Iowa Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will be traveling the western part of the state next week. On Thursday, February 27th, Reynolds will visit the Harlan Community Elementary School (2105 Durant Ave.), beginning at 11-a.m.  That same afternoon, at 3-p.m., the Lt. Governor will be attending a Monona County Business Roundtable at the Onawa Public Library. She will end her tour 7-p.m. Thursday, with a speaking event at the Sioux City Growth Organization and Innovation Market, in Sioux City.
Governor Branstad will be attending other events on the eastern side of the State, on Thursday.

Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright issued a statement today (Friday), indicating that his department has been receiving complaints about a credit card phone scam. Arganbright says local residents have been receiving calls during which the caller claims the recipient of the call has had their credit card locked. The caller says in order to get the card reinstated, a fee must be paid.

Sheriff Arganbight reminds residents, especially in this situation, to never give out their information or pay the fee over the phone. Hang up and call your credit card provider directly to check on your card’s status.

Most of the time, fire and rescue personnel leave the station to respond to accidents, but today (Friday), the accident came to them. Officials with the Harlan Fire Department reported on the Harlan Fire and Rescue FaceBook page, that a pickup truck struck the station, causing the driver to be trapped. The vehicle appeared to be a Ford Ranger pickup. There was no immediate word on injuries or the extent of injuries, or what may have caused the crash.

Check out these pictures posted on the HF-RD Facebook page:

Officials with Atlantic Nursing and Rehab Center report the Director of Nursing Michelle Gifford and Administrator Kellie Jimerson traveled to New Orleans on February 11, 2014, to accept the American Health Care Association’ Quality Initiatives Award for 2013. Atlantic Nursing and Rehab Center is the only skilled nursing facility in the state to have earned the honor by meting all criteria, including:

• Safely reducing hospital re-admissions within 30 days during a skilled nursing stay by 15 percent
• Increase staff stability by reducing nursing staff turnover by 15 percent.
• Increase customer satisfaction by having 90 percent of residents and families willing to recommend their center to others
• and, Safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics by 15 percent.

Administrator Kelli Jimerson said “We began in 2008 when the facility identified numerous issues that we wished to work on.”  She added “Since that time we joined the Advancing Excellence program in an effort to work on reducing survey issues, increasing our 5-star rating, and providing more of the quality care that the residents of the Atlantic community and their families have come to know and expect.”

In 2011, the ANRC was awarded the AHCA’s Bronze Quality Award. The facility is owned and operated by Care Initiatives, Iowa’s largest not-for-profit senior care provider. Certified by Medicare and Medicaid, Care Initiatives includes nursing homes, assisted livings and independent living facilities in 56 locations throughout the state, and offers a separate not-for-profit Care Initiatives Hospice service throughout 63 counties in Iowa. Care Initiatives__strive to provide Iowans with the best skilled care along with physical, occupational and speech therapy services.

The National Weather Service reports one person was killed Thursday morning, when severe storms passed through southwest Iowa. Officials say an adult male died when a 30-foot conveyor belt was blown over by a wind gust. The incident occurred at around 9:55-a.m., about one-mile  west/southwest of Benton, in Ringgold County. Additional details are expected to be released later today (Friday).

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County say no injuries were reported following a collision between a van and a car Thursday morning, about two-miles northwest of Lewis. The accident happened at around 10:10-a.m. on White Pole Road.

Authorities say a 2005 Ford Freestar owned and driven by 57-year old Allen Richard Josephsen,  of Anita, was traveling west on White Pole Road when it was hit by an eastbound 1999 Buick LeSabre owned and driven by 24-year old Jessica Kristine Olsen, of Lewis. Olsen’s car went out of control on the slick roadway just prior to the collision Damage from the crash amounted to $6,400.

Democrats on a Senate committee have advanced a bill that would give the state insurance commissioner authority to order rebate to customers if an audit of Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield reveals the company has too much cash in reserve. Senator Jack Hatch, a Democrat from Des Moines who is running for governor, is touting the bill.  “Let’s just say that there was a determination there was excess reserves,” Hatch says. “Right now the commissioner has no authority to require the company to do anything with that. (It’s) totally up to the company.”

Wellmark lobbyist Frank Stork points to a 2011 audit which concluded Wellmark’s reserves might have been too low to cover future risks.  “And there’s currently one underway,” Stork says, “so I think at a minimum you’d want to wait and see what the current audit indicates.” Stork says the company has “reasonable” reserves. Wellmark opposes the bill. Republican legislators argue it’s not the state’s role to tell a private company how much cash to keep in reserve.

Over one-point-eight million Iowans are covered by a Wellmark health insurance policy. According to the company’s website, Wellmark held over one-point-three BILLION dollars in reserves in 2012.

(Radio Iowa)