DES MOINES, IA – A Woodward man was sentenced on Thursday, October 20, 2022, to 12 months and one day in prison for wire fraud and false statements to the United States Small Business Association (SBA).

According to court documents, John Richard Stidolph, age 66, submitted numerous false applications to the SBA for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Over the course of approximately one year, he submitted four fraudulent applications and received $359,800 from the SBA. As part of Stidolph’s sentence, he was ordered to pay restitution to the SBA and serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term.

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – A report from State Auditor Rob Sand shows about $240,000 worth of state unemployment checks were written to prisoners and dead people in the early months of the pandemic.

Iowa Workforce Development officials say the agency saw an unprecedented spike in unemployment claims between March and June of 2020 and had to process five times as many claims as it normally did. Sand says hiring more staff to process those claims would have helped.

“No doubt the Iowa Workforce Development was pretty slammed during the pandemic,” Sand says. “They’ve got only so many people over there, but that certainly begs the question that why, if they were so busy over there, they didn’t use a portion of the surplus to hire additional staffers.”

Sand’s review found the agency shifted investigators over to answering phones and helping Iowans file unemployment claims and that led to a delay in cross-checking some death records. The review found that in the spring of 2020, Iowa Workforce Development issued unemployment benefits for six people who were dead.

“Oftentimes these Social Security numbers of deceased individuals are used by fraudsters to try to get unemployment benefits,” Sand says.

Sand says the Iowa Workforce Development agency did not cross-check the Social Security numbers on unemployment claims with a list of prison inmates and wound up cutting unemployment checks for eight prisoners. Starting in February of 2021, the agency began doing those cross-checks monthly.

(Radio Iowa) – If Senator Chuck Grassley wins reelection, he could be in the line of presidential succession again. Since the World War II era, the longest-serving U.S. senator from the party that holds the majority of seats in the senate serves as Senate President Pro Tempore. Grassley was in that role in 2019 and 2020 when Republicans held the senate majority.

“President Pro Tem isn’t so much being third in line to be president. It’s presiding over the Senate when the vice president can’t be there, which is 99.9% of the time,” Grassley says. “…It’s a leadership post and it puts me at the table with the leadership of the senate so that I can be in a powerful position to represent the people of Iowa.”

Eighty-nine-year-old California Senator Dianne Feinstein is about three months older than Grassley. Feinstein has said she will not take on the role of Senate President Pro Tem if Democrats keep the majority in 2023.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three recent arrests. Two separate arrests took place last Saturday: 39-year-old Heath Holmes, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault, and Child Endangerment. He has since posted a $1,000 bond and was released. And, 45-year-old Lydell Murray, of Omaha, was arrested Saturday, on a Sarpy County, NE., warrant, and held without bond.

And, on Sunday, Glenwood Police arrested 25-year-old Dylan Harris, of Malvern, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree. He has since posted a $5,000 and was released.

ATLANTIC, IOWA – Officials with Cass Health have announced the arrival of Adam Verhoef, MD. As a board-certified Family Medicine physician, Dr. Verhoef provides the full spectrum of care including obstetric care and c-sections. The Doctor says “I grew up in a town that had a small hospital with family medicine doctors, and I’ve always been really impressed by their ability to do it all. I love to do OB – that’s one of my passions – I also like the inpatient side, emergency medicine, urgent care. Anything that can be done in medicine – I like to do.”

Dr. Verhoef completed his undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry at Northwestern University in Orange City, Iowa. He then attended the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, and he completed his Family Medicine Residency in June of 2021 at Prisma Health Richland/University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.

Adam Verhoef, MD

Obstetric care is a passion of Dr. Verhoef’s, so after residency he was accepted into a fellowship program to further his knowledge and skills. This summer he completed the Advanced OB Fellowship at Swedish Health First Hill Family Medicine in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Verhoef said that he chose Cass Health because it matches the type of medicine he wants to practice. “Rural health has always been my goal, and at Cass Health, it’s a great fit. I can provide meaningful care for my patients, and I can provide safe, comprehensive OB care.”

Originally from Pella, Iowa, Dr. Verhoef grew up in a large family on a dairy farm. He recently purchased a home and moved to Atlantic. Dr. Verhoef will offer appointments at Atlantic Medical Center, RHC, and he will provide care to hospital and obstetric patients. To make an appointment, please call 712-243-2850.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Librarians from throughout Cass County appeared before the County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, to make their annual request for funding. Anita Public Library Director Sara Young

The Board took the request under consideration for action at a later date. The Board held a public hearing on the sale of the County-owned farm (Willow Heights), and they heard from County Engineer Trent Wolken, who said the recent rain helped his crews get the roads back in shape. They’re also doing some shoulder work on the paved roads. Wolken said the beams for Bridge # 123 northeast of Massena, should arrive by the end of November or the beginning of December. Once they arrive, they can get the contractor lined-up and ready to replace the previous beams that collapsed on September 8th, under an overweight crane that was heading to a wind turbine site.

As far as other construction projects are concerned…

Zoning Administrator Rich Hansen appeared before the Board with a request from McCunn Specialty Firearms near Massena, for a change of zoning for their store, from Business, to Light Industrial, for the purpose of assembling firearms.

The Board was of the mindset McCunns can proceed with the process, but they asked that the company send certified letters to all the nearby property owners with regard to the proposal. The Board also heard from Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue, who discussed a funding request by both the P-D and Cass County Sheriff’s Department, to pay for a course based on a highly successful program in the State of Georgia, that will help officers and deputies identify issues of stress, and, how to deal with persons addicted to Opiods.

The Board asked the Chief to consult with Sheriff Darby McLaren about a similar program being offered in Shelby County, that is reportedly free-of-charge. It would cost anywhere between $6,300 – $6,500 to bring two instructors from Georgia to Iowa, along with the class instructional materials, and use of a facility. The Board is also hoping Hoege will provide them with more information on the program from Georgia. The matter will come up as an action item during a future board meeting, most likely on November 9th.

Cass County Veterans Affairs Director Mitch Holmes presented his quarterly report to the Board. He also requested the Board pass a resolution in support of “Operation Green Light for Veterans.” Holmes requested a county building be decked-out in green light bulbs from Nov. 7th through the 11th, Veteran’s Day Week. Holmes read from a portion of the Resolution.

The Board adopted the Resolution as presented. Holmes announced also that Family Dental Center in Atlantic is offering free dental care for Veterans on Veteran’s Day, November 11th. An appointment is not required, but is recommended. Last year, the Center provided nearly $7,000 in care for 18 veterans. Their patients ranged from 32 to 93 in age and were appreciative of the care provided.

And they discussed a proposal from Behle, Inc., for cast iron pipe work for certain buildings, but took no action. Cost was a factor in tabling the decision.

(Malvern, Iowa) – Funeral services are set for an East Mills High School Senior who died in a single-vehicle accident Friday afternoon, southwest of Malvern. A visitation for 17-year-old Kennedy Haley, of Emerson, will be held this evening, from 4-until 7-p.m., at the Lakin Community Center, in Malvern. Her funeral service is 10:30-a.m.Wednesday, Oct. 26^th, also at the Lakin Center.

Kennedy Haley (Photo via Loess Hills Funeral Home in Malvern)

Counselors were on-hand Sunday afternoon and during the day on Monday, for students and staff to deal with the loss of their friend and classmate. She died when the vehicle she was driving on Noyes Avenue near 290th Street went out of control and rolled numerous times before coming to rest on its wheels. Haley was ejected. She died at the scene.

A Kennedy Haley Memorial Fund has been established at the Malvern Bank.