A public hearing will be held this evening in Greenfield, with regard to an Adair County redistricting plan. Members of the Adair County Temporary Redistricting Committee are set to meet at 7-p.m. in the Adair County Boardroom at the courthouse in Greenfield, to discuss the redistricting plan, which became a requirement following the results of the 2010 census, which showed a population shift in Iowa.
An economic development group in southwest Iowa has received a grant from the U-S Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. Senator Tom Harkin late last week announced that four Iowa regional planning commissions and councils of government received a total of $243,000 in grants to update their comprehensive economic development strategies. The grants cover Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties.
SWIPCO – the Southwest Iowa Planning Council — based in Atlantic, will receive $60,000 from the U-S DOC. The grants will establish an economic development planning framework, process and strategy that supports private capital investment and job creation in local communities in Iowa.
Harkin says the grants “Will help to initiate private and public investment to help develop new jobs and give a needed boost to local communities.“ He says also “Strong development strategies are imperative to increasing job and career opportunities across the state.”
Authorities in Carroll County have arrested a man in a neighboring county, in connection with a couple of burglaries in Coon Rapids. According to reports, Coon Rapids Police arrested 34-year old Jack Daniel Pearce, last Monday (August 22nd), on two-counts of felony burglary in the second degree. The Cooper man was taken into custody for allegedly breaking into the Coon Rapids Pharmacy on two separate occasions over the past 13-months. If convicted, Pearce faces five years imprisonment for each count and $5,000 fine for each charge. Pearce posted a $1,000 bond and was released from custody, with orders to appear in court for his preliminary hearing, on September 1st.
Pearce is suspected of breaking into the pharmacy through the back door, in July 2010, and again in February of this year. Once inside, he allegedly stole large amounts of prescription drugs and narcotics. Court records show Pearce has an extensive criminal record involving illegal drug possession. A search warrant executed at Pearce’ residence led to his arrest following a traffic stop just east of Cooper, Monday evening.
Officials say the burglaries in Coon Rapids were identical to several other area pharmacy break-ins that have taken place over the past year. Similar burglaries have occurred in Manning, Guthrie Center, Jefferson, Ogden, and Dayton. No arrests have been made in connection with those incidents.
The Iowa State Patrol says a 52-year-old man from Allen, Nebraska died Sunday, after the motorcycle he was driving ran into a guard rail along a road in northwest Iowa’s Plymouth County. Patrick Hirschman, who was found in a ditch following the collision, died from his injuries at the Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars. The accident happened at around 5:40-p.m., Sunday.
The Patrol says Hirschman was traveling south on Iowa Highway 12, when his 2000 Harley Davidson cycle went out of control. The report did not indicate if Hirschman was wearing a helmet.
A investigation by the Des Moines Register has revealed safeguards at some Iowa egg production facilities remain inadequate, one-year after salmonella sickened at least 1,600 people and led to the recall of a half-billion eggs. The paper reported in its Sunday edition, Iowa egg producers don’t have to disclose salmonella test results to state or federal regulators, egg farms are told days in advance about inspections, federal regulators don’t fine or close egg farms where violations are found and some egg farms refuse to tell government inspectors what brands their eggs are sold under.
One of the egg farms mentioned in the article, was Southwest Iowa Egg, in Massena. During a visit by FDA inspectors four-months ago, the co-op was noted for four violations. Inspectors found the company was not: following its own protocol for preventing salmonella; was failing to review internal plant records as required; was failing to properly document cleaning, disinfecting and efforts to control flied and rodents; and, maintained no records documenting the number of hours eggs were stored on site before being shipped out. The FDA give company officials a poster detailing some of the regulations pertaining to egg production, but imposed no penalties.
In an interview to air 7:30-a.m. Monday on KJAN’s “Heartbeat Today,” with Jim Field, Rich Hall, General Manager of Southwest Iowa Egg says the company has a bio-security plan in place to prevent salmonella from forming at the facility. He says when facility first opened, they allowed tours, but that practice was stopped not long thereafter, to prevent contamination, and provide for a safe product that’s shipped to the consumer.
Hall says the violations were tied to the manner in which paperwork was maintained by the company. He says the documentation is there, but officials with the FDA thought information pertaining to rodent and fly activity should be on separate logs. He says for the past three-years, the birds are vaccinated for salmonella, which is not required. In addition, their facilities have been tested twice, once by the FDA, and a second time by an independent lab. No evidence of salmonella was ever found.
Hall says their new security plan was developed when eggs produced at another Iowa farm were recalled in August 2010, following an investigation into the salmonella outbreak that affected more than two-dozen states. He says they hired a veterinary consultant to help develop the plan, and have implemented that plan according to its interpretation. Hall says they discussed the paperwork issues mentioned by the FDA, and have made modifications to comply with the recommendations.
Hall says an audit in July of the cooperative’s north facility, did not reveal any problems with documentation. Another area egg production facility, Rose Acre Farms, in Guthrie Center, was inspected in April, but the process was aborted when officials discovered that birds in one of the henhouses had been diagnosed by the company, with a viral infection that is harmful to hens, but poses no risks to humans. The diagnosis was not reported to the state veterinarian, as required by law. The veterinarian advised the FDA not to re-enter the farm or any other facilities for at least five days, following the Rose Acre inspection. Officials with Rose Acre Farms say the FDA did complete its inspection, and no action was taken against the company for failing to report the disease, or refusing to provide the requested information about it.
Hall says Southwest Iowa Egg has made significant improvements to its documentation processes, based on discussion with the FDA. Iowa is the nation’s leading egg producer, with 57 million hens laying 14 billion eggs per year.
CHARLES “BUD” STEWART, 84, of Panora, died Sat., Aug. 27th, at Lexington Place, in Keokuk, IA. Funeral services for “BUD” STEWART will be held 10:30-a.m. Wed., Aug. 31st, at the Twigg Funeral Home, in Panora.
Visitation at the funeral home will take place one-hour prior to the service, Wednesday.
Burial will be in the West Cemetery at Panora.
Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says a Neola man remains in serious condition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, following a rollover accident Saturday morning, in Neola. Danker says 38-year old Daniel Colton , of Neola, was transported to the hospital by Neola Rescue, after the vehicle he was a passenger in rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its top in a yard at 514 Front Street in Neola, at around 2:15-a.m., Saturday.
The driver of the 2011 Chevy Cruze, 37-year old Craig Wiggins, of rural Council Bluffs, told investigators he had swerved to miss a deer on northbound Railroad Highway, just before the accident occurred. Wiggins suffered what were described as “non-life threatening injuries,” and was transported by Underwood Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. Rescuers worked for about 30-minutes to free both men from wreckage.
Danker says a blood test was conducted to determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash, but the results of the test are currently not available. Charges are pending the results the blood alcohol test.
ROBERT SCHILTZ, 63, of Defiance, died Thu., Aug. 25th, at Lakeside Hospital. A Mass of Christian Burial service for ROBERT SCHILTZ will be held 10:30-a.m. Mon., Aug. 29th, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Earling. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.
Visitation at the church is from 1-9pm Sun., Aug. 28th, with the family present from 5-8pm, & a Wake service at 7-pm.
Burial will be in the St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
Robert Schiltz is survived by:
His mother – Benita (Bissen) Schultz, of Earling.
His sons – Scott (Jill) Schiltz, of Earling; Steve Schiltz & fiance’ Kim Ekdahl, Danny (Dana) Schiltz, David (Shannon) Schiltz, and Brad Schiltz, all of Omaha, NE.
His brothers:- Tony (Helen) Schiltz, of Davenport; Gene (Marian) Schiltz, of Des Moines, & Jim (Mel) Schiltz, of Bellevue, NE.
His sisters – JoAnn (Tony) Allegretti, of San Jose, CA; & Mary (Delmer) Powell, of Omaha.
13 grandchildren.
ANDREW T. “ANDY” SHUTTERS, 29, of Council Bluffs, died Thu., Aug. 25th at Creighton Medical Center in Omaha, NE, following an automobile accident. Funeral services for ANDY SHUTTERS will be held 10:30-a.m. Mon., Aug. 29th, at the Faith Community Church in Red Oak. Nelson-Boylan-LaRett Funeral Chapel in Red Oak has the arrangements.
Visitation with the family present, will be from 6-8pm Sun., Aug. 28th, at the funeral home.
Burial will be in the Hanock, IA, Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
ANDY SHUTTERS is survived by:
Amanda Dahl & her daughter McKenzie, of Council Bluffs.
His parents – Charlie (Cheryel) Shutters, of Red Oak.
His brother – Aaron Shutters, of Red Oak.
His sister – Amber Shutters, of Red Oak.
His grandmother – Cora Travis, of Corning.
Other relatives, & friends
HERMA LUCILLE WILSON, 94, of Harlan, died Fri., Aug. 26th, at the Elm Crest Assisted Living Facility in Harlan. Funeral services for HERMA WILSON will be held 1-p.m. Tue., Aug. 30th, at the Persia Methodist Church. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.
Visitation is from 6-9pm Mon., Aug. 29th at the funeral home, with the family present from 6-8pm.
Burial is in the Valley View Cemetery in Persia.
HERMA WILSON is survived by:
Her sons – John J. Wilson, of Mesa, AZ, & Jerry (Jill) Wilson, of Yankton, SD.
Her daughter – Jan Wilson, of Persia.
15 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, & 6 great-great grandchildren.
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