DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Cross-country efforts to track down a photo of an Iowan killed in the Vietnam War have turned up an image of the man when he was 14 years old. Chris Mudge, executive director of the Iowa Newspaper Association, says the photo of Staff Sgt. David L. McCombs was provided Thursday by an Illinois man.

The photo of McCombs, a U.S. Army soldier who was born in Oskaloosa and died at age 26 in Vietnam, was the last one needed to complete Iowa’s contribution to the Vietnam Memorial Fund’s “Wall of Faces.” The tribute aims to put a face to the more than 58,000 names listed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

Mudge says efforts are ongoing to find a photo of McCombs closer to his death in 1969.

Employees at the state-run Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant that are being closed say the hospitals have provided high-quality care, even if the facilities do not have the “gold star” of accreditation. Cindy Fedler, a nurse clinician, was hired at the Mental Health Institute in Mount Pleasant in 2007 — to prepare for the tests required for the accrediting process. “That plan was aborted due to financial reasons,” Fedler says.

Fedler worked at the M-H-I in Mount Pleasant until April 6th, when she was laid off. “The accreditation would not have changed the way we admitted folks,” she says. “It would not have changed the way those who had payment, insurance — the way they paid, it would not have changed that.” And Fedler says Mount Pleasant’s M-H-I met all the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services “best practices” guidelines.

“The accreditation we keep hearing in the media, I want the truth to be known that that would have affected us not at all,” Fedler says, “other than a nice little title and a gold star behind our name.” Governor Terry Branstad has said the two M-H-I’s are being closed because they’re antiquated and are not accredited. Ann Davison, a nurse clinician at the Clarinda Mental Health Institute, was hired in 2005 to prepare for the accreditation process there — but the state decided not to spend the money.

Davison and Fedler made their comments this week during testimony before the Iowa Senate Government Oversight Committee.

(Radio Iowa)

A Union County man was arrested Thursday evening on drug charges. Police in Creston report 41-year old Luke Johnson, of Creston, was arrested at around 6:45-p.m. for Possession with the Intent to Sell/Marijuana, and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. Johnson was later released from the Union County Jail on $5,000 bond.

And, 51-year old Timothy Fector, of Creston, was arrested at around 12:30-p.m. Thursday at Vine and Carpenter Streets, on charges that include Disorderly Conduct, Attempted Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and Interference with Official Acts. Fector was later released on $5,000 bond.

Chamber Ambassadors in Atlantic met recently with local Masons, while visiting Atlantic’s Masonic Lodge. The lodge is a beautiful building located in historic downtown Atlantic and recently available for event rental. There are two rooms, a smaller and a larger room. The lodge has a kitchen, stage, tables and chairs.

For rental inquiries, please contact Donnie Drennan at United Group Insurance.

Pictured: Sharon Guffey-Lewis, Steve Lewis, Randy Dill, Gary Warwick, Donnie Drennan, John Bricker, Joe Mewhirter, Russ McNeese, John Schroeder, Dr. Mitch Peerbolte, Bill Saluk, Keith Leonard D.V.M., Lucas Mosier, Melanie Petty, Dan Mehmen, Chrystal Christensen, Russ Joyce, Kate Olsen, Rich Perry, Nedra Perry, Sue Muri, Jolene Roecker, Arlene Drennan, Carol Schuler, Lana Westphalen, Dianne Gipple and Pat McCurdy.