(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor and Commission of Elections, Stephanie Burke, says Montgomery County voters will be receiving postcards in the mail this week ahead of the Primary Election scheduled for June 7, 2022. Burke said the cards will be sent from the Iowa Secretary of State to update voters on their polling locations.

“Due to various circumstances, some voting locations will be different from where voters voted during previous elections,” Burke said. “The polling places affected are Precinct 2 and Precinct 5.” The new polling location for voters living in Precinct 2 will be at the Red Oak Gold Fair Building. The new polling location for voters living in Precinct 5 will be at the Elliott Community Building.

Auditor Burke reminds the voters that there is absentee voting in the Auditor’s office. “Absentee ballots will be available on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at the Auditor’s office and may be voted in the office until 5:00 p.m., Monday, June 6.” The Auditor’s office will also be open Saturday, June 4, 2022 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For more information about the 2022 Primary Election, contact the Montgomery County Auditor’s office at 712-623-5127 or visit the county website at www.montgomerycountyia.gov. Voters can also follow Montgomery County Auditor & Elections on Facebook.

Atlantic, IA – Cass Health officials have announced Shelley Paulsen, LPN, was honored with the DAISY Award during Nurses Week. A packed room of family, friends, and colleagues surprised her with a special ceremony to present the award. “I was shocked to walk into that room and see everyone there. While I don’t like being the center of attention, I am grateful for this recognition. I’ve always felt lucky to be a nurse and to be able to have such an impact on others,” said Paulsen.

Shelley Paulsen, LPN (Photo provided by Cass Health)

Paulsen has worked for 26 years at Atlantic Medical Center. She first joined the team as an immunization nurse, and she also worked with Dr. John Weresh until his retirement. Since then, she works daily with Scott Hixson, PA-C. Her nominator wrote, “Shelley needs to know just how truly amazing she is and that she has touched my life for many years at my lowest times in life and my highest times. I believe that God truly knew what he was doing with Shelley becoming a nurse and making our paths cross.” Paulsen commented, “I truly enjoy the patients and families we care for. I always try to treat them with respect and kindness, to let them know they are important to me, and that’s allowed me to develop a relationship with them over the years. It’s especially fun to see the babies I cared for bring their babies in to see us!”

Nurses at Cass Health are honored twice annually with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.® The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The DAISY Award committee at Cass Health wishes to thank all nominators for their submissions. Each nurse who was nominated will be presented with a special pin and a copy of the nomination.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing, and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org. An online nomination form is available at https://www.casshealth.org/daisy.

(Radio Iowa) [UPDATED] – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that will significantly expand the number of Iowa gas stations that sell E-15 — fuel that has a 15 percent ethanol blend. “This historic bill makes Iowa the first state in the nation to adopt an E15 standard, setting the stage for the single largest expansion of biofuels in our state’s history,” Reynolds said, adding a whoop as the crowd around her applauded.

Stations that sell less than 300-thousand gallons of gasoline annually or have older tanks and pumping systems that are not compatible with ethanol can apply for waivers — but the rest will have to start selling E-15 by 2026. The law also requires most retailers that sell diesel to start selling B-20 — diesel with 20 percent of a soybean-based additive. Reynolds signed the bill on a farm near Prairie City.

Representatives of the biofuels industry and farm groups as well as several legislators were there. “For well over a year we’ve been working on different versions of this bill,” Reynolds said, “and the final product is truly a statement to the idea that good faith discussion, negotiation and compromise can pay off in a big way.” Reynolds says rather than electric vehicles, biofuels offer energy independence and security for the United States.

“Biofuels account for $4 billion of Iowa’s GDP and supports tens of thousands of jobs in our state. It powers our economy and fuels the world and this position of global leadership means this reverberates far beyond our borders,” Reynolds says. “When we talk, people listen and we’ve never spoke more loudly and more clearly than we are today.” Will Cannon, a district director in the Iowa Corn Growers Association, hosted the event at the century farm where he’s grown crops for the past 20 years.

