(Radio Iowa) – Iowans have seen several unseasonable snowstorms this spring, but none of them compare to what’s known as the Blizzard of ’73. It was 50 years ago on Sunday that a monster winter weather system blasted into Iowa. The storm hit on a Monday, April 9th, 1973. Meteorologist Craig Cogil, at the National Weather Service, says the powerful winds whipped up massive drifts that were so deep, they completely covered houses.  “Quite a massive storm that moved across the state, burying many locations across Iowa with a foot or more of snowfall,” Cogil says. “A few locations had the most snow ever, including Dubuque that had almost 20 inches of snow at 19.2.”

School was cancelled for several days in districts practically statewide. Many stores were closed and traffic was at a standstill due to the high drifts. State highways were littered with hundreds of stranded cars. “Around the Des Moines area, a foot of snow was pretty common and heading down to the southwest,” Cogil says. “There were even some drifts that got up to 15 feet, so for April, just an outstanding snowstorm for that time of year.” Cogil says the snow persisted for several days, but disappeared by the end of the week.

“It warms up this time of year pretty quickly, so the snow didn’t stick around too much, but unfortunately, when it was here, it sure caused a mess, shutting down a lot of highways,” Cogil says. “We had reports of at least seven people dying from heart attacks primarily from scooping the snow.” The Friday before the storm, temperatures were in the 70s, as golfers took advantage of the courses in the Des Moines area. The day of the storm, the high only made it to 29. Two weeks after the storm, temperatures returned to the 70s.

(Adair County, Iowa) – A collision between two vehicles Sunday afternoon in southeastern Adair County reportedly resulted in injuries to four people. The crash happened at around 3:30-p.m., at the intersection of 330th Street and Henry A. Wallace Road, northeast of Orient. Two paramedic units were initially requested to transport the injured, but the second was cancelled.

No other details are currently available.

(Radio Iowa) – A new initiative will be launched in eastern Iowa next month, to try to keep Iowans with severe mental illnesses out of county jails and state prisons. Leslie Carpenter, co-founder of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy, is leading the pilot project. “In Johnson County we are developing the state’s first civil mental health court,” she says, “that will run in conjunction with a program called assisted outpatient treatment.”

The nine counties in the East Central Mental Health Region are providing funding for the project over the next two years. Doctors will refer patients to the program as they’re being released from the hospital after intensive mental health treatment. Carpenter says it will be for people who repeatedly stop taking medication for chronic mental illnesses.

“Mental illnesses, some of them like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder — schizoaffective disorders, cause changes in the brain to make them unaware of their own mental illness and that’s why they repeatedly stop treatment,” Carpenter says. National data shows people with severe or chronic mental illnesses are four times more likely to be arrested than other adults. People in the new Johnson County program will have regular meetings with mental health professionals AND with a judge or probation officer to discuss their medications and whether they’re experiencing side effects. Carpenter says it’s patterned after a New York program that’s been shown to reduce future arrests.

“When they’re taking their medications and engaged in treatment, they’re able to stay out of the hospital and in some cases stay out of jail and more successfully manage their lives,” Carpenter says, “go to school, have jobs, have families.” In New York, a state law allows courts to issue orders for “assisted outpatient mental health treatment” for appointments with medical professional as well as someone from the court system.

(Harrison County, Iowa) – Three people were injured Sunday afternoon, during a collision southeast of Missouri Valley. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2004 Pontiac driven by 62-year-old Steven Geerdes, of Missouri Valley, was northbound on 335th Street at around 3:10-p.m., when the car crossed the center line at the intersection of Mound Trail. The car struck a 1966 Chevy head-on in the southbound lane of 335th.

The driver of the Chevy, 64-year-old Thomas Janecek, and his passenger, 61-year-old Angela Janecek, both of Omaha, suffered critical injuries and were flown by helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center. Steve Geerdes was taken by Missouri Valley Rescue to Bergan Mercy Hospital, for treatment of serious injuries.

The Patrol says charges against Steve Geerdes are pending the results of chemical testing.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police, Sunday, arrested a man wanted on a Montgomery County warrant for Simple Assault. 22-year-old Noah Donald Groves, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 12:53-p.m. in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street. Groves was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 cash bond.

(Anita, Iowa) – Public hearings on the proposed 2023-24 School Calendar and 2023-24 Certified Budget will be held Monday evening at the CAM High School Superintendent’s Office, prior to the start of the regular meeting of the CAM School Board. Later on during the discussion/action portion of the meeting, the Board will vote on whether or not to approve the Calendar, adjusted Calendar, and Budget. The hearings begin at 6:30-p.m.

Other matters to come before the Board include a presentation from the Facility Committee. The Committee voted last Wednesday to recommend to the School Board that the district’s North Facility be closed. The school board is expected to make a decision on the Committee’s recommendation, during their meeting in May.

In other business, the CAM School Board, Monday, will act on approving: a Librarian Sharing Agreement; Reduction in Force Contracts; an Out-of-State Senior Trip, and 300 Series Board Policies. The meeting will conclude with a discussion on the district’s facilities.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Cass County (IA) was arrested Saturday night on an assault charge. 38-year-old Kristy Lynn Martin, of Griswold, was arrested at around 9-p.m. for Simple Domestic Assault – 1st offense, a simple misdemeanor. Martin was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

Separately, Police in Red Oak report that at around 3:27-a.m. today (Sunday), 54-year-old Kimberly Dawn Jones, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1500 block of Tormey Street, for Theft in the 5th Degree, a simple misdemeanor. Jones was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

DAVENPORT, IA – A federal jury convicted a Davenport man on Wednesday following a two-day trial on drug charges stemming from a fentanyl overdose of an 18-month-old child.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in 2021 Davenport Police Department investigated an influx of pressed fentanyl pills into the area, which resulted in numerous overdoses. On October 30, 2021, emergency personnel were dispatched to a residence on 4th Street in Davenport, for a child ingesting pills. When first responders arrived, they found the child unresponsive, with shallow breathing. The child eventually stopped breathing. First responders performed CPR on the child and administered Narcan. The child was revived and transported to Genesis Medical Center.

While at Genesis, the child required additional doses of Narcan, and was eventually transferred to the University of Iowa pediatric intensive care unit for further care. Toxicology testing revealed fentanyl in the child’s system. During the investigation of the child’s overdose, officers learned that Kathan Daniel Wiley, 23, had been distributing fentanyl. The fentanyl had been pressed into pills resembling prescription Percocet pills—blue pills stamped with “M30”—which the child had ingested and caused the overdose.

Officers located evidence that Wiley had been obtaining and distributing the fake Percocet pills in the Quad Cities area, along with other individuals. Wiley was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, along with co-conspirators Linder Kai Divos (a.k.a. Lindo), Jordan Thomas Hopper, Austen Michael Thomas (a.k.a. Waynski, a.k.a. Mitch), and Marshall Matthew James Carver.

On April 5, 2023, the jury found Wiley guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, as well as possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, relating to the overdose of the child on October 30, 2021.
Wiley faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years with a maximum of life in prison for the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury charge. Wiley faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge. There is no parole in the federal system. Wiley’s sentencing is scheduled for September 27, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.

The other charged co-conspirators have pled guilty and are pending sentencing.

• Linder Kai Divos pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm. On February 21, 2023, Divos was sentenced to 14-and-a-half years in federal prison.
• Jordan Thomas Hopper pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, relating to an April 2021 overdose which occurred in Bettendorf, and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, relating to a June 2021 overdose which occurred in Davenport. Hopper faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years with a maximum of life in prison for each of the overdose charges, and a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years with a maximum of 40 years in prison for the conspiracy charge. Hopper’s sentencing is scheduled for September 26, 2023, at 1:30 p.m.
• Austen Michael Thomas pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm. Thomas faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years with a maximum of 40 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, and a maximum of 10 years in prison for the firearm charge. Thomas’ sentencing is scheduled for September 26, 2023, at 2:30 p.m.
• Marshall Matthew James Carver pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, relating to an April 2021 overdose which occurred in Bettendorf. Carver faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years with a maximum of life in prison for the distribution resulting in serious bodily injury charge, and a maximum of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge. Carver’s sentencing is scheduled for September 26, 2023, at 12:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated this case.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds, Friday, announced various appointments to Iowa’s boards and commissions. Those appointed are subject to Senate Confirmation. Appointees from southwest/western Iowa include (by Board, appointee name, & County):

Accountancy Examining Board 

Lindsay Knoop, Dallas 

Board of Medicine 

Chad Stadsvold, DO, Woodbury 

Natural Resource Commission 

Tom Prickett, Mills

State Racing and Gaming Commission 

Daryl Olsen, Audubon

The following appointments are not subject to Senate confirmation: 

 Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System Board 

Wendi Hess, Woodbury 

Jeffrey Vandewater, Adair

Student Loan Liquidity Corporation 

Juan Garcia, Dallas 

(Radio Iowa) – An emergency food group is concerned about how proposed legislation could contribute to the spiking demand for food assistance. Des Moines Area Religious Council spokesman, Blake Willadsen, says DMARC assisted a record-breaking 19-thousand people last month. He’s concerned the bill which would add further hurdles to SNAP applicants, meaning more households turning to emergency food.

The state ended some Iowans’ access to maximum SNAP benefits in March of 2022, and Willadsen says that decrease was followed by record levels of visitors by last August.

The bill in the Iowa Legislature would limit assets households can have to get food assistance, and require more frequent eligibility checks. The bill would kick an estimated 28-hundred people off SNAP.

(reporting by Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio)