(Radio Iowa) – The lawyer for a man who was recently awarded 12 million dollars after he spent six years in prison for a sex crime he did not commit, says his client has post-traumatic stress disorder that will follow him the rest of his life. Donald Clark was convicted in 2010 on charges he sexually molested a student at Helen Lemme Elementary School in Iowa City where Clark was a counselor.

A judge later ruled his defense attorney was ineffective and that the child in the case had admitted to lying under oath. Clark was released from prison in 2016. Attorney Mel Orchard told K-C-R-G T-V that Clark stood strong in the face of the false accusation. “I don’t have the strength he had, to endure what he had to endure in prison. Unbelievable,” Orchard says.

Orchard says Clark maintained his innocence throughout, even when there was the temptation to take a deal that he was offered before his trial.  “That if he would just admit it happened, he’d get a lesser crime, No way. Because I didn’t do it, and I’m not going to admit to something that’s a lie, even if it costs me a prison sentence,” Orchard says.

Orchard said issues around Clark’s identity as a gay man were brought up in the malpractice lawsuit against Clark’s first lawyer and the state of Iowa. He says Clark was looked at differently because he was gay, and that should have been brought out in the original trial.

click to enlarge

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken, today (Wednesday), said the bridge on West 6th Street in Atlantic over the Nishnabotna River, will be closing on Friday, October 7, 2022, for substructure repairs. Traffic will need to use Front St., Highway 83, and Sunnyside Lane, to get around the closure.

The project should be completed in 8-10 weeks, and is a joint effort between Cass County and the City of Atlantic.

Atlantic, IA— Cass Health officials today (Wednesday), announced that Dr. Elaine Berry will assume full-time responsibility for the role of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) this month. Dr. Berry has been serving in the role part-time while still managing an active medical practice over the last several months. By moving to full-time CMO, Dr. Berry will no longer offer appointments in clinic or provide nursing home rounds, a major shift for her and many patients.

“I want to express my appreciation to the community for the 34 years of support and caring. I am lucky to have a career that is truly my passion in life. Starting this new chapter, I hope to continue to add value to our health system and our patients’ lives,” said Dr. Berry.

As CMO, Dr. Berry will work in an administrative capacity focused on quality improvement processes, teaching, and mentoring. “This does not mean that I will not be involved in patient care, however. Behind the scenes, I will be teaching and consulting with providers. But my day-to-day work will focus more on how we provide care rather than actively providing patient care,” she said.

Dr. Elaine Berry (CCHS photo)

Cass Health CEO Brett Altman stated, “We are really blessed to have Dr. Berry in this role for our organization. Her expertise and leadership are the key ingredients we need at this time to continue our journey to be the best rural hospital in America.”

Dr. Berry’s current patients are encouraged to establish care with a new primary care provider at Atlantic Medical Center, RHC.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa League of Cities have announced Mayor Shawnna Silvius, of Red Oak, was elected to serve on the Iowa Mayors Association Executive Committee. Silvius became an executive committee member on September 28 during the Iowa Mayors Association Annual Business Meeting, held in conjunction with the League’s Annual Conference & Exhibit in Waterloo. Mayor Silvius was nominated by Mayor Matt Walsh of the City of Council Bluffs.

Mayor Walsh has served as the Southwest Iowa representative and as the Chair on the Executive Committee. Walsh and the Executive Committee identified Mayor Silvius as one they feel will provide strong future leadership, not only from her role as Red Oak’s Mayor but also based on her regional leadership and her professional experiences in her career as the Economic Development Planner with Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA).

Silvius says, “I am truly humbled to have been identified by Mayor Walsh and the Executive Committee. As a newly elected mayor with so many other extra-ordinary mayors in our region to choose from, I am absolutely honored. While I feel I have much to learn from all my mayor colleagues, I am eager to actively engage to further collaborate and share whatever skills, knowledge, network and voice I can to proudly represent Southwest Iowa and to further the advancement of our fellow mayors across the state.”

Red Oak Mayor Shawnna Silvius (Photo provided)

The Iowa League of Cities formed the Mayor’s Association several years ago in an effort to help Iowa’s mayors better understand the intricacies of their job responsibilities; doing so by fostering collaboration between mayoral colleagues while sharing their best practices. The Association is responsible for adopting policies to provide direction to the association, establishing membership fees and providing direction to the organization.

Mayor Silvius will be serving along with Mayors Mike Porsch of Storm Lake (pop 10,600), Dean Andrews of Charles City (pop 7,351), Courtney Clarke of Waukee (pop 23,940), Caleb Housh of Seymour (pop 634), Lorraine Borowski of Decorah (pop 8,127) and Louise From of University Heights (pop 1,228). The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11.

The Iowa Mayors Association membership elects seven executive committee members to two-year terms.

(Radio Iowa) – A business magazine has ranked Iowa City among the 25 best cities in the country for people in their late thirties, forties and fifties to live and raise their families. Fortune magazine analyzed data from two-thousand American cities, focusing on things like education, financial health, general wellness of residents and resources for the elderly. The project focuses on the so-called “sandwich generation” — people who have aging parents and are raising kids or financially supporting their adult children. Iowa City ranked 18th in the country, cited for its public schools, senior care facilities, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics AND having the University of Iowa at its center.

Fortune also mentioned the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the city’s designation as a City of Literature by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The other cities in neighboring states to make the top 25 are Olathe, Kansas at number three; WEST Chicago at number nine; Woodbury, Minnesota at 14 and Maryland Heights, Missouri at 19.

(Radio Iowa) – A house explosion in southeast Iowa left a resident seriously hurt. The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office says it received a 911 call at noon on Tuesday concerning a residence in Chillicothe. Authorities were told that the house exploded and a man needed medical assistance. Deputies arrived at the scene and found the man in question. He was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The injured man’s condition is unknown and his identity was not disclosed. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved “with regret,” the resignation of the Jefferson Township Clerk Ron Maas. They approved the appointments of: Mike Sheeder, as Jefferson Township Clerk; and Ethan Gilman, Justin Schneider and Chad Varley as Jefferson Township Trustees. They also approved the County’s Election Incident Response Plan.

That’s Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg. She said the plan covers incidents affecting elections, such as an active shooter, fire, civil emergencies, natural disasters, and a cyber security threat. The Board approved the plan as presented. The Adair County Supervisors however, voted unanimously NOT to invest in a Renodry Dehydration System. Supervisor Steve Shelley said he would rather invest in 20 dehumidifiers, to dry out the Courthouse basement and other areas.

Supervisor John Twombly and others were not convinced the company would be a good investment.

Last month, the Boards of Supervisors in Cass and Adair Counties heard a presentation from a representative with Renodry. Cass County opted to use the system, which dries out the walls and has a three-year dry-out guarantee and a 25-year warranty. The system/service costs $19,285 (in Cass County). Adair County requested an estimate of costs during their meeting, in September. The Board during their meeting today (Wednesday), agreed to look at other options to mitigate the moisture, including a future way to keep the water from coming in through the limestone outside, and getting into the basement.

The Board also discussed supplying of fuel and related components from the Adair County Secondary Roads Department, to the City of Greenfield for its vehicles, with the idea being the Department invest in a bigger tank to help transport the fuel, with there being a possible savings of anywhere from 10-to 15-cents per gallon. But there’s no guarantee. The Department already provides fuel for the Conservation Department and school. It collects 5-cents per gallon for the service to offset expenses for invoices, fuel.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman said the arrangement has “Worked out well for us.”

Kauffman said the first step is ordering a 16,000 gallon double wall tank, split for both gas and diesel. The Board approved having him move ahead with the plan to acquire the tank and necessary facilities and/or equipment.