Des Moines, Iowa- A man from eastern Iowa is facing a felony charge of insurance fraud. The Iowa Insurance Division reports 36-year-old Frank Paul Tarasi, of Hiawatha ,was charged with one count of Fraudulent Submissions (a Class D Felony), following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Divisions Fraud Bureau.

The charge against Tarasi stems from an investigation which began in May of 2022.  According to a criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, while Tarasi was working as an insurance producer, he altered documents and submitted them in support of a life insurance policy knowing that they misrepresented material facts. Tarasi was seen for an initial appearance on September 2, 2022, and released on his own recognizance.

Frank Tarasi

And, a Davenport man, 42-year-old Jared Simmons, pled guilty on September 1, 2022, to one count Presenting False Information, a class “D” Felony, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. The investigation began in January 2021 after the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau received information indicating Simmons had provided false information to an insurer following an automobile accident in Scott County.

The investigation determined Simmons had made false representations regarding the nature of the loss in an effort to secure benefits of the policy. Simmons claimed that his vehicle sustained damage after hitting a deer when, in fact, the damage was sustained when Simmons was involved in a single-car accident while he was intoxicated. Simmons was arrested on February 3, 2022. Following his guilty plea, Simmons received a five year suspended prison sentence and placed on supervised probation for a period of two years. Simmons was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,025.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Divisions Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers are studying challenges facing Ukrainian refugees who settle in Iowa and they hope to build an app that will help groups to identify housing for refugees in the future. I-S-U civil engineering professor Cristina Poleacovschi wants to document the experiences of the refugees. She says stable housing is foundational to a refugee’s integration, but it’s not always readily available in the resettlement process. “Refugees are already a group of people who are experiencing trauma,” Poleacovschi says, “and whenever being resettled to a different place, if they are not provided with the right resources, that the effect of trauma on their quality of life is compounded.” She says the researchers will bring their work to policy-makers in hopes of improving conditions.

I-S-U political science professor Scott Feinstein says the team will document what the refugee are going through in hopes of bringing their often-marginalized voice to the forefront. “With the intent to bring the voice and challenges that refugees are facing to those who are planning cities, who are, you know, stakeholders in these communities,” Feinstein says. He says the project will also explore how refugee arrivals shape our national identity.

(reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City police were able to quickly arrest two people who allegedly drove by students leaving school and fired an airsoft pistol at them Tuesday. Sergeant Jeremy McClure describes what happened.

Airsoft guns fire rubber B-Bs. McClure says the school resource officer responded and the two suspects were taken into custody quickly.

The school district put all elementary schools on lockdown after the shooting was reported until the two suspects were arrested.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Shelby County met Tuesday morning at their meeting room, in Harlan. Auditor Mark Maxwell reports in his minutes of the meeting, that Todd Valline appeared before the Board to present current happenings and urgent notifications that are prevailing in the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Valline noted that the free lunch program initiated during the covid pandemic has been stopped, the Shelby County Food pantry is in dire need of food and funding.

Tony Buman, Shelby County Assessor, was on hand also, to present three separate parcels for tax abatement the parcels for abatement totaled $1,760.00. Two were not listed as exempt, one was a mobile home on another owners property that did not get taken off the tax rolls when it was removed several years ago. (The parcel numbers were 832812000006, 830727404900 and 832702000070). All three Supervisors voted in favor of the abatements.

Shelby County Treasurer Carolyn Blum reported her office was having software issues that had not been receiving immediate attention when the deadlines approach from the financial software vendor Tyler Corporation.

Bryce Schaben, Shelby County Roadside Manager, Wellness Coordinator and Safety Coordinator was present and announced his retirement to the Board of Supervisors. Schaben asked the Board to approve Melissa Arkfeld to his position of Wellness Coordinator starting November 2nd, 2022 and the Safety Coordinator position be approved to be Jake Holloway. The Supervisors approved both nominations.

Shelby County Auditor, Mark Maxwell advised the board that his office is preparing for the September 13th Harlan Community School District Election ballot that contains two measures for consideration. A portion of the Annex building has been vacated by Iowa community Kitchen. There are two trees that need to be removed from the Courthouse grounds, the Supervisors advised the Auditor to get someone from Shelby County to do the work. The annual TIF Debt Certificate was presented to the Supervisors for approval by Auditor Maxwell. The certificate details income and expenses by the County TIF ordinances in fiscal year 2022.

The Corley Community Club submitted application to the State of Iowa for their annual liquor license renewal, it requires Supervisors approval. Noting no issues with the Corley Community Club, a motion to that effect was passed unanimously.

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors then considered the expenditure of the budgeted $6,000 to be paid out in fiscal year 2023 for a beaver bounty. Keeping the waterway damaging beaver population controlled has been a boon to county outdoor maintenance departments and has made soil and water conservation structures less prone to damage from the controlled population of the animals. The bounty was then approved by the Supervisors by a unanimous vote after a motion to approve a $25.00 per tail bounty including the fact that the tails are limited to 20 at one time per application and also 20 per person per week.

Brandon Burmeister, Shelby County Engineer, told the Board he is currently working on a wage scale for foreman positions in his department. The immediate need has been found in the Bridge Foreman position. The Board approved granting the bridge foreman an immediate $1.00 an hour increase in wages. The Supervisors then asked Burmeister to continue the wage scale discussions and present the wage scale proposal at budget time. Burmeister said also, a road grinder rented has assisted in the remakes of granular road surfaces. It was noted that the results seem to be turning out very well. Many other current projects were presented to the Supervisors before they adjourned their session.