(Radio Iowa) – The hospital in Keokuk closed permanently at 7 a.m. today (Friday). Blessing Health System bought the hospital in Keokuk last year from UnityPoint. The facility needs millions of dollars in repairs and patient traffic has dwindled, so Blessing Health executives announced earlier this month that it would close. The hospital’s 147 employees will stay on the payroll through November 4th. Some are going to work in other Blessing Health facilities and others are on paid leave.

Keokuk has had a hospital for well over a century. The city’s first hospital opened in 1892. During the Civil War, a military hospital in Keokuk treated soldiers from both sides of the conflict. 

The original announcement from Blessing Health indicated the current hospital in Keokuk would close at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, but the hospital’s website says it already has been closed and anyone with a medical emergency should call 911.

(Radio Iowa) – Books about Vietnam were the focus of an event Thursday at the Siouxland Freedom Park Interpretive Center.

A long-time Sioux City college professor turned over his extensive collection of books on Vietnam during the event. Ralph Swain’s collection includes more than 100 books. “I actually started accumulating the books just before I went to Vietnam because I wanted to learn about the place I was going to, especially since I’m half Asian, and I’m going to an Asian country on the pretext of engaging violently against other Asians that I encounter that are trying to get me,” he says. 

Swain served in the Army in Vietnam and later taught at Briar Cliff and Western Iowa Tech In Sioux City. University of South Dakota professor emeritus Steve Feimer was also on hand. He wrote a book, profiling the stories of 31 Vietnam veterans.
“One story led to the other and I thought well I’m gonna do six guys and have it take me six months — but as you can see it took me nine years and we ended up with 31,” he says. “I just couldn’t say no, and every time I’d interview one vet they’d say you got to talk to this guy get this guy’s stories.”

You can find the book online at TheVietnamVets.com.

(Radio Iowa) – A new group is proposing that businesses that use the most energy in Iowa be able to buy electricity from other sources. Under current rules, customers must use the utility assigned to both maintain the power grid in their area AND provide the electricity for it. R.G. Schwarm is executive director of the new Iowa Economic Alliance.

The concept called electric choice is up and running in some other states, like Illinois and Ohio, and customers can compare electricity prices from different providers — but still are required to pay fees to the company that maintains the electric lines in their area. Schwarm says electric rates are a factor businesses evaluate when deciding where to locate or expand.

Schwarm is not revealing the names of the businesses that are part of the Iowa Economic Alliance, but he says the coalition’s members have seen electric rates sharply increase over the past couple of years.

The group recently commissioned a statewide survey to gauge public sentiment about the concept of electric choice. The poll found about 70 percent of Iowans prefer the idea of choosing from among electric providers rather than being restricted to the one company state regulators have designated to serve their area.

(Radio Iowa) – Federal drug agents are warning Iowa parents about so-called “rainbow fentanyl” being a potential danger to kids going trick-or-treating next month. Emily Murray, spokeswoman for the regional U-S Drug Enforcement Agency office in Omaha, says they haven’t seen any evidence of that controversial, colorful killer in the region — yet.

Halloween is a month away yet, but Murray urges Iowa parents to sort through all the candy their kids bring home before any of it is eaten.

Murray says there are some common sense steps to take, like not eating anything that’s not properly wrapped.

Along with the fentanyl dangers, Murray says the agency is still seeing — and seizing — large quantities of meth in the region.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting Friday morning, during which they received a resignation from Sara Harris, Cass County Auditor. The letter states her last day is September 12, 2022. During their meeting last week, the Board had refused to accept her resignation. The board, Friday (today), accepted her resignation date to effective as of Friday, October 7, 2022.

In her Agenda minutes, Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns said that after publishing the Notice of Intent to Appoint Cass County Auditor in all three county newspapers the board came to a consensus that they have decided to appoint, per Iowa Code Section 69, Kathy Somers to the vacant position of Cass County Auditor to begin October 10, 2022.

In other business, as we previously reported, the County Sheriff’s and Attorney’s offices have requested permission to add a shared part time position. After conducting five interviews they have chosen Stephanie Witzman to fill the position ‘Office Liaison’ for their offices. Ms. Witzman has 23 years prior experience in the Sheriff’s Office and 11 months in the Clerk of Court. The offices recommend, based on her experience, that she begin at a starting wage of $24.00/hour. The position is considered a part time basis with no more than 32 hours per week and benefits are included according to the County Employee Handbook. The Board approved the request as written.

During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Wendi Barnett, Cass County Clerk of Court, requested new locks on the Court Attendant, Magistrate Court and Juvenile Services Offices. Supervisor Steve Green will contact a locksmith. Clerk of Court Office inquired about the mail distribution at the courthouse. It was advised that the Clerk of Court is able to obtain their own suite number and have their mail delivered directly to them.

The Supervisors recessed for public hearing on County Ordinance Two: General Relief Assistance Program. The Board motioned and approved the Ordinance Two after the second reading, with the Third reading to take place October 11, 2022. In regular session once again, Cass County Treasurer, Tracey Marshall, presented wage adjustments for 3 employees, Stacy Mueller and Jordan Liddell to 85% and Celeste Burroughs to 80% of the annual salary of the county treasurer’s base salary. The Supervisors approved the wage increases as submitted.

Cass County Treasurer, Tracey Marshall, also requested pay increases for Stacie Linfor and Bailee Smith to increase from $18.00/hr. to $20.00/hr. The board referred to minutes from June 8, 2022, where it was approved that their wage could be increased to $19.00/hr after 90 days and a performance review. The Supervisors approved increasing Bailee Smith to $19.00/hr starting 9/26/2022 and Stacie Linfor to $19.00/hr starting 10/25/2022.

Cass County Treasurer made a written recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to abate taxes due on two mobile homes. After lengthy discussion, the Board voted 5-to 1 (with Mark O’Brien opposed) to adopt RESOLUTION 2022-046 Resolution to Abate Tax. In other news, the Cumberland Public Library submitted to a Board an ARPA request. They request $16,249.00 to replace the roof and gutters on the library building. The supervisors said they would like to visit with the City of Cumberland before deciding on whether or not to award ARPA funds to repair a city owned building. Action was tabled until their meeting on October 11, 2022.

The Sale of the County Owned Farm was discussed. The consensus of the board is that an auction seems to be the preferred method at this time. A public hearing must be held to proceed any further. A Resolution was approved to Set Date of Public Hearing for Sale of County Owned Farm. Public Hearing dates would be October 18, 2022, and October 25, 2022 and October 31, 2022.

The Cass County Supervisors’ next meeting is Tuesday, October 11, 2022.