“As a farmer here in the state of Iowa, this bill means a lot to me,” Cannon said. “Ethanol means a lot to me…Ethanol is one of those markets that helps to get good prices so someone like me has an opportunity to farm.” The law requires any gas stations that are built after January 1st of 2023 to sell E-15 immediately. The plan also includes additional state grants for stations that install blender pumps and equipment that can handle higher concentrations of ethanol and biodiesel. Tax credits for fuel retailers are in the legislation and it also doubles the biodiesel production tax credit.

“It makes needed improvements to our renewable fuels infrastructure program and, honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Reynolds said. “Iowans are anxious for alternatives.” The price of E-15 is about 10 cents less per gallon — sometimes lower in rural areas. E-15 is often identified at “Unleaded 88” on a pump — and someone from the Iowa Corn Growers Association brought cookies to the event that were decorated with the number 88.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), met during a regular session at the courthouse in Atlantic. During their meeting, the Board received a request for funding from the County’s share of ARPA (Covid-19) monies, for the Anita Volunteer Fire Department. Anita Fire Chief Eric Steffensen said they need some equipment for their squads and to transport patients down a stairs.

Steffensen said the past few years, they haven’t been able to conduct their annual fundraisers that would help their ambulance service, due to Covid.

He told the Board their current AED’s (Automatic External Defibrillators) are “well past their prime”for usefulness. The replacement devices are upgraded to monitor several vital statistics and transmit data to the hospital. The Board agreed Anita’s AED equipment should be upgraded, and approved the request for $65,000.

They heard from Griswold City Manager Ted Marciniak, who proposed a five-year extension (from 11-to 16-years) on the City’s TIF District (Tax Increment Financing) with regard to the Noble Initiatives DayCare Center Project. The Board previously approved $150,000 for the Daycare Project.

Marciniak said Noble Initiative will serve as the developers of a housing project in Griswold, in conjunction with the City. The Board was not asked to take action on the matter at this time. It has to be brought before Iowa Western Community College and the Griswold School District, before it can move forward. He was asked why the TIF needed to be extended for five-more years.

He said a normal initiative would not be ready until they receive a report from the Noble Initiative Engineers.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a Carter Lake man, 43-year-old Kevin Michael Borg, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Office Monday afternoon. Borg was wanted on a warrant for Violation of Probation. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail. In other news, there were a few prisoners from other facilities transferred to the Pottawattamie County Jail to address warrants:

• 27-year-old Michael Roy E. White, Jr., of Carter Lake, and 26-year-old Kameron Riley Myers, of Glenwood, were wanted on separate Pott. County warrants for Violation of Probation.
• 24-year-old Kolby Austin Fulk, of Atlantic, was transported from the Cass County Jail to Pott. County, where he was wanted on warrants for OWI/1st offense and Absence from Custody. He was being held on bond amounting to $3,300.
• and, 37-year-old Tabray McQuail Floyd, of Council Bluffs, an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, was served with a warrant for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. He was being held on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Legislation that aims to set up a grant program so police departments can get access to training and equipment will go before the U-S Senate Judiciary Committee this week. That panel’s ranking Republican, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, says he’s a co-sponsor of the Invest to Protect Act which is being introduced during National Police Week. “This would help smaller, local police departments recruit and retain officers,” Grassley says. “That’s something that I often hear from police departments as I travel the state, they’re having trouble finding and keeping police officers.”

The bill is designed to ensure police get needed training as well as access to body cameras and mental health resources. In the past few years, Grassley says police recruitment numbers have faltered.  “This is partially because of dangerous, anti-law enforcement rhetoric that has emboldened criminals and, most importantly, demoralized the police,” Grassley says, “and demoralized police don’t work as efficiently as if they’re honored by the public.”

Crime rates rose in recent years, Grassley says, with some cities reporting that carjackings have tripled. Also, there’s been a rising sentiment in some populations to oppose the police, which Grassley says is a menacing trend. “I think a lot of these cities that were in revolt two years ago, that led to the slogan ‘Defund the police,’ I think they realize how big of a mistake it is,” Grassley says, “and we’re seeing a turnaround of funding police properly.”

The judiciary committee on Thursday will also consider a measure Grassley co-sponsored called the Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act. It would set up mental health programs for America’s first responders, who often face long-term impacts from offering life-saving services during moments of crisis.

(Washington, D-C) – The Justice Department today (Tuesday), announced that it has secured an agreement to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Davenport, Iowa, landlord Juan Goitia violated the Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants. The settlement also resolves claims against 908 Bridge Cooperative which, along with Goitia, owned the properties where the harassment occurred.

Under the consent order, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, defendants are required to pay $135,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and pay a civil penalty to the United States. The consent order also:

• prohibits Goitia from continuing to manage rental housing;
• requires Goitia to retain an independent property manager to manage any rental properties he owns now or in the future; and
• requires defendants to obtain fair housing training and implement comprehensive non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures to prevent sexual harassment at their properties in the future.

“Sexual harassment by housing providers is an illegal and egregious abuse of power that deprives tenants of their right to be safe and secure in their homes,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting the rights of vulnerable tenants subjected to sexual harassment and will continue to hold landlords accountable and obtain relief for survivors.”

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that since at least 2010, Goitia subjected female tenants to harassment that included making unwelcome sexual comments and advances, touching tenants’ bodies without their consent, entering the homes of female tenants without their consent and without prior notice, and taking adverse actions against tenants who resisted his sexual overtures or complained about the harassment.

This case was litigated by attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division and the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The goal of the department’s initiative is to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers, or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the Department of Justice has filed 23 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $9.6 million for victims of such harassment.

(Anamosa, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections, Monday, said Anamosa State Penitentiary inmate Taylor Bradley Denney was pronounced dead due to apparent suicide at approximately 9:45 p.m., Saturday, May 14.  Denney was 30 years old at the time of his death.

He had been serving a 10-year maximum term for the crime of Arson 2nd Degree from Scott County. His sentence began on April 30, 2021. The department says it investigates all suspected suicides within its correctional facilities.

Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Tuesday) released a report on a special investigation of the City of Silver City for the period May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2021. A copy of the full, 150 page report is available at https://www.auditor.iowa.gov/reports/file/69320/embed. The special investigation was requested by City officials as a result of concerns regarding certain financial transactions processed by the former City Clerk, Artema Gray, and covered the period May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2021.

Sand reported the special investigation identified $61,730.26 of improper disbursements, $3,499.51 of unsupported disbursements, and $1,555.00 of undeposited fundraising collections.
The improper disbursements identified includes $42,210.26 of personal purchases made with the City’s credit card. The improper disbursements identified also include $10,880.22 of unauthorized payroll issued to Ms. Gray and related payroll costs, $2,006.49 of unauthorized reimbursements issued to Ms. Gray, and $545.00 of payments for Ms. Gray’s personal CenturyLink bills. Sand also reported the improper disbursements identified includes interest late fees, and penalties to IPERS, the Department of Revenue, the Internal Revenue Service, and credit card payments.

The $3,499.51 of unsupported disbursements identified includes $2,672.64 of purchases made with the City’s credit cards and $261.95 of reimbursements issued to Ms. Gray. Sand reported it was not possible to determine the propriety of these credit card charges and disbursements because they were not supported by documentation sufficient to determine if they were for City operations or personal in nature.

Sand also reported $1,555.00 of undeposited fundraising collections were identified by comparing the amount which should have been collected to amount deposited in the City’s bank account. It was not possible to determine if additional funds were improperly disbursed or if any additional collections were not properly deposited during the period reviewed because adequate records were not available.

In addition, Sand reported City officials did not implement policies or procedures to address the recommendations included in a report released in May 2018 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017. The report included recommendations to segregate duties, perform bank reconciliations, ensure disbursements were properly supported by sufficient documentation, adhere to established credit card policies, and reconcile collections to deposits.

As was recommended in the earlier report, Sand again recommended City officials implement procedures to ensure the City’s internal controls are strengthened, including properly segregating duties, performing independent reviews of bank reconciliations, and ensuring all disbursements are properly supported, approved, and paid in a timely manner.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports 24-year-old Samantha Rose Lauer, of Creston, was arrested Monday night at the Creston Walmart Store. Lauer was taken into custody for shoplifting (Theft in the 5th Degree). She was cited, and then released from the scene.

Authorities report also, 54-year-old Christopher Joseph Cooklin, of Muskogee OK., was arrested this (Tuesday) morning, at the intersection of Sumner/Adams Street. Cooklin was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.