CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) – A Cherokee man has pleaded not guilty to several charges in connection to a lengthy standoff with police. Thirty-five-year-old Joshua Allender entered his written plea Wednesday in Cherokee County District Court. He faces charges of attempted murder, possession of a firearm or offensive weapon by a domestic violence offender, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, assault while participating in a felony and assault on a police officer.

The Sioux City Journal reports police responded to a call on Oct. 30 about a suicidal person. Allendar is accused of refusing to come out when officers arrived and firing a gun from an upstairs window. After six hours, a tactical unit fired tear gas into the home and Allender was arrested.

Edward Fisher, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, will be joining Myrtue Medical Center and Cass County Health System in February 2015. Dr. Fisher is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with over 25 years of experience.

Edward Fisher, M.D., orthopedic surgeon

“We are thrilled to bring a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon to live and practice in southwest Iowa on a full-time basis,” noted Todd Hudspeth, CEO of Cass County Health System. “This will allow patients to receive quality orthopedic care, including joint replacement surgeries, with the convenience of staying in their hometown hospitals.”

MMC and CCHS have a long history of working collaboratively to enhance services and employment opportunities. This joint venture is the most recent in that ongoing partnership. “It is great to be able to work together to bring Dr. Fisher to both of our communities,” said Barry Jacobsen, CEO of Myrtue Medical Center. “Rural hospitals need to be creative and work together in order to ensure we continue to meet the healthcare needs of the citizens who depend on us.”

Dr. Fisher will provide full orthopedic services at hospitals, conducting clinics and performing surgeries at least two days each week in Atlantic and Harlan. His care will encompass a wide variety of orthopedic surgeries including:
• Joint replacement (hip and knee)
• Carpal Tunnel
• Arthroscopies (knee and shoulder)
• Rotator cuff
• Fracture and dislocation procedures

Dr. Fisher completed medical school and his orthopedic internship and residency training at the University of California, Irvine. After practicing in California for seven years he moved to Russellville, Alabama where he practiced for 15 years. He has been working in Clarksdale Mississippi since 2009.

Dr. Fisher and his fiancée, Maggie Doran, will relocate to southwest Iowa in early 2015.

(CCHS Press Release)

A Montgomery County man was arrested Wednesday in Cass County on an OWI charge. Sheriff’s officials report 50-year old Randall Joe Conry, of Elliott, was taken into custody on charges of OWI 3rd or Subsequent Offense and Driving While Barred. Conry was brought to the Cass County Jail where he remained pending a hearing before the Magistrate.

Firefighters from Audubon, Templeton and Dedham were on the scene of a hog confinement facility fire this (Thursday) morning, in Audubon County. Audubon Fire Chief John Ballou told KJAN News the blaze at the private hog confinement facility located at 2516 150th Street, northeast of Audubon, was reported at around 7:20-a.m.  About 20 hogs were lost, but another 360 were saved.

Ballou said when the arrived the entire attic space was on fire. At that point tanker trucks from Templeton and Dedham were called-in to assist.  The flames were confined to the attic area and knocked down to prevent them from spreading. The Chief said a man at the facility told him he saw arcing and burning around the wires leading into the attic.

A dollar amount of the damage was not available, but Ballou said the roof will likely need to be replaced. No injuries were reported. Crews were on the scene for a little more than two-hours.

(In an update to our story posted online Wednesday night and heard this (Thursday) morning on KJAN), the Cass County Sheriff’s office says an accident that occurred at around 5:30-p.m. resulted in two-people being transported to the hospital in Atlantic.

Authorities say 55-year-old Paul Stinn, of Atlantic, was driving a 2004 Ford pickup westbound on Highway 6 near the railroad overpass, and had slowed for traffic in front of him. A 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup driven by 35-year-old Heather Possehn, of Audubon, rear-ended Stinn’s truck, causing a total of about $20,000 damage.

Authorities cited Possehn for Failure to Stop.

The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund recently donated $300 to the Friday Friends Backpack Program. The program helps provide weekend meals for students in need in the Atlantic school district.

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, say a recent audit by Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn & Co. P.C., shows the hospital remained financially strong during the 2014 fiscal year. Susan Daniels, CCMH Chief Financial Officer, said “The staff at CCMH is to be commended on another great year for the hospital. Our knowledgeable staff is increasingly important during this time of change in the national healthcare landscape, and we appreciate their efforts to keep CCMH a first-class hospital and economic engine in our community.”

Highlights of the audit include:
• The hospital’s unrestricted funds revenues totaled $38.95-million (for the year ending June 30, 2014), which is a 2.4 percent increase from 2013.
• The revenues included $33.4-million in net patient revenue, $638,300 in other operating revenue, $2.16-million from the county and $132,200 in investment income.
• Expenses for the year totaled nearly $36.3-million, a 2.6 percent increase from the prior year, and included just over $6.2-million for nursing services, nearly $13.7-million for other professional services and $8.86-mllion for fiscal and administrative services.

The increase in revenues was primarily due to higher reimbursement for services provided to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, as well as increased retail pharmacy income. The increase in expense was primarily due to increased depreciation and interest as a result of the hospital completing its construction projects.

There were no necessary corrective measures indicated in the audit. A copy of the audit report is available for review in the offices of the Auditor of State and the CCMH Chief Executive Officer.

Police in Council Bluffs are looking for a suspect involved in a convenience store robbery early this (Thursday) morning. Police Sgt. Chad Meyers said at around 2:50-a.m., a white man about 5-feet 9-inches tall, with an average build, entered the Kum-and-Go store at 2024 5th Avenue in Council Bluffs. The man, who was armed with a large wrench, approached the clerk and demanded money.

Still shot of robbery suspect taken from surveillance video.

The clerk grabbed a baseball bat and told the man to leave. The suspect then began throwing items at the clerk, who in-turn swung the bat at the suspect several times, but missed. The suspect fled the store and was last seen running eastbound in an alley behind the store.

The suspect was wearing a black and grey coat, stocking cap, and had a red scarf covering his face. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Council Bluffs Police Dept. at 712-328-STOP. Information that leads to an arrest and conviction is eligible for a cash reward.