The new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cass County Health System is spending his first week on the job. Todd Hudspeth began his duties on Monday, January 20th. He was hired to succeed the retiring Pat Markham, whose last day on the job was last Friday. In a Press Release, Hudspeth said “I am thrilled to be selected as the next CEO of CCHS. Pat and her leadership team have done a tremendous job creating an excellent health system and I am excited to work with the board, leadership and the entire hospital team to continue to make CCHS a great place for patients, employees and physicians.”

Todd and Jessica Hudspeth

Ned Brown, Chairman of the CCMH Board of Trustees, said Hudspeth brings over 15 years of success as a CEO in critical access hospitals. He added “We are confident that his expertise and leadership are just what we need to guide our health system through the many challenges facing the healthcare industry today and in the years to come.”  Brown noted there were over 100 applicants for the position.

Hudspeth most recently served as the President and CEO of Jamestown Regional Medical Center, a 25-bed regional hospital in Jamestown, ND.  Prior to Jamestown, he was CEO at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake, Iowa.  He has also served as CEO at Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center.  Hudspeth recently relocated to Atlantic.

His wife, Jessica, and two of their five sons will move to Atlantic at the end of the school year.  The boys will be in 6^th and 4^th grades next fall.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers are seeking to enact tougher kidnapping penalties following the kidnapping and killing of a teenage girl last year. The Des Moines Register reports a House subcommittee on Thursday granted preliminary approval to a bill that would increase the punishment for kidnapping if the victim is 15 or younger.

The legislation raises the sentence for such crimes to 25 years and blocks those convicted of certain crimes from the ability to reduce a sentence. The legislation responds to the death of 15-year-old Kathlynn Shepard, who is believed to have been killed by registered sex offender Michael Klunder. Klunder’s 41-year prison term was cut in half under Iowa law, which shaves sentences by an additional 1.2 days for every day served. He killed himself after the incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Legislation that would exempt military pensions from state income tax is moving rapidly through the Iowa Senate. A Senate committee approved the legislation during a brief hearing Thursday. It is expected to soon move to the full Senate for a vote. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, says the bill honors veterans and may attract more military retirees to the state.

The military pension exemption is a top priority for Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who has made support for veterans a key part of his budget plan this year. According to the Branstad administration, the pension exemption would cost the state a projected $10 million in lost annual revenue.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Cass County man was sentenced Wednesday to more than 9-years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 44-year old Old Paul William Jessen, of Atlantic was sentenced in U-S District Court in Council Bluffs, to 122 months in jail followed by 4-years of supervised release.

On September 4th, 2013, Jessen pled guilty to the charge which was the result of an investigation conducted into methamphetamine distribution in and around the Atlantic area. Jessen was part of a drug trafficking group who distributed methamphetamine obtained from a source in Omaha, Nebraska.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report an arrest has been made in connection with an arson fire set last year at Sunbest-Papetti Farms, in Villisca. 31-year-old Carlton John Dolph, of Villisca, was arrested today (Thursday) on a Montgomery County warrant for terroristic threats and on  two counts of 2nd degree arson. Dolph was brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center where he was being held on $10,000 cash bond.

Several chickens died in a blaze that occurred in one of the barns, in February 2013.

The City of Atlantic may be forced to refund to the State more than $183, 800 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds it received for the rehabilitation of 13 homes, because the full grant amount from has not yet been spent. That was the word during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, from SWIPCO (Southwest Iowa Planning Council) representative Dave Riedemann.

In his status update, Riedemann said the City received a $484,500 grant last year for the rehab program. The City contributed in-kind funds amounting to $26,000, for a total amount of funds available, of $510,500. So far all but $183, 809 has been spent. Eight of the 13 homes have been completed, with the remaining five in various stages of completion. Riedemann said SWIPCO has requesting an extension from the State for a six-month extension and permission to rehab three additional homes, because there will be leftover funds amounting from about $115-to 125-thousand dollars.

That would bring the total number of homes assisted to 16, if the State grants permission for the City to do so. Riedemann says up until this past Monday, that seemed like a sure thing. He says a similar extension was asked for in Shenandoah, but it was denied, which Riedemann says was “A first” for SWIPCO. He said “Things are tightening-up at the State level and changes have been made in how the CDBG program is implemented. Some of the changes will apparently be “retroactively applied.”

He says he’s hopeful that the State will grant a time extension for expenditure of the funds and completion of three more homes, but that’s hard to predict. The funds must be used by the end of April. If not, more than $100,000 will have to be returned to the State. Regardless, Riedemann said the original 13 houses will be completed as planned. HUD says SWIPCO can’t expend overall more than $37,500 per house, including lead abatement. Hard costs cannot exceed $25,000 if there is no lead removal needed.

Most of the work involves the installation of vinyl siding to enclose lead-based paint, vinyl replacement windows for energy efficiency, high efficiency furnaces and air conditioning, updated electrical and plumbing, and special needs alterations as needed and funds allow.