guilty Monday after making a deal with prosecutors that includes her agreement to testify against Atilano. Kephart was sentenced to two years of probation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man accused of impersonating a police officer and enticing young girls and inappropriately touching them has been sentenced to seven years in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports that 31-year-old Joey Alberts pleaded guilty Wednesday to enticing away a minor, indecent contact with a child and three counts of impersonating a public official.

According to court documents, Alberts was arrested in March 2014 after authorities say he approached girls in 2012 and 2013, telling them he was a police officer. Alberts was accused of inappropriately touching two 13-year-old girls on separate occasions, and trying to lure a 12-year-old and 13-year-old girl into his car in separate incidents.

Alberts must register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. magistrate from Sioux City has been approved to serve as a judge on one of Iowa’s federal courts. Senator Chuck Grassley announced Thursday that the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the nomination of Leonard Strand to serve as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Iowa.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — A southeast Iowa jury has awarded seven former nursing students of Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant $75,000 each after the nursing program lost national accreditation just prior to their graduation in the spring of 2013. The students filed a lawsuit with several allegations including breach of contract and negligence. A Henry County jury returned the verdict on Wednesday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The owners of a private northeast Iowa zoo must remove their tigers and lemurs after a federal judge ruled that they failed to provide appropriate living conditions for the endangered animals. In a ruling issued Thursday, Chief Magistrate Judge Jon Stuart ordered the owners of the roadside Cricket Hollow Zoo, near Manchester, to transfer the tigers and lemurs to U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed facility within 90 days.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell scored 14 points and Troy Williams added 13 and Indiana rallied to upset Number 4 Iowa 85-78 on Thursday night after blowing a big lead. Jarrod Uthoff led the Hawkeyes with 24 points, and Mike Gesell had 17. Iowa lost for the first time in four games.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a man wanted on a Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for drug charges, has turned himself-in. 54-year old Blake Ted Cooley, of Anita, was arrested on the warrant charging him with Felony, Possession with Intent to Deliver, and an aggravated misdemeanor Prohibited Acts, charges. Cooley was booked at the Cass County Jail on Tuesday and released later that day on $7,000 bond.

And, on Wednesday, Deputies in Cass County arrested 38-year old James Matthew VanScoyk, of Council Bluffs, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. VanScoyk was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,000 bond.

(Johnston, Iowa) Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Colonel Robert King (Ret) announces Vietnam Veterans of America will hold a symposium to address the birth defects, diseases, and learning disabilities affecting the children and grandchildren of our nation’s veterans. The Faces of Agent Orange Symposium will be held Saturday, 23rd April 2016, at Hy-Vee Hall, Iowa Events Center, 730 3rd Street, Des Moines, Iowa. There will be two sessions – the first from 9:00 am to noon, and the second from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

“Our American soldiers returned from Vietnam and associated areas with a number of issues that they have had to contend with since their return years ago. Evidence is now connecting their battlefield exposures to Agent Orange with many diseases and birth defects that are afflicting their children and future generations. It is important that we make the families and communities more aware of the lingering effects of their exposure,” said Colonel King.

The goal of the symposium is to bring attention to the hidden cost of our service and to encourage the government to assist our doctors in finding ways to diagnose and treat these birth defects. Veterans of all wars are subjected to many contaminates, and most were not aware of what was being used or what effects these would have on their health.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that is committed to serving the needs of all veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government.

In keeping with Vietnam Veterans of America’s (VVA) founding principle, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another,” Vietnam veterans throughout the state of Iowa and across the nation continue to fight for the welfare of our nation’s veterans from all wars.

For more information on this event, please contact Dan Gannon at 515-991-5257 or gannonobx@aol.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Democratic-controlled Senate has passed legislation that would dismantle plans to switch Iowa’s $4.2 billion Medicaid program into private management, though the bill isn’t expected to advance in the divided Legislature. The chamber voted 29-19 Thursday for the bill, which would terminate Iowa’s contracts with three private companies.

The bill was introduced amid growing tension in the Legislature over the future of Iowa’s Medicaid program, which provides health care to roughly 560,000 low-income and disabled residents. Senate Democrats recently sent a letter to President Barack Obama and other federal officials asking them to end the privatization move, set to take effect March 1st.

Although three Republican senators voted for the bill, the GOP-majority House isn’t expected to take up the measure, which has also been criticized by Gov. Terry Branstad.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green has announced a permanent Medication Dropbox is now located in the lobby of the Atlantic Police Department, at 23 East 4th Street. Green said the drop box was made possible through a small grant from the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy’s (ODCP) Iowa Take Back Prescription Drug Drop Box Program, and is a way to address the increasing problem of prescription drug abuse. The dropbox will be accessible to the public during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8-a.m. to 4:30-p.m., or by contacting any Atlantic Police Officer

You can bring your unwanted prescription meds to the dropbox, but you’re asked to first, remove any labels with your personal information, seal the medications in vials or clear plastic bags, and leave them anonymously.

Chief Green says the dropbox is an opportunity for families to legally and responsibly dispose of prescriptions and remove the temptation for abuse. “Many people,” he says “become addicted to prescription drugs because they started using a family member’s leftover prescriptions. Once addicted, some of these individuals may eventually move to other drugs [such as heroin], to fulfill [their] addiction.”

The prescription dropbox is secured inside the lobby of the Police department and there is no formal paperwork required when making a drop. Needles, other sharp objects and liquids are not allowed in the dropbox. Green says his Officers will take liquid meds from you, if you request it.