Dispose of Your Unused, Unwanted and Expired Prescription Drugs Today in Perry
Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day and the Perry Police Department encourages everyone to take advantage of this opportunity.
Chief Eric Vaughn says there are several benefits to drug take back days.
“A lot of times we have prescriptions that we’ve had for one illness or the other, and they just kind of sit around the house. It’s good to get rid of those because a lot of times they are expired and they’re not going to provide the benefits they once did, but also it keeps it out of the hands of people that might misuse it or people that do have an abuse problem, so you can get rid of those safely” says Vaughn.
And says prescription drug abuse has been on the rise in the last few years.
“But I think medication, and the types of medications that are out there have increased too. We just have more and more types of medications that are available to people. A lot of times you’ll take a medication and you’ll never use it all, for example you get teeth pulled and you get some hydrocodone or something like that and you take two or three of them and you still have 20 or 30 left so they’re just available to people and easily accessible a lot of times.”
Residents can drop off their unused, unwanted and expired prescription drugs and over the counter medications no questions asked on Saturday from 10am to 2pm in the public safety building parking lot.
The drugs will then be picked up by the Drug Enforcement Administration and incinerated.
Anyone with questions can call the Perry Police Department at 465-466.
Perry Fine Arts Presents GottaZING Sunday
Perry Fine Arts presents another chance for you to take in some great entertainment, free of charge this weekend.
A capella group GottaZING will perform Sunday afternoon at the Perry Performing Arts Center.
GottaZING is an Adel area based group of eight members in a double-mixed quartet style. They have been performing together for nearly seven years and enjoy sharing their love of music with a wide variety of venues.
The show starts at 2pm Sunday and there’s no cost to attend, though donations are accepted.
If you have questions, call Duane Griffin at 465-4782.
March Figures Show Positive Unemployment News
Positive local unemployment news, as the March figures have been released.
According to Iowa Workforce Development, Dallas County’s unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percent last month to 3.9 percent. Guthrie County also saw a two-tenth decrease to 5.9 percent in March and the percentage of Greene County workers without a job went down one-tenth of 4.5 percent.
Comparing 2014 to last year’s unemployment figures, Dallas County’s numbers are the same, Greene County is a whole percentage point lower this year than 2013 and Guthrie County is in better shape by 0.6 percent.
The statewide unemployment rate went up slightly to 4.5 percent last month, while the national unemployment rate is 6.7 percent.
Drought Continues, but Rain This Weekend and Early Next Week Could Help
Drought conditions continue for much of the Raccoon River Valley area.
Despite recent rains, all three of our local reporting areas are more than an inch shy of reaching the normal monthly rainfall totals for April, with just a few days left.
According to the National Weather Service, Perry has received 2.26 inches of rain so far this month. Guthrie Center and Jefferson are a bit closer to normal, receiving 2.32 and 2.36 inches respectively.
All three areas usually see between 3.37 and 3.76 inches of precipitation in April.
There is a strong chance for rain early next week so it’s possible we could hit that “normal” mark after all.
Primary Election Absentee Ballots Now Available
Absentee ballots for this year’s primary election are now available.
As of today, voters can cast their absentee ballot at their county auditor’s office during regular business hours.
The Dallas County Auditor’s Office is open from 8am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. They will also be open additional hours on Saturday May 24th and May 31st from 8-5.
Voters also have the option to request an absentee ballot be sent to them. This must be done in writing and forms are available HERE.
Though the deadline to submit absentee ballots is a postmark of June 2nd, Auditor Gene Krumm encourages voters to mail them before May 30th.
The primary election takes place Tuesday, June 3rd.