Officials with the Diocese of Des Moines plan to launch a new Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa on July 1st, and fold its endowments into the foundation as a means of providing cost savings, better professional management and investment opportunities for supporters. In his monthly column in The Catholic Mirror, Bishop Richard Pates said “This new development, I am confident, will serve well the charitable, organizational, and fiscal structure of the Catholic community in the 23 counties of southwest Iowa.”

Anticipated benefits of having the foundation include:

• Better Professional Management. The consolidated foundations will be served by a board with expertise and strong credentials in the investment arena.

• Benefits for Supporters. A variety of options for Catholics in the Diocese of Des Moines will be available. The Endow Iowa 25 percent tax credits also will be a possibility for those who are able to take advantage of this tax consideration. Other personal opportunities such as “Donor Advised Funds” will be incorporated into the new foundation.

Initially, the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa will include funds from the Diocese of Des Moines. Over time, parishes and schools may take advantages of the foundation benefits by investing endowment funds in the foundation. Each parish entity will retain ownership of funds and will be accounted as such for future parish use. The Foundation will be a vehicle to raise resources for parishes, institutions and the diocese through legacy giving and planned giving. The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines will provide office support. The Diocese of Des Moines includes 81 parishes in 23 counties in central and southwest Iowa.

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest Tuesday of a local man on a harassment charge. 44-year old Ronald Jeray, of Atlantic, was taken into custody on a Cass County warrant for Harassment by Communication. Jeray was brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

And, the A-PD says there were no injuries during an accident Tuesday evening at 10th and Cherry Streets. Officials say a vehicle driven by Bernice Meurer, of Atlantic, was traveling west on 10th Street at around 5:20-p.m., when it hit a legally parked trailer owned by Kevin Petersen, of Walnut. The damage amounted to $2,450. Meuer was given a warning following the incident, for Failure to Maintain Control.

Police officers in Clarinda say no injuries were reported following a property damage accident Monday afternoon, at the intersection of 16th and Wells Streets. The accident happened at around 1:45 p.m.   Officials say 78-year old Albert Ascherl, Jr., of Clarinda was traveling north on 16th Street and had slowed in traffic for a vehicle that was turning left at the intersection, when his 2011 Chevrolet was hit from behind by a 1988 Pontiac Sunfire. The other vehicle was  driven by 16-year old Stephanie Renae Marsh, of Clarinda. Marsh was cited for failure to stop with an assured clear distance ahead. Damage from the crash amounted to $3,000.

Authorities in Clarinda report also the arrest Tuesday afternoon, of 36-year old William Ray Phillips, of Clarinda. Phillips was taken into custody for violating a domestic protection order. He was brought to the Page County Jail and held without bail, pending an appearance before a Page County Magistrate.

One person was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning following an assault in Clarinda. According to Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers, at around 2:30 a.m., officers arrested 19-year old Joseph Ray Williams-Azevedo, on a charge of serious assault. The arrest occurred after authorities received a report from an unidentified 18-year old male alleging that Williams-Azevedo had struck the victim in his head with a closed fist, during a verbal altercation. The incident allegedly happened in the area of 13^th & Stuart, in Clarinda.

The alleged victim of the assault suffered minor injuries, but did not require medical attention. Williams-Azevedo was taken to the Page County Jail on $1,000 bail pending an appearance before a Page County Magistrate.

Firefighters from Oakland and Carson were called to a fire in a building at the Northern Natural Gas plant, near Oakland, but there was never any danger to the public. Mike Loeffler, Media Specialist with the gas company, in Omaha, told KJAN News the fire — which happened at around 10:15-a.m. — was not actually in the building, as had first been reported. He said a contractor was conducting maintenance on a Hydro-Vac at the Oakland Compressor Station. A fire ignited in the cab of the contractor’s truck. As of 10:45-a.m., the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries, and no damage to the Compressor station itself.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) adopted an Illegal Dumping Ordinance, followed a second public hearing on the matter, during which there were no comments received, and the second reading of the Ordinance. It was adopted after the third reading was waived. Supervisor Chuck Rieken said there’s still apparently some confusion out there about what areas of the County the Ordinance applies to, as evidenced by a conversation he recently had with a resident in Griswold.

Rieken said a gentleman stopped to ask him about a piano that was dumped behind a business in Griswold. The man had read about the ordinance, and wanted to know if the County had jurisdiction over the matter. Rieken informed him that is a matter for the City of Griswold, which can use the County’s Ordinance on Illegal Dumping as a template if it needs to, to control items disposed of within the City limits.

The Ordinance only applies to the Unincorporated areas of Cass County, not the individual Communities, some of which already have rules in place to deal with Illegal Dumping. The Ordinance also does not apply to controlled uses of broken-up concrete the County applies, as rip-rap along banks and streams for erosion control. County Engineer Charles Marker says a rural property owner can use broken up concrete for use as rip-rap along their banks and streams for erosion control, so long as it does not contain asphalt or oil-based materials. Most property owners will get the “safe” type of  concrete from the County, anyway.

Authorities in western Iowa are working to identify a body that was found  along the railroad tracks near Highway 30, in Crawford County. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call from the Union Pacific Railroad at around 3-p.m., Tuesday, with regard to an unidentified body located along the railroad tracks. Sheriff’s deputies responded to scene along with agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Union Pacific Railroad Agents, Iowa State Patrol, and the Crawford County Medical Examiner.

DPS Officials say due to the state of decomposition a positive identification cannot be determined until final autopsy results have been completed by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy is scheduled for today (Wednesday). The Denison, and Vail Fire Departments also assisted with the investigation.

(Radio Iowa/DPS)