Johnston police are reporting an uptick in the number of small thefts in the community this past month…and they’re telling residents to take extra precautions. Open garages and cars in neighborhoods near the library and Johnston Commons have been where the majority of thefts occurred…and police say residents should always lock their cars and keep valuables out of sight.

Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham made a stop in West Des Moines earlier today to talk about his views on the Iran nuclear deal. Graham says he would repeal the deal if elected and make several new plans, such as beefing up our military and refusing to negotiate with Iran leaders. Graham was interrupted during his talk by an anti-war protester who began handing out fliers with dead soldiers’ names on them.

You could have some extra money in your wallet by New Years…thanks to a predicted drop in gas prices. Gas analysts say expect prices at the pump to go down to around 2 dollars by January 1^st…the state average right now is around $2.73 a gallon.

After an initial trial in Guinea, an ebola vaccine from an Ames-based company has proved to be 100 percent effective in fighting off the disease. The World Health Organization says it still needs to do more trials, but the results are promising at battling current and future outbreaks.

West Des Moines-based gas station store Kum and Go is looking to expand the structure of its future stores. The company says it will start building a six-thousand-square-foot prototype store with more prepared foods at a location in Johnston. The new store will have a patio and a bigger food prep area…it’s slated to open at the end of the year.

Local water utility managers are rethinking a proposal to build a regional water plant…and are instead considering promoting informal cooperation through a technical advisory committee first. The Central Iowa Regional Drinking Water Commission has decided to form a group that will look over a report on a regional water system and a plan for cost-effective service in the future. The first meeting is next week in Des Moines.

Another disease has popped up for Midwest farmers to worry about.  University of Illinois researchers say symptoms of sudden death syndrome in soybeans appeared at their research center.  ISU’s extension service says SDS is one of the 4 top yield-robbing diseases in the U-S, and the fungus that causes it is in many soils in Iowa.

The University of Iowa’s interim president is hoping his term will be short and free of controversy. Jean Robillard takes over tomorrow as Sally Mason retires.  Robillard’s the vice president for medical affairs at U-I, and is leading a search committee for the new president.

Scratch tickets are pushing up Iowa Lottery sales this year…to a new sales record of 212 million dollars. Powerball and Mega Millions ticket sales decreased, however, but that’s tied to fewer monster jackpots during the year. The annual financial report was released yesterday.

Governor Branstad has more than 5-thousand signatures on his desk to a citizen petition…calling for him to keep the remaining two mental hospitals open. State rep Jo Oldson says she’s frustrated with the governor refusing to save the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda mental hospitals…and this petition reflects that.  Oldson joined a handful of other mental health advocates who turned in the signatures yesterday.

Nicki Gross has been named an assistant coach with the Iowa Energy. She’s the only female to fill that role in the NBA D-League. The Memphis Grizzlies are Iowa’s NBA affiliate